UNMC’s Madeline Cloonan, MD, has been named a resident co-chair for the International Conference on Residency Education, to be held Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2025, in Quebec City, Canada.
Dr. Cloonan, a research resident in the division of general surgery, will be one of five residents co-chair the event, the world’s largest conference devoted exclusively to advancing residency education.
Each year, ICRE offers a diverse and inspiring program designed to enhance the professional development of those involved in medical education and/or health care.
As a co-chair, Dr. Cloonan’s role will be to help establish areas of focus within the conference’s theme of growth, passion and innovation.
“My role is to really make sure that they have a pulse on what residents are focused on and the problems that residents are worried about,” Dr. Cloonan said. “Some of the big topics for me are how we give feedback to residents, and what that conversation looks like. That’s especially applicable in surgery, because so much of our training, both on technical skills and non-technical skills, is dependent on the feedback that we get on a one-on-one basis. As we move toward competency-based education, it becomes extremely important.”
Dr. Cloonan, who not only is the first UNMC resident selected to co-chair the conference but only the second resident from the United States, applied at the urging of her mentors.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Dr. Cloonan as she represents UNMC on an international stage,” said Cory Rolfsen, MD, a professor of general internal medicine and director of Health Educators and Academic Leaders (HEAL) program, of which Dr. Cloonan is a member.
“Because the medical education community is tightly knit, success as a clinician educator thrives on collaborative relationships,” Dr. Rolfsen said. “By securing such a coveted spot on the ICRE planning committee, Dr. Cloonan has tapped into a valuable network that will serve her well for years to come. We can’t wait to see her academic career take launch.”
Dr. Cloonan, a UNMC medical student alumna and research resident who is currently in the PhD portion of her program, said she was proud to represent UNMC on a national stage.
“I went to medical school here, and I’m doing residency here,” she said. “UNMC has done so much for me, and my mentors have completely shaped my path. It is important to me to represent UNMC well. UNMC does many things in residency education well, and I’m excited to perhaps help people recognize the UNMC name because of my involvement in this role.”
And she hopes to return from the conference with insights that will help UNMC, as well.
“I hope to gain a better perspective of what the conversations are globally in resident education,” she said, “as well as a better idea of how surgery and my current training fits into that.”