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Projects That Work: May 15 Deadline to Apply for FAIMER Funding to Present at November 2013 Conference

(posted March 29, 2013; updated April 5, 2013, May 10, 2013)
Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) logo

The deadline is approaching to apply for FAIMER funding to present at the November 2013 Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) conference!

Many education innovation projects in health professions institutions are implemented, but only some result in significant, sustained change. A new highlight of the 2013 Network: TUFH conference in Thailand will feature “Projects That Work” – that is, projects that have survived beyond initial implementation and have had a significant positive impact on health, the community, or the school over three or more years. A plenary panel during the conference will provide representatives of a few outstanding examples of such projects with an opportunity to tell their stories so that others can learn from their success. Projects that exemplify the conference theme of “Rural and Community Based Healthcare” will be of particular interest.

FAIMER will sponsor a representative of up to five selected projects to attend the Network: TUFH conference, to be held November 16-20, 2013, in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Sponsorship includes air travel, hotel accommodation, and conference registration fee. Applications must be submitted by May 15, 2013. To apply click here.

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Study Highlights Contribution of Caribbean-Educated Physicians to U.S. Primary Care Workforce

(posted April 25, 2013)

The projected shortage of primary care physicians in the United States is well documented, and current trends indicate that the numbers of graduates of U.S. medical schools may not be sufficient to fill these roles. FAIMER Research Scientist Marta van Zanten and FAIMER Associate Vice President for Research and Data Resources John R. Boulet quantify the contribution that graduates of Caribbean medical schools make to the U.S. primary care workforce in their recently published paper:

van Zanten M, Boulet JR. Medical education in the Caribbean: The contribution of Caribbean-educated physicians to the primary care workforce in the United States. Academic Medicine. 2013;88(2):276-81

Findings in the study indicate that graduates of Caribbean medical schools make an important contribution to the U.S. primary care workforce. Specifically, the authors used the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile and ECFMG data to determine the numbers of physicians providing direct patient care. They classified these physicians according to type of medical school from which they graduated, and then calculated frequencies and percentages of self-designated primary care specialties for each physician classification. Results of the study show that graduates of Caribbean medical schools had the highest proportion of physicians practicing primary care, followed by D.O., all other IMGs, and lastly, graduates of U.S. M.D.-granting schools.

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2013 Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) Fellows

(posted April 25, 2013)

The first residential session of the 2013 Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) took place February 27 – March 6, 2013, in Cape Town, South Africa, under the direction of Vanessa Burch and Juanita Bezuidenhout. The 2013 SAFRI Fellows are:

Mmapula Dube, B.Sc., M.B.Ch.B., University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Ruebecca Ebrahim, M.Sc., University of Limpopo, Medunsa, South Africa

Bernhard Gaede, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Fasika Gebrekirkos, M.D., Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Karl Klusmann, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Ronel Maart, B.Ch.D., University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

Milly Morkel, B.Sc., M.B.Ch.B., University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia

Takaedza Munangatire, B.Sc., Paray School of Nursing, Thaba-Tseka, Lesotho

Annet Mutebi, M.Sc., B.D.S., Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Joanne Naidoo, Ph.D., University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Jane Namatovu, M.Med., Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Champion Nyoni, B.Sc., R.N., Paray School of Nursing, Thaba-Tseka, Lesotho

Nanoud Omer, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan

Everlyne Rotich, B.Sc., M.Sc., Moi University College of Health Sciences, Eldoret, Kenya

Enoch Sepako, B.Sc., Ph.D., University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Klaus von Pressentin, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

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FAIMER On-line Services Unavailable April 19-21

(posted April 10, 2013; updated April 15, 2013)

Due to scheduled maintenance, certain FAIMER on-line services will be unavailable from approximately 6:00 p.m. on April 19, 2013, through approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 21, 2013. FAIMER's phone services will also be unavailable during this time. All times are calculated using Eastern Time in the United States.

During this maintenance period, you will not be able to access the following:

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to maintain high-quality on-line services.

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Medical Education Editorial Internship

(posted March 15, 2013)

Medical Education is an international, peer-reviewed journal with distribution to readers in more than 80 countries. The journal aims to publish material of the highest quality reflecting worldwide or provocative issues and perspectives relevant to health professional education. The contents will be of interest to learners, teachers, and researchers. It aims to have a significant impact on scholarship in health professional education and, ultimately, on the quality of health care by prioritizing papers that offer a fundamental advance in understanding of practically relevant educational issues. The journal welcomes papers on any aspect of health professional education.

As part of its emphasis on capacity building for the field, the journal will offer three editorial internship positions beginning July 1, 2013. Interns will be involved in all aspects of the editorial role, working closely with the Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editors, reviewing and offering recommendations on submitted works, engaging in conversations about electronic and print-based innovations at the journal, and contributing editorials or commentaries on timely issues. Interns will be selected through a competitive process (outlined below) with some effort made to ensure geographic diversity.

Applicants should anticipate being able to work 1-2 hours per week for the 12-month duration of the internship. They should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, formal research training, and a strong understanding of the field of health professional education and health professional education research. An allowance of £300 will be made available for any expenses incurred. In addition, registration to the ASME Annual Scientific Meeting will be paid in the July following the completion of the internship.

To apply, the following materials should be sent to the editorial office (med@mededuc.com) by April 1, 2013:

  1. An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae
  2. A 150 word biography
  3. A 250 word statement indicating what skills and experiences the candidate brings to the internship
  4. A 250 word statement indicating what impact the internship can be expected to have on the candidate’s career
  5. A letter of support from the candidate’s employer
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Team Led by FAIMER Institute 2011 Fellow Josaphat Byamugisha Uses Skype to Present on Remote Teaching of Basic Suturing Skills

(posted March 15, 2013)

FAIMER Institute 2011 Fellow Josaphat Byamugisha, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, led a presentation on remote teaching of basic suturing skills that was presented at the annual meeting of the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 28, 2013. The presentation, titled “Communication Technology for Surgical Skills Teaching in Uganda: A Pilot Study among Intern Doctors at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital,” was based on research done by faculty from Makerere University and the University of California, San Francisco, led by Meg Autry.

Dr. Byamugisha led the team from Makerere University, which included two younger faculty members and was formed as a means of capacity building for scholarship in education. He reports that the presentation “showed that it is feasible, acceptable, and effective to use internet communication to teach and evaluate surgical skills.” The technology lends itself to other skills and teaching possibilities. It has the potential to reduce teaching burden on already strained local faculty as well as allow for a more broad international involvement in global scholarship for those who have travel or financial restrictions. Interaction with audience members after the conclusion of the presentation allowed for the sharing of ideas on collaboration and faculty development.

The theme of this year’s joint CREOG/APGO meeting was Extending Your Reach in Women’s Health Education: Up, Out, Across, and Around.

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FAIMER Mourns the Loss of Enoch Kwizera

(posted February 13, 2013)
Enoch Kwizera
FAIMER Institute 2007 Fellow Enoch Kwizera
(click image to enlarge)

The following was contributed by FAIMER Institute 2006 Fellow Richard Adome.

Professor Enoch N. Kwizera, 63, entered into eternal peace on February 1, 2013, in South Africa, Eastern Cape.

Born Enoch Nshakira Kwizera on June 13, 1950, in Kigezi district, southwest of the then Uganda Protectorate, he was the fourth child and first son of Ernest and Edreada Nshakira. He grew up in a happy family, with five sisters and two brothers.

In June 1970 he enrolled at Makerere University Medical School, where he was joint second best finalist in March 1975.

Dr. Kwizera’s professional working life started in April 1975, when he was posted to Mbale Hospital in Eastern Uganda as an Intern. His major rotations were in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Internal Medicine. On completion of Internship in May 1976, Dr. Kwizera was appointed a Tutorial Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University Medical School. In September 1976, he commenced studies toward a Master of Science in Experimental Pharmacology at the University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK, completing in September 1977. In November of the same year, he was awarded a scholarship by the World University Service (UK) to study towards a Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology at the University of Bradford, completing in December 1980. He then returned to Uganda to take up a position of Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Makerere University.

I met Enoch in 1981 when I joined the department as a lecturer. Just two years my senior, it soon became clear to me that this was a man I could look up to, as a mentor. No wonder we both found the science of pharmacology and medical education second love after family. Enoch was academically meticulous to a fault. But his philosophy about teaching was slightly different from mine. I naturally have a soft approach to things, including dealing with medical students. Enoch believed, and rightly so, that every student enrolling into medicine at Makerere must be very bright. And therefore any student who showed signs of weakness in any part of pharmacology was only lazy, and should not expect any soft handling.

In 1985, Dr. Kwizera was offered a Commonwealth Medical Fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, at the Robens Institute of Industrial and Environmental Health and Safety, at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK. Enoch was appointed Associate Professor in Pharmacology at the then University of Transkei (UNITRA), a position he took up in December 1988. In 2004, he was promoted to Full Professor.

Over the years, Dr. Kwizera developed deep interest in Health Professions Education, which became his second academic passion. In 1993, he was elected to the Council of the South African Association for Medical Education (SAAME) to represent UNITRA and the Border Region. In 2007, he was awarded a Fellowship of the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) Institute based in Philadelphia, USA, which he completed with distinction.

Enoch married and had four grown children and one foster daughter. He leaves his loving memories to be cherished by his loving brother Nathan and sister Lydia, and many friends. The body will be arriving into Uganda from South Africa and a funeral will take place later in Kabindi village, Kigezi district.

Farewell my friend, Enoch.

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Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada Interim Accreditation Review Process

(posted February 13, 2013)

The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) has developed a novel Interim Accreditation Review Process (IRP) that assists schools in maintaining compliance with Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)/Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) accreditation standards and creating a culture of continuous quality improvement. After three years’ experience in implementing the process in six Canadian faculties of medicine, AFMC is now making the resources necessary to conduct an Interim Accreditation Survey publicly available. Checklists for each accreditation standard have been developed and are updated annually to facilitate the understanding what is needed to achieve compliance. The Interim Accreditation Review Process is briefly described on the website and in greater detail in the AFMC Interim Accreditation Guide that is also available on the website. The AFMC Interim Accreditation Guide and the AFMC Accreditation Checklists may be reproduced for the non-commercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement, with citation and author attribution.

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Deadline for Application for FAIMER-Keele Certificate Program is March 22

(posted December 3, 2012; updated February 7, 2013)

Registration is now open for FAIMER’s newly expanded Distance Learning (DL) program. In partnership with Keele University in the United Kingdom, the new FAIMER DL program will grant academic credentials in accordance with international standards. Participants will be able to earn a Certificate, Diploma, or Master’s Degree in Health Professions Education: Accreditation and Assessment. Courses will begin on April 8, 2013, conducted in partnership with Keele University and the Centre for Medical Education in Context (CenMEDIC) in the United Kingdom. Courses will be administered by CenMEDIC and will follow the strict quality assurance guidelines and policies of Keele.

The deadline for application for the FAIMER-Keele Certificate program beginning in April 2013 is March 22, 2013. To learn more, please visit the FAIMER DL pages.

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Faculty Development Workshop and Planning Meeting at ASCOFAME, Bogota, Colombia

(posted February 7, 2013)

In early December a workshop and preliminary planning meeting was held in Bogota, Colombia to explore the potential for a future FAIMER Regional Institute for Latin America. The meeting was hosted by the Asociación Colombiana de Facultades de Medicina (ASCOFAME). In addition to deans and other representatives of ASCOFAME-affiliated medical schools, the meeting was attended by Colombian FAIMER Fellows Ricardo Borda, Martha Delgado, Luis Dominguez, Francisco Lamus, Ivan Solarte, and Marco Sosa. These Fellows are among the group of Spanish speaking Fellows who belong to the FAIMER Regional Initiative in Latin America (FRILA) interest group. FAIMER was represented by William Burdick, FAIMER Associate Vice President for Education and Co-Director of the FAIMER Institute, and Ralf Graves, Associate Director, Regional Institutes. The enthusiasm and positive feedback resulting from the meeting has led to subsequent activities amongst these stakeholders to further develop the ideas that were generated by attendees.

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FAIMER and King Abdulaziz University Sign Agreement to Develop MHPE Program

(posted January 18, 2013)
FAIMER and King Abdulaziz University Sign Agreement to Develop MHPE Program
Pictured left to right: John Norcini, Ara Tekian, Osama Tayyeb, Mahmoud Al-Ahwal, and Adnan Al-Homaidan
(click image to enlarge)

On December 16, 2012, FAIMER and King Abdulaziz University (KAU) signed an agreement to develop a Master’s in Health Professions Education (MHPE) program. According to the terms of the agreement, FAIMER and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will assist the KAU Faculty of Medicine in the development of a MHPE program aimed at preparing leaders in health professions education. The signing ceremony took place at KAU and was attended by FAIMER President and CEO Dr. John J. Norcini, FAIMER faculty member and Associate Dean of International Affairs at the UIC College of Medicine Dr. Ara Tekian, KAU President Prof. Osama S. Tayyeb, Dean of KAU Graduate Studies Dr. Adnan Al-Homaidan, and Dean of the KAU Faculty of Medicine Dr. Mahmoud Al-Ahwal.

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Robbert Duvivier Earns M.D. and Ph.D. from University of Maastricht, Joins FAIMER as Visiting Scholar

(posted January 18, 2013)

On December 12, 2012, former FAIMER intern Robbert J. Duvivier earned both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. The title of Dr. Duvivier’s thesis is Teaching and Learning Clinical Skills: Mastering the Art of Medicine. He has worked with various international medical education organizations, such as the European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) and the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). He has also represented medical students as part of the executive committee of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), and the executive council of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). Beginning in January 2013, Dr. Duvivier will join the FAIMER Research and Data Resources department as a visiting scholar.

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FAIMER On-line Services Unavailable February 1-2

(posted January 9, 2013)

Due to scheduled maintenance, certain FAIMER on-line services will be unavailable from approximately 4:00 p.m. on February 1, 2013 through approximately 2:00 p.m. on February 2, 2013. All times are calculated using Eastern Time in the United States.

During this maintenance period, you will not be able to access the following:

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to maintain high-quality on-line services.

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[last update: May 10, 2013]