IFME program objectives include:

• Assisting international medical schools in improving and advancing the process of medical education.
• Facilitating placement of medical education leaders from abroad inU.S. host institutions able to provide excellent instructionalexperiences in areas of recognized home country need.
• Advancing the international exchange of information in the medical sciences and in medical education.
• Contributing to the promotion of international understanding and exchange among nations.

Up to twenty fellowships are awarded annually.Mentoring will be provided by preceptors in basic medical and clinicalscience departments or medical education departments in U.S. medicalschools. Eligible areas of study include: educational methodology,curriculum design, and evaluation systems. This study may be conductedin departments of medical education or traditional disciplines ofclinical or basic sciences. Although the major emphasis of this programis to learn educational processes, Fellows may concurrently pursue somecollaborative research interest with U.S. basic science or clinicalfaculty.

Under this program, fellowships are not provided for any of the following: programs in basic medical or clinical research, degree-granting educational programs*, programs that require tuition payments*,grants for short-term courses or conference attendance, specialtytraining in residency programs, clinical fellowships, training solelyin clinical procedures, or educational programs in schools of publichealth.

* FAIMER is currently piloting a program thatwill permit IFME fellows to obtain a Masters in Medical Education atinstitutions around the world, using graduates of the FAIMER Instituteas the test group.

Background Information

IFME program objectives include:

Up to twenty fellowships are awarded annually.Mentoring will be provided by preceptors in basic medical and clinicalscience departments or medical education departments in U.S. medicalschools. Eligible areas of study include: educational methodology,curriculum design, and evaluation systems. This study may be conductedin departments of medical education or traditional disciplines ofclinical or basic sciences. Although the major emphasis of this programis to learn educational processes, Fellows may concurrently pursue somecollaborative research interest with U.S. basic science or clinicalfaculty.

Under this program, fellowships are not provided for any of the following: programs in basic medical or clinical research, degree-granting educational programs*, programs that require tuition payments*,grants for short-term courses or conference attendance, specialtytraining in residency programs, clinical fellowships, training solelyin clinical procedures, or educational programs in schools of publichealth.

* FAIMER is currently piloting a program thatwill permit IFME fellows to obtain a Masters in Medical Education atinstitutions around the world, using graduates of the FAIMER Instituteas the test group.

Eligibility

Applicants for this program must:

• Reside and work in their home countries at the time of application, acceptance and initiation of the fellowship award.
• Have a graduate or professional degree.
• Hold an academic appointment as a faculty member in a school of medicine or postgraduate medical education institute.
• Be in a position of leadership with respect to curriculum andeducational policies and procedures. Preference is given to mid-careerapplicants.
• Be willing and able to travel to the United States.
• Have at least three years of work experience as a facultymember in the home country following completion of their formalacademic and clinical training.
• Demonstrate competence in written and spoken English.
• Have the endorsement of their home country medical school orpostgraduate medical education institute for the proposed educationalprogram.
• Have a position at the home country medical school or institution to which they will return upon completion of the fellowship.

Duration of Program

Programs range in length from six months to one year. Fellowships are limited to a maximum stay of one year.

Applicants must have the endorsement of an educationalinstitution with which they are affiliated. In order for the IFMEprogram to fulfill its objectives, it is essential that the homecountry endorsement include documentation of the institutional and homecountry need for the proposed educational program, and a plan forutilizing the benefits of the educational program. Applicants andendorsing home country institutions are expected to certify thatapplicants will return to the institution of origin or to a positionthat has been designated for them upon their return.

Please note that only one application per program year can be accepted for review from each home country endorsing institution.

United States Host Institutions

Institutions in the United States that host Fellowsmust have an academic administrative unit responsible for acceptingFellows, must arrange their educational programs, and must ensure thatappropriate supervision is provided. Host institutions are asked tosubmit a program plan for the Fellow.

Most applications originate in the home country withouta proposed U.S. host. In this event, successful applicants will bematched with appropriate U.S. faculty mentors by FAIMER. U.S.institutions interested in hosting Fellows should contact the IFMEprogram for more information.

Application Procedure

FAIMER staff screens applications for completeness andfor basic eligibility. An external Scientific Review Panel reviewseligible applications and makes recommendations for awards. Inreviewing applications and making awards, consideration is given to thefollowing:

• Professional qualifications of the applicant.
• Appropriateness and specificity of the educational programsproposed by the applicant and the endorsing home country institution.
• The home country endorsing institution's plans for andcommitment to utilizing the benefits of the fellowship to meetidentified needs.
• Assessment of the overall value of the fellowship experience to the individual, institution, home country, and global region.
• Evidence that the applicant will be in a position to implementthe proposed educational improvements upon return to the home countryinstitution.

All applications are subject to the same review processand require the same assurance regarding the availability of a positionin the home country upon completion of the fellowship.

Applicants will be notified of the final results of the review of applications no later than April 2005.

Fellowship recipients must begin their educational programs in October of the same year in which the award is made.

Fellows are expected to be in good health at the timeof appointment. They are required to devote full time to theeducational program for which the fellowship was awarded. Anysubstantial change in the educational program or a change in fellowshipinstitution requires prior FAIMER approval. All Fellows are required tosubmit a mid-fellowship report and a final report upon completion ofthe program.

Financial Awards

The interactive, web-based application is now available on this website; paper applications are no longer accepted.

FAIMER Institute