UNMC educators and staff gathered this month at the Truhlsen Campus Events Center for the InnovatED Symposium. Now in its fourth year, the event is dedicated to advancing health professions education through interprofessional collaboration and innovation.
“The InnovatED Symposium brings technological advancements, new ideas and intentional collaboration to the forefront of our UNMC community,” said Tanya Custer, PhD, director of the Interprofessional Academy of Educators (IAE), associate professor in the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions. “The event highlights the innovative approaches colleagues are using to deliver next-level health professions education and ensure our learners are future-ready.”
The keynote address was delivered by Laura Brooks Dueland, PhD, an industrial and organizational psychologist, co-founder of Inclusion Analytics and adjunct instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Dueland’s interactive keynote, “Teaching in a New Time: The Surprising Simplicity and Hidden Complexity of Teaching Across Generations,” explored common generational misconceptions and offered best practices for teaching learners of all ages.
“The negative perceptions we hold about younger generations often are recycled stereotypes that were applied to us when we were their age. Many behaviors we interpret as ‘generational differences’ are actually normal life-stage experiences we’ve forgotten we once navigated ourselves,” Dr. Dueland said. “When educators pause to understand why a student is approaching something a certain way, it becomes easier to guide them toward a more effective path.”
During the discussion, some participants expressed concern about how learners are using technology, especially AI, in health professions classrooms. Dr. Dueland encouraged educators to recognize that students are navigating the same fast-paced changes they are and offered advice on strengthening learner engagement.
“Setting fair expectations, clear boundaries and space for creativity early on helps build shared buy-in. For example, the university provides sample AI policies, but faculty determine their own classroom guidelines,” she said. “Co-creating these policies with students, such as clarifying when AI use is not appropriate and where it can support learning, helps establish boundaries, increases transparency and encourages thoughtful, creative use of new tools.”
Interactive sessions and panel discussions were held concurrently and led by presenters from the colleges of medicine, public health, allied health professions, nursing and graduate studies, as well as the Office of Interactive E-Learning. Topics ranged from health care simulation and generative AI to effective mentoring and digital accessibility.
The 2026 InnovatED Symposium was made possible through the support of several campus partners. The IAE and UNMC Distance Learning served as event hosts. Gold-level sponsorship was provided by the UNMC College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Public Health. Bronze-level sponsors included the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions and the Office of Interactive E-Learning.
Information about the 2027 InnovatED Symposium will be announced in the spring.