Extending Professional Identity Formation to develop academic faculty for a new medical school

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Faculty Development
• Professional Identity Formation

Background:

• Academic health centers must support faculty professional development and engagement.
• A sense of belonging is crucial for medical educators' success.
• Existing faculty development models may not fully address psychological frameworks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe faculty development and engagement initiatives at a single institution.
• To explore the influence of Professional Identity Formation on these initiatives.
• To provide a framework for academic medical centers to cultivate faculty growth.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of faculty development and engagement initiatives.
• Application of the psychological framework of Professional Identity Formation.
• Programmatic design and evaluation at a single academic health center.

Main Results:

• Successful creation of faculty development initiatives influenced by Professional Identity Formation.
• Enhanced faculty engagement and a stronger sense of belonging observed.
• Demonstrated a practical model for institutional faculty cultivation.

Conclusions:

• Professional Identity Formation provides a valuable framework for faculty development.
• Academic medical centers can leverage this framework to foster faculty growth and engagement.
• Institutions should consider psychological principles in designing faculty support programs.