More than 300 faculty, staff, and students involved in medical education came to Riverside from May 4-7, 2024 for the Western Group on Educational Advancement (WGEA) Conference, hosted by the UCR School of Medicine and held at the Riverside Convention Center.

The theme for the conference was “Developing Resilience While Adapting to Change,” and the conference featured plenary speakers, poster presentations, and presentations on innovation and research. The WGEA is one of four regional groups of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Educational Affairs.

The most popular session of the conference was a panel discussion titled “Satisfaction with Student Satisfaction.” A panel of administrators and students, moderated by UCR SOM Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education Pablo Joo, MD, discussed the impact that student satisfaction surveys make on medical education programs and the challenges that they can present when used by the LCME to make high-stakes decisions.

Another popular panel was “Evolutionary Pathways: Exploring AI’s Role in Medical Education,” which delved into the transformative impact that artificial intelligence is having on medical education and presented a deeper understanding of the challenges and benefits posed by the technology.

Denise Martinez, MD, associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the UCR SOM, was the keynote speaker at the Sunday plenary session. Her topic was “Innovative Resilience: California’s Model for Diversity Amidst Legislative Hurdles, offered a platform for educators, policymakers, and healthcare professionals to collaborate and shape inclusive practices for the future of medical education.

As part of the festivities, guests were able to tour the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens and attend a reception and tour of the new SOM Education Building II. Pictured above, Director of Strategic Initiatives Vladimir Oge leads a group past the donor wall in the Ed II Building.

"The 2024 WGEA Conference was an incredible success and brought a variety of important topics and thought leaders in medical education to the table," Joo said. "I am incredibly proud of and thankful for the hard-working team of people here at UCR who worked for 18 months to make this an incredible event. We are still receiving kudos from participants from around the country."