Faculty Competencies

Scholarship Domain

The STFM Faculty Competencies Steering Committee and other contributors created the STFM Faculty Competencies, which describes the skills faculty need to effectively educate medical students and residents.

The Faculty Competencies is broken down into seven categories ("domains"). Each domain consists of sub-categories ("competencies"), and each competency has several behaviors or skill targets for faculty to attain.

Return to the Faculty Competencies hub page

Leadership Competencies

Domain 5, Scholarship, consists of seven competencies (authors in parenthesis):

  1. Quality Improvement (Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH)
  2. Dissemination of Scholarship (Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH)
  3. Grant Development (Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH)
  4. Peer Review (Tina Kenyon, ACSW)
  5. Research Management (Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH)
  6. Research Methods (Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH)
  7. Human Subject Protection (Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH)

The behaviors for each competency are below, ranging in increasing skill level from Level A to Level D.

Level A

  • Demonstrates basic knowledge of domains, measures and tools associated with QI work

Level B

  • Collaborates in the design and implementation of successful QI projects

Level C

  • Mentors learners in conducting their own QI projects

Level D

  • Leads QI initiatives in local, regional or national venues

Author: Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH

Resources

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. https://www.ihi.org/resources/tools/quality-improvement-essentials-toolkit.

Stevens, D. P., & Kirkland, K. B. (2010). The role for clinician educators in Implementing Healthcare Improvement. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 25(S4), 639–643. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-010-1448-0.

Level A

  • Identifies aspects of work that have potential for publication and/or conference presentation

Level B

  • Collaborates with colleagues to disseminate work
  • Prepares and presents work at local, state, and/or regional conferences

Level C

  • Publishes work in peer-reviewed publication and presents work at national venues

Level D

  • Leads national and/or international collaboratives to share and disseminate work

Author: Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH

Resources

Why Scholarship? Cleland JA, Jamieson S, Kusurkar RA, Ramani S, Wilkinson TJ, van Schalkwyk S. Redefining scholarship for health professions education: AMEE Guide No. 142. Med Teach. 2021;43(7):824-838. doi:10.1080/0142159X.2021.1900555.

McGaghie WC. Scholarship, publication, and career advancement in health professions education: AMEE Guide No. 43 [published correction appears in Med Teach. 2009 Aug;31(8)786. Webster, Augusta [removed]]. Med Teach. 2009;31(7):574-590. doi:10.1080/01421590903050366.

Varpio L, Amiel J, Richards BF. Writing competitive research conference abstracts: AMEE Guide no. 108. Med Teach. 2016;38(9):863-871. doi:10.1080/0142159X.2016.1211258.

Level A

  • Identifies funding opportunities to meet project requirements

Level B

  • Collaborates with others in a grant submission team

Level C

  • Drafts and submits projects that are successfully funded

Level D

  • Manages grant funding and associated project implementation, data, and outcomes

Author: Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH

Resources

Blanco MA, Gruppen LD, Artino AR Jr, Uijtdehaage S, Szauter K, Durning SJ. How to write an educational research grant: AMEE Guide No. 101. Med Teach. 2016;38(2):113-122. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2015.1087483.

Gitlin, L. N., Kolanowski, A., & Lyons, K. J. (2020). Successful grant writing: Strategies for health and human service professionals. Springer Publishing Company.

Wisdom, J. P., Riley, H., & Myers, N. (2015). Recommendations for writing successful grant proposals. Academic Medicine, 90(12), 1720–1725.
https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000000811.

Level A

  • Recognizes principles of peer review process

Level B

  • Engages in peer-review activities (e.g. for a professional journal)

Level C

  • Coaching or supporting others in peer-review activities

Level D

  • Leads and advocates for peer review activities

Author: Tina Kenyon, ACSW

Resources

Allen, H., Cury, A., Gaston, T., Graf, C., Wakley, H. and Willis, M. (2019), What does better peer review look like? Underlying principles and recommendations for better practice. Learned Publishing, 32: 163-175. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1222.

Yarris LM, Simpson D, Ilgen JS, Chan TM. Team-Based Coaching Approach to Peer Review: Sharing Service and Scholarship. J Grad Med Educ. 2017 Feb;9(1):127-128. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-16-00833.1. PMID: 28261408; PMCID: PMC531961 2.

Geschwind, L., Edström, K. (2022). Peer Advocacy: Expressions of Loyalty in Peer Review. In: Forsberg, E., Geschwind, L., Levander, S., Wermke, W. (eds) Peer review in an Era of Evaluation. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75263-7_9.

Explore becoming a reviewer for a journal:

  1. https://journals.stfm.org/familymedicine/reviewers/#Reviewer_Information
  2. https://meridian.allenpress.com/DocumentLibrary/GMED/JGME-Peer-Reviewer-Instructions_January-2021.pdf

Level A

  • Demonstrates knowledge of training, credentialing, budgets and tools to support projects and teams

Level B

  • Develops a systematic approach to guiding project teams in an effective and efficient manner

Level C

  • Integrates best practices and evidence-based approaches for optimizing projects and teams

Level D

  • Leads and mentors across multiple projects and/or departments

Author: Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH

Resources

Crites GE, Gaines JK, Cottrell S, et al. Medical education scholarship: an introductory guide: AMEE Guide No. 89. Med Teach. 2014;36(8):657-674. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2014.916791.

Ramani S, McKimm J, Forrest K, et al. Co-creating scholarship through collaborative writing in health professions education: AMEE Guide No. 143. Med Teach. 2022;44(4):342-352. doi:10.1080/0142159X.2021.1993162.

Level A

  • Identifies and utilizes appropriate resources to ensure appropriate selection of data collection and analysis tools

Level B

  • Demonstrates advanced knowledge and application of research methods

Level C

  • Demonstrates advanced knowledge and application of research methods and teaches others

Level D

  • Engages in development and validation of research tools

Authors: Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH

Resources

NAPCRG. https://www.napcrg.org/resources/resourcesandgettingstarted/.

Ringsted C, Hodges B, Scherpbier A. 'The research compass': an introduction to research in medical education: AMEE Guide no. 56. Med Teach. 2011;33(9):695-709. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2011.595436.

Coverdale JH, Roberts LW, Balon R, Beresin EV. Writing for academia: getting your research into print: AMEE Guide No. 74. Med Teach. 2013;35(2):e926-e934.
doi:10.3109/0142159X.2012.742494.

Methodology: Dolmans DH, Tigelaar D. Building bridges between theory and practice in medical education using a design-based research approach: AMEE Guide No. 60. Med Teach. 2012;34(1):1-10. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2011.595437.

Level A

  • Describes the bioethical principles related to the protection of human subjects in research

Level B

  • Identifies human subject protection issues within research described in a protocol

Level C

  • Resolves issues of human subject protection when they occur

Level D

  • Teaches/consults on the bioethics of human subject protection to peers, learners or the public

Authors: Priyanka Tulshian, MD, MPH

Resources

Ethics new age of digital: Masters K. Ethics in medical education digital scholarship: AMEE Guide No. 134. Med Teach. 2020;42(3):252-265. doi:10.1080/0142159X.2019.1695043.

Training: https://about.citiprogram.org/.

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May 3–7, 2025: STFM Annual Spring Conference

May 5, 2025, 7:30–11 pm: STFM Foundation MediPalooza Fundraiser

May 30, 2025, 12 pm CDT/1 pm EDT: Webinar: Ethical Use of AI in the Family Medicine Clinic

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