The Cornell Veterinary Educators Academy (CVEA) held its sixth conference on June 27-29 at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. It marked the first symposium overseen by the new CVEA director Julia Felippe, Ph.D. ’02, professor of large animal medicine. “The CVEA conference was a great success,” she said. “The college is leading discussions on the thoughtful and responsible integration of AI in education and practice of health professions. We had fantastic presentations by keynote speakers, our own faculty, and CVEA Fellows.” 

The event, titled “Old School, New School: Technologies Transforming Clinical Learning and Practice in Health Professions Education," welcomed 85 attendees from ten national veterinary colleges, six international veterinary colleges, and other institutions. Audience members included veterinarians, medical doctors, licensed veterinary technicians, as well as D.V.M. and Ph.D. students among others.

Conference speakers addressed how generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) are supporting simulation-based learning and enhancing clinical skills and communication training, with personalized assessment and feedback, precision education and cross-cultural adaptation. Discussions also addressed challenges that come with generative AI, such as bias, validation, assessment, and how autonomous systems maintain ethics and core educational and human values. The attendees had the opportunity to learn about practical applications and models for diverse health training contexts, moving toward more confidence integrating AI in their own work.

"I liked that the sessions were small groups, had one common theme, multiple perspectives, and was very relevant to education today," one attendee said. "The food was excellent, there was adequate downtime to network, and it was a very comfortable and enjoyable setting to learn in."

With this latest installment of the CVEA conference, Cornell continues to pioneer advances in veterinary education.

Those looking for a community of educators in health professions are encouraged to apply to the the CVEA Fellows Program.

-Written by Lauren Cahoon Roberts
-Photography by Carol Jennings