Courses for Educators
Launching in October 2025!
Health Educators' Academy for Learning (HEAL) aims to empower faculty educators to create enriching learning experiences for health sciences learners.
HEAL Educator Series
Each Educator Series is made up of multiple courses designed to advance excellence in health professions. While these courses are designed to be completed as a series, learners may also complete the courses individually.
Completion of these courses helps fulfill the minimum requirements for HEAL membership, however HEAL membership is not required.
To complete an entire series, completion requirements are indicated below.
If applicable, CME credit information will be posted with the course.
The courses in this series are offered by HEAL, are available for all health sciences learners, and may be taken independently or as a series.
Virtual Sessions:
Essential Principles for Becoming a Master Educator
October 29, 2025, 12-1 p.m.
This course will introduce learners to fundamental principles in adult education assessment and how they relate to health professions learners in a medical environment.
The University of California, Davis, Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses
For the purpose of recertification, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Physician Assistants
Physician Assistants may claim a maximum of 1.0 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.
Creating a Curriculum from Scratch
November 12, 2025, 12-1 p.m.
Learning design shares common design principles with that of an architect who thinks through the audience, materials, measurements and how best to achieve the final product throughout the stages of planning and building. This course will walk educators through the process of designing education for health professions learners.
The University of California, Davis, Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses
For the purpose of recertification, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Physician Assistants
Physician Assistants may claim a maximum of 1.0 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.
How to Evaluate your Teaching and Courses
December 3, 2025, 12-1 p.m.
This session equips participants with essential tools for designing effective assessment and evaluation strategies in health professions education.
Registration Coming Soon
Asynchronous Modules:
Links for asynchronous modules will be available Fall 2025.
Virtual Sessions:
Essential Skills to Teach Like a Champion
January 14, 2026, 12-1 p.m.
This course aims to educate health professions educators on eleven granular teaching skills that they can use in clinical settings and in the classroom.
Registration Coming SoonGiving Feedback so that it Works
February 18, 2026, 12-1 p.m.
This course aims to educate health professions educators on how to give effective feedback to learners. It will cover background on why learners do not receive feedback well and will teach concrete feedback techniques that will mitigate this problem.
Registration Coming Soon
Creating an Effective Learning Climate
March 18, 2026, 12-1 p.m.
This course aims to educate health professions educators on how to create a safe and effective learning climate.
Registration Coming Soon
Asynchronous Modules:
Links for asynchronous modules will be available Winter 2025.
Full series details coming soon.
I-EXPLORE Curriculum Clerkship Conference: Nurturing Inclusive Clinical Education
"Expectations and Feedback” by Candice Sauder, M.D., Mark Servis, M.D., and Jocylen Glassberg, M.D.
"Effective Evaluations” by Jorge Garcia, M.D., and Micaela Godzich, M.D.
“Teach Like Champions” by Paul Aronowitz, M.D., and Melody Tran-Reina, M.D.
“Trauma Informed Educational Practices” by Piri Ackerman-Barger, Ph.D., and Andrés Sciolla, M.D.
“Power of Words” by Puja Chadha, M.D., Cherie Ginwalla, M.D., and Colleen Sweeney, Ph.D.
“Incorporating Learners into Clinical Practice” by Jonathan Pierce, M.D., Kris Srinivasan, M.D., and Lara Zimmerman, M.D.
See the Presentation (PDF)
12 Tips for Teaching Clinical Reasoning
After completing this module, the learner will be able to: (1) Identify key strategies for promoting improvement in clinical reasoning in learners; (2) Understand core approaches to teaching clinical reasoning through “compare and contrast” questioning of learners; and (3) Understand strategies for “diagnosing the learner" when learners struggle to collect patient histories and laboratory data and reason to a diagnosis.
**0.5 CME Credits are available for this course.
Clinical Microteaching: Breaking It Down
At the end of this course, participants should be able to: Demonstrate how to use simple questions to accurately diagnose learners, laying the foundation for effective feedback and efficient clinical teaching. Understand the critical role of learning climate on the educational process and outcomes. Recall the four steps of the One Minute Preceptor. Examine your own communication style and analyze the clinical thinking process of learners to enhance teaching effectiveness.
**0.5 CME Credits are available for this course.
MedEd Moments: Giving Feedback
This lesson covers effective methods for giving feedback to learners. Borrowed from a faculty development series, is used with permission from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
MedEd Moments: Setting Expectations
This lesson covers effective ways of setting expectations with medical students and residents. Borrowed from a faculty development series, It is used with permission from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.