At the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, new AI-powered avatars are being used to prepare students for one of the most challenging parts of patient care: conversation.
Developed by Clint Carlson, MS, director of education technology innovations for the CU Anschutz Office of Medical Education and CU Anschutz Dental.
The avatars simulate patient interactions ranging from routine intake to mental health screening. The goal is to give students structured, standardized, low-risk opportunities to build communication skills early in their training and beyond.
“Our north star is improving how providers interact with patients,” Carlson said. “Everything we’re building points back to that.”
Expanding on an initial set of avatars created for the Dental Advanced Simulation Hub (DASH), this new generation of avatars are being introduced in courses such as “Assessment of the Dental Patient” and “Who Can Consent? Navigating Guardianship and Power of Attorney in Geriatric Dental Care.” Further integration is planned across the curriculum.
Dean Denise Kassebaum, DDS, MS, shared, “Avatars expand the breadth of simulation technologies the school has invested in, including the DASH, the Haptics Lab and the Immersive Learning Suite.”
The first set of new avatars focuses on foundational patient interactions. Characters such as John and Judy simulate common scenarios in which students gather health histories and assess patient needs.
These avatars are designed to mimic real-world behavior. They do not automatically disclose all relevant information, requiring students to ask follow-up questions and probe for details.
“Patients don’t always know what’s relevant to share,” Carlson said. “We’re teaching students how to uncover the full story.”
The approach is rooted in real clinical observations. Carlson noted cases where patients mentioned medications without context, leading students to incorrect assumptions until they asked more specific questions.
By practicing with avatars, students can make those mistakes in a controlled setting and refine their approach before working with real patients.
Additional avatars introduce more complex scenarios, including mental health screening and emotionally sensitive conversations.
Characters such as Jessica, Greg and Shawn are designed to guide students through Patient Health Questionnaire assessments, helping them develop tone, empathy and clarity when discussing behavioral health concerns.
Other avatars, including John and Judy, continue to support interdisciplinary learning by integrating into existing coursework focused on comprehensive care.
Unlike traditional standardized patients, the AI system offers consistent interactions that can be repeated and adjusted. Students can modify difficulty, request responses in other languages, or revisit the same scenario multiple times to practice and refine.
“With human actors used in simulated training on campus, every experience is slightly different,” Carlson said. “With avatars, we can standardize while still allowing for dynamic interaction.”
Students can also create avatar versions of their own patients to rehearse specific conversations before a clinical visit. That might include explaining a complex procedure, discussing treatment options or delivering difficult news. Repeated exposure helps build confidence, so students are better prepared to adapt when conversations take an unexpected turn.
The system also captures performance and is being developed to support rubric-based evaluation and feedback. In time, avatars may play a role in assessing student readiness.
More advanced avatars are in development, including scenarios with multiple participants. Characters such as George and Linda simulate conversations involving a geriatric patient and their caregiver, requiring students to manage competing inputs and shared decision-making.
These interactions reflect real clinical environments, where communication often extends beyond a single patient.
“We’re not just simulating patients—we’re simulating how patients actually behave,” Carlson said.
Looking ahead, Carlson expects the technology to move beyond screens. He envisions avatars integrated into physical spaces through augmented reality, allowing students to interact with simulated patients in operatories or waiting rooms. Real-time language translation and on-demand scenario creation are also in development.
“We’re moving toward a world where these avatars are in the room with you,” he said. “This is about experiential training—learning by doing, anytime and anywhere.”
As the program expands, AI avatars are positioned to become a core tool for clinical training, helping students build the necessary communication skills that shape patient outcomes.
Learn more about academic programs at the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine.