International Conference on EPAs

Entrustable Professional Activities for Competency-Based Medical Education

University of Minnesota Medical School
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
April 24-25, 2026, $650
April 23 Preconference Workshops: Two Sessions $250 each or $400 both (lunch included with registration for both sessions)

EPAs are transforming medical education by turning abstract competencies into clear, observable tasks that learners must be trusted to perform independently. They provide a practical framework for assessing readiness for real-world clinical practice and ensuring safe, effective patient care. This international conference on EPAs will bring together leading educators, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers from around the world to share innovative approaches, lessons learned, and future directions for EPA design, implementation, and assessment. Join us to explore how EPAs are shaping the future of competency-based medical education, foster global collaboration, and gain insights that will strengthen your own educational programs.

Keynote Speakers

Olle ten Cate, PhD

Olle ten Cate, PhD, is a distinguished figure in medical education, having served as a full professor at Utrecht University and leading the Center for Research and Development of Education at UMCU until becoming professor emeritus in 2023. He is renowned for his extensive work in competency-based medical education, holds an adjunct professorship at UCSF, and has received numerous honors including the John P. Hubbard award and a Royal Dutch distinction. Read full bio.

Robert Englander, MD, MPH

Dr. Robert Englander holds an MD from Yale and an MPH from Johns Hopkins, complemented by a Pediatrics residency and a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. His career highlights include serving in key quality and patient safety leadership roles, leading curriculum transformation as Associate Dean at the University of Minnesota, and spearheading major initiatives in competency-based medical education at the AAMC. Read full bio.

View all Speakers and Presenters

Conference themes

Theoretical basis for EPAs
- Validity of Your EPA Assessments
- EPAs and Curriculum Development
- Using EPA Performance on MSPEs
Implementation of EPAs
- Training Faculty as Coaches and Assessors
- Feedback to Students on EPA Performance
- Using EPA Feedback on MSPEs
Technology to Implement EPAs
- Technology and AI for EPAs
- Psychometric Analysis of EPAs
Policy Issues for EPAs
- Formative versus summative assessment
- Maintaining a growth mind-set
- EPA entrustability for graduation
- EPAs for Residency Match

Call for Abstracts

We invite educators, researchers, and policymakers to submit abstracts for Entrustable Professional Activities: An International Conference on Competency-Based Medical Education. This global forum will explore the research, implementation, and policy dimensions of EPAs across the continuum of medical and health professions education. We welcome submissions on EPA development, validation, assessment strategies, faculty development, workplace-based implementation, and the integration of EPAs into national and international competency frameworks. Both empirical and conceptual work is encouraged. Join us in shaping the future of Medical Education.

Submission deadline: January 15, 2026

Notification of Acceptance: January 30, 2026

Abstract Submission Form

Advisory Board

Registration

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Past Hosted Events

AI Assessment in Medical Education Symposium

November 1, 2024, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
University of Minnesota
$200 Full-day In Person, lunch included
$100 Webinar (AM Session Only)

“AI is revolutionizing assessment in medical education by automating grading processes and formative feedback, assessing clinical skills, and diagnosing deficits in learner performance. AI-powered virtual patients offer realistic scenarios for practice, enhancing clinical decision-making skills without risking patient safety.

We are bringing experts to the University of Minnesota Medical School on November 1 to focus on the use of generative AI to produce test questions and clinical assessments; machine scoring and analysis of learner responses to audio-video capture of clinical performance in the workplace (e.g., wards, clinics, etc.); and clinical notes. The symposium will take the next step in the evolution of AI applications to medical education to produce physicians of the highest caliber”.

Claudio Violato, PhD, Professor and Assistant Dean for Assessment and Evaluation, University of Minnesota Medical Education Office of Assessment and Evaluation

Join fellow education innovators (MDs, PhDs, faculty, staff, and learners) in exploring how AI is revolutionizing assessment in medical education by automating grading processes and formative feedback, assessing clinical skills, and diagnosing deficits in student performance.

The Symposium will address two main applications in assessment:

Generative AI to produce test questions such as MCQs, constructed-response questions, and clinical cases for OSCEs.

Machine scoring and analysis of student responses to constructed response questions, such as OSCE notes, or audio-video capture of clinical performance in the workplace (e.g., wards, clinics, etc.).

Additionally, AI-powered virtual patients offer realistic scenarios for practice, enhancing clinical decision-making skills and providing precision feedback without risking patient safety.

AGENDA

REGISTER (Registration Closed)

EPA Conference Schedule (preliminary)

Day 1 Thursday 4/23, 8-5: Pre-conference workshops

Two hybrid (in-person/webinar) sessions w/keynote speakers
9-12 EPA Framing and How to Implement (faculty development, communication to students)
Lunch provided for those attending both sessions
1-4 Tech and Science behind the scenes; dashboards, MEDtrics, analysis, feedback

Day 2 Friday 4/24, 8-5 Conference

9-10 Plenary session/webinar w/keynote speaker, followed by 50-min breakouts
10-11 four presenters 15 mins each (includes 10 min presentation + 5 min Q&A)
11-12 four presenters
12-1 Lunch
1-2 four presenters
2-3 four presenters
3-4 four presenters
5-7 poster session and reception

Day 3 Saturday 4/25, 8-2 Conference

9-10 Plenary session/webinar w/keynote speaker, followed by 50-min breakouts
10-11 four presenters
11-12 four presenters
12-1 lunch and wrap-up