12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Special Interest Groups Meeting and Lunch

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Conference Opening & Orientation
Conference Co-Chairs

• Elizabeth Kachur, Director, Medical Education Development, Global Consulting
• Mary E. Kollmer Horton, Director, Medical Student Research Office, Assistant Professor, Office of Educational Programs, Core Faculty, McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, Academic Faculty Liaison to The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston-Galveston, UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School
• Amal Khidir, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Chair of IRB, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar
  

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Concurrent Session 1...Continued

• 'I Will Vote When I Go Home,' The Effect of Registration Location on Medical Student Voter Turnout 
  Medical students face many barriers when it comes to voting. This study looks at the impact of a medical student's registration location (hometown vs city of study) on the likelihood of that student voting.
  • Nicholas Tsavaris, Student, Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership
  
  
• Individual vs. Collaborative Education in Problem-based Learning Environments
  Student development in small groups is affected by learning style, personality, and participation. Strong individual participation and collaborative discussion are both valuable, but collaboration fosters thorough academic and professional growth.
  • Brandon Hickson, Student, CMSRU
  • John Sasso, Student, CMSRU
  • Amanda McBride, CMSRU Faculty, CMSRU

Oral/Flash 2: Addressing Professionalism: Social Determinants of Health
Chair: Ann Blair Kennedy

• Knowledge Gaps in Lifestyle-Related Cancer Prevention Amongst Primary Care Patients
  The purpose of this project was to assess knowledge gaps in modifiable risk factors for developing cancer in patients attending the Cooper Rowan Clinic (CRC), a free medical student clinic in Camden, NJ for uninsured patients. We found that participants responded positively to receiving education on these risk factors and that this population may require targeted guidance on some lifestyle factors. 
  • Julia Pierson, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  • Diana Mastellone, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  
  
• Assessing Food Insecurity Among Patients at a Student-Run Free Clinic: A QI Initiative
  Food insecurity remains highly prevalent among patients at free clinics. This study assesses food security among patients at the Cooper-Rowan Free Clinic and examines the potential relationship between food insecurity and insulin use.
  • Raaha Kumaresan, Student, CMSRU
  • John Liu, Student, CMSRU
  
  
• Social Determinants of Health Screening in Non-Traditional Medical Student Care
  This project successfully trialed SDoH screener implementation in anonymous health fairs run by medical students. The clear feasibility of this process supports the need for more reliable screening of social factors across all forms of health-care.
  • Mia Shokry, Student, MSUCOM
  • Zachary Kostelec, Student, MSUCOM
  
  
• Preventive Health Visits: An Advocacy Opportunity for Patients and Providers
  Preventive health visits incorporate evidence-based practices to promote the wellbeing of patients. This requires advocacy on both the professional and individual level.
  • Aaliyah Phillips, Student, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 

Panel 1: Institutional Culture Change Through Student Evaluations
Facilitator: Gerald Stapleton

The speakers, from two medical schools, will present their experience in using third and fourth-year student evaluations of faculty and housestaff.  The speakers will discuss how these evaluations - both negative and positive - were used to reduce student mistreatment and support excellent teaching.

• Abbey Bachmann, Assistant Professor and Educational Program Associate, UT Health Houston
• Asia Bright, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavior and Director of Professionalism Sciences, UT Health Houston
• John Riggs, Professor Emeritus, UT Health Houston
• John Spandorfer, Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean of Professionalism, Sidney Kimmel Medical College

Roundtable 1: Negotiation and Influence as Skills for Advocacy in Healthcare
Facilitator: Stacey Rose

Advocacy in healthcare involves both knowing when to advocate and understanding how to advocate effectively. This roundtable session introduces an approach to professional advocacy through the frame of negotiation and influence, emphasizing the skills clinicians and leaders can learn and apply to lead change.

• Halle Ellison, Director, Physician and APP Wellbeing, Geisinger College of Health Sciences
• Michelle Schmude, Vice Provost, Enrollment Management, Geisinger College of Health Sciences

Workshop 1: Health Advocacy and Professional Formation: A Comprehensive Educational Approach
Facilitator: Alice Fornari

Presenters share decades of experience training med students as health advocates through comprehensive core curricula, student engaged free clinics, community campus partnerships and outreach initiatives. In this TBL style interactive workshop, participants will explore key components of therapeutic alliance; harm reduction; trauma informed and socially sensitive care; cultivation of social empathy, common humanity and compassion; and crossing lines of social distance as advocates and allies.

• Steve Rosenzweig, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director, Office of Engaged Humanities and Advocacy, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Elissa Goldberg, Program Director, Office of Engaged Humanities and Advocacy, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Annette Gadegbeku, Senior Associate Dean of Community Health and Inclusive Excellence, Drexel University College of Medicine
• David Malloy, Director of Mobile Services Merakey Parkside Programs, Merakey

4:30 pm - 4:45 pm: Coffee Break & Networking

4:45 pm - 6:00 pm: Keynote 2
Advocating for Students and Trainees to Make Learning Safe for All
The educational and cultural needs of minority and disadvantaged learners are often neglected. We need to advocate for them.

• Moderator: Elizabeth Kachur
• Balakrishnan (Kichu) Nair, Clinical Dean, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia
  

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Networking Reception 

7:15 am - 7:45 am: Breakfast & Networking

7:45 am - 8:45 am: Concurrent Session 2

Oral 2: Advocacy, Ethics and Education Through AI: Part One
Chair: Gerald Stapleton

• A Bias-Aware, Human-Guided AI Framework for Selecting Professionalism Committee Members
  An inside look at how McGovern Medical School's professionalism committee translates institutional values to conduct new member selection. By using statistical normalization to mitigate bias, a competitive cohort is selected to promote a student-led culture of ethics and professionalism at McGovern.
  • Hrishabh 'Roosh' Bhosale, Student, UT Health Houston McGovern Medical School
  • Ardarsh Sure, Student, UT Health Houston McGovern Medical School

• Agentic AI as Patient Advocacy: Autonomy, Engagement, and the Ethics of Autonomous Care Systems
  Agentic artificial intelligence represents a shift from predictive tools to autonomous systems that continuously sense, reason, and act within healthcare workflows. While these systems can enhance patient engagement and advocacy through proactive care support, their growing autonomy raises significant ethical risks related to trust, bias, accountability, and patient-centered decision-making.
  • Tina Takla, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  • Vijay Rajput, Chair, Department of Medical Education, Nova Southeastern University
  
  
• Artificial Intelligence in Small Active Learning Groups: The Medical Student Perspective
  Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly become integrated into our daily lives and future profession practice within the last few years, however, there is still an ongoing debate on its implementation in education. In this presentation, we seek to provide an understanding of how medical students are navigating the appropriate use of AI within our education to better prepare for our future careers.
  • Ajay Singh, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

Panel 2: Staying Human in Clinical Training: A Reflective Discussion Model to Support Advocacy and Professional Identity
Facilitator: Alice Fornari

This interactive panel explores the importance of student-centered discussion based programs within the medical student curriculum that are designed to address ethical awareness, emotional resilience, and professional challenges during third year clinical rotations. Through a facilitated discussion and audience engagement, panelists and participants will address the various struggles of clinical rotations and delve into the ideas of empathy, identity, and the ethical complexity that is patient centered care.

• Megha Gongalla, Student, Cooper Medical Center
• Theresa Murphy, Student, Cooper Medical Center
• Arnav Goel,  Student, Cooper Medical Center
• Andrew AJ Garfield, Student, Cooper Medical Center

Problem-Solving 1: Organizational Professionalism in Medical Colleges: Opportunities, Barriers & Mitigations
Facilitator: Marconi Monteiro

Participants will discuss a realistic organizational  professionalism problem case from a medical college, identify the underlying system-level barriers and solutions.

• Abdul Razaque Shaikh, Professor of Surgery, Bahria University Medical College Karachi Pakistan
• Anas Bin Tariq, Senior Lecturer, Department of Medical Eduction, Al-Tibri Medical College & Hospital, Isra University, Karachi Campus

8:45 am - 9:00 am: Break & Networking

9:00 am - 9:15 am: Welcome & Orientation

9:15 am - 10:00 am: Warm-Up 2

How Did You Learn About Advocacy? Cross-Cultural & Cross-Generational Perspectives

• Moderator: Chaoyan Dong
• Mahrukh Rizvi, Attending, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar
• Hussain Abdulali Hussain, Graduate, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar
  
• Francesco Bolstad, Professor, Nara Medical University - Japan
• Ayane Uemura, Student, Nara Medical University - Japan
  

10:00 am - 11:15 am: Symposium 1 

Advocacy Needs in Interprofessional Settings
Description to come.

• Chair: 
• Community-based Education to Advocate for Preparedness: Yodi Mahendrahata, Dean, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
  
• Teaching Residents/Students to Advocate with Governmental Agencies: Sandra McKay, Professor, UTHealth Houston, United States
• Advocating for Interprofessional Perspectives with Advanced Practice Providers: Robert Webster, Baylor College of Medicine and Stacey Rose, Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Director, Center for Professionalism, Baylor College of Medicine, United States
• Advocacy, Authority, and Alignment: Negotiating Competing Priorities Across Healthcare Leadership Teams: LaRae Brown, University of Florida, College of Medicine, United States

• Exploring the Multi-faceted Relationships Between Criminal Justice System Contact and Health Among Camden Residents: A Pilot Study
  This session presents findings from a pilot collaboration between Rutgers University - Camden and Cooper University Hospital examining the multi-faceted relationships between criminal justice system contact and health among 335 adult primary care patients in Camden, New Jersey. We highlight disparities in health and social needs between patients with and without arrest or incarceration histories and discuss implications for improving policy, practice, and collaboration across health and justice systems. 
  • Vienna Monte, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Rutgers University - Camden
  • Christopher Snyder, Research Assistant, Cooper University Hospital
  • Jenny Melli, Physician, Cooper University Hospital
  • Alexandra Lane, Physician, Cooper University Hospital
  • Nathan Link, Associate Professor, Rutgers University - Camden

• Clinical Linkages for Interprofessional Management & Better Outcomes  (C.L.I.M.B.)
  C.L.I.M.B. is a professionalism- and advocacy-centered pathway coordinating dementia diagnostics across teams to reduce delays and caregiver burden. It measures achievements while confronting barriers and system complexities in real-world care. 
  • Cherese Parker-Freeman, Virginia Health Sciences at EVMS at ODU
  • LaConda Fanning, Virginia Health Sciences at EVMS at ODU 

Panel 4: Medical Ethics Discussions as a Tool to Embrace the Rights of Patients and Providers

Facilitator: 

This session will outline a program based upon small group discussions and patient presentations delivered across the span of all years of medical school while bridging to the hospital and staff. The methods used and their effect on tolerance to ambiguity and patient care will be reviewed.

• John McGeehan, Professor of General Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
• Meghan Crnic, Associate Director, Edward D. Viner Center for Humanism, Cooper Medical School of Rowan
• Isabella Stefanic, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

Problem-Solving 2: From Training to Practice: Developing and Assessing Advocacy Competencies for the Medical Education Continuum
Facilitator: Marconi Monteiro

This problem-solving session serves as a collaborative space to develop and assess the value, strength, and potential pitfalls of competencies that can support trainees and physicians across the medical education continuum in developing foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes in advocacy.

• Nupur Agrawal, Assistant Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, UCLA
• Alice Kuo, Chair of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, UCLA
• Shirin Mosharafian, Student, UC Berkeley
• Tiger Do, Student, UCLA 

Roundtable 3: Navigating a Successful Career: The Role of Self-Advocacy
Facilitator: Alice Fornari

This roundtable uses a longitudinal physician narrative to explore self-advocacy. Through guided discussion on values-based career decisions, participants will examine how self-advocacy can support successful careers in healthcare.

• Dorene Balmer, Professor, University of Pennsylvania, CHOP
• Meghan O’Meara, Clinical Assistant Professor, Sidney Kimmel Medical College

Workshop 4: Professionalism: It’s Complicated; Guidance for Creating Panel Discussions Advocating Institutional Professionalism
Facilitator: Halle Ellison

Professionalism is often conceptualized as a uniform set of rules, yet in medical institutions it is experienced through diverse clinical and nonclinical perspectives, as a series of complex, context-dependent dilemmas shaped by role, culture, and environment. This interactive session demonstrates how thoughtfully designed panel discussions can surface these varied perspectives and foster institutional professionalism by empowering learners, staff, and faculty to advocate for systems-level interventions that strengthen learning and working environments.

• Stacey Rose, Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Director, Center for Professionalism, Baylor College of Medicine
• Bani Ratan, Associate Professor of OBGYN; Director of GME, Baylor College of Medicine
• Sara Andrabi, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine; Director of GME, Baylor College of Medicine
• Kelli Barbour, Associate Professor of OBGYN; Subinternship Director, Baylor College of Medicine
• Kelley Arredondo, Assistant Professor of Medicine; Assistant Director, Center for Professionalism, Baylor College of Medicine

2:30 pm - 2:45 pm: Break & Networking

2:45 pm - 4:00 pm: Keynote 3
Back to the Future: How Engagement in Advocacy Can Help Save our Health Care and Public Health Systems
Health care professionals can and should engage in advocacy to improve health care and public health systems in the U.S.; however, it can be intimidating and many worry about engaging in “politics.” This talk will discuss how the American College of Physicians prioritizes our efforts and engages our members in meaningful advocacy opportunities—opportunities that participants can also join on their own, through ACP, or via their own professional society.

• Moderator: Larry Weisberg
• Shari Erickson, Chief Advocacy Officer and Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs and Public Policy, American College of Physicians

4:00 pm - 4:15 pm: Break & Networking

4:15 pm - 5:30 pm: Concurrent Session 5

Oral 4: Advocacy, Ethics and Education Through AI: Part Two
Chair: 

• Health Science Center's Quality Enhancement Plan Pilots New Curricula on Advocacy and Medical-Legal Partnerships for Health Professions Students
  Because students at a health science center lack an understanding of health policy-making and policy's influence on their professions, Advocacy101 and an advanced advocacy module, Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLP), were developed and piloted to provide students with tools to initiate positive changes for patients and within their health professions. The teaching focused on inter-professional and professional identity formation as part of the learning experience.
  • Jessica N. Wise, Postdoctoral Fellow, UTHealth Houston
  • Angela P. Gomez, Assistant Professor, UTHealth Houston
    

• Promoting Ethical and Professional AI use with the Inner-Triangle-Outer-Diamond Framework
  The ITOD Framework guided AI ethics education integration into a Medical Humanities course, aligning pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment within the educational ecosystem. Survey results showed significant improvements in AI understanding and engagement. 
  • Joshua Owolabi, Associate Professor, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Preparing Physician Advocates: Enhancing Medical Student Training Through Disability-Focused Education
  This project describes a student-led initiative that integrates disability-competent training into medical education through voluntary didactics, standardized patient encounters, and community engagement with individuals with IDD. The program prepares medical students to provide competent care and to serve as advocates for individuals with IDD by teaching skills, knowledge, and communication strategies, while addressing curricular gaps in disability education. 
  • Riley Miller, Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine
  • Megan Noonan, Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine

• Interdisciplinary Perspectives Foster Growth in Active Learning Groups
  Active Learning Groups shape professionalism through diverse perspectives. Qualitative findings show that introverts exhibit professionalism via organization and analysis, and academic diversity strengthens clinical reasoning and ethical insight. 
  • Dikshita Patel, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  • Miriam Mohsin, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  • Amanda McBride, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  • Jordyn Kopelson, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  • Madeline Pitera, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
  • Sydney Hom, Student, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

Panel 5: Deskilling, Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Professionalism
Facilitator: 

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in education, practice and patient care, cognitive offloading and deskilling pose subtle but profound risks to professionalism and humanism. This interactive panel discussion will examine how judgment, accountability and relational care are getting reshaped across the learner–clinician continuum and what educators and learners must actively safeguard against.

• Vijay Rajput, Chair, Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Purvi Bhagat, Professor, B J Medical College
• Vir Patel, Student, Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Roham Hadidchi, Student, Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine

Problem-Solving 3: Advocacy from Within: Promoting Institutional Efforts toward Professionalism Development
Facilitator: Gerald Stapleton

This session applies appreciative inquiry to analyze organizational initiatives to promote professionalism in healthcare environments. Participants will discuss scenarios and consider strategies for successful promotion of professionalism development in their institutions.

• Flavio Marconi Monteiro, Senior Medical Educator, The University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston
• Karen Szauter, Assistant Dean, Educational Affairs, The University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston
• Charles Mouton, Executive Dean, The University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston
• Alison Wells, Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, The University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston

Roundtable 4: You're Reading Into It: Using Writing Assignments for Attitudinal Competencies and Research
Facilitator: 

This roundtable discussion will offer an opportunity to explore the role of assessment in the formation of professionalism and professional identity. The facilitators will share their experiences using written analyses in a competency based curriculum and the potential uses of written analyses for qualitative research.

• Kaytin Reedy-Rogier, Instructor, Co-Director, Health Equity and Justice, Washington University School of Medicine
• Jan Hanson, Professor, Director of Education Scholarship Development, Washington University School of Medicine 

Workshop 5: Advocacy as a Professional and Ethical Commitment
Facilitator: Alice Fornari

At the completion of the workshop the participant will have both skills and knowledge to develop a personal toolkit for doing legislative advocacy.

• S. Kristen Sexson-Tejtel, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
• Tracy Bell, Vice Chair of Administration, Health Promotion and Development, University of Pittsburgh - School of Nursing
• William Sexson, Professor Emeritus, Emory University

7:15 am - 7:45 am: Breakfast & Networking

7:45 am - 8:45 am: Concurrent Session 6

Oral/Flash 4: Professionalism Foundations for Advocacy Education and Practice
Chair: Gerald Stapleton

• Does Healthcare Professionalism Mandate the Training of Advocates? Ethical Limits of Health Advocacy in Medical Education
  Medical schools are increasingly training students to act as community advocates addressing social and structural determinants of health such as access to care, housing insecurity, and environmental injustice. While these initiatives are often justified by appeals to equity and population health, their professionalism-rooted foundations call out for examination, which we undertake in this presentation.      
  • Lawrence Rosen, Associate Professor, Pediatrics; Assistant Director, HD Course, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
  • Bryan Pilkington, Professor, Department of Medical Sciences; Bioethics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

• Calibrated Trust as a Core Artificial Intelligence (AI) Competency for Medical Education and Clinical Practice
  Calibrated trust is a core AI competency for clinicians as AI and agentic workflows enter training and practice. We propose a five-dimension model with strategies to teach oversight, accountability, and safe adoption.
  • Keshav Iyer, Medical Student, NSU College of Allopathic Medicine
  • Vanessa D'Amario, Assistant Professor in Decision Sciences, NSU H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship

• Building a Community of Practice for the Mentors
  The PATMDTA Mentor Program underwent iterative changes based on year-end survey responses, including regional mentoring pods, a mentoring toolkit, and a virtual Mentors CoP. These updates aim to improve meeting access, mentor confidence and skills, and the scholars long-term engagement.
  • Haley Wheeler, Scholar Fellow, Nuvance/ Northwell Health

Panel 6: Professionalism Lapses as a Symptom, Not a Diagnosis: A Panel on Holistic Approaches to Supporting Medical Learners
Facilitator: Marconi Monteiro

A multidisciplinary panel will examine how wellbeing issues intersect with professionalism lapses among UME medical learners. Panelists will review strategies to identify rooted stressors and support learners with compassionate, holistic approaches.

• Kabeel Dosani, Assistant Director of Wellness, Medical education, Psychology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
• Asia Bright, Director of Professionalism and UTHealth Houston Student Affairs, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• Steve Caloudas, Director of Integrated Student Support, Baylor College of Medicine
• Kelley Arredondo, Assistant Director or Center for Professionalism, Baylor College of Medicine

Problem-Solving 4: When Students Ask the Wrong Questions: Rethinking Feedback Advocacy
Facilitator: 

Medical students increasingly advocate for detailed, item-level feedback on summative clinical skills assessments, yet this well-intentioned self-advocacy may undermine developmental learning. This session pairs faculty and student co-presenters to engage participants in generating strategies that honor transparency while teaching assessment literacy.

• Simon Cooper, Student, NSU MD, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Michelle Demory, Assistant Dean of Pre-Clerkship Curriculum, Associate Professor of Medical Education, NSU MD, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Jenna Phillips, Student, NSU MD, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Lauren Fine, Assistant Dean of Clinical Skills Education, Associate Professor of Medical Education, NSU MD, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Gabriella Dauer, Assistant Professor of Medical Education, NSU MD, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine

Roundtable 5: Building Medical-Legal Coalitions to Improve Care
Facilitator:

This roundtable discussion will raise questions about how to prepare health care providers for inevitable interactions with law enforcement in clinical settings. The discussants will provide examples from an over-policed urban health system, where lack of knowledge about rights and responsibilities of providers and patients can lead to moral distress, anxiety, and fear, as well as missteps that could both jeopardize the patient-provider relationship and result in harms to patients and their families.

• Nicolle Strand, Director and Associate Professor, Center for Health Justice and Bioethics, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University
• Christy Santoro, Assistant Professor, Center for Health Justice and Bioethics, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University

Workshop 6: Building a Student-Led Professionalism System: A Workshop for Creating, Sustaining, and Leveraging a Student Professionalism and Ethics Committee
Facilitator: 

This workshop introduces the Student Professionalism and Ethics Committee (SPEC) model, a student-led system that reframes professionalism as a foundation for advocacy and institutional trust. Participants will engage with the model's development, analyze its applications, and practice implementing it through case-based scenarios.

• Brianna Santiago, Student, FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
• Hani Samarah, Student, FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
• Heidi Von Harscher, Student Ombuds; Associate Professor; Assistant Dean for Professionalism, FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

8:45 am - 9:00 am: Break & Networking

9:00 am - 9:15 am: Welcome & Orientation

9:15 am - 10:00 am: Warm-Up 3

Leadership Similation
Description to come.

• Lauren Taylor, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

10:00 am - 11:15 am: Symposium 2
Addressing Advocacy Needs of Self and Others

Description to come.

• Chair: Vijay Rajput
• Advocating for Patients in a Warzone: Mogahid Halaly, Public Health Technical Officer, EMPHNET - Sudan
• Self-Advocacy Empowering Health, Learning and Professional Practice: Julie Hebert, West Coast University - United States
• Advocating for Health Profession Status: Becca Torns-Barker, AMTA Governance Committee Member - United States
• Advocacy Skills Training on a Global Stage: The National Model UN: Francesco Bolstad, Professor, Nara Medical University - Japan

11:30 am - 12:30 pm: Concurrent Session 7...Continued

Roundtable 6: Who Speaks for Patients: Healthcare Professionals or Independent Advocates?

Facilitator: Gerald Stapleton

This roundtable examines the roles of healthcare professionals and independent patient advocates in advancing individual and system-level advocacy within healthcare. Participants will examine the benefits and risks of healthcare professionals engaging in advocacy, define the role of independent patient advocates, discuss who is best positioned to advocate, and consider the concept of an interdisciplinary team approach to advocacy.

• Cathy Lively, Visiting Scholar, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy
• William Sexson, Professor Emeritus, Emory University

Roundtable 7: Self-Advocacy: A Key to Wellness for Patients, Learners and Professionals
Facilitator: 

Health care providers, educators, public servants, contribute to well-being of the public. It is necessary that these professionals advocate for the needs of deserving populations to overcome barriers to readily receive resources and services in their communities to live well lives.

• Karla Williams, AAMC Charge Member, Morehouse School of Medicine
• Angelita Howard, Vice President for Global Education and Student Success, Meharry Medical College

Workshop 7: Empowering Learner Agency: Self-Advocacy as a Core Competency in Medical Education
Facilitator: 

This interactive workshop teaches medical learners practical self-advocacy skills to navigate hierarchy, communicate needs, and seek support. Brief case-based discussion will highlight strategies that promote well-being, learning, and patient safety.

• Lauren Brick, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Lindsey Sachs, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
  
• Maria Padilla, Executive Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Vijay Rajput, Chair and Professor of Medical Education, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine

12:30 pm - 1:45 pm: Lunch

12:30 pm - 1:45 pm: Symposium 3

Advocacy Training & Educational Challenges
Description to come.

• Chair: Gabrielle Leite Silveira
• From Knowledge to Responsibility: Teaching Social Determinants of Health as a Foundation for Professional Advocacy: Michelle Demory, Nova Southeastern University, United States
  
• Measuring Interprofessional Professionalism as a Foundation for Advocacy in Nursing Education: Susan Welch, University of Alabama, United States
• The Advocacy Gap: Hidden Curricula and Moral Distress Across Training: Eric Swirsky, University of Illinois Chicago, United States

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm: Concurrent Session 8

Oral/Flash 6: Advocacy at the Hard Edges
Chair: Gerald Stapleton

• Teaching Advocacy Through Servant Leadership in Medical Education
  This oral presentation explores how servant leadership and physician advocacy are aligned in forming the core principles of medical professionalism. It proposes a structured and practical approach for teaching medical students advocacy through integration of servant leadership principles into case-based learning. 
  • Jenna Phillips, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
  • Lindsey Sachs, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine

• Advocacy and Professional Identity: Teaching Social, Structural, and Political Determinants of Health
  Health professions education emphasizes social determinants of health, yet ethical boundaries between advocacy and professional responsibility remain unclear. This narrative review synthesizes interdisciplinary literature to guide ethical teaching. 
  • Lindsey Sachs, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
  • Lauren Brick, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
  • Vijay Rajput, Chair and Professor of Medical Education, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine

• Oedipus Dotis: On Acedia and Organ Donation
  A reassessment of care for families of organ donors through an exploration of Oedipus Coloneus and Antigone.      
  • Benjamin Parks, Assistant Professor of Religion and Medical Ethics, Mercy College of Ohio
  • Paul Riffon, Ethics Lead Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center and Director of Mission Toledo Market, Bon Secours Mercy Health

• End-of-Life Advocacy: Navigating Ethics and Professional Boundaries
  End-of-life care frequently places clinicians in advocacy roles where professional obligations to patients, families, teams, and systems may conflict. This presentation explores common ethical tensions in end-of-life advocacy and introduces a practical framework to support professional decision-making across clinical disciplines. 
  • Sara McCurry, Student, Wayne State University School of Medicine
  • Sephora Dafinescu, Student, Wayne State University School of Medicine

Panel 8: When Advocacy Is Delegated: Doulas, Immigrant Care, and the Limits of Professionalism
Facilitator: 

Drawing on work with community-based doulas serving immigrant patients through Esperanza, this presentation examines how advocacy labor is routinely delegated to actors outside formal clinical roles. It argues that this delegation reveals ethical blind spots in prevailing models of professionalism and raises urgent questions about responsibility, recognition, and institutional accountability.

• Brian Tuohy, Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Co-Director of Education, Lewis Katz School of Medicine
• Francesca Rossi, Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Problem-Solving 5: From Advocacy to Activism: Servant Leadership as a Compass for Physician Engagement
Facilitator: 

This interactive workshop explores how servant leadership helps physicians and educators navigate the line between advocacy and activism. Through real-world dilemmas and brief readings, participants practice ethical decision-making while upholding professionalism amid systemic injustice.

• Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams, Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
• Vijaykumar Rajput, Professor - Medical Education/Chair, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel School of Allopathic Medicine
  
• Lindsey Sachs, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Lauren Brick, Student, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine

Roundtable 8: Accepted, Affiliated, Accountable: A Roundtable Discussion on Professionalism in Pre-Health Pathways
Facilitator: 

This session will discuss existing standards for professional behavior in pre-health undergraduate pathway programs and the challenges institutions face in communicating and upholding these expectations. Participants will discuss how early professionalism issues persist into graduate and professional training and will collaborate on best practices to track, educate, and enforce undergraduate professional behavior.

• Braden Eggan, Leadership in Medicine Program Director, Union College
• Sarah McCallum, Associate Professor, Albany Medical College

Workshop 8: Advocacy in Action: A How-To Restorative Practice Workshop
Facilitator: 

This workshop is an interactive, skills-based session that introduces the concept of restorative practice to discuss professionalism within the context of advocacy, foster patient-centered care, as well as interprofessional collaboration. Participants will gain applicable teaching strategies to build healthier, more connected professional communities.

• Sharon Lewis, Assistant Dean of Engagement and Community Impact, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU)
• Guy Hewlett, Associate Dean of Engagement and Community Impact, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) 

This fast-paced session will highlight and provide opportunities to practice some advocacy skills that are critical for professionals involved in clinical and public health work or in healthcare profession education.  In preparation for the session, please watch the 15-minute TED Talk by Loretta Ross on “Calling In.”  (https://bit.ly/4wTG0TA)

• Facilitator: Elizabeth Kachur
• Dennis Novack, Drexel University School of Medicine
• Indranil Chakrabarti, Drexel University School of Medicine