CASE Labs

We have developed the CASE labs: Artificial Intelligence Learning, Education Development, Equity and Justice in Education, Planetary Health Education, and Social Dynamics in Health Professions Education.

Learn more about each lab below. Contact information is listed for each.

AI and Learning Lab

Advancing how educators, learners, and clinicians learn, develop, and flourish in an AI-enabled healthcare

What We Do: CASE AI and Learning Lab studies how learners, educators, and clinicians develop their capabilities, identities, relationships, and practices within rapidly changing learning and healthcare environments. Drawing on the learning, organizational, social, and measurement sciences, we design and study educational approaches, professional development, assessment, and human-AI interactions that strengthen, not substitute for, human judgment, agency, connection, and expertise. Our goal is to generate evidence that helps create more effective clinicians, supportive learning environments, and ultimately better patient care.

Our Work:

Human-AI Co-Learning and Clinical Reasoning — Designing human-AI interactions that promote active sensemaking, productive challenge, reflection, calibrated reliance, adaptive expertise, and durable learning rather than dependence on AI-generated answers.
Assessment, Capability & Human-AI Competence — Developing approaches to assess foundational human capability, responsible AI use, and human-AI performance while examining skill preservation, resilience, fairness, and the consequences of AI-supported learning.
Human Flourishing in AI-Enabled Education & Practice — Investigating how educational and AI affect agency, connection, meaningful work, professional identity, patient relationships, and care.

Recent Publications:

Developing interactive learning interfaces for teaching AI in health professions education using generative AI tools. NPJ Digit Med. 2026 Aug 07; 9(1). Washington P, Muniyappa A, Liang C, Hanmandla KR, Shah H, Martin P, Kadakia R, Burke C, Van Schaik S, Boscardin C.
Educating the Artificial Intelligence-Augmented Clinician: Theories and Frameworks for Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Education in Gastroenterology. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026 Jul 09. Strauss AT, Boscardin C, Sewell JL. PMID: 42425498.
The AI Education Void in Internal Medicine Clerkships: From Awareness to Action. J Gen Intern Med. 2026 Jul 07. Burk-Rafel J, Abdulnour RE, Boscardin CK. PMID: 42414803
Educational Strategies for Clinical Supervision of Artificial Intelligence Use. N Engl J Med. 2025 Aug 21; 393(8):786-797. Abdulnour RE, Gin B, Boscardin CK. PMID: 40834302.
Multimodal machine learning for staging laparoscopy: a combined image analysis and morphologic tool for the discrimination of peritoneal metastasis. Int J Surg. 2026 Jan 01; 112(1):373-383. Tozzi F, Park HM, Mousavi SA, Van Liefferinge M, Moon D, Fadaei S, Wang JJ, Ashraf Ganjouei A, Romero-Hernandez F, Alseidi A, Adam MA, Ceelen W, Willaert W, De Neve W, Rashidian N
Machine learning improves post-transplantation HCC recurrence prediction. Liver Transpl. 2025 Nov 01; 31(11):1349-1358. Li PJ, Ashraf Ganjouei A, Syed S, Mehta N, Alseidi A, Adam MA. PMID: 40658766.

Get Involved:

Please reach out if you are interested in getting involved.

Contact us:

Lab Directors: Christy Boscardin, PhD; Adnan Alseidi, MD; and Ralph Gonzales, MD

Lab Researchers: Susannah Cornes, MD; Rishi Kadakia, MD; Lauren Phinney, MD; Anoop Muniyappa, MD; Anya Edwards, MD; Brandon Fennell, MD; Pierre Martin, MD; Peter Washington, PhD; Margaret Robinson, MD; Emily Abdoler, MD; (University of Michigan); Yann Hicke (PhD Candidate, Cornell University)

Educator Development Lab

Strengthening the health professions educator workforce through research, innovation, and evidence-based professional development and program design

What We Do: The Educator Development lab explores questions about how educators refine and improve their practice; educator identity, motivation, efficacy, learning; and the structures, systems, and cultures in which educators and learners are embedded. Using theories and methodologies from the learning, organizational, and social sciences, we seek to advance knowledge that promotes evidence-informed educator practices, curriculum/instructional design, and effective pathways for professional and career development.

Our Work Focuses On:

Faculty engagement in teaching activities and educational roles
Participation in faculty development
Educator learning and identity formation
Evaluation and design of educator development programs, coaching, and institutional support systems
Educator–learner relationships, feedback processes, trust, and vulnerability in clinical education
Development of resources to support faculty development and education scholarship

Relevant Past Publications by Lab Members

Research on Educators

Fulton TB, Nixon LJ, Wilson-Delfosse AL, Harris DM, Ngo KD, Fall LH, O'Brien BC. Using a boundary crossing lens to understand basic science educator and clinical educator collaboration in instructional design. Med Teach. 2024 Jul;46(7):956-962
Hitchner L, Kuruvilla P, Hauer KE, O'Brien BC. Exploring the Nature and Impact of Coaches' Application of Coaching Skills Across Contexts. Acad Med. 2026 Feb 25 doi: 10.1093/acamed/wvag051.
Elster MJ, O'Sullivan PS, Muller-Juge V, Sheu L, Kaiser SV, Hauer KE. Does being a coach benefit clinician-educators? A mixed methods study of faculty self-efficacy, job satisfaction and burnout. Perspect Med Educ. 2022;11(1):45-52
Elster MJ, Parsons AS, Collins S, Gusic ME, Hauer KE. 'We're like Spider-Man; with great power comes great responsibility': Coaches' experiences supporting struggling medical students. Med Teach. 2025;47(2):329-337.
Sheu L, Hauer K, Schreiner K, van Schaik S, Chang A, O'Brien BC. A friendly place to grow as an educator: a qualitative study of community and relationships among medical student coaches. Acad Med. 2020; 95(2): 293-300.
Lee SL, Rees CE, O'Brien BC, Palermo C. Identities and roles through clinician-educator transitions: A systematic narrative review. Nurse Educ Today. 2022;118:105512.
Zaidi Z, Henderson RR, O'Brien BC. Exploring how physician educators approach politically charged topics with learners. Med Educ. 2021;55(11):1261-1272.

Research on Faculty Development and Professional Development

Green E, O'Brien BC, Kluijtmans M, Chen HC. Clinician educators' participation in faculty development: A scoping review of academic and community-based settings. Med Teach. 2026 Jul 30:1-13.
O'Brien BC, Collins S, Haddock LM, Sani S, Rivera JA. More Than Maintaining Competence: A Qualitative Study of How Physicians Conceptualize and Engage in Lifelong Learning. Perspect Med Educ. 2024 Jul 4;13(1):380-391.
Haddock L, Rivera J, O'Brien BC. Learning Together: Co-Learning Among Faculty and Trainees in the Clinical Workplace. Acad Med. 2023 Feb 1;98(2):228-236.
Fromme HB, Mitre V, Karani R, Cutrer WB, Zaidi Z, Turner T, van Schaik SM. Modeling lifelong learning: exploring clinical teachers' skill development through the master adaptive learner lens. Acad Med. 2026 May 1;101(5):550-557.
van Schaik SM, Chang A, Fogh S, Haehn M, Lyndon A, O'Brien B, O'Sullivan P, Ranji S, Rosenbluth G, Sehgal N, Tabas J, Baron RB. Jump-Starting Faculty Development in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Education: A Team-Based Approach. Acad Med. 2019 Nov;94(11):1728-1732.

Resources to Support Faculty Development

Cornes S, Torre D, Fulton TB, Oza S, Teherani A, Chen HC. When students' words hurt: 12 tips for helping faculty receive and respond constructively to student evaluations of teaching. Med Educ Online. 2023 Dec;28(1):2154768.
Fulton TB, Rolón L, Bindman J, Sewell JL. Supporting anti-oppressive education using Zoom chat during lecture: One tool in the toolbox. Med Educ. 2022 Mar;56(3):350.
van Schaik SM. Accessible and Adaptable Faculty Development to Support Curriculum Reform in Medical Education. Acad Med. 2021 Apr 1;96(4):495-500.

Resources to Support Development of Scholars

O’Brien BC, Harris IB, Beckman TJ, Reed DA, Cook DA. Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research: A synthesis of recommendations. Academic Medicine. 2014; 89(9): 1245-51.
Kahlke R, O'Brien BC, Varpio L. Qualitative research interviews for health professions education: AMEE Guide No. 185. Med Teach. 2025 Aug 7:1-14. doi: 10.1080/0142159X.2025.2536697. Epub ahead of print
Haas MRC, Maggio LA, O'Brien BC, Artino AR Jr. Strategies for Navigating Authorship. J Grad Med Educ. 2024;16(1):84-85. doi:10.4300/JGME-D-23-00932.1
Varpio L, Ajjawi R, Monrouxe L, O’Brien BC, Rees C. Shedding the Cobra Effect: Problematizing thematic emergence, triangulation, saturation, and member checking. Medical Education. 2017; 51(1): 40-50.
Varpio L, O’Brien BC, Rees CE, Monrouxe L, Ajjawi R, Paradis E. The applicability of generalizability and bias to health professions education’s research. Med Educ. 2021; 55: 167-173 doi: 10.1111/medu.14348

Get Involved:

Join our research teams, collaborate on projects, join our works in progress sessions, and join our journal clubs. 

Contact us:

Lab Directors: Tracy Fulton, PhD and Bridget O’Brien, PhD

Lab Member: Sam Brondfield, MD, MA; David Chia, MD; Martha Elster, MD; Erin Green, DPT; Sandrijn van Schaik, MD,PhD

Equity and Justice in Education Lab

Advancing equitable and just health sciences education, health, and health care.

What We Do: The EJE lab utilizes rigorous educational research methodology to advance equitable, welcoming, and inclusive health sciences education, health, and health care. We produce research that informs practice and policy to address past discrimination and create more equitable and just medical education and practices, with the ultimate goal of advancing health equity.

Our Work Focuses on:

Utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods to identify and understand educational inequities and their sources
Examining the outcomes of interventions in assessment, curriculum, and faculty development centered on educational and health equity
Training educators, educational researchers, and learners to utilize rigorous educational research methodology informed by equitable education frameworks and concepts
Advancing the adoption of equitable and inclusive evidence-based solutions in opportunity and achievement across the continuum of health sciences education

Select Lab Publications

Pilot investigation into the influence of racial implicit bias on physician clinical reasoning. Diagnosis (Berl). 2026 Aug 01; 13(3):410-418. Gonzalez CM, Deno ML, Ark TK, Helft M, Connor DM, Kalet AL, Burgess DJ, Samuel MT, Fisher MR, Durning SJ. PMID: 41579348.
Centering Equity: A Paradigm Shift for Program Evaluation and Education Continuous Quality Improvement in Medical Education. Teach Learn Med. 2025 Dec 23; 1-14. Teherani A, Connor DM, DeCourcey S, Hauer KE. PMID: 41433146.
Advancing Diagnostic Excellence through Medical Education in Diagnostic Equity. Reply. N Engl J Med. 2026 Jan 15; 394(3):309-310. Connor DM, Gonzalez CM, Lypson ML. PMID: 41534059.
Aspiring physicians program: description and characterization of the support processes for an undergraduate pathway program to medicine. Med Educ Online. 2023 Dec; 28(1):2178368. Teherani A, Uwaezuoke K, Kenny J, Calderón-Jensen C, Magana T, Flores K, Fernandez A. PMID: 36790340;
Racial Affinity Group Caucusing in Medical Education — A Key Supplement to Antiracism Curricula, N Engl J Med 2023;388:1542-1545. Leanna Lewis, M.S.W., Camila Cribb Fabersunne, M.D., M.P.H., Corina L. Iacopetti, M.D., Gabby Negussie-Retta, M.S., Dannielle McBride, M.D., Paul Irving, B.A., and Jyothi Marbin, M.D. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp221286,
Academic Leadership Academy Summer Program: Clerkship Transition Preparation for Underrepresented in Medicine Medical Students. Teach Learn Med. 2025 Jan-Mar; 37(1):113-126. Connor DM, Fernandez A, Alba-Nguyen S, Collins S, Teherani A. PMID: 37886897.
Fostering community discussions and building a toolkit for mental health and wellness in STEM. J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2024 Dec 12; 25(3):e0008924. Williams DR, Duncan D, Rice MM, Sanchez EL. PMID: 39150272;
URM: Underrepresented or Underrecognized? A Case Study of Black Pediatric Critical Care Physicians. Acad Med. 2023 Jul 28. Edwell A, van Schaik S, Teherani A. PMID: 37523368.
Developing Evidence for Equitable Assessment Characteristics Based on Clinical Learner Preferences Using Discrete Choice Experiments. Acad Med. 2023 Aug 01. Perez S, Schwartz A, Hauer KE, Karani R, Hirshfield LE, McNamara M, Henry D, Lupton K, Woods M, Teherani A. PMID: 37556801.
A Narrative Study of Equity in Clinical Assessment Through the Antideficit Lens. Acad Med. 2020 12; 95(12S Addressing Harmful Bias and Eliminating Discrimination in Health Professions Learning Environments):S121-S130. Teherani A, Perez S, Muller-Juge V, Lupton K, Hauer KE. PMID: 33229956.
Toward Creating Equity in Awards Received During Medical School: Strategic Changes at One Institution. Acad Med. 2020 05; 95(5):724-729. Teherani A, Harleman E, Hauer KE, Lucey C. PMID: 32079943.
How Small Differences in Assessed Clinical Performance Amplify to Large Differences in Grades and Awards: A Cascade With Serious Consequences for Students Underrepresented in Medicine. Acad Med. 2018 09; 93(9):1286-1292. Teherani A, Hauer KE, Fernandez A, King TE, Lucey C. PMID: 29923892.

Leadership and Members

Lab Director(s): Arianne Teherani, PhD, Denise Connor, MD

Lab members: Jessica Abrolat, Miranda Chen, D’Anne Duncan, PhD; Shinyi Hsieh, PhD; April Edwell, MD, MPH; Amber Fitzsimmons,DPTSc, PT; Meghan O’Brien, MD; Yvonne Garcia, MS; Leanna Lewis, MSW, LCSW; Camila Cribb-Fabersunne, MD, MPH; Diana Ponce

Get Involved
EJE is open to all interested UCSF students, trainees, faculty and staff. To learn about joining ongoing projects or participating in activities, please contact [email protected] and/or [email protected].

Planetary Health Education Lab

Advancing education as a solution to the planetary health crisis.

What We Do: The Planetary Health Education Lab studies how health professions education can address the impacts of climate and global environmental change on human health. We bring together education, communication, and climate and health science, and public health to prepare current and future health professionals to lead in sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Our Work:

Climate change and health education research
Faculty development in planetary health education
Behavior change and sustainability in healthcare
Policy and systems-level education research

How We Work:

We collaborate across disciplines, initiatives, centers, and sectors, engaging learners, faculty, policymakers, healthcare systems, and community organizations to translate our education research into meaningful change for planetary health.

Impact:

Our work leverages education to shape:

Health professions curricula
Educator capacity
Healthcare provider practice
Policy and systems supporting sustainability
Global health outcomes

Get Involved:

Join our research, collaborate on projects, or partner with us to advance planetary health through education. Learn more about our current projects here:

Survey study of planetary health scientists’ adaptive expertise to characterize the responsive changes, the rapidly evolving nature of climate change and health research, with the ability to consider new findings and to develop and test novel solutions with versatile thinking and agility
Qualitative study of why and how medical students choose to volunteer during extreme weather events, and what role, if any, volunteering during an extreme weather event has on their sense of environmental accountability.
Qualitative study of medical student volunteers during climate change-induced extreme weather events and the impact of volunteering on students’ mental health.
Longitudinal qualitative study of climate and health center directors examining the evolution, structure, and impact of climate change and health academic centers in the United States and Canada.

Select Publications

When Health Costs No Longer Count - Air Pollution and EPA Rulemaking. N Engl J Med. 2026 Jun 25; 394(24):2387-2389. Teherani A, Basu R, Weiser S. PMID: 42329381.
From Silos to Systems: Leveraging Technology to Bring Climate Health Insights to the Bedside and Back. Am J Public Health. 2026 Jun; 116(6):769-771. Ramachandran A, Teherani A, Weiser SD. PMID: 42127368; PMCID: PMC13174981.
Bridging health and global climate policy: Opportunities for policymakers and health systems. J Clim Chang Health. 2025 Nov-Dec; 26:100607. Narang P, Teherani A. PMID: 41647851
Implementing Clinical Decarbonization Actions: Lessons Learned from the University of California Health System. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2025 12; 51(12):742-752. Marty-Chastan C, Brindis CD, Weiser SD, Thottathil S, Sherman JD, Teherani A. PMID: 41073170.
Reducing the Environmental Impact of Health Care Conferences: A Study of Emissions and Practical Solutions. JCO Glob Oncol. 2024 02; 10:e2300209. Lichter KE, Sabbagh A, Demeulenaere S, Drew T, Conway A, Nogueira L, Suneja G, Kirkwood K, Hampshire K, Gundling K, Teherani A, Thottathil SE, Mohamad O. PMID: 38359373;
he climate and health crisis: Heeding our responsibility in medical education research. Med Educ. 2024 04; 58(4):377-379. Teherani A, Basu G. PMID: 38059887.
Climate and health education: defining the needs of society in a changing climate. Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1307614. Sullivan JK, Basu G, Patel L, Teherani A, Sorensen C. PMID: 37965511; PMCID: PMC10642042.
The mitigated carbon emissions of transitioning to virtual medical school and residency interviews: A survey-based study. Med Educ. 2024 02; 58(2):216-224. Hampshire K, Huang L, Shirley H, Kahkejian V, Yates E, Weiser SD, Rosenbach M, Liang K, Teherani A. PMID: 37551919.
A race to net zero-early lessons from healthcare's decarbonization marathon. Health Aff Sch. 2023 Jul; 1(1):qxad006. Lakatos K, Teherani A, Thottathil SE, Gandhi S, Weiser SD, Brindis CD. PMID: 38770407; PMCID: PMC11103727.
Faculty Development for Education for Sustainable Health Care: A University System-Wide Initiative to Transform Health Professional Education. Acad Med. 2023 06 01; 98(6):680-687. Teherani A, Nicastro T, Clair MS, Nordby JC, Nikjoo A, Collins S, Irani A, Zakaras J, Weiser SD. PMID: 36608345.
Climate and health education for medical students. Clin Teach. 2021 Aug; 18(4):362-364. Fadadu RP, Jayaraman T, Teherani A. PMID: 33280259.
Integrating Climate Change, the Environment, and Sustainability Themes Into Professional Health Sciences Courses: A Case Study Across a University System. . 2020 Nov 24; 565-582. Nicastro NT, Teherani TA, Margolis MH, Weiser WS.
Community-engaged sustainable health care education. Clin Teach. 2021 Feb; 18(1):62-68. Teherani A, Nikjoo A, den Boer A, Tong MS, Desai A. PMID: 32909357.

Lab Team

Lab Director: Arianne Teherani, PhD
Lab members: Jessica Arbrolat; Miranda Chen; Ryan Tiu, Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH, MA; Annie Rosenthal, MD; Heather Whelan, MD

Social Media Version - The Education for Planetary Health Lab advances how health professionals are trained to address climate change. We integrate education, communication, and environmental science, and public health to address the drivers of global environmental change and forward sustainable, global impact.

Center for Advancing Scholarship in Education

Center for Faculty Educators

CASE Labs