Last month, the advisory council for the Interprofessional Academy of Educators held its first meeting in establishing a UNMC-wide teaching academy. The advisory council is tasked by Dele Davies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs, with developing the academy infrastructure and implementing strategies for its ongoing success.
The council will work in support of the academy's mission to foster a vibrant interprofessional community of educators through faculty development programs, educational scholarship and the development of innovative curricula. The council includes members from all UNMC campuses representing all areas of the university.
"We envision the Interprofessional Academy of Educators as that town center where teachers from every college will come to share their ideas, solve common problems, and mentor the next generation of educators," said Howard Liu, M.D., director of faculty development and co-chair of the council. "This advisory council is charged with the very important task of implementing the right culture and infrastructure to realize that vision."
During the inaugural meeting, the council created specialized committees to oversee the planning. Committees include:
- Membership requirements: Tasked with articulating a plan for membership, including application materials and process.
- Governance, strategic planning and external relations: Responsible for developing job descriptions, leading candidate interviews, reviewing term limits, and communicating with national academy representatives.
- Funding, sustainability and communications: Tasked with determining a plan to maximize external grant opportunities, collaborating with the NU foundation and UNeMed, and developing an integrated communication plan for all audiences.
- Data and outcome scholarship: Responsible for determining processes for data collection and academy scholarly work.
- Student engagement and interest groups: Tasked with developing a plan for student engagement and identifying key interest groups, including graduate medical education (GME), critical thinking and assessment.
- Learning environment: Responsible for developing a plan for advising in key projects involving innovative learning spaces, such as iEXCEL℠.
The committees will meet regularly and report their progress at monthly council meetings. "We are rolling up our sleeves to stand up the academy before 2016," Dr. Liu said. To learn more about the Interprofessional Academy of Educators, click here.