Professor Karen Ibarra Presents Clinical Mind AI at Costa Rica’s National Congress of Nutrition
Karen Ibarra Cuevas, Dean of the Faculty of Nutrition at Universidad de Ciencias Médicas (UCIMED), Costa Rica, presented the university’s experience with Clinical Mind AI at the 20th National Congress of Nutrition (ACDYN), held on September 4, 2026, at the Hotel Crowne Plaza Corobicí in San José, Costa Rica. Her presentation, “From Theory to Clinical Reasoning: Transforming Nutrition Education Through Clinical Simulation with AI,” explored how the faculty is developing new opportunities for students to apply their knowledge, practice clinical judgment, and engage with scenarios grounded in their future professional practice.
Ibarra traced the faculty’s progression from traditional paper-based cases to the introduction of clinical simulation in 2020 and, subsequently, a Clinical Mind AI pilot in 2025. She described this development as part of an ongoing effort to bring students closer to authentic and challenging learning experiences. The focus of her presentation was how these different approaches can support the transition from knowing nutritional concepts to making decisions in situations that require students to interpret information and exercise professional judgment.
The Clinical Mind AI pilot began in two courses: Clinical Nutrition and Adult Diet Therapy, and Public Health Nutrition. Faculty designed clinical cases reflecting the realities of Costa Rican hospital settings, as well as a community health assessment involving a rural coastal community. These activities brought local context into the learning experience while extending the platform’s use across both individual patient care and public health education. The cases gave students opportunities to engage with situations relevant to the communities and healthcare environments in which they may eventually work.
UCIMED organized the activities around three phases: orientation, simulation, and reflection and discussion. During orientation, students learn to navigate the platform and prepare for the activity. They then work through the complete case independently, followed by a group session with the instructor to reflect on the experience. The approach is designed to provide repeated opportunities to practice clinical reasoning under realistic time pressure, while addressing constraints associated with traditional simulation, including scheduling, the availability of standardized patients, and faculty time. Independent practice is connected to a structured learning process in which educators continue to guide reflection.
Alongside Ibarra, the UCIMED team includes faculty members Rebeca Castillo Valverde, Kattia Solano Leandro, Eva Steinkoler Sabah, and María Laura Muñoz León. Since the initial pilot, Clinical Mind AI has been introduced into additional courses, including Fundamentals of Human Behavior, Human Nutrition and Dietetics II, and Clinical Nutrition and Pediatric Diet Therapy. This expansion reflects the faculty’s continued exploration of how virtual-patient activities can be incorporated at different points in nutrition education.
During the conference, Ibarra demonstrated one of the clinical cases used by students and shared their reflections on the experience. “Learning this way feels different—it makes me think as if I had a real patient in front of me,” one student commented. Another noted, “It feels like talking to someone from Costa Rica.” These perspectives illustrated students’ perceptions of the simulations’ realism and local relevance, complementing the demonstration with accounts of what it feels like to learn through the activities.
Throughout the presentation, Ibarra emphasized the central role of educators and nutrition professionals in shaping the learning experience. She described AI as a resource for supporting critical thinking and clinical judgment within an educational process guided by faculty. Audience members responded positively, with several expressing interest in learning more about how UCIMED is integrating AI into nutrition training. The session provided an opportunity to share practical experience with the wider professional community and encourage further discussion about its educational applications.
