The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research
The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) is a nonprofit foundation of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®). The Foundation was established in 2000 to support ECFMG's aims and missions, thereby advancing ECFMG's overall purpose of promoting excellence in international medical education. FAIMER is governed by a Board of Directors, which overlaps in part with ECFMG's Board of Trustees. ECFMG's President and Chief Executive Officer serves as Chair of the FAIMER Board.
In establishing FAIMER, ECFMG has formalized its commitment to the international medical education community and has dedicated resources to support programs and research aimed at improving medical education and health care worldwide. For more information on ECFMG and its programs, refer to ECFMG's Annual Report and to the ECFMG website.
FAIMER's activities are concentrated in three areas:
Tracking Medical Education. FAIMER seeks to build informational resources on medical education worldwide and share them broadly with physicians, patients, students, researchers, medical schools, and organizations concerned with credentialing and licensure. These resources will support the development of indicators of educational quality and enhance research on medical education. The availability of accurate information on the world's medical schools also supports ECFMG in its primary mission of evaluating the qualifications of international medical graduates who wish to enter graduate medical education and health care systems in the United States.
Educating the Educators. Educational programs for international medical school faculty provide opportunities for the cross-cultural exchange of educational expertise and experiences. They allow faculty members to serve as local resources for educational improvements, which can enhance health outcomes. FAIMER's educational programs fulfill ECFMG's commitment to assist international medical schools, and other organizations concerned with health professions education, as they engage in program development, standard setting, and evaluation.
Discovering and Disseminating Knowledge. FAIMER is committed to understanding the impact of physician migration on the functioning of health care systems. It is also dedicated to studying which aspects of medical education lead to improved patient outcomes. To these ends, FAIMER supports research and collaborations that yield meaningful knowledge on medical education and international medical graduates, and disseminates this information broadly.