Not only is Jennifer Mackey the director of clinical education for the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders at the MGH Institute, she also helped educate other clinical educators last week at the Council of Academic Programs in Communications Science (CAPSCD) Annual Conference in Atlanta. Mackey led a planning committee that redesigned a two-day event that takes place at the conference. Now called the Clinical Educator’s Academy, the program attracted 50 people from across the country and focused on leadership. 

“A lot of people in these types of roles, such as clinical director, director of clinical education, practicum coordinator, or other titles, often don’t feel like they are in a leadership role but they are leaders, so we really wanted to highlight that,” said Mackey. 

To help do that, she enlisted Kay Kennedy, CEO of Uleadership (and an MGH Institute Doctor of Nursing Practice alumna), to lead the program. 

The Academy was a way for people with similar challenges and goals to connect and network while learning. That is a characteristic of the wider CAPCSD conference as well. 

“The first time I went to the conference, it really felt like these were my people,” recalled Mackey. “It is really powerful to be with other people who do the same thing that you do, and hear that the challenges they are having in Michigan or Arizona or Florida are the same that you are having. I think that's helpful for problem solving and networking with other people and seeing what approaches people are taking in terms of innovation, such as the use of AI, which was the theme of the conference.”