Effective medical education is central to the task of meeting the health care needs of communities. Through its programs for medical faculty, FAIMER seeks to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to enhance and expand medical education with the goal of improving health outcomes.

FAIMER's programs for medical educators develop the skills that allow participants to serve as resources for their colleagues and institutions. These programs emphasize not only methodologies for teaching and assessment, but also personal and professional development, leadership, and planning that are essential to actualizing change. Participants focus on issues and projects of their choosing that are supported by their home institutions. The changes made during and after the study period serve as relevant, local working models for ongoing enhancements.

These programs also create environments for the cross-cultural exchange of educational knowledge and experiences. Participants partner with program faculty, U.S. mentors, and with each other, in ongoing collaborative relationships. This worldwide network of medical educators provides collective support and expertise for individual efforts.

FAIMER's programs for international medical educators build on ECFMG's tradition of providing exchange and consultative services. ECFMG established its first fellowship program for international medical school faculty in 1983, and continued to develop and support exchange opportunities, at both the individual and institutional level, in the decades that followed. In 2001, FAIMER assumed responsibility for ECFMG's educational programs for the international medical community and established its first program, the FAIMER Institute.

Moving forward, FAIMER's educational programs will focus on serving medical educators and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. One goal of these regional concentrations will be to develop local models for enhancing medical education. These geographical foci may also facilitate communication and collaboration among medical educators in the region, contributing to a local network of resources in medical education. These accomplishments will allow FAIMER to maximize its impact on medical education and health care.

In establishing FAIMER, ECFMG formalized its commitment to programs for international medical educators. FAIMER shares this commitment and, through its programs, will continue to support curricular development that meets local needs and contributes to improving medical education worldwide.