12 U.S. Medical Schools Awarded Grants to Advance Clinical Reasoning Education with DDx by Sketchy

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sketchy today announced the 12 U.S. medical schools selected to receive grants through its Clinical Reasoning Catalyst program. The initiative provides funding to implement DDx, an AI-powered clinical readiness platform that equips educators to deliver real-world, future-ready clinical reasoning training across every phase of medical education.

The awarded institutions: Yale School of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, WashU Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, University of Missouri, Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine, Temple University, Nova Southeastern University, Medical College of Georgia - Savannah, George Washington University, and Case Western Reserve University have made a commitment to help develop structured, evidence-based approaches to clinical reasoning skill improvements in medical education.

The selected projects highlight DDx's broad applicability across medical education, supporting early development of clinical reasoning skills in students, while reinforcing and advancing those skills in residents and practicing physicians alike.

Embedding Clinical Reasoning from Pre-Clerkship through Professional Practice

Most grant recipients will integrate DDx into pre-clerkship doctoring, clinical skills, or systems-based courses, bringing structured, interactive reasoning exercises to the earliest stages of training. These initiatives align with case-based and small-group learning models already in use across curricula, ensuring seamless adoption and early exposure to critical thinking in medicine. Many programs, including Yale School of Medicine and Temple University, will then extend DDx into core clerkships such as Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Neurology, and Emergency Medicine, while others, like Weill Cornell Medicine and Nova Southeastern University, will incorporate DDx into Graduate Medical Education (GME) curricula. Others will further broaden impact by integrating DDx into Continuing Medical Education (CME), creating a consistent diagnostic reasoning framework that extends from early medical training through lifelong clinical practice.

Leveraging DDx for Data-Driven Assessment and Coaching at Scale

All schools will leverage DDx performance data for formative assessment, early and targeted remediation, and personalized academic advising. Faculty teams at eight schools, including Weill Cornell Medicine and University of Washington School of Medicine, will incorporate diagnostic data into coaching sessions and progress reviews to identify learning needs and enhance individualized support. Many programs are expanding DDx implementation to reach large and distributed learner populations, with some deploying dozens of cases across multiple training phases and others engaging hundreds of students across campuses. These expansive efforts highlight DDx's capacity to deliver consistent, high-quality diagnostic reasoning and assessment at scale.

Exploring Innovative and Specialized Applications

Select programs are pioneering distinctive approaches to expand the impact of DDx. The University of South Dakota and Medical College of Georgia - Savannah are developing cases focused on rural and underserved health, bringing real-world access and resource challenges into diagnostic training. Nova Southeastern University and Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine are creating osteopathic-specific DDx cases to strengthen clinical reasoning within this field. George Washington University is focused on creating cases that enable students to practice their communication skills and enhance empathy in clinical simulations. Together, these initiatives underscore the versatility of DDx and its ability to adapt to diverse educational models, learner populations, and institutional priorities.

"This initiative represents an exciting bridge between academia and the private sector," said Dr. Todd Cassese, Academic Strategy Advisor and Co-Chair of Sketchy's Clinical Reasoning Catalyst program. "DDx by Sketchy was designed to help schools standardize and scale clinical reasoning training while preserving the depth and integrity of their educational models. The high quality of the grantees' submissions demonstrated exceptional academic rigor, and I look forward to the scholarship and insights this collaboration will generate."

Dr. Thilan Wijesekera, Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine, shared: "At Yale School of Medicine, we know how important clinical reasoning is and have continuously invested in growing its related educational programming through innovation, collaboration, technology, and joy. We could not be more excited about how DDx by Sketchy can help advance our goal of better preparing our students by providing high-fidelity, case-based clinical reasoning experiences."

About Sketchy

Sketchy is an education company dedicated to transforming how future healthcare professionals learn, reason, and apply clinical knowledge. Widely recognized for its pioneering use of visual learning to enhance long-term retention, Sketchy has expanded its mission with DDx by Sketchy, a clinical readiness platform designed to build diagnostic reasoning using immersive cases, AI-powered insights, personalized feedback, and real-world medical complexity. Whether through narrative visuals or authentic clinical challenges, Sketchy supports learners and educators in bridging knowledge and application across every phase of medical education.

About the Grantees

• Dr. Thilan Wijesekera and Dr. Emily Jameyfield, Yale School of Medicine
• Dr. Shira Sachs, Dr. Madison Dennis, and Dr. Justin Choi, Weill Cornell Medicine
• Dr. Timothy Yau, Dr. Jonathan Mullin, and Dr. Amanda Emke, WashU Medicine
• Dr. Edith H. Wang and Dr. Karen McDonough, University of Washington School of Medicine
• Dr. Alan Sazama and Dr. Fenil Patel, University of South Dakota
• Dr. Colleen Hayden and Dr. Joel Shenker, University of Missouri
• Dr. Victor Nuño, Dr. Alesia Wagner, and Dr. Elaine Ho, Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Dr. Courtney Dostal, Dr. Neha Etherington, and Dr. Robert Marron, Temple University
• Dr. Gina Foster-Moumoutjis and Dr. Samantha Lemus, Nova Southeastern University
• Dr. John Rowlett, Dr. Folami Powell, and Kat Light, Medical College of Georgia - Savannah
• Dr. Natasha Powell, Dr. Simranjeet Sran, and Dr. Benjamin Jim Blatt, George Washington University
• Dr. Andrew Clifford and Dr. Elaine Cruz, Case Western Reserve University

Media Contact:
Victoria Siton
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SOURCE Sketchy