April 11, 2022—STFM has launched a new, free-to-STFM-members online course to help underrepresented in medicine (URM) faculty hone their leadership skills. "Simply becoming faculty as a URM individual is often a long and arduous path with many obstacles," said Cleveland Piggott, MD, MPH, co-author of the new online course. "Then there are barriers to obtaining positions of leadership."

The course was developed by a URM Leadership Workgroup as part of STFM's multi-year URM Initiative. "While it's been great to see more talks and papers addressing these topics in family medicine," said Dr Piggott, "we believed there was still a great need for training that would be enduring, interactive, and easily assessable."

The new interactive course consists of two modules with recorded advice from experienced faculty, plus assignments to help learners set career goals, project their leadership voices, build professional networks, and identify opportunities for career advancement.

While URM Leadership Pathways in Academic Medicine was created with URM faculty in mind, it is also beneficial for allies who want to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment at their institutions. 

This course is free to all STFM members. 

Authors:

Elizabeth H. Naumburg, MD
Andrea Anderson, MD, FAAFP
Natalia Galarza, MD, FAAFP
Cleveland Piggott, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Angela Echiverri, MD, MPH
Mary Theobald, MBA
Emily Walters