Educational leadership during a decade of medical curricular innovation and renewal

The past decade has witnessed successful expansion, distribution and curricular renewal at the University of British Columbia (UBC) medical school. The expansion and distribution of the medical program doubled enrollment and established the first North American medical school training students across multiple geographical locations. The more recent competency-based curriculum renewal demonstrates sustained innovation within UBC medicine.

This paper describes that a significant contributor to these successes has been a team of teaching faculty whose exclusive roles have been providing curricular support. Over the past decade, this group has evolved into a vital component of the day-to-day operations and performance of the distributed medical curriculum; they now provide continuity in leadership and innovation across multiple educational facets of the program.

This paper reports on the evolution and significance of these faculty members. The descriptions establish the success of an investment in teaching faculty and underscore the importance of engaging faculty whose primary commitments are to teaching, educational pedagogy, and student support.

This efficacious model of supporting and advancing a complex distributed medical program over more than a decade of pivotal change will be of interest to faculties and programs that are contemplating or navigating similar pursuits.