Advancing Medical Education Through XR and 3D Innovation - Key Takeaways from the February TIME Series Event
On Feb. 20, Yale School of Medicine’s Educational Technology & Innovation (ETI) team hosted a TIME Series roundtable examining the evolving role of extended reality (XR) and 3D technologies in medical education. Facilitated by Kathleen Ludewig, PMP, the session convened faculty, staff, and institutional partners to explore how immersive technologies are being implemented across departments and programs.
Panelists Ray Hill; Travis McCann, MSN; Asher Marks, MD; and Lisa Zhang, MD; shared examples spanning photogrammetry-based 3D anatomy models, immersive emergency medicine simulations, and VR-supported training initiatives used at YSM, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation, and Yale School of Nursing. Across settings, speakers emphasized that meaningful impact depends less on hardware and more on thoughtfully designed, pedagogically grounded content aligned with curricular goals.
The discussion also addressed practical considerations critical to institutional adoption, including infrastructure reliability, accessibility, psychological safety for learners, and coordination with IT and privacy requirements. Panelists reflected on the balance between building custom solutions and leveraging commercial platforms, underscoring the importance of sustainability, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and shared resources.
As interest in XR continues to grow—and as emerging tools such as AI expand possibilities for content creation and simulation design—the conversation reinforced Yale’s deliberate, evidence-informed approach. By fostering collaboration among educators, technologists, and clinical leaders, the innovation community is positioning immersive technologies to enhance, rather than replace, hands-on medical education.
YSM ETI Presents AI Innovations at AAMC Virtual Conference
The YSM ETI team presented two innovative AI applications at the AAMC 2026 Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning: Digital Demonstrations Virtual Conference, held Feb. 4-5.
Ye Xu, PhD; Kathleen Ludewig, PMP; and Jaideep Talwalkar, MD; demonstrated "Ambient AI Feedback: Summarizing Instructor Verbal Debriefs in Real Time." Xu showcased technology that captures live transcription during practice clinical encounters, automatically summarizing instructor feedback and generating draft clinical notes for students.
In a second session, "Transforming Curriculum Search with AI at Yale School of Medicine," Lei Wang, MSI; Gary Leydon; and Xu presented the YSM MD Program curriculum search bot, detailing its construction and practical applications for navigating medical school curriculum.
These presentations highlight YSM ETI's leadership in developing AI-powered solutions that enhance medical education.ICYMI: From Ideathon to Pilots - Updates on AI and XR Medical Education ProjectsA recap from the January YSM ETI TIME Series event.
AI at Yale Standards for Using AI Tools and Chatbots in Health Sciences
Yale's new webpage on AI Tools and Resources offers comprehensive guidelines for the ethical use of AI tools and chatbots in health sciences. This resource underscores the critical importance of data privacy, ensures the reliability and effectiveness of AI applications, and maintains high ethical standards in healthcare contexts.
One highlighted section, "Using AI Safely and Responsibly in Health Care," provides best practices for the responsible integration of AI in healthcare settings. It emphasizes the necessity of ensuring patient safety, upholding data privacy, addressing algorithmic biases, and adhering to rigorous ethical standards. The focus is on responsibly utilizing AI technologies to prioritize patient well-being and rights.
Another key section, "Choosing the Right AI Tool for Critical Health Sciences Applications," offers detailed guidance on selecting the appropriate AI tools for critical health applications. It lays out criteria for evaluation such as accuracy, reliability, regulatory compliance, and alignment with clinical needs. The guidance also stresses the importance of understanding the limitations and potential risks of AI tools to ensure they enhance patient care effectively.
Collectively, these resources aim to inform health sciences professionals about responsibly adopting and implementing AI technologies in health care, placing a strong emphasis on ethical considerations, patient safety, and effective tool selection.
3/3 TIME Series Event: Climate Consciousness and Sustainable Use of AI Tools
On March 3, from 3 - 4:30 p.m., the YSM Educational Technology & Innovation team will host their March TIME Series event focused on AI’s impact on the environment. This in-person panel discussion will be hosted at Cohen Auditorium (within the Yale Child Study Center) - 230 S Frontage Rd NIHB E-02, New Haven, CT 06510.
This event will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, medicine, and environmental sustainability. The panel will address the environmental impact of AI tools in medical education, focusing on the energy demands of AI models, the lifecycle impacts of servers and devices, and the ecological costs of raw materials. The discussion will highlight global disparities, where high-income communities use of energy-intensive AI tools burdens low- and middle-income communities. Actionable strategies for promoting sustainable AI practices at various levels will also be proposed. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP here.
OPPORTUNITIES
Virtual Training: Microsoft 365 Copilot Training for IT, explore the fundamentals of using Copilot as your own AI assistant through expert-led demos, discover how Copilot helps boost collaboration, provides real-time insights, and streamlines workflows. Trainings available on March 4 at 2-3 p.m. GMT and March 18 from 3-4 p.m. GMT.
Grant Opportunity: The Poorvu Center is offering funds to help instructors prepare students for AI via its AI Course Revision Pilot Grant. Applications are due March 13. For addition information, view more details about the grant opportunity here.
Conference: 2026 Yale Medical AI Symposium, March 26, will be in New Haven, CT by Yale Center for Clinical Investigation and Yale Biomedical Informatics and Computing, and YSM. See full details on the conference here.
Conference: Innovations in Medical Education Conference, March 26-27 both in-person and virtual options available. For more information, view more details about the conference here.
Publishing Opportunity: Digital Medicine, a leading broad scope medical informatics journal, has launched a collection on "Transforming Medical Education Through Artificial Intelligence." Submissions are due April 24. For more information, view more details about the publication opportunity here.
