A combined $2 million investment from the Springfield Memorial Foundation and SIU School of Medicine will advance innovative medical education through the Ed Curtis Laboratory for Innovation in Medical Education (ECLIME).
The Springfield Memorial Foundation awarded a $1 million grant, matched by a $1 million commitment from the SIU School of Medicine’s Dean’s Fund for Excellence. Together, the investments will support ECLIME’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) to create immersive training environments for medical students, residents and other healthcare professionals.
“The future of medicine depends on how well we prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals,” said Dr. Ian B. K. Martin, provost and dean of SIU School of Medicine and CEO of SIU Medicine. “This investment reflects our shared commitment to advancing medical education through innovation. By giving learners opportunities to develop their clinical judgment, communication skills and confidence in realistic environments, we’re helping prepare physicians who are better equipped to meet the needs of the patients and communities we serve.”
ECLIME designs realistic training experiences for clinical procedures, diagnostic reasoning and patient communication without putting patients at risk.
“This grant will be a transformational investment in the future of healthcare,” said Pam Hulten, director of the Springfield Memorial Foundation. “It reflects our commitment to ensuring donor dollars create meaningful, lasting impact. Together with SIU, we can advance groundbreaking educational training using AI and Extended Reality. The technology will strengthen critical patient-provider conversations and help develop a highly skilled workforce that benefits patients throughout central Illinois.”
Since early 2025, the ECLIME team has launched more than 20 research projects focused on improving educational outcomes. Its work explores how AI can deliver timely feedback, strengthen communication skills and support learning while preserving the essential role of faculty mentorship.
The technology has applications across medical education. Virtual patient encounters can help learners sharpen diagnostic reasoning, while immersive XR surgical simulations provide opportunities for repeated practice and immediate, personalized feedback. AI-powered scenarios also allow learners to navigate stressful or ethically challenging conversations with patients, families and colleagues.
“Innovation has been at the heart of Memorial Health’s 50-year partnership with SIU Medicine,” said Memorial Health president and CEO Mandy Eaton. “We’re pleased to continue that legacy and strengthen our collaboration as AI opens up new frontiers in medicine and patient care.”
One project in development, “Difficult Conversations,” will allow medical students to practice delivering a serious diagnosis. A separate scenario will help teachers practice discussing a challenging situation with a student’s parent, demonstrating the technology’s potential beyond health care.
Pinckney Benedict directs the program, with Dr. Traves Crabtree serving as faculty adviser, Dr. Sowmy Thuppal leading research and development and Jakob Crabtree serving as lead systems engineer. ECLIME collaborates with the Edgar J. Curtis Memorial Learning Center, which houses the Simulation Center and Roland J. Folse Surgical Skills Center at SIU School of Medicine. ECLIME aims to expand personalized, data-driven training that adapts to learners’ needs and helps prepare healthcare professionals for clinical practice
