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Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research

International FAIMER Institute

FAIMER launched the International FAIMER Institute (IFI) in 2001 with the goal of providing professional development curricula in health professions education and leadership for international health professions faculty who have demonstrated the potential to play a key role in advancing health professions education for improving health.

The core curriculum of the IFI is a two-year, part-time, online fellowship program designed to teach education methods, leadership and management, education scholarship and research, and project management and evaluation, as well as to develop strong professional bonds with other health professions educators around the world.

This online program uses an interactive, high-engagement approach that focuses on participants’ projects as the ‘laboratory’ to apply their learning. Selected participants are called FAIMER Fellows and they have the unique opportunity to be part of the FAIMER global community and connect with colleagues from around the globe.

The IFI faculty includes a team of global faculty who design, teach, and provide support for International FAIMER Institute courses; and project advisors who provide mentoring and support for Fellows' innovation project design and implementation.

This core curriculum is also offered through the FAIMER Regional Institutes (FRIs), but it is adapted to the local context. It is important to note that the core curriculum offered online through the IFI is neither a prerequisite nor an extension to the core curriculum offered through the FRIs. Individuals who complete a fellowship through an FRI or the IFI are provided with a certificate that includes their respective Institute’s name. All certificates are held with equal distinction and prestige.

In addition to the core curriculum, FAIMER is developing new curricula in response to emerging regional and global health professions education needs. FAIMER recently launched a pilot professional development program in Competency-Based Medical Education and additional new curricula will be launched in the near future.

Applications for the International FAIMER Institute 2024 class are now open!

Application deadline is January 10, 2024

"When I started my journey with the FAIMER Institute, I never expected that it would be a journey for life. Once a FAIMER Fellow, always a FAIMER Fellow. Thanks to what I learned at FAIMER, I have been transformed to become an agent for change at many different levels.”

Wagdy Talaat

Wagdy Talaat

Egypt

"FAIMER has empowered me by building leadership skills which have ramifications in all aspects of my life. More importantly, we are surrounded in a community of practice and help is just a click away.”

Henal Shah

Henal Shah

India

"I have advanced professionally, undertaking leadership roles in varying situations and positions with confidence as a result of the leadership training I received from FAIMER.”

Esther Ofoegbu

Esther Ofoegbu

Nigeria

"The FAIMER Institute program equipped me with skills and confidence to take up a leadership role for furthering the cause of medical education in my part of the world.”

Thomas V. Chacko

Thomas V. Chacko

India

    IFI Faculty
    • Health professions education methods and research, integrated with leadership and management development
    • Intense educational experiences in which participants actively contribute to the learning of others, and learn from them
    • Close collaboration with other educators as each Fellow becomes a member of a global network of health professions educators
    • Practical application of knowledge through an individual education innovation project that addresses a need in the Fellow’s institution and/or region, and is evidenced by education, leadership, and research theory
    • Individual coaching and mentoring by international experts on health professions education and organizational change

    Faculty from all health professions are welcome to apply. What is required?

    • A proposed education innovation project endorsed by your institution
    • A graduate or professional degree
    • Competence in written and spoken English
    • Complete an application form via our online application portal
    • Obtain a nomination letter from an institutional leader (e.g. Dean, Principal, or Senior Academic Officer)
    • Obtain a reference letter from a colleague or supervisor at work who knows well your personal and professional strengths

    The International FAIMER Institute (IFI) offers a professional development program in health professions education and leadership to global health professions educators. FAIMER partners with medical schools and universities to establish FAIMER Regional Institutes (FRIs), modeled on the IFI curriculum and adapted to the local context.

    As FAIMER continues to increase the accessibility of its curriculum through the expansion and development of its FRIs, it is important to note that the online IFI is neither a prerequisite nor an extension to the programming offered through its regional institutes. Individuals who complete a Fellowship through an FRI or the IFI are provided with a certificate that includes their respective institute’s name. All certificates are held with equal distinction and prestige.

    Applications for the IFI will be accepted from the following categories:

    • Health professions faculty from institutions or countries where there are no FAIMER Fellows
    • Health professions faculty from institutions with few (one or two) FAIMER Fellows
    • Health professions faculty from institutions with a critical mass (defined as more than two) of FAIMER Fellows
    • FRI Fellows endorsed by FRI Leadership

    FAIMER does not consider IFI applications for FRI Fellows unless they are nominated by leadership at their institute.

    Program Structure

    Curriculum

    The program is offered entirely online using a blended approach of synchronous and asynchronous learning to educate Fellows in four curriculum themes of the program:

    • Project Management and Evaluation – Fellows apply concepts and methods learned to their individual education innovation projects. Key topics include developing a theory of change to guide project planning and evaluation, designing project evaluation, and some basics of research and evaluation including data types, data collection techniques, analysis, and reporting of data.
    • Education Methods – This curriculum theme focuses on how people learn, how to assess what they have learned and provide feedback, and how to teach in large and small groups.
    • Leadership and Management – This curriculum theme focuses on leadership and management concepts in six contexts: understanding self, understanding and leading others, understanding and leading teams, understanding and leading within the organization, building and leading regional/national communities of practice (COP), and participating in a global COP for improving health to meet community needs.
    • Research and Scholarship – This curriculum theme focuses on educational research design and methods (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed), integration of research and scholarship with the Fellow’s FAIMER project, broadening the view of scholarship to align with the current missions of health professions schools, and strategic planning for the career spectrum between researcher/educationalist and scholar/practitioner.

    Education Innovation Project

    Participants’ education innovation projects are the focal point for the application of learning. Each participant proposes an education innovation project that is endorsed by their institution in their initial application to the International FAIMER Institute, and if selected as a FAIMER Fellow, the participant will work towards implementing their project at their respective institution. Education innovation projects focusing on education methods, leadership, community health, and program evaluation will be given priority in the fellowship selection process.

    Faculty

    The International FAIMER Institute faculty includes a team of global faculty who design, teach, and provide support for International FAIMER Institute courses; and project advisors who provide mentoring and support for Fellows' innovation project design and implementation. Visit the faculty page for a full list of global faculty and project advisors.

    Approaches to Education

    The International FAIMER Institute employs a variety of approaches to learning that ensure Fellows’ success:

    • Project-Based Approach – An education innovation project is the focal point for the application of learning at the Institute. Fellows apply leadership, management, education methodology, and sound research design as they plan and implement their projects.
    • Interactive, High-Engagement Teaching – The Institute uses participants’ projects as the “laboratory” to apply their learning, and models high engagement teaching and learning techniques that Fellows can use at their own institutions.
    • Positive, Appreciative, Strengths-Based Approach – The curriculum has fully integrated positive, appreciative, and strengths-based approaches to learning and leadership. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI, Year 1) helps Fellows understand the natural strengths of their personality.
    • Community of Practice – Our long-term goal is for all FAIMER Fellows to become a global community of practice, a group informally bound together by personal connections and understanding, shared expertise, and passion for improving academic health centers and the people they serve. Concepts to build a community of practice are woven throughout the curriculum.
    • Cultural Sensitivity – FAIMER brings international health professions faculty from different cultures together to, in part, enhance Fellows’ cultural competency. Understanding, respecting, and successfully interacting with those whose world views, values, behaviors, communication styles, customs, and practices are different helps increase one’s own cultural competency.
    • Transformational Learning Model – The International FAIMER Institute is intentionally designed as a transformational learning experience for Fellows. The design is grounded in the theory and principles of team-based learning, reflection, dialogue, and the creation of a trust-based, challenging, and supportive learning environment.

    Schedule & Coursework Expectations

    The International FAIMER Institute is divided into two distinct yearlong programs with the education innovation project being the link throughout the fellowship. The Year 1 and Year 2 programs begin in June and end the following May. Each fellowship cohort should expect significant interactive group work with their colleagues in their cohort. The Year 1 and Year 2 cohorts should also expect interactions and group work between their different cohorts.

    Year 1 (Online): June 2024 through May 2025
    Year 2 (Online): June 2025 through May 2026

    2024-2025 International FAIMER Institute Timeline:

    Phase
    Duration
    Time
    Delivery
    Phase 1 - INTENSIVE INSTRUCTION PHASE: A short, intensive phase comprised primarily of synchronous sessions supported by asynchronous work
    2 weeks
    June 2024
    10 synchronous sessions 7-11 a.m. ET, Monday-Friday
    Phase 2 - IMPLEMENTATION PHASE: A nearly year-long distributed instruction phase comprised of both synchronous sessions and asynchronous work
    11 months
    July 2024 - May 2025
     
    Phase 2, Part A: Course & Project Work
    6 months
    July 2024 - December 2024
    Asynchronous plus 1-3 synchronous sessions per month either 7-11 a.m. ET or 8-10 a.m. ET
    Phase 2, Part B: Independent Project Work
    5 months
    January 2025 - May 2025
    Asynchronous

    Technology Requirements

    To successfully participate in the International FAIMER Institute, a Fellow must have access to:

    • Computer equipment
    • Smartphone or tablet
    • Internet access
    • Word processing software (e.g. Microsoft Word)
    • Presentation software (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint)
    • Zoom

    [Last update: November 28, 2023]

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