Symposium on Educational Excellence at OHSU
The Symposium on Educational Excellence is an annual event that brings together the education community for faculty development. The symposium highlights teaching and scholarship and fosters networking, collaboration and community.
Faculty, residents, staff and students from all OHSU programs, as well as health professions educators from across the region, are invited to attend and participate in this health sciences education conference.
2026 symposium
Join us for the Symposium on Educational Excellence on Friday, May 29.
This full-day, in-person event at OHSU features a keynote presentation, interactive workshops, research presentations and networking opportunities for health sciences educators. Remote participation is available.
Keynote
This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Phil Carey, Dean of the Teaching & Learning Academy at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).
Reimagining Higher Education: Building a Compassionate Curriculum for Student Wellbeing
Today’s students face unprecedented challenges. In many parts of the world, including the United States and the UK, they navigate rising tuition fees, housing insecurity, mental health pressures, and intense competition in the job market. Systemic inequalities further compound these difficulties, making university life increasingly demanding—despite its promise of opportunity and personal growth.
In this context, growing attention is being paid to the role of the curriculum itself in shaping student wellbeing. This presentation introduces the concept of the compassionate curriculum—an approach that embeds care, fulfilment, and wellbeing into the very fabric of teaching and learning. It is driven by a desire to support, to reduce stress, and to eliminate unnecessary distress for both students and staff.
The session will share the development of a Manifesto for a Compassionate Curriculum, soon to be published by RAISE (Researching, Advancing and Inspiring Student Engagement)—a UK-based international network committed to enhancing student engagement in higher education. The manifesto emerged from a series of conversations within RAISE’s Special Interest Group, which consistently pointed to one conclusion: the student journey improves when wellbeing is explicitly and strategically considered in curriculum design.
This presentation will explore how wellbeing can be embedded in curriculum content, pedagogy, and assessment, and how student support services can complement these efforts. It will also examine the influence of the hidden curriculum—the unspoken norms and expectations of university life—and how these can either support or hinder the development of compassionate learning environments.
Educators, institutional leaders, and policymakers are invited to reflect on how compassion can become a guiding principle in curriculum design, helping to create inclusive, humane, and empowering educational experiences for all.
Important dates:
- Friday, Feb. 27: Proposal submission deadline
- Friday, March 27: The committee will notify you of its decision
- Friday, May 15: Posters and presenter materials are due. We will share upload instructions at a later date.
- Friday, May 29: Symposium on Educational Excellence (all day)
About the symposium
The symposium provides a forum to share curriculum and teaching innovations, discover new approaches in health sciences education, and connect with faculty and students who are passionate about educational scholarship.
- Keynote presentations. Learn from leading experts who share cutting-edge research and innovative teaching approaches.
- Interactive workshops. Join 45-minute skill-building sessions to enhance your teaching and explore new educational methodologies.
- Research presentations. Discover the latest educational scholarship through brief SNAP talks showcasing innovations in curriculum and teaching.
- Poster sessions. Explore research and innovations through traditional and "better" poster formats, with opportunities for in-depth discussion.
- Networking opportunities. Connect with faculty, staff, trainees and students across OHSU who are interested in education, research and scholarship.
- Recognition and awards. Celebrate outstanding contributions to educational excellence through poster awards and recognition of innovative practices.
Past symposiums
2025 symposium
Keynote: Top 2024 education research papers and their applications to teaching and scholarship, presented by Lalena Yarris, M.D., M.C.R.
Symposium presentations
Past symposiums have included presentations on:
- Oregon Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars: Reimagining health care education and its potential to transform rural and underserved communities
- Overcoming overwhelm: Using learning theory to improve support of students in crisis
- Digital accessibility: How to meet guidelines and requirements
- Navigating difficult conversations: Empowering educators in the learning environment
- A focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in nursing education syllabi
- Designing interactive, non-linear simulations using generative AI and Twine
Faculty jobs
Explore open faculty and educator positions at OHSU.
Contact us
Email the conference planning chair at see@ohsu.edu with any questions.
Educational Improvement and Innovation at OHSU
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Educators’ Collaborative
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