The MED-TED competition returns
This year’s event looks to find even more great SHM presenters.
If the standing room-only crowd at the first SHM Converge MED-TED Teaching Competition in 2024 was any indication, this year’s event is bound to be bigger and better.
Christopher Whinney, MD, FACP, SFHM, from the Department of Hospital Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said this year’s speakers will provide a diverse lineup of content that combines clinical skills and communication skills.
“It should be pretty exciting. This is really short, small doses of content that people will take away more meaningful and relevant information,” he said. “Not just the content, but also innovations and ideas on how to deliver content more uniquely. We see this as almost like a laboratory for how you can innovate and deliver content in a way that newer, younger physicians and APPs, and even residents coming up are using to change the ways we educate ourselves.”
The presentations will each have a unique approach to their material, Dr. Whinney said.
“One is going to use a popular children’s word game. One will use a plumbing analogy, and one is going to use a platform that SHM uses called ‘Things We Do For No Reason,’” he said. “They’re going to cover topics like bowel obstructions, clotting, kidney injuries, and the use of stigmatizing language in medicine.”
The rules from the competition are mostly the same as last year, with one notable change: This year, there will be seven speakers instead of the eight featured last year. Dr. Whinney said this was done to ensure enough time was left for judging, audience feedback, and discussion. And even though nobody went over their allotted time last year, there will be a stricter adherence to the eight-minute time limit on presentations.
“If they go over eight minutes, we’re going to note that,” Dr. Whinney said. “If they go 10 minutes, that means they aren’t following directions, and we’re going to note that.”
Dr. Whinney said the judges will also look at relevance to hospital medicine, clarity of presentation, accuracy, engagement of the audience, and creativity and uniqueness of the presentation. The talks must also include a visual presentation in the form of a PowerPoint or other medium. Presenters are chosen based on the strength of their submitted abstract of their personal presentation, its relevance to hospital medicine, innovation, and conciseness.
Equally important to the presenters, Dr. Whinney said, are those who volunteer their time and efforts to judge the competition each year.
“We want to appreciate those who volunteer to be judges, that’s just tremendously appreciated from leaders and educators from the Annual Conference Committee, the Education Committee, and the Academic Hospitalist Committee,” he said. “We certainly welcome folks being willing to judge going forward, because you’re helping to refine the future talent pool for both SHM Converge nationally as well as your local and regional speaking opportunities.”
The winner of the competition will receive a complimentary session slot at SHM Converge 2026 in Nashville.
Dr. Whinney said this year’s competition is likely to be standing room only again, so he encourages anyone who wants to attend to arrive early.
“If you know someone who is going to be there, show up and support them. Show up for your team members if they are going to be presenting,” he said. “If you’re a high-level educator in SHM, come and provide these folks feedback because they are the future of our society from an educational standpoint.”
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