Chair's Message
Welcome to another academic year and our first newsletter. I have written before about faculty development, but I would like to take this opportunity to re-emphasize its importance to our department and to introduce our 2017/18 program.
Faculty development is critically important to our department. Faculty development is what sets academic physicians apart from non-teaching physicians. As a faculty member, full-time or limited duties, you have a responsibility to teach and engage in scholarly activities. Faculty development is the means by which you enhance your skills, knowledge and attitudes about teaching, leadership, research, quality improvement, and many other facets of academia. Through faculty development you will achieve personal and professional career development.
Our Family Medicine Faculty Development program will combine central sessions delivered in London, but also carried through the livestream channel, along with opportunities that are promoted through Schulich and Western, in addition to visits to core teaching sites at least once or twice per year. We will make you aware of opportunities as we become aware of them ourselves and we will do our best to post learning modules, slideshows, webcasts and other faculty development activities on our website.
We recently completed a survey of our department faculty, and you told us that you wanted to learn and advance your skills in five key areas, teaching, scholarship, social accountability, research, and leadership.
I am pleased to let you know that we have listened to your words. Over the course of the next two years we will do our best to provide faculty development activities in these areas that you have identified. Our lineup of sessions this year will include such topics as social media use, e-learning and teaching outside the box, and trauma – informed care, among other things.
Furthermore, we promise to track your faculty development activities if you tell us what you are doing. This way we can award faculty development certificates to those that engage in the program in a meaningful way.
Your participation in faculty development activities makes us all better as a Department of Family Medicine.
As always I welcome your feedback by email.
