Among the AI buzz in San Antonio, one stand felt different, not louder, but clearer. Here’s what made MedAscend stand out.
This year, I decided rather late that I would attend IMSH 2026 in San Antonio. I stayed in a hotel right next to the Alamo, which felt appropriate in a way, somewhere historic, while the industry tries to work out what its future looks like.
Like last year at IMSH 2025, I was there in my media role with SimZine. I enjoy that role. It allows me to ask questions properly. When I interview manufacturers and developers, I do not simply nod along; I challenge. I want to understand what is genuinely innovative, and more importantly, what actually benefits the learner.
The AI Flood
Last year, there were very few AI solutions. This year, there were dozens. It was almost overwhelming.
By the second day, my closing question had become:
“What are you excited about in 2026, without mentioning AI?”
That usually slowed the conversation down.
If I’m honest, I found parts of it disappointing. Many companies believed their AI solution was unique, not realising how familiar much of it felt. With some, it was difficult to see the real benefit for the student or faculty member. With others, it was clear that little thought had been given to how the solution would sit within a curriculum.
It reminded me of the AR and VR wave a few years ago: impressive stands, confident language, and then, in many cases, a quiet disappearance.
Signal vs Noise
To be fair, there were organisations using AI properly, to scrutinise their own tools, to align with academic standards, and to move toward validation rather than marketing. That I respect.
Scrutiny leads to elevation. Evaluation leads to validation. Validation builds standards. And standards build trust in our industry.
Amidst all of this, colleagues pointed me towards Stand 1045.
Stand 1045
There stood Hana and Ahmed, founders of MedAscend, two young Scottish medical students with something that simply made sense.
The platform felt intuitive. The conversations felt real. There was emotional nuance. It demanded professional demeanour from the learner. And most importantly, it was curriculum-ready.
That is what many others miss.
A great deal of early AI in healthcare education has focused on history-taking and formative assessment — turning students into detectives before they have fully developed their reasoning and management planning. MedAscend felt more considered than that. It wasn’t AI for the sake of AI; it was AI placed carefully within the educational structure.
I suspect the reason is straightforward: it has been created by students, for students.
Too often, simulation products are built by technologists without clinical grounding or led by professors so far removed from student life that it becomes difficult to imagine what is actually needed day-to-day. Hana and Ahmed are still living that experience. That perspective shows.
Why This One Matters
I’m genuinely pleased that Simulation Collective has agreed a strategic partnership with MedAscend. Not because it represents a major financial win for us, it does not, but because it is a solution we can introduce conscientiously to our network.
One that works. One that can be trusted. One that fits.
Among the AI noise at IMSH 2026, Stand 1045 felt like a signal.
In a year of big claims, Stand 1045 offered something rarer: a tool that fits. That made the trip worthwhile.