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UTGSM Inducts Inaugural Academy of Scholars

The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine has established an Academy of Scholars, an internal fellowship of faculty physicians who have demonstrated excellence in medical education and who will develop activities and methods to strengthen the academic mission of the institution. Ten faculty were inducted into the Academy as inaugural members on May 30. James Lewis, MD, Assistant Professor, Surgery, will serve as Chair.

The Academy's mission is to recognize and promote teaching excellence and educational scholarship through direct teaching; advising and mentoring; and creating and implementing educational tools and materials, innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, and systematic studies of teaching and educational processes and their outcomes. The inaugural members will be responsible for setting the directions the Academy will take.

The UTGSM Academy of Scholars was initiated by James Neutens, PhD, Dean, UT Graduate School of Medicine, following a presentation he attended at a national meeting describing how to foster and recognize teaching excellence. Using examples of similar academies throughout the nation, the UT Graduate School of Medicine formed a planning committee led by William Metheny, PhD, Assistant Dean, Graduate Medical and Dental Education, to implement a similar organization. The planning committee included Mitchell Goldman, MD, Professor and Chair of Surgery and Assistant Dean of Research; Kathleen Hudson, MD, Professor and Interim Chair of Radiology; John Neff, MD, Professor Emeritus, Pathology; and Daphne Norwood, MD, Assistant Professor and Associate Residency Program Director, Medicine, Transitional Year Residency Program Director. This committee developed the mission and purpose of the Academy as well as its application process, based extensively on the model developed by Sheila Chauvin, PhD, Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans.

The Academy includes three categories of membership: Associate Member (for residents, fellows and non-faculty staff members); Member; and Teaching Scholar. Membership to the Academy is based on an external peer selection process. A call for applications is made once a year. Inductees will earn the title of Teaching Scholar by their contributions to the Academy.

Dr. Metheny said, "The Academy is all about teaching, regardless of the academic rank of its members. When physicians come to practice here, they are typically interested in teaching. It's what sets The University of Tennessee Medical Center apart from other hospitals in the area; we are the region's only academic medical center. The faculty who have joined the Academy of Scholars are setting an even higher standard for teaching physicians. The inaugural group has an important responsibility to set the standard by which the Academy will operate."

Dr. Hudson, who in addition to being on the planning committee is also an inaugural member of the Academy said, "I am honored to be an inaugural member of the AOS because it will afford me the opportunity to work with others on collaborative scholarly and educational projects. My passion is education and I think the AOS can assist with faculty development and mentoring of junior faculty."

Visit the UTGSM Academy of Scholars website to learn more about membership and the application process.

Meet the Academy of Scholars.

June 19, 2013