Frequently Asked Questions

The URMC Academy offers members Education Resources, Consulting Services, Vetted Opportunities, and Community for Health Care Educators. Focusing on the areas of Teaching, Curriculum Development, Assessment, Advising & Mentorship, and Education Leadership & Administration, the URMC Academy curates existing and creates new resources to help you be the best educator. Academy leadership and other members will provide insight on your academic projects, help with navigating the institution. The Academy will also amplify external opportunities for medical educators, including calls for proposals and award nominations. The Academy recognizes that, within a complex health system, education can be overlooked in favor of clinical responsibilities and research achievements. We believe teaching is an equally important priority and so do our members. The Academy is a place to find your people and your intellectual home.

Yes, many medical schools and institutions feature their own academy of educators. Rochester is now a member of Academies Collaborative, which is a professional organization to share best practices and resources for academies across the globe. For Rochester, the guiding principle is interdisciplinary community. By launching the Academy as a joint effort of the School of Medicine & Dentistry, School of Nursing, and Eastman Institute for Oral Health, the collaboration and connection across the spectrum of academic medicine are baked into the infrastructure, providing a meaningful distinction from our peers.

Academy members should plan to commit 10-20 hours per year to Academy-related work. This could include committee meetings, training sessions, consultation, teaching observations, etc. The intent of the Academy is not to add additional work to your plate; the intent is to ensure your efforts are seen and to contribute to a larger community of health care educators.

Members should attend Academy meetings as schedules allow, provide regular updates on current issues or developing areas in education, and celebrate the wins of other Academy members. Members are also encouraged to bring forth topics of interest, allowing the Academy to grow and collaborate to create a robust network of educators with a collective identity.

As of the Academy launch, there is not an advocacy charge, but this may be developed as the Academy grows.

The URMC Academy of Educators and the Dean’s Teaching Fellowship are distinct, but complementary programs. From the Dean’s Teaching Fellowship website: “Fellows will work closely with one another and with local and national education experts to implement educational projects, and develop expertise in educational theory, teaching methods, educational research and curriculum innovation.” This is done through a specific project and monthly seminars, with additional support as needed. The URMC Academy of Educators is more of a community-based program, building on the work that members are already doing. Professional development occurs in both programs, but in different modalities.

Any faculty member from the School of Medicine & Dentistry, School of Nursing, or Eastman Institute for Oral Health may apply. We are looking for applicants who have devoted a significant portion of their career to education and demonstrated excellence in education. There is no set seniority level required, nor is there a cutoff based on years of expertise. If you are unsure if you should apply, we encourage you to do so.

The URMC Academy takes a holistic approach to education and welcome applications from faculty who work with learners across the spectrum: undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral trainees, residents, faculty and staff, community members, and beyond.

Applicants do not need either of these materials to apply to the URMC Academy of Educators.

In this situation, a joint video is okay, so long as it focuses mainly on your contribution(s) to the project. The purpose of the video is to highlight your educational expertise, so you have flexibility in the actual setup and direction of your video.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be an excellent tool for organizing your thoughts. Please be sure to proofread, edit, and adjust for maximum clarity to ensure your voice is evident.

To ensure fairness for all applicants, the Academy team will not provide guidance to individual applicants during the application. We are, however, happy to answer inquiries if clarification is needed.

The size of the first cohort will depend on the number and quality of applications received; we do not plan to accept more than 50 members for the first cohort.

Members will not have to reapply, but Academy members will provide updates and share any new information with the Academy team at the end of each year they participate.

Applications are evaluated via a rubric including qualitative measures and qualitative analysis. If an application is not accepted in this cycle, the application review team will provide feedback. Individuals are more than welcome to re-apply in the future.