• Wendy C Coates, Daniel P Runde, Lalena M Yarris, Steven Rougas, Todd A Guth, Sally A Santen, Jessica Miller, and Jaime Jordan.
• W.C. Coates is senior education specialist, Department of Emergency Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and professor of medicine, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California. D.P. Runde is assistant program director and assistant professor of emergency medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa. L.M. Yarris is associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. S. Rougas is assistant professor of emergency medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. T.A. Guth is emergency medicine clerkship codirector and associate director, Clinical Skills in Foundations of Doctoring Course, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado. S.A. Santen is assistant dean, Educational Research and Quality Improvement, University of Michigan Medical School, and professor, Department of Emergency Medicine and Department of Learning Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. J. Miller is an emergency medicine resident, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania. J. Jordan is assistant director, Residency Training Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and assistant professor of medicine and vice chair, Acute Care College, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.
• Acad Med. 2016 Dec 1; 91 (12): 1696-1704.

PurposeWell-trained educators fill essential roles across the medical education continuum. Some medical schools offer programs for existing faculty to enhance teaching and scholarship. No standard postgraduate training model exists for residency graduates to attain competency as faculty members before their first academic appointment. The objective of this study is to inform the development of postgraduate medical education fellowships by exploring perceptions of educational leaders who direct well-established faculty development programs.MethodThe authors undertook a qualitative study, using purposeful sampling to recruit participants and a constant comparative approach to identify themes. They conducted semistructured telephone interviews with directors of faculty development fellowships using an interpretivist/constructivist paradigm (November 2013). Questions addressed curricular and fiscal structure, perceived benefits and challenges, and advice for starting a postgraduate fellowship.ResultsDirectors reported institutional and participant benefits, notably the creation of a community of educators and pool of potential leaders. Curricular offerings focused on learning theory, teaching, assessment, leadership, and scholarship. Funding and protected time were challenges. Advice for new program directors included evaluating best practices, defining locally relevant goals; garnering sufficient, stable financial support; and rallying leaders' endorsement.ConclusionsMedical education fellowships cultivate leaders and communities of trained educators but require participants to balance faculty responsibilities with professional development. Advice of current directors can inform the development of postgraduate programs modeled after accredited clinical specialty fellowships. Programs with the support of strategic partners, financial stability, and well-defined goals may allow new faculty to begin their careers with existing competency in medical education skills.

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