Exploring medical teacher identity amongst faculty at a Kenyan medical school

Medical teacher identity is increasingly recognised as important for teaching excellence, professional engagement and career satisfaction. However, most research in this area comes from the Global North and may not fully reflect what it means to be a medical teacher in other contexts. In many Global South settings, differences in healthcare systems, resource constraints, cultural expectations and educational structures, are likely to shape how medical teacher identity is formed and experienced. This study therefore explores medical teacher identity from a Global South perspective.

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with eight faculty members at a Kenyan medical school. Participants were purposively sampled and interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Three themes were identified: 1) Becoming a medical teacher: negotiating clinical and teaching identities, 2) Positioning of medical teacher identity across clinical and educational contexts, and 3) Negotiating belonging and value across professional groups.

The findings highlight the strongly contextual and socially mediated nature of medical teacher identity, shaped by how teaching is recognised and valued across clinical, educational and community settings. In contrast to much of the Global North literature, where clinical and teaching roles are often combined, participants described stepping back from clinical practice upon entering academic roles. This made sustaining a clinical identity difficult, while a well-supported teacher identity had yet to be fully developed, creating ongoing tensions in participants' understanding of their professional roles. Overall, medical teacher identity in this context appeared more fragile and context dependent, highlighting the need for contextually responsive faculty development initiatives that account for the social, cultural and institutional conditions shaping medical teacher identity. It also underscores the importance of organisational structures that validate and support the teaching role while recognising and sustaining the disciplinary identities underpinning medical teacher identity.