Kristen D. Lawrence, Ph.D., serves as an Education Innovation Specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she partners with faculty across the MD program to strengthen teaching and learning. She works closely with unit and course directors and colleagues across the institution to enhance learner engagement, advance instructional effectiveness, and support meaningful curriculum innovation. She also provides individualized consultation and faculty development support, helping educators integrate evidence-informed teaching practices and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. 

Drawing on more than 15 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Lawrence has worked across medical and healthcare education, liberal arts, culinary education, and workforce development. Her areas of expertise include curriculum innovation, instructional design, faculty development, assessment, competency-based education, educational technology, and medical education. She is particularly interested in helping faculty translate evidence into practical teaching strategies that improve learning experiences and outcomes. Throughout her career, she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in sociology, anthropology, educational theory, and educational technology, bringing both a scholarly and practical perspective to her work with faculty and learners.  

Dr. Lawrence holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning from the University at Buffalo and a master's degree in social sciences, with concentrations in Social-Cultural Anthropology/Sociology, from Columbia University.