Spark Tank

The Med Ed Pitch Event

From
Inspiration to Impact

Spark Tank is a live pitch competition where medical educators, learners, and academic innovators team up to tackle real challenges in health professions education. Teams pitch their ideas to expert judges, with selected projects receiving support to move from concept to implementation.

Submit by December 15

Learn more about Spark Tank.

Spark Tank 2027

Calendar IconFebruary 11, 2027
11:30 AM–1:00 PM
Location IconAnschutz Health Sciences Building
P12-210 West Conference Center

Lunch provided for registered attendees

Finalist teams present live 

Audience votes for favorite team

Panel of judges select the winner

Heart with ekg lines iconSpecial Thanks
Thank you to the Rymer Innovation Awards program and the Doug Jones Family Endowment in Medical Education for their generous support of this event.


About Spark Tank


Fueling creative solutions that strengthen learning and impact patient outcomes.

Spark Tank is a live pitch competition that invites medical educators, students, and academic innovators to form teams and present original proposals to a panel of reviewers.

Teams step onto the stage to share a clearly defined challenge and a practical solution—whether that takes the form of a new teaching approach, curriculum design, assessment strategy, or educational technology.

The purpose is straightforward: identify promising ideas and provide support to move two of them forward. Selected teams receaive institutional backing to further develop and implement their proposals. Spark Tank does more than select projects. It creates a structured space for thoughtful risk-taking, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the public exchange of ideas. By inviting teams to articulate problems clearly and defend their solutions, the competition strengthens both the proposals themselves and the broader culture of innovation in health professions education.

Presenters posing in front of photo booth


Team Applications


Icon of a clock and a 24

Timeline

September 1- November 1, 2026

Team applications open

November 2-30, 2026

Application review and team selection

December 1, 2026

Team selections announced

January 12, 2027

Pitch Lab: Med Ed Edition (optional workshop to rehearse your pitch)

February 11, 2027

Spark Tank Pitch Event and awards

Icon of a checklist on clipboard

Eligibility

  • Each team must include at least one active member of the Academy of Medical Educators.
  • Each team must have at least one learner (student, resident, or fellow).
  • Team lead must be a paid CU SOM faculty member.
  • Team lead must not have received Rymer funding within the past five years.

Funding

  • Up to two teams will be selected 
  • A maximum of $15,000 will be awarded for one-year projects, supporting: 
    • Consultant support 
    • Student stipends 
    • Equipment & supplies 
    • Travel for project presentations and dissemination activities 
  • Awards are expected to be made approximately April 1, 2027 
Icon of arrow pointing at checklist on webpage

Team Applications

All submissions must be completed via the online application form, accessible with the button below. To prepare, gather the following information before starting the form:

  • Team name
  • Team members
  • Team lead (point of contact)
  • Departments represented (check all that apply)
  • Academy of Medical Educators members on your team
  • Learners on your team (student, resident, fellow, etc.)
  • Past Rymer Innovation Award recipients on your team
  • Brief description of your innovation (max 200 words)
  • Feasibility confirmation and leadership approval for any new curriculum or educational approach (identify approver)
Application forms will be available via the link below during the application window.


Pitch Day Judging


Icon of three people

Panel of Judges 

Expert judges will evaluate each pitch based on criteria such as team composition, innovation, feasibility, and alignment with CU School of Medicine goals.  See criteria below.

CategoryCriteria

Problem Approach 

  • Does the innovation address the stated problem?  
  • Does the innovation acknowledge prior literature and/or any relevant theory?  
  • Are current available solutions adequate? 

People

 
  • Do team members possess the relevant expertise for project completion? 
  • Does the team represent major stakeholder groups? 

Product

 
  • Is the proposed innovation clear and well articulated? 
  • Is the solution innovative? 
  • Is there any evidence of viability or likeliness to be a viable solution? 

Potential / Predictability 

  • Is the target audience clearly identified? 
  • Is there any evidence for sustainability and generalizability? 
  • Does the team have a clear competitive advantage? 
  • Is the innovation likely to have impact? 

Purpose

 
  • Are there convincing justifications for funding need? 
  • Is the project management plan clearly articulated? 
  • Are potential challenges addressed? 

Presentation Quality

 
  • Is the delivery interesting and persuasive? 
  • Is the pitch captivating and easy to follow? 
  • Are visual aids high quality and beneficial to presentation?
Icon of a molecule

Audience Judging

Attendees of the final pitch event will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite presentations. Audience input contributes to recognizing innovative ideas and adds an interactive element to the event.


Pitch Support


The Office for Faculty Development offers the following resources to help you prepare for Spark Tank and feel ready to present your innovation clearly, confidently, and effectively.

Pitch Lab Workshop

Participate in a hands-on session to refine your presentation skills, practice delivery, and get constructive feedback.

Visit the Faculty Development Workshops webpage for more information and to register.

Instructional Design Consultations

Access one-on-one support through the Office for Faculty Development for guidance on your pitch materials, including slide deck review, organization, clarity, and recommendations for improvement. Note: consultants provide advice and feedback—they do not create the materials for you. 

Visit consultation booking page to schedule a session.


Past Events


Panel of judges
Presenter delivering pitch
Presenter delivering pitch
Presenter making pitch

Spark Tank 2026 Highlights

2026 marked the launch of our very first Spark Tank pitch event—a space designed to surface promising ideas, connect creative educators, and move innovation from concept to action. The atmosphere balanced energy with intention—equal parts curiosity, rigor, and encouragement.

Five teams stepped forward to present solutions to real challenges in health professions education, sharing their proposals with a panel of expert judges who provided feedback, asked probing questions, and helped teams refine their ideas.

Quotation Mark"This was a fantastic event. I really enjoyed seeing the variety of problems being solved across the school."

This inaugural Spark Tank drew a larger-than-anticipated audience and highlighted thoughtful, high-impact innovation in medical education, showcasing the creativity, collaboration, and forward-thinking that will continue to shape future cycles of the competition.

The photos below capture these moments—teams presenting their ideas, judges engaging with proposals, and the energy of a community coming together to support innovation.

Competing Teams

Bad News, Better Conversations

Meaghan Broderick, Nicole Christian, Lavanya Easwaran, Quinlan Cuddy


Denver Health LIC Service Learning

Anne Frank, Elizabeth Westerby, Elisa Bye, Shruti Patel, Ekshika Patel, Isabel Freisner


HABLA-AI (Healthcare Avatars for Bilingual Language Acquisition)

Anuja Riles, Alyssia Miller De Rutté, Clint Carlson, John Gregory


Pharm Corner

Matthew Zuckerman, Laurie Halmo, Ema Arai

 
Team Lifeline

John Malamon, Bryon Bhagwandin, Kelly Bogaert, Linda Ussi, Mackson Zephaniah

Winning Teams

Congratulations to the teams selected to receive support, and sincere appreciation to every group that participated. By stepping onto the stage, each team contributed to a culture where innovation is not only encouraged, but examined, strengthened, and advanced together.
Pharm Corner team members pose with Spark Tank trophy
HABLA-AI (Healthcare Avatars for Bilingual Language Acquisition)

Anuja Riles, Alyssia Miller De Rutté, Clint Carlson, and John Gregory

HABLA-AI team members pose with Spark Tank trophy

Pharm Corner

Matthew Zuckerman, Laurie Halmo, Ema Arai

Spark Tank trophy

School of Medicine

CU Anschutz

Fitzsimons Building

13001 East 17th Place

Campus Box C290

Aurora, CO 80045

303.724.5375

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Threads Bluesky
School
General
Students
CMS Login