Graduating from medical school is a major accomplishment, but as new physicians quickly learn, their work is far from over. Medical residency is one of the most challenging phases of a doctor’s career. edYOU co-founders Dr. Michael Everest and Greg Cross have developed an approach designed to support resident performance without significantly increasing workload. The platform has been implemented across GME programs in the United States.
Dr. Everest is the founder of Residents Medical Center of Graduate Medical Excellence (RM GME). Through his leadership, RM GME was established to develop AI-native residents focused on academic medicine. To support this vision, he partnered with technology pioneer Greg Cross to co-found the AI-based educational platform edYOU.
“Residents Medical Center of Graduate Medical Excellence is an independent graduate medical education sponsoring institution purpose-built to develop, sponsor, and operate residency programs in partnership with hospitals and health systems serving vulnerable populations and rural areas of America,” says Mrs. Agata Everest, President of RM GME. “Today, all residents training within programs supported by RM GME use edYOU as part of their academic experience.”
Medical residents are known for long working hours while also preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 3 and annual in-service exams. Finding sufficient study time while working 60–80 hours per week can feel nearly impossible, especially when a low score can delay advancement to the next postgraduate year. This is where edYOU can play a supportive role.
The technology: conversational AI beings
Using edYOU is comparable to having a 24/7 tutor available at any time. The platform deploys human-like avatars called Conversational AI Beings® (CABs), which discuss complex topics curated and aligned with GME program guidelines in real time.
“In high-pressure environments, the interface is the differentiator,” says Dr. Everest. “By moving beyond text-based bots to human-like avatars, we are creating a more natural and empathetic learning loop. It is a system-based learning and testing structure designed to scale human expertise, giving every resident a personal mentor who never gets tired and never forgets a fact.”
The platform continuously analyzes user performance to identify strengths and weaknesses. This enables residents to allocate limited study time efficiently by generating customized practice assessments that address specific knowledge gaps.
A closed system: an AI platform prioritizing trust and safety
While the use of AI in education has generated significant enthusiasm, it is not without risk. Program directors and faculty may understandably be cautious about implementing AI-based tools in medical education. Most large language models (LLMs) pull information from the open web, which can result in inaccuracies or “hallucinations.”
edYOU operates differently. It is a closed system built on vetted, curated academic content. Because of this architecture, co-founder Greg Cross emphasizes that edYOU provides an AI tutor designed with safety and reliability in mind within the GME environment.
“We do not pull from the open web,” Cross explains. “Our architecture ensures the AI remains within the guardrails of validated medical science. We provide residents with a 24/7 AI tutor specific to their curriculum.”
Supporting learning outcomes while addressing burnout concerns
edYOU functions as a streamlined, highly efficient evolution of how many medical students and residents traditionally study.
“The learning mechanism for most medical students is online videos, tutors, or textbooks,” says Dr. Everest.
This efficiency is critical. In 2024, American Medical Association data indicated that 34.5% of resident physicians reported experiencing burnout. By quickly identifying knowledge gaps and generating personalized content, edYOU aims to support learning outcomes while helping residents manage cognitive load.
“In addition to resident use, edYOU is leveraged by program leadership and faculty to support academic oversight, documentation, and targeted intervention,” says Dr. Everest. It aligns residents, faculty, and leadership around a shared overview of academic progress.
A framework for the future: AI-native residents
Through RM GME, Mrs. Everest is developing a new framework for residency programs designed to serve rural and underserved communities. By training AI-native residents, RM GME aims to help prepare the next generation of physicians for a technology-integrated training landscape while preserving the human core of academic medicine.
“RM GME is focused on bringing residency training to the most vulnerable areas in our country,” Mrs. Everest explains. It is intended to encourage physicians to remain in the communities where they complete their training.
While the partnership between edYOU and RM GME leverages advanced technology, Everest and Cross remain committed to the human dimension of medicine. As the platform scales, it aims to strengthen academic achievement by removing educational barriers that contribute to physician fatigue, ensuring that the first AI-native residents are also the most supported.
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