Table 5 Recommendations for faculty development programs
1. Maintain investment in program resources |
• Provide financial support to protect time for faculty • Provide ongoing opportunities for networking and community-of-practice building • Prioritize excellent mentorship and sponsorship of faculty • Communicate prestige of the program such that faculty can benefit from the leverage gained by their participation |
2. Focus on diversity within multiple domains |
• Push for increased representation of women and URM faculty • For external programs, recruit faculty from geographic areas not yet represented by prior cohorts • Recruit faculty from other health professions outside of medicine and nursing • Ensure diversity of program faculty/mentors (including gender, URM status, and health profession type) and be mindful of alignment with participant demographics • Recruit applicants with innovative projects related to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the health professions • Emphasize curricular interventions that teach faculty to combat implicit bias, health care disparities, social determinants of health and systemic racism |
3. Optimize mentorship |
• Provide faculty with options for mentors and allow them autonomy in selecting a mentor • Ensure components of a formal mentoring program are incorporated: encourage a written mentor–mentee contract; provide a suggested “roadmap” of mentor activities including the ideal number and frequency of mentor–mentee check ins; provide an explicit description of mentor expectations • Explore alternate models for mentorship arrangements beyond dyads (speed mentoring, peer, facilitated peer, etc.) • Collect real-time feedback from faculty during the program about the quality of mentors; provide the opportunity to be paired with additional or alternative mentors if needed • Consider use of an evidence-based mentorship assessment tool such as the Scholarly Teaching in Health Professions Education (STHPE) to document effectiveness and quality of mentorship [57] • Use data to establish mentorship standards and target faculty development of mentors (such as through remote video conferencing sessions about mentorship best practices) • Formally acknowledge exemplary mentors, such as through a “mentor of the year award,” in order to reinforce and encourage excellence in mentorship |
4. Leverage technology to enhance the programs’ community of practice for current and alumni members |
• Utilize social media to amplify faculty success by tweeting about their publications and accomplishments, tweet pearls from educational sessions, tweet about blog posts, follow Twitter accounts of faculty, mentors, and potential applicants • Utilize platforms such as email listservs, closed Facebook groups or social network enterprises (i.e. Slack, Microsoft Teams or Basecamp) to provide a virtual “space” for faculty to communicate, interact socially, share resources and collaborate • Implement regular (at least monthly) remote check-ins via videoconferencing platforms (i.e., Zoom, WebEx, Blue Jeans) to promote social interactions, increase contact among members of the MFSP community, provide a forum to discuss educational topics relevant to stakeholders, and/or serve as writing accountability groups • Invite alumni to partake in the previously described activities to enhance alumni connection to the program’s network and continue professional development beyond the two-year period • Maintain an online database of faculty and alumni interests to facilitate collaboration within the community and to offer speaking and writing opportunities |
5. Optimize the curriculum |
• Perform an individual needs assessment for each faculty at the beginning of the program and allow faculty flexibility with curricular components according to individual needs identified during this process • Include curriculum on diversity, equity, and inclusion with attention paid to credibility of faculty chosen to deliver said curriculum • Ensure educational sessions for faculty are interactive and learner-centered rather than lecture-based • Integrate a coaching program focused on enhancing faculty leadership skills • Provide targeted curricular interventions to improve faculty knowledge, skills and comfort with regard to grant writing |