International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME)
Upon graduation from the FAIMER Institute or one of the FAIMER Regional Institutes, Fellows become eligible to apply for a financial award to pursue a masters in medical education degree at an approved academic institution. Applicants must have finished a two-year Fellowship, which includes the 12 months following the second residential session, by the January 1 IFME application deadline.
As a professional advancement opportunity for FAIMER Institute or FAIMER Regional Institute graduates, the IFME program offers Fellows the opportunity to further develop skills in medical education, continue to establish professional communities with other educators from around the world, and increase visibility at their home institutions.
Participants are expected to complete a distance learning program that may be combined with a brief residential component of approximately two to four weeks each year.
Program completion will be expected to occur within approximately two to three years of fellowship award.
Current participating institutions include:
Maastricht University, Netherlands
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Directory of IFME Fellows, 2005 to Present
| First Name | Last Name | Home Country Institution | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nor M.A. | Azila | Universiti Malaya | Malaysia | 2005 |
| Elena | Barragán | Universidad Nacional del Comahue | Argentina | 2005 |
| Muhammad Z. | Khan | Baqai Medical College | Pakistan | 2005 |
| Ahuka Ona | Longombe | Universite de Kisangani | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2005 |
| Vivek | Saoji | Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College | India | 2005 |
| Ana Lía | Vargas | Universidad Nacional de Cuyo | Argentina | 2005 |
| Rashmi | Vyas | Christian Medical College, Vellore | India | 2005 |
| Thomas | Chacko | PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research | India | 2006 |
| Tejinder | Singh | Christian Medical College, Ludhiana | India | 2006 |
| Huseyin Cahit | Taskiran | Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi | Turkey | 2006 |
| Edwin | Nwobodo | Nnamdi Azikiwe University | Nigeria | 2007 |
| Avinash | Supe | Seth G.S. Medical College | India | 2007 |
| Soumya | Bhattacharya | B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences | Nepal | 2008 |
| Tara | Jaffery | Shifa College of Medicine | Pakistan | 2008 |
| Christy A. N. | Okoromah | University of Lagos | Nigeria | 2008 |
| Noor | Ahsen | F.M.H. College of Medicine and Dentistry | Pakistan | 2009 |
| Sheena | Singh | Christian Medical College, Ludhiana | India | 2009 |
| Payal | Bansal | Maharashtra University of Health Sciences Regional Centre, Pune | India | 2010 |
| Henal | Shah | Topiwala National Medical College | India | 2010 |
| Ivan | Solarte | Pontificia Universidad Javeriana | Colombia | 2010 |
History of the IFME Program
The Foreign Faculty Fellowship Program in the Basic Medical Sciences (FFFP)
The Foreign Faculty Fellowship Program in the Basic Medical Sciences (FFFP) began in 1983, under the sponsorship of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The program provided individual mentorship, designed to enrich the teaching of faculty in basic biomedical science departments abroad. Preference was given to mid-career faculty who were preparing to assume greater responsibility in their departments. Programs were tailored toward specific needs of the institution and the home country. Fellows spent six to twelve months studying at a medical school in the United States under the tutelage of selected preceptors in biomedical science departments. About 154 Fellows participated in FFFP until 1996 when the program merged with the International Medical Scholars Program (IMSP) to form the International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME) program.
The International Medical Scholars Program (IMSP)
The International Medical Scholars Program (IMSP) was incorporated in 1988 as a separate organization, with ECFMG administering the program under a management contract. In 1991 ECFMG assumed full administration of the program.
IMSP allowed medical scholars from outside of the United States and Canada with significant experience or education an opportunity to receive further advanced training or focused experiences. Programs ranging from three months to one year were also tailored to the home country needs. Those selected were typically mid-career physicians and others in health care leadership positions. Locations of the fellowships included institutes and medical schools throughout the United States. Fellows were accepted for IMSP from 1991 until 1997 when the program merged with FFFP. Fifty-nine Fellows participated in IMSP.
The International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME)
In 1996, the FFFP and IMSP merged into a program that focused entirely on medical education. Participants from FFFP and IMSP are now commonly referred to as “IFME Fellows.” While the goals of the programs changed, each facilitated international understanding through the exchange of ideas.
The International Fellowship in Medical Education (IFME) program continued to provide individual mentorship to Fellows with the potential to change medical education in their home countries. Fellows spent six to twelve months learning aspects of medical education in institutions and medical schools in the United States. Between 1998 and 2004, 92 Fellows were accepted. The IFME program transitioned to FAIMER in 2001. In 2005, IFME became part of FAIMER’s pathway for educational leadership, providing financial awards for FAIMER Institute alumni to pursue a master’s degree in health professions education at an approved academic institution. In 2008, FAIMER expanded eligibility for application to the IFME program to include FAIMER Regional Institute alumni.