Office of Medical Education

Learning Center

Contact Us

  • Peter DeBlieux, MD,
    Assistant Dean, Advanced Learning & Simulation
  • 504-568-5488
  • 2021 Perdido St., Suite 2011
    New Orleans, LA 70112

Contact Us

  • Rachel Fiore, Ph.D. CCC-SLP,
    Director, Standardized Patient Project
  • 504-568-2015
  • 2021 Perdido St., Suite 1136
    New Orleans, LA, 70112

Compassion in Motion

Compassion in Motion is a four-year project at LSU Health New Orleans focused on using artificial intelligence to help medical learners practice communication skills.

The project is developing a mobile simulation tool that allows learners to practice difficult or important patient conversations and receive individualized feedback. The goal is to give learners more opportunities to practice skills such as empathy, clear communication, checking for understanding, building trust, and responding to patients’ individual needs and circumstances.

The tool is intended for education and simulation only. It is not designed to replace patients, faculty, standardized patients, or other forms of human teaching and feedback.

The project will study whether repeated practice with AI-supported feedback can improve learners’ communication skills and confidence, as well as how learners respond to and use AI-generated feedback.

COPES Platform

Screenshot from Compassion in Motion

Screenshot of the Compassion in Motion patient simulation platform showing four selectable patient scenarios arranged in a grid. The scenarios include discussions about a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) request for a patient with dementia, HIV risk and sexual health communication, a blood transfusion consent conflict, and a patient requesting a race-specific provider. Each scenario includes a portrait image, a brief case description, topic tags, and a “Use This Patient Persona” button. On the right side, a panel highlights “Patient Simulation” as the selected conversation mode and displays session setup options.

Medical student using Compassion in Motion app

A person wearing a stethoscope and ID badge sits on a rolling stool in a medical exam room, holding a smartphone and pointing to a healthcare app displayed on the screen. An examination table with a paper cover is positioned beside the person, with a computer workstation, sink, wall cabinets, and medical supplies visible in the background. The smartphone screen shows a mobile application labeled “Compassion in Motion.”

Dementia simulation workstation

A person seated at a table uses a laptop connected to a large external monitor while wearing over-ear headphones in a room illuminated with purple lighting. Both screens display the same dementia simulation interface, including educational content and images related to patient care. Cables and computer equipment are arranged on the tabletop, and a conference-style chair is positioned at the workstation.

 

Project Team

Co-Investigators

Peter DeBlieux, MD
Rachel Fiore, PhD
Benjamin Samuel, PhD
Loren Larsen

Trauma-Informed Care Specialists

Erika Rajo, PsyD
Sandy Hyatt, PsyD

PhD Students in Computer Science

Soheil Saneei
La'Joir Coppock

Social Medicine Consultant

Jordan Vaughn, MD

Graduate Medical Education
Consultant

Seth Vignes, MD 

Medical Student Consultants

Cole Rogers
Kylan Steele

 

Compassion in Motion is currently supported by the American Medical Association through its Transforming Lifelong Learning Through Precision Education initiative.