In 2000, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®), located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States, established the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) with the intention of helping to improve global health by improving health professions education. FAIMER concentrates its efforts in developing regions in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and focuses on three specific strategies: faculty development, targeted research that informs health workforce policy and practice, and development of data that advances educational quality improvement decisions.
In 2001, as part of its commitment to health professions educators, FAIMER established the FAIMER Institute, a two-year, part-time fellowship for health professions educators that focuses on the development of educational, leadership, and management skills and knowledge, as well as the development of a professional community of practice. Building on this program, FAIMER has collaborated with key individuals and institutions at the local level to develop FAIMER Regional Institutes, centers of activity where ongoing exchange among educators is intended to improve local health professions education systems. To date there are 11 Regional Institutes: four in India, two in China, one in Brazil, one in Chile, one in Sub-Saharan Africa, one in Egypt, and one in Indonesia. All of the Institutes offer fellowship opportunities for faculty who have the potential to play key roles in improving health professions education at their schools and in their regions.
For more information on FAIMER, please visit www.faimer.org.
For more information on FAIMER Regional Initiatives, please visit www.faimer.org/education/regional.html.