The UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine offers a 10-month-long faculty development fellowship for family medicine and primary care faculty members.

Why complete a faculty development fellowship?

Research indicates that the primary reason residents do not pursue a career in academic medicine is the lack of preparation and mentorship. The UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine Primary Care Faculty Development Fellowship is a longitudinal program aimed at preparing participants for a career in medical education through the acquisition of skills in effective teaching, scholarship, and leadership in academia and clinical practice.

This fellowship is open to family medicine and other primary care faculty members interested in improving their teaching and professional skills. Fellows will be selected on the basis of their level of interest and dedication, career stage, and support of their program director or chair. Accepted candidates will be notified on a rolling basis during and immediately after the period of solicitation of applications.

The Four Areas of Focus:

• Teaching (e.g., producing effective presentations, providing effective feedback, working with struggling learners)
• Scholarship (e.g., conducting quality improvement projects, formulating research questions, collecting data on a relevant clinical issue)
• Leadership (e.g., developing emotional intelligence, creating and leading successful teams, facilitating resilience and wellness for oneself and others)
• Practice Transformation (e.g., implementing digital tools in healthcare, leveraging resources to maximize patient-care impact, shifting focus to prevention and wellness)

What's Included:

• Nine, four-hour sessions of instruction and collaboration (two in-person, seven virtual)
• Extensive and in-depth training with experts in family medicine, clinical education, research methods, leadership, development, and team science
• All required texts and other instructional materials
• Access to individual coaching focused on specific professional development goals

Program Expectations:

• Attend all scheduled sessions. Missing more than one session may disqualify the participant for recognized fellowship completion. Both the first and final sessions will be held on UAB's campus in Community Health (CH20) on 20th Street South. The remaining sessions are via Zoom.
• Contribute to a group scholarly research project.
• Complete off-campus pre-session work and other assignments (approximately 2 hours each month) and submit some of the work as requested.

Time and Dates:

Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Second Friday of each month, September 2024-May 2025: September 13, October 11, November 8, December 13, January 10, February 14, March 14 , April 11 and May 9

How to Apply

Applicants must have the explicitly stated support of their residency program director or department chair to participate. 

• Completed brief application form (click here)

Please email the following documents to Michael Wiederman, Ph.D.:

• A letter of nomination and support from your residency program director or department chair
• A current curriculum vita (CV)

If you have questions, please contact Michael Wiederman, Ph.D.

Irfan Asif, M.D.
Professor, Chair, Associate Dean for Primary Care and Rural Health
imasif@uabmc.edu 

Michael Wiederman
Professor
mwiederman@uabmc.edu