Norcini John, Burdick William, Morahan Page
Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Med Teach. 2005 May;27(3):214-8. doi: 10.1080/01421590500126379.
One of the many products of Miriam's career was an international network of medical educators. She knew we would learn from each other and gain access to the perspectives, resources, and experiences that such a community brings. More importantly, Miriam understood the need for shared values, support, encouragement, and a sense of global citizenship that can come only from an international network of colleagues and friends. The FAIMER Institute, described in this paper, is a formalization and extension of Miriam's work and we hope it will be as successful as she was. The FAIMER Institute is a two-year fellowship program designed for medical school faculty from developing countries who have the potential to improve medical education. The first year consists of two residential sessions in the US before and after an intersession of distance learning and implementation of an educational project at the participant's home institution. The second year, completed from the Fellow's home country, involves co-mentoring a new Fellow and active engagement in the Institute's Internet discussion group. The program is designed to teach educational methods and leadership skills, as well as to develop strong professional bonds with other medical educators around the world. Preliminary data concerning the efficacy of the program have been encouraging. Fellows' perceptions of their knowledge, skills and attitudes show significant improvement. These self-assessments are supported by the outcomes, which indicate considerable scholarship as well as academic and administrative advancement. There have also been changes in the nature of the professional networks of these medical educators, which enhance their ability to undertake more complex projects in an innovative fashion. Finally, plans for the future focus on conducting regional Institutes in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and South America with the goal of fostering the creation of networks of medical educators. The current model will be modified to meet local needs, FAIMER will coordinate its other programs to support development in the regions, and partners will be sought to support and expand this effort.
米里亚姆职业生涯的众多成果之一是一个国际医学教育工作者网络。她知道我们会相互学习，并能接触到这样一个群体所带来的观点、资源和经验。更重要的是，米里亚姆明白共享价值观、支持、鼓励以及全球公民意识的必要性，而这些只能来自一个由同事和朋友组成的国际网络。本文所描述的国际医学教育创新基金（FAIMER）研究所是米里亚姆工作的一种形式化和扩展，我们希望它能像她一样成功。国际医学教育创新基金研究所是一个为期两年的奖学金项目，面向来自发展中国家、有潜力改善医学教育的医学院教师。第一年包括在美国进行两次住校学习，中间有一段远程学习期，并在参与者的母校实施一个教育项目。第二年，研究员在自己的祖国完成，包括共同指导一名新研究员，并积极参与该研究所的互联网讨论组。该项目旨在教授教育方法和领导技能，同时与世界各地的其他医学教育工作者建立牢固的专业联系。有关该项目成效的初步数据令人鼓舞。研究员对自己知识、技能和态度的认知有显著提高。这些自我评估得到了成果的支持，成果显示出相当的学术成就以及学术和行政方面的进步。这些医学教育工作者的专业网络的性质也发生了变化，这增强了他们以创新方式开展更复杂项目的能力。最后，未来的计划重点是在南亚、撒哈拉以南非洲和南美洲举办地区性研究所，目标是促进医学教育工作者网络的建立。当前模式将根据当地需求进行调整，国际医学教育创新基金将协调其其他项目以支持这些地区的发展，并寻求合作伙伴来支持和扩大这一努力。
