CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The 2026 OBGYN Medical Education Symposium brought together educators, trainees and clinicians to showcase innovative research, educational scholarship and the future direction of obstetrics and gynecology training.
The annual symposium featured a day of keynote presentations, oral abstracts and poster sessions highlighting advances in medical education across the OB/GYN continuum. Participants represented multiple institutions, including the University of North Carolina, Duke University and Campbell University, underscoring the symposium’s growing regional reach and collaborative spirit.
The day opened with a keynote address by Dr. Abhishek Sripad, who explored the implications of emerging technologies in his presentation, “Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education: What Do We Do Now?” His talk examined how artificial intelligence is reshaping medical training and challenged educators to thoughtfully integrate new tools into curricula.
Undergraduate medical education oral abstracts were presented by Zoya Surani, Katie Freedy, Danielle Kapustin and Tyler Soy, covering topics such as standardized patient assessments, clerkship self-evaluation, interactive embryology education and procedural simulation.
Graduate medical education oral abstracts followed, with presentations from Drs. Lauren Schiff, Renee Sullender, Adam Elwood, Rachel Stoddard and Hannah Kelly. Their work addressed surgical education, simulation development, patient-centered care and interprofessional mentorship models.
A poster session featured educational research and quality improvement initiatives from trainees and faculty at UNC, Duke and Campbell. Poster presenters included Dr. Gabrielle Smith, Megan Little, Rachel Morgan-Armbruster, Alana Davidson, Dr. Megan Wade, Dr. Daniel Clarke-Pearson and Chelsea Zhang, reflecting a wide range of scholarly approaches to improving OB/GYN education and patient care.
Symposium leadership also recognized outstanding contributions to educational scholarship. The Judges’ Committee announced Danielle Kapustin, of UNC, as the recipient of the Best Oral Presentation award for her abstract, “Transforming Embryology Education: Innovative Approaches to Interactive Preclinical Instruction.” The Best Poster Presentation award was presented to Hannah Kelly, of Duke University, for her abstract, “POV: You’re the Patient — Virtual Reality for Medical Trainees.”
The event concluded with a keynote address from Dr. AnnaMarie Connolly, who presented “Surgical Competency by Design: The Future for Obstetrics and Gynecology?” Her remarks emphasized outcomes-based training, learner-centered assessment and preparing physicians for the evolving demands of modern practice.
Thank you to all the presenters who showcased their amazing work. The Judges’ Committee would like to announce the following awards:
A: Best Oral Presentation: Danielle Kapustin (UNC) for her abstract entitled Transforming Embryology Education: Innovative Approaches to Interactive Preclinical Instruction
B: Best Poster Presentation: Hannah Kelly (Duke) for her abstract entitled POV: You’re the Patient” – Virtual Reality for Medical Trainees
Looking ahead, the UNC OBGYN Medical Education Symposium welcomes participation from additional universities. Institutions interested in future involvement are encouraged to contact obgynresidency@med.unc.edu to be added to the distribution list for information about the 2027 event.
2026 OBGYN Med Ed Symposium Gallery
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