OhioHealth Wins National Award for Innovation in Medical Education

OhioHealth has been named the 2025 Innovation Award winner by the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers (AIAMC).

The AIAMC presents the award on an annual basis to its institutional member that best exemplifies creative and innovative approaches to medical education and research which result in better patient outcomes. Joy Walton, MD, medical director, community care and associate program director, Internal Medicine Residency Program, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, and Alexandra McKenna, DO, OhioHealth associate program director, accepted the award in New Orleans at the annual awards dinner sponsored by the AIAMC.

The institution selected for this prestigious honor must demonstrate an innovation in the following categories:

• The development and/or implementation of innovative medical education programs for residents, physicians and other staff and may include curriculum development and implementation, assessment methodologies, and/or outcomes related to medical education initiatives.
• Innovation significant themes such as provider well-being, quality improvement, population health, health disparities and/or cultural competency initiatives involving residents, physicians and other staff and related outcomes.
• The development and/or application of scientific discoveries. Areas of research may include education, health care improvement, biomedical research and/or translational research.

OhioHealth was chosen for this honor based upon its work entitled, Beyond Checking a Box: Developing Best Practices Around Screening for Social Determinants of Health.  Six leading national organizations that provide care to underserved populations were identified, and the OhioHealth team developed a set of interview questions focusing on social determinants of health (SDOH) screening practices and tools.  They transcribed this qualitative data from focused interviews into a summary table and identified common themes. Based on these best practices, a new SDOH questionnaire was developed, made available in written form in English and in Spanish, and implemented into Community Care in July 2024

“OhioHealth lives our mission every day; to improve the health of those we serve.  That mission extends to every single person we care for, regardless of where they are on their health journey.  We know social determinants of health can limit access to care and impact long-term outcomes; up to 60% of your health is determined solely by your zip code.  Our goal is to honor the dignity and worth of each person, tailoring our services to break down barriers and integrate care for our most vulnerable patients.  To be recognized by AIAMC for innovation for our work in this space is an honor and only inspires us to continue to advocate for health equity through reimagining healthcare delivery for our marginalized communities,” said Dr. Walton.

“What made OhioHealth’s application stand out was their ability to review best practices nationally and develop an optimal tool for their local needs,” stated AIAMC Executive Director Kimberly Pierce Burke. She continued, “This work has been recognized at a system level and is now being lateralized to five other pilot sites within OhioHealth.  Kudos to their team for this impressive work!”

“I am so very proud of the work our teams have done in this critical space,” Elizabeth Zmuda, DO, director, Medical Education, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital said.  “For a large health system to embrace a forward-thinking approach to a long-standing challenge in the communities we serve shows a true passion for doing everything we can to help patients and their families.”

About The AIAMC

The Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers is a national membership organization made up independent teaching hospitals delivering exceptional patient care through education and innovation. With more than 70 institutional members, our size provides an environment that encourages and supports networking and collaboration. We actively develop and apply real-world solutions to thrive in the continually changing regulatory and accreditation environment. The AIAMC has a 36-year track record of connecting graduate medical education as a strategic asset for achieving better outcomes. For more information on the AIAMC and its membership, visit www.aiamc.org.