Learn how UICOMP's faculty members are expanding their horizons as instructors and physicians
by Jim Burwitz
Peoria, Illinois - When asked to sum up her experiences from Cohort Three of UICOMP’s Caterpillar Faculty Scholars Fellowship, Dr. Diane Santorineos captures the essence of the community-based program. “Every Tuesday, I had the opportunity to use my brain a little differently than the rest of the week,” she says.
Dr. Santorineos, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, and three of her UICOMP colleagues are the latest faculty members to complete the interactive fellowship. Created with Caterpillar Inc., in response to a 1999 needs-assessment exercise, the weekly program is set up to expose participating faculty physicians to new and innovative methods of instruction and develop leadership and scholarship skills. It is part of a long-term plan to improve academic aptitude for the betterment of the College and the community.
“When I came here 12 years ago, the focus was on growing the next generation of educational leaders,” says Dr. Gwen Lombard, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “Leadership is a major point of emphasis for all faculty-development programs.”
Those programs include UICOMP’s Residents as Teachers initiative, which provides resident physicians with the basic skills needed for effective clinical instruction. “The residents spend the most time with medical students,” Dr. Lombard explains. “To improve UICOMP’s educational process we have to train our residents to be good teachers, thereby developing our next set of educators. These programs help us retain young faculty members and turn them into tomorrow’s community leaders.”
How The Pieces Fit
Cohort Three of UICOMP’s Caterpillar Fellowship began on September 7, 2006, and concluded with a presentation and reception on December 4, 2007. Joining Dr. Santorineos as presenters that day were classmates Dr. Girish G. Deshpande, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; Dr. Richard Horndasch, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics; and Dr. Himangi Kaushal, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine.
The 16-month program mirrors an overall institutional philosophy of integrating interactive seminars, project development, mentorship, and small-group learning for the purpose of enhancing professional skills to further careers in academic medicine. “Becoming a better teacher for medical students, residents, patients, and patient families is the most important aspect for me,” says Dr. Santorineos.
When the topic of educational development was addressed at an all-faculty retreat in 1999, Dr. Michael Bailie was serving as the College of Medicine’s Regional Dean. During the needs-assessment session, it was determined that improved faculty-training processes were critical to the future of UICOMP and the region. With that outcome in mind, Dr. Bailie moved forward with the concept of creating a collaborative program to provide the community with physicians who are well-rounded academically.
“As our discussions proceeded, we realized that support for improving faculty development would enhance the totality of healthcare for the region,” recalls Dr. Bailie, who is now the Interim Head for the Department of Pediatrics at the UIC College of Medicine. “Our model included patient care, education, and research.”
Dr. Lombard says that the original points of emphasis fit nicely with UICOMP’s current strategic plan. “Our goal is to give faculty a foundation of research skills and understanding, data analysis, and scholarly writing,” she states. “We also focus on developing the skills necessary for collaboration building, which is what makes our program unique.”
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