URMC / Health Lab / Education
Education Core
Learners - including undergraduates, medical students and faculty - come to the UR Health Lab to be part of an innovation incubator. Some are interested in exposure to the ideas and energy. Others join a specific project for a deeper dive into experiences and learn about digital health or data science. With even greater commitment, learners can develop expertise in apps, VR, informatics, and more.
Within the UR Health Lab, ongoing, thoughtful, and experiential education is considered a key part of innovation, especially for digital health. In the video below, co-directors Dave Mitten and Michael Hasselberg discuss the importance of education in the broader health system with T-Minus 10 podcast host Tim Fitzpatrick.
Overall, the Education Core offers opportunities for both faculty and staff, as well as students, trainees, residents, postdocs, and anyone in between. For learners at any level, faculty, and staff, we provide guidance on:
- Project Identification
- Problem Identification + Ideation
- Learner/Mentor Matching + Onboarding
- Skill Development
- Connection to Resources + Networking
When learners engage with the Education Core, they select a level of participation: Exposure, Experience, or Expertise. Whether folks want to observe and learn or fully dive in, we are thrilled to bring new perspectives into the UR Health Lab.

For example, meet Christine Boerman, RN. Christine attends the University of Rochester School of Nursing in the Clinical Nurse Leader/Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program with an expected graduation date of May 2024. She works at the Medical Center in the department of Neurology Stroke division managing a quality database. Her interests include data organization, manipulation, and visualization.
Within the Lab, Christine works with Dr. Kathleen Fear and the Health Lab's Data Core to establish an efficient way to organize and clean large sets of data, as well as create dashboards of data visualizations. In the future Christine has many interests within health analytics, including using analytics for quality improvement and developing models for efficient ways to collect, interpret and follow trends of clinical data to provide better patient care.
Christine (pictured on the left in the photo) is with her mentor, Dr. Fear, after successfully presenting her capstone CNL project in April 2022.

Additionally, the Education Core supports other learning initiatives throughout the University at large. One such initiative is led by UR Health Lab faculty member Heather Reyes, M.D., who developed the Digital Health and Innovation residency track in the department of Pediatrics. This track is designed for residents with a background in areas such as computer science, engineering, data science, or information technology. Residents complete a mentored project and participate in activities with the Lab to learn about how technology and data drive the way healthcare is delivered. Topics include telehealth, medical devices, mobile and web applications, electronic health records, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. Dr. Reyes has been awarded a Dean's Teaching Fellowship from the School of Medicine & Dentistry to further develop this program from 2022-2024.
Many of our other members also make a positive impact on the university through their teaching efforts. In spring 2022, Kate Ackerman, M.D., M.B.A., received the Janet Sparks Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. If you have questions about how the Education Core supports affiliated faculty and staff, please contact us to learn more.
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