GlaxoSmithKline looks to fund innovative ConEd projects

Select company The UNMC Center for Continuing Education joins cohorts from a select group of health care institutions as those chosen by GlaxoSmithKline to participate in the new continuing education initiative. Other institutions selected to participate include: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Duke University School of Medicine.

Faculty members with ideas for innovative continuing medical education (CME) initiatives should contact the UNMC Center for Continuing Education to see if they are eligible to receive funds from the pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline.

After considering more than 1,400 institutions, GSK selected UNMC and 19 other U.S. institutions to participate in a new initiative, which aims to increase CME’s ability to improve physician performance and patient health.

“In essence, GSK is rethinking what CME is,” said Lois Colburn, executive director of continuing education at UNMC. “This is a whole new paradigm in funding CME.”

For example, Colburn said, rather than funding a conference on diabetes, GSK prefers to fund an initiative that may lead to better diabetes care among a certain patient population.

“The intent is encourage a comprehensive approach to continuing education for health professionals and fund efforts that may lead to better care,” Colburn said. “It’s a more thoughtful, educational and strategic approach to CME.”

Those interested working with the Center for Continuing Education to develop an educational activity should call 559-4152.