Skip to main content
 Routledge - Taylor & Francis Group

Submit a Manuscript to the Journal

Teaching and Learning in Medicine

For a Special Issue on

Call for Submissions (Concept Proposals)

Manuscript deadline

Special Issue Editor(s)

Anna T. Cianciolo, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
tlm@siumed.edu

Neera R. Jain, University of Auckland

Gareth Gingell, University of Texas at Austin

Hannah Kakara Anderson, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Abigail Konopasky, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Journal information

Read the Instructions for Authors on Teaching and Learning in MedicineView Teaching and Learning in Medicine on Taylor & Francis OnlineSubmit an article to Teaching and Learning in Medicine

Call for Submissions (Concept Proposals)

What future are we working towards in health professions education (HPE)? Will that future repeat the past or take our field somewhere new?

We, the editors of this special issue, call out into the darkness:
“Who is out there? What stories are you living? What are the traditions and experiences that lift you up? Who are you on your journey with?”

As a collective connected by the thread of our field, let’s dream of possible futures together. What can we bring to life in the space of our sacred imagination?1 Rather than simply existing in someone else’s oppressive imagination,1 we assert our humanity, claiming time and space to collectively dream the futures we want to beckon into existence. Dreaming under our current circumstances can feel like an impossible luxury, yet it is how we tap into our wholeness, tending the sacred in ourselves, in others, and beyond.1 Like our ancestors—those who endured unimaginable horrors, or who were bound up in their making—we inherit the same dilemmas: remain complicit, self-protect to survive, or take collective action for our liberation and the liberation of generations to come.

Current scholarship and activism in HPE call attention to the systems, structures, and practices that reproduce oppression and inadequately prepare graduates to navigate a world in crisis. Despite urgent demands for change, institutional responses remain glacial, tinkering at the edges, reacting rather than envisioning and transforming. Learners, educators, practitioners, and patients remain and resist while kept in survival mode. For some of us in HPE spaces, it feels like we are receding, not thriving. How can we reach that elsewhere and elsewhen, a place where we can thrive? How can HPE prepare learners to care for the people who need us most?

Lights flicker. Responses echo. From where? Other places? Other times?:
“We are hurting!” “We are dreaming!” “We are building!”
“Other worlds are possible!”

What histories, new presents, and possible futures can rupture injustice in HPE? What do you want to cultivate that is already echoing from the past, emerging in the present, and projecting forward? What traditions and ideas are you drawing on in your context to imagine new futures, and where can they take you? Inspired by speculative traditions, practices, and modes of thought that exist around the world and throughout human history, we assert that reimagined HPE futures are required to bring wholeness and create justice now.

We call back:
“We need you. Will you join us?”

With this special issue of Teaching and Learning in Medicine, we invite interdisciplinary (i.e., incorporating ideas and perspectives from across and outside of HPE), creative, and scholarly engagement with the topic of Speculative Health Professions Education. Speculative HPE is an intentionally broad concept that invites thinking about possible futures and alternate pasts, often prompted by “what if…” questions. Among other possibilities, such work may consider engaging with temporality (reawakening forgotten histories, envisioning alternative futures), shifting the epicenter (beyond gender binaries, individualism, whiteness, abledness, and the Global North), and exemplifying actions (practices already in motion, including unsuccessful attempts).

Such work could engage with questions like: *

  • What if your local HPE context took your desired path forward? What would that world look and feel like?
  • What can “collective, liberatory freedom”(Ref 2, p.9) look like in HPE?
  • How do we practice speculative HPE?
  • Who is HPE accountable to, and what does this accountability look like?
  • How might HPE be in right relationship with planetary health?
  • Where do we go after diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)?
  • What could future language access look like and feel like, in an increasingly diverse, multilingual society?
  • What does satisfying, just, and liberating HPE look like?
  • How do we want to transform and what will make this transformation possible?
  • What histories and traditions might we draw upon to imagine anew?
  • What alternative futures do we imagine for HPE? What do they look and feel like, and how do they operate?
  • What new futures are made possible when we de-center dominant perspectives and/or contexts (e.g., the Global North)?
  • What does a “shared future” mean in the context of increasing globalization?
  • What are some of the possible intended and unintended costs of speculation, and who bears these costs?
  • How are we already imagining with our learners to speculate new possibilities?
  • What attempts at building new futures (successful, unsuccessful, emerging) have we made, and what have we learned?
  • What do we need to open liberating spaces of speculation?
  • Who is currently speculating our future and how might it be otherwise?
  • How do learners engage in speculation? Where does it take them?
  • What constrains our efforts to speculate? How else might things operate?
  • What avant-garde, creative, or imaginative practices can support speculative theorizing?
  • How might we break/hack/reorient our current forms of thinking and sharing knowledge to invite imaginative and liberating futures?
  • What modes of thinking can inform visionary practice?
  • What possibility models inspire our work?
  • What dystopian futures await us if we continue further in current directions?

Such work could engage with problems stemming from: *

  • Ableism
  • Androcentrism
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Binarized gender
  • Colonialism
  • Dissolution of the social welfare state
  • Disinvestment in health systems and education
  • English centrism
  • Fascism
  • Gender inequality // Misogyny
  • Global north supremacy/centrism
  • Health inequity
  • Heteronormativity
  • Income inequality
  • Late capitalism
  • Planetary crisis
  • Privatization of the public sphere, education, health care
  • Resource inequity
  • War and armed conflict
  • White supremacy

Such work might engage with speculative traditions, modes of thought, theories, and methods that include: *

  • Black feminism (Ref 1, 3-7)
  • Afrofuturism (Ref 8-11)
  • Emergent strategy (Ref 12)
  • Indigenous futurisms (e.g., South Pacific Futurism, Seventh generation, yarning, Talanoa) (Ref 13-18)
  • Ubuntu (Ref 19-20)
  • Conviviality (Ref 21-22)
  • Other Counterfuturisms and CoFuturisms (e.g., queer futurity, crip futurity, MesoAmerican Futurism, ChicanaFuturism, Gulf and Arab Futurism, South East Asian Futurism, IndoFuturism, SinoFuturism, AfricanFuturism) (Ref 23-31)
  • Science fiction (Ref 32-35)
  • Critical pedagogy (Ref 36)
  • Solarpunk (Ref 37)
  • Healthpunk (Ref 38)
  • Speculative education (Ref 2)
  • Speculative art and design (Ref 39-41)
  • Speculative fabulation (Ref 42)
  • Speculative pedagogies (Ref 43-45)

*These are non-exhaustive lists to spark your imagination! We invite all types of creative, critical engagement with the notion of speculative HPE that resonates with your context.

Submission Instructions

  1. Initial Proposal (Required) (due February 8, 2027)
    • Email a concept proposal to tlm@siumed.edu outlining your intended submission that is no more than 750 words (excluding title, authors, author affiliations, and section headings)
    •  The proposal should include:
      • Working Title
      • Authors and Author affiliations
      • Background/Context
      • “The Work” (e.g. description of the study, the innovation, the analysis, the critique, etc.)
      • Implications
      • Conclusion
      • Intended article type**

**This special issue welcomes ONLY the following TLM article types: Critical Perspective, Educational Case Reports, Groundwork, Investigation, Learners’ Scholarly Insights, Method, Observations, State of the Art, Traveling Concept, Validation. We welcome creative spins on these traditional article types, in the spirit of speculative education.

2. Full Manuscript Submission (By Invitation):

  • Authors of selected proposals will be invited to submit full manuscripts
  • Manuscripts should follow TLM's Instructions for Authors for the article types.

Publication Support

  • Mentorship: Optional editorial coaching, based on team capacity, is available for early-career scholars or those less familiar with North-centric academic publishing processes.
  • Flexible Review Process: The action editors will work closely with authors throughout the review and revision process

AI Use
We recognize that AI may be a helpful tool for authors of HPE scholarship. We encourage critical use of AI as writing support, which can improve writing quality and clarity. We expect that humans will be the primary authors of all submissions (paper concepts and full manuscripts), and that AI use will be restricted to polishing writing quality. All use of AI should be disclosed in all submissions. AI must not be included in the author list. See Taylor & Francis AI policy.

Timeline***

  • Call for paper concepts release: October 1, 2026
  • Deadline for paper concepts: February 8, 2027
  • Decisions on paper concepts: March 22, 2027
  • Initial submission of invited manuscripts due: September 22, 2027
  • Decisions on initial submission invited manuscripts: Late December 2027-January 2028 (approximate)
  • Revised submission invited manuscripts due: approximately 2 months from decision

***We are open to flexing this timeline in line with crip/crisis time and humanizing scholarship. Please reach out to discuss any need or preference to flex this timeline.
For questions about the special issue, please contact: tlm@siumed.edu

References

  1. Benjamin R. Imagination: A manifesto. WW Norton; 2024.
  2. Garcia A, Mirra N. Other suns: Designing for racial equity through speculative education. J Learn Sci. 2023;32(1):1-20. doi:10.1080/10508406.2023.2166764
  3. Priyadharshini E. Speculative Method-Making for Feminist Futures: Insights from Black Feminist Science and Afrofuturist Work. Australian Feminist Studies. 2023;38(115–116):14–31. doi:10.1080/08164649.2024.2335631
  4. Kelley RDG. Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination. Beacon Press; 2002.
  5. Collins PH. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Routledge; 2002.
  6. Combahee River Collective. The Combahee River Collective Statement: Black Feminist Organizing in the Seventies and Eighties. Kitchen Table; 1986.
  7. Upton AA, Joseph JL. Exploring the Black Feminist Imagination. In: Luna Z, Pirtle W, editors. Black Feminist Sociology. New York: Routledge; 2021. p. 300-309.
  8. Oyedeji D, Kiggundu SJ. Reimaging health: Calling for reform of the Canadian healthcare system through afrofuturism and speculative design. Bridges [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2026 Apr 20];1(4):1-12. Available from: https://scholars.wlu.ca/bridges_contemporary_connections/vol7/iss1/4/
  9. Winchester WW. Engaging the Black ethos: Afrofuturism as a design lens for inclusive technological innovation. Journal of Future Studies [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2026 Apr 20]; 24(2):55-62. Available from: https://jfsdigital.org/articles-and-essays/vol-24-no-2-december-2019/engaging-the-black-ethos-afrofuturism-as-a-design-lens-for-inclusive-technological-innovation/
  10. Wallace BD, Schwartz JW. Afrofuturism: Race, erasure, and COVID. The Radical Teacher [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2026 Apr 20];122:1-12. https://doi.org/10.5195/rt.2022.1017
  11. National Museum of African American History & Culture [Internet]. Washington, DC: Smithsonian; n.d. Afrofuturism: A history of Black futures; n.d. [cited 2026 Apr 20]. Available from: https://www.searchablemuseum.com/afrofuturism/
  12. Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute [Internet]. ESII; 2026 [cited 2026 Apr 20]. The history and practice of emergent strategy; 2026 [cited 2026 Apr 20]. Available from: https://esii.org/about/
  13. Hansell JC. Island time: South Pacific futurism from a contemporary Aotearoa perspective. The Funambulist [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2026 Apr 20];4. Available from: https://thefunambulist.net/magazine/24-futurisms/island-time-south-pacific-futurism-contemporary-aotearoa-perspective-jessica-coco-hansell
  14. Furtado NK. Indigenous futurisms. In: Bould M, Butler AM, Vint S, editors. The New Routledge Companion to Science Fiction. 2nd ed. London: Routledge; 2024. p. 26-33. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003140269
  15. Haudenosaunee Confederacy [Internet]. Ohsweken, ON: Haudenosaunee Confederacy; n.d. Values; n.d. [cited 2026 Apr 20]. Available from: https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/values/
  16. Munro, S., Brown, L., Croker, A., Fisher, K., Burrows, J. and Munro, L. (2019). Yearning to Yarn: Using Aboriginal ways of knowing and learning to support clinical placement experiences of Aboriginal health professional students. Available from: https://openresearch.newcastle.edu.au/articles/report/Yearning_to_yarn_using_Aboriginal_ways_of_knowing_and_learning_to_support_clinical_placement_experiences_of_Aboriginal_health_professional_students/28989506?file=54369443
  17. Geia LK, Hayes B, Usher K. Yarning/Aboriginal storytelling: Towards an understanding of an Indigenous perspective and its implications for research practice. Contemp Nurse. 2013;46(1):13-17. doi:10.5172/conu.2013.46.1.13
  18. Hollis S, Halapua W. A climate change talanoa: exploring creative possibilities for a hopeful future. Altern: Int J Indig Peoples. 2025;21(1):31-41. doi:10.1177/11771801241310319
  19. Matahela VE. Ubuntu philosophy as a transformative pedagogical approach for advancing planetary health in nursing education in the Anthropocene era. Teach Learn Nurs. 2025;20(2):164-173. doi:10.1016/j.teln.2025.01.011
  20. Jecker NS, Atuire CA, Kenworthy N. Realizing Ubuntu in Global Health: An African Approach to Global Health Justice. Public Heal Ethics. 2022;15(3):256-267. doi:10.1093/phe/phac022
  21. Gómez EG, Tornel, C. Subversive hope and radical conviviality: The life and work of Gustavo Esteva. Kassel, Germany: Rupture Press; 2025. Available from: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/670fc922ac6cbc24720a7654/t/6888a46b7cf7de61b307f1f5/1753785451067/Rupture+-+Subversive+hope+and+radical+conviviality+insides.pdf
  22. Gómez EG. Conviviality and political resistance from below: Ivan Illich’s legacy in Mexico. Rupture Press; 2025. Available from: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/670fc922ac6cbc24720a7654/t/68889fc9235369506231e2ab/1753784266002/Rupture+-+Conviviality+and+Political+Resistance+From+Below.pdf
  23. Taylor TJ, Lavender I, Dillon GL, Chattopadhyay, eds. The Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms. Routledge; 2023. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429317828
  24. Mũnoz JE. Cruising utopia: The then and there of queer futurity. NY: NYU Press; 2009.
  25. Friedensen RE, Kimball E, Vaccaro A, Miller RA, Forester R. Queer science: Temporality and futurity for queer students in STEM. Time Soc. 2021;30(3):332-354. doi:10.1177/0961463x211008138
  26. Kafer A. Feminist Queer Crip. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press; 2013.
  27. Shrodes A. “The word ‘getting over’ is really weird”: Storying disability in desired futures. Curric Inq. 2023;53(4):339-358. doi:10.1080/03626784.2023.2206932
  28. Parikka J. Middle East and other futurisms: imaginary temporalities in contemporary art and visual culture. Cult, Theory Crit. 2018;59(1):40-58. doi:10.1080/14735784.2017.1410439
  29. Chandran N. Southeast Asian futurism: ‘A love letter to the ancestors’. Cong. 2024;1. Available from: https://www.serakai.studio/cong/southeast-asian-futurism-a-love-letter-to-the-ancestors
  30. Chandran N. An ‘unapologetically Indian’ universe. BBC. January 9, 2023. Accessed September 14, 2026. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230106-the-ancient-indian-myths-resonating-now
  31. Wahala N. Africanfuturism defined. Nnedi’s Wahala Zone blog. October 20, 2019. Accessed September 14, 2026. https://nnedi.blogspot.com/2019/10/africanfuturism-defined.html?m=1
  32. Miller G, McFarlane A. Science fiction and the medical humanities. Med Humanit. 2016;42(4):213. doi:10.1136/medhum-2016-011144
  33. Gibbons A, Kupferman DW. Flow My Tears, the Teacher Said: Science Fiction as Method. In: Farquhar S, Fitzpatrick E, eds. Innovations in Narrative and Metaphor, Methodologies and Practices. Springer Nature; 2019:167-181. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-6114-2_11
  34. Pasco JC, Anderson C, DasGupta S. Visionary medicine: speculative fiction, racial justice and Octavia Butler’s ‘Bloodchild.’ Med Humanit. 2016;42(4):246-251. doi:10.1136/medhum-2016-010960
  35. Hrastinski S. Characteristics of Education Fiction. Postdigital Sci Educ. 2023;5(3):516-522. doi:10.1007/s42438-023-00400-0
  36. Freire, P. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Bloomsbury; 2000.
  37. Hendlin YH. Compost modernity! A vision of solarpunk: joining nature with technology in vibrantly inclusive ways to create a world that truly blooms. Aeon. 2026 [cited 2026 Apr 20]. Available from: https://aeon.co/essays/in-solarpunk-cities-of-the-future-tech-follows-natures-lead
  38. Maric F, Chattopadhyay B, Webb J. Healthpunk: speculative methods for the future of planetary health. Lancet Planet Heal. Published online 2026:101436. doi:10.1016/j.lanplh.2026.101436
  39. Sobers N. Speculative art: Healing through radical imagination. Medium. September 15, 2020. Accessed September 14, 2026. https://medium.com/afrotectopia-imagineer-fellowship-2020/speculative-art-healing-through-radical-imagination-bc3934ca21d3
  40. Aranda-Muñoz Á, Yams NB, Carlgren L. Co-experiential futuring: Where speculative design and arts meet futures studies. Futures. 2025;166:103549. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2025.103549
  41. Piotrowska M. Commentary on The Young Family. Acad Med. 2016;91(9):1233. doi:10.1097/01.acm.0000493163.94141.e0
  42. Truman SE. SF! Haraway’s Situated Feminisms and Speculative Fabulations in English Class. Stud Philos Educ. 2019;38(1):31-42. doi:10.1007/s11217-018-9632-5
  43. Houlden S, Veletsianos G. Impossible Dreaming: On Speculative Education Fiction and Hopeful Learning Futures. Postdigital Sci Educ. 2023;5(3):605-622. doi:10.1007/s42438-022-00348-7
  44. Viechweg S, Walsh B. Speculative digital pedagogies. UVA Library Scholars Lab blog. November 7, 2024. Accessed September 14, 2026. https://scholarslab.lib.virginia.edu/blog/speculative-digital-pedagogies//
  45. CFEAmerican. 1001: Digging deeper in teaching and learning: Speculative pedagogy. YouTube. September 18, 2024. Accessed September 14, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuFnUZBzJtg
Read the Instructions for Authors on Teaching and Learning in MedicineSubmit an article to Teaching and Learning in Medicine

Looking to Publish your Research?

Find out how to publish your research open access with Taylor & Francis Group.

Understand more about Open Access on our Author Services website

View all available Calls for Papers