Increasing departmental and college-wide faculty development opportunities through a teaching scholars program

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Faculty Development
• Leadership Training

Background:

• The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine (CCOM) established a faculty development program in 1999.
• The program aimed to enhance teaching skills and leadership in medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop faculty leaders skilled in implementing faculty development initiatives.
• To increase departmental and college-wide engagement in faculty development.
• To acknowledge faculty contributions to medical education and continuing education.

Main Methods:

• A three-year program involving monthly meetings and project-based learning.
• Faculty scholars from various CCOM departments participate.
• Departmental-level competitive selection for program participation.

Main Results:

• 50 faculty members from 19 departments participated by 2006.
• Significant increase in departmental and college-wide faculty development programming.
• Positive impact on scholars' teaching skills and leadership roles.

Conclusions:

• The program successfully cultivates faculty leaders in medical education.
• It demonstrably enhances faculty development efforts at departmental and institutional levels.
• The initiative positively influences individual faculty growth and leadership capacity.