Medical Education Retreat

Thank You for Joining the VTCSOM Medical Education Retreat 2026

To Accreditation & Beyond: Advancing Educational Excellence

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2026 Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) Medical Education Retreat. The retreat brought together educators, learners, staff, and institutional partners for a collaborative afternoon focused on strengthening our curriculum, advancing educational excellence, and preparing for continued accreditation success.

We are deeply grateful to the many facilitators, presenters, workshop leaders, and participants whose thoughtful engagement and collaboration made the retreat such a success. The conversations and activities throughout the day reflected the collective commitment of the VTCSOM community to continuous quality improvement, curricular innovation, learner development, and excellence in medical education.

A special thank you to Dr. Heather Heiman, MD, FACP, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, for delivering an insightful keynote address on accreditation readiness, curriculum alignment, and the opportunities that emerge through institutional reflection and continuous improvement. Her perspective and leadership provided valuable guidance as VTCSOM continues its work toward accreditation excellence and curricular advancement.

We also extend our appreciation to the Office of Educational Affairs, retreat facilitators, student contributors, and all members of the medical education community who contributed to the planning and execution of this year’s retreat.

2026 Awards & Recognitions

Spark Recognition for Educational Excellence

The Spark Recognition for Educational Excellence celebrates educators who create transformative learning moments that challenge thinking, deepen understanding, and reshape learners’ approaches to medicine.

• Nicholas E. Tsipis, MD, MPH
• Jonathan J. Carmouche, MD
• Jordan Scharping, MD

Medical Education Leadership Team Service Award 

The MELT Service Award honors sustained, behind-the-scenes service that advances the educational mission through reliability, stewardship, and commitment to learners and educators.

• Caitlin Bassett, EdS, MA

Teaming Award

The Teaming Award recognizes exemplary collaboration, partnership, and collective problem-solving that strengthens the educational environment and models teamwork.

• Alicia McGeorge, MS
• Jeannine Simon, MS, RD

Faculty Catalyst for Educational Excellence Award

The Faculty Catalyst for Educational Excellence Award honors faculty members who mentor and support fellow educators in teaching, curriculum development, assessment, and educational scholarship.

• Tarin A. Schmidt-Dalton, MD

Scholarship in Education Award

The Scholarship in Education Award recognizes outstanding educational scholarship, curriculum design, and dissemination that advances medical education.

• Intersession 1 at VTCSOM: An Identities-Based Curriculum for Clerkship Readiness
  Tarin A. Schmidt-Dalton, MD; Leslie E. W. LaConte, PhD; Farrell C. Adkins, MD
• Building a Longitudinal Quality Improvement Curriculum in Emergency Medicine: From Education to Clinical Impact
  Inna Massaro, DO; Andrew Moore, MD, MCR; Katie Mayes, MD, PhD; Allison McKell, PhD, MPH
• Beginning with the End in Mind: The Profession of Medicine and Identities Course at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
  Leslie E. W. LaConte, PhD; Emily Holt Foerst, PhD; Brock Mutcheson, PhD; Jed Gonzalo, MD, MSc