By Kat Procyk
Photography by Rayni Shiring, University of Pittsburgh
At the Clinical Skills Fair, loud chatter among University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences students was considered a good thing.
The event on April 16, 2026, at the Pitt School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences building on Fifth Avenue and Halket Street, invited students from across the six Pitt Health Sciences schools, as well as the Pitt School of Social Work, to learn from one another as they demonstrated skills unique to their disciplines. About 150 students visited 21 hands-on stations, such as diabetic foot screenings and Narcan administration, with the goal of promoting the importance of robust teamwork to improve patient care.
Reilly Huff, a student in the dietitian nutritionist program at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, demonstrated to her peers a quick, allergy-friendly and nutritionally balanced granola mix that students can eat on-the-go and provided a printed card with the recipe.
“I hope students leave our booth realizing what dietitians do and how we can help them in their careers,” Huff said. “We collaborate with people in hospitals and outpatient clinics, and we’re essential to a patient’s health and recovery.”
The fair is part of a larger initiative from the Pitt Health Sciences Center for Interprofessional Education, a multistep program that includes sessions on team dynamics, small group discussions and projects that encourage cross-discipline collaboration.
“These conversations and collaborations between students help the health sciences form an identity,” said Mary Goldberg, event co-organizer and associate dean for interprofessional studies, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “It’s easy for our disciplines to get siloed because we’re across different buildings. Doing events like this helps form a community.”
Paul M. Wallach, vice chancellor for health sciences education, health sciences, and executive vice dean for academic affairs, School of Medicine, expressed gratitude and appreciation for the leadership team that is prioritizing more events and programming like the Clinical Skills Fair.
“These are learners talking with each other,” Wallach said. “They’re teaching each other. There’s positive energy and excitement, and that’s incredible.”