Commitment to professional development
The Medical School supports the development of its faculty so they can perform at the highest levels–and serve their students and the community in effective, valuable ways.
During her four-decade tenure on the Medical School’s faculty and in her current role as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Michele G. Cyr, MD, has never doubted that Brown wanted her and her colleagues to be successful. “Across all levels, Brown embraces the notion of lifelong learning,” she says. “Supporting the professional development of our community is central to what we do.”
From the start, the Medical School has been laser focused on professional development in areas including leadership and teaching, with programs and resources to support faculty growth. For example, faculty can get curriculum consultations and request observations to improve their teaching skills.
More recently, the School has strengthened its professional development in areas including wellness and diversity and inclusion. This includes the Office of Women in Medicine and Science, which provides mentorship and learning opportunities. There are also numerous resources—from in-person training to lecture series—designed to help faculty create inclusive curricula and combat implicit bias.
Ambitious faculty can get leadership coaching as they further their careers or get support to pursue prestigious national programs such as the Executive Leadership and Academic Medicine program with the Association of American Medical Colleges. “We want faculty to grow,” Cyr says. “The Medical School is here to support people to become their best selves.”
This value is imparted to medical students as well, codified in Ability V: Lifelong Learning, one of the nine competencies students must demonstrate in order to successfully graduate. “The competent graduate becomes a master adaptive learner,” the ability states, “who continually expands and enhances one’s knowledge and abilities to best serve patients and populations.”
