Application Eligibility and Categories

Faculty of all specialties and academic appointments and ranks can apply.  Faculty members receive this award for outstanding contributions to the educational program and mission in one or more of the following areas. In academic year 2020-2021, mentoring was added as a sixth category of recognition.

* Note: Faculty development is a required component for each category.  Faculty development criteria for the teaching, leadership, innovation, evaluation, and mentoring categories, can be met either through participation in or provision of faculty development activities as they relate to the individual category.  The "development" award category does NOT include activities in which the faculty member was a participant only.  Instead, this category specifically recognizes efforts in design, implementation, and provision of faculty development programs/activities for other faculty.

The lists that follow each category description are not exhaustive, but provide examples from past applications.

Teaching

This award recognizes faculty members who document sustained quality, quantity, and diversity of direct instruction throughout the educational program.

Evidence of breadth and depth of excellence in this area should be documented including:

  • Teaching by multiple methods (small group, large group, clinical, classroom, etc.)
  • Teaching in multiple courses/clerkships/programs
  • Teaching at multiple levels (undergraduate, medical, graduate, resident, or peer)
  • Faculty development participation pertinent to teaching

Required Application Supporting Documents (all of these documents are required):

  1. Letter of support from departmental or college leadership describing your contributions to teaching
  2. Student and/or resident teaching evaluation summary consisting of at least two years of data and from at least two different courses or experiences (e.g., two undergraduate courses, one undergraduate and one graduate course, two medical school classes, or a medical school class and a residency rotation)
  3. Letter of support from at least two former learners (student, resident and/or fellow) describing your unique contributions to their education. No letters of support should be solicited from current learners.
  4. Record of participation in and/or provision of faculty development teaching sessions (locally, regionally, or nationally)

Leadership

This award recognizes faculty members who document a broad array of educational program leadership and/or administration skills.  This award is specific to educational leadership activities and does not include leadership efforts in purely clinical/patient care initiatives.

Evidence of breadth and depth of excellence in this area should be documented including:

  • Contributions to leadership in at least three activities of different types.  Examples include:
     
    • Course/clerkship/residency/graduate program director
    • Departmental education committee member (e.g., steering committee, graduate student committee, clinical competency committee, etc.)
    • College of Medicine education committee member (e.g. Curriculum Committee, Student Progress and Promotions Committee or Admissions Committee)
    • Editor of a journal related to teaching and education
    • Education association or society leadership, including committee or subcommittee leadership
       
  • Involvement in leadership activities spanning at least three years. This refers to cumulative experience and may span different leadership roles. That is, three years in each individual leadership role is not required, but there is a minimum of three years of collective experience across various leadership positions.
  • Faculty development participation pertinent to educational leadership and administration

Required Application Supporting Documents (all of these documents are required):

  1. Letter of support from departmental or college leadership describing your contributions to educational leadership
  2. Record of participation in and/or provision of faculty development pertinent to educational leadership and administration (locally, regionally, or nationally)

Innovation

This award recognizes faculty members who document significant improvements that they have made in a course/clerkship/program. 

Evidence of breadth and depth of excellence in this area should be documented including:

  • Evidence of contributions in different areas or substantial contributions in a single area.  Examples include:
     
    • Design and development of a new course or substantial modification (major revision) of existing course material
    • Design of a significant new assessment within a course
    • Design and development of a series of educational experiences for students and residents
    • Completion of training related to curriculum design
    • Design and development of on-line courses/modules (e.g. simulation)
       
  • Record of participation and/or administration of faculty development pertinent to curriculum development. 

Required Application Supporting Documents (all of these documents are required):

  1. Letter of support from departmental or college leadership describing your contributions to curricular innovation
  2. Description of course/clerkship/program/module curriculum and assessment method(s)
  3. Course/clerkship/program/module evaluation data which clearly demonstrates outcomes from a significant improvement(s) made 
  4. Record of participation in and/or provision of faculty development pertinent to curriculum development (locally, regionally, or nationally)

Evaluation

This award recognizes faculty members who document substantial contributions in educational research or evaluation. 

Evidence of breadth and depth of excellence in this area should be documented including:

  • Contributions in at least three activities of different types. Examples include:
     
    • Publication of educational evaluation innovation
    • Publication of the evaluation of an educational program or initiative
    • Publication(s) reviewer of at least 5 education research or evaluation manuscripts
    • Substantial contributions to education research and evaluation through grant and/or contract activity
    • Publication/presentation of educational evaluation research (regionally or nationally)
       
  • Record of participation and/or administration of faculty development pertinent to educational evaluation and/or research

Required Application Supporting Documents (all of these documents are required):

  1. Letter of support from departmental or college leadership describing your contributions to educational evaluation and/or research
  2. Listing and description of published manuscripts, presentations, and/or manuscripts reviewed
  3. Award notification of grant and/or contract activity
  4. Record of participation in and/or provision of faculty development pertinent to educational evaluation and/or research (locally, regionally, or nationally)

Development

This award recognizes faculty members who contribute to the educational development of other faculty members. This does not include participation in educational faculty development for personal enrichment but rather the design, implementation, and provision of faculty development programs/activities for other faculty.

Evidence of breadth and depth of excellence in this area should be documented including:

  • Contributions in at least two activities of different types. Examples include:
     
    • Conduct faculty development presentations or workshops related to education (e.g., conduct workshops for colleagues on problem-based learning, clinical teaching, test item writing, etc.)
    • Conduct faculty development workshops or panel presentations
    • Deliver grand rounds regarding education-related topics
    • Publication of faculty development outcomes
  • Record of participation in and/or provision of faculty development pertinent to creating educational faculty development opportunities

Required Application Supporting Documents (all of these documents are required):

  1. Letter of support from departmental or college leadership describing your contributions to faculty development
  2. List and description of faculty development sessions and extent of involvement (planning, delivering, etc.)

Mentorship

This award recognizes faculty members who document substantial contributions to mentoring successful trainees in research, scholarship, and/or program building.  This is not simply an extension of the teaching responsibilities inherent to faculty positions, but represents formal mentoring relationships over time outside the standard clinical educational requirements.

Evidence of breadth and depth of excellence in this area should be documented including:

  • Active and sustained involvement in mentoring students and/or post-doctoral trainees to excel in research, scholarship, scientific or medical writing, speaking at conferences, and obtaining grants.  Examples include:
     
    • Trainee publications in peer-reviewed journals
    • Trainee grant/fellowship applications and awards
    • Trainee speaking engagements and poster presentations
    • Trainee book chapters
    • Trainee engagement in service in intramural/extramural committees
    • Trainee involvement in community endeavors and volunteer work
    • Utilizing innovative approaches to mentoring
  • Participation in faculty development workshop sessions focused on mentoring
  • Active and sustained engagement in promoting the contribution and value of mentees
  • Promoting progression of mentees to independent careers
  • Positive role modeling for mentees/colleagues by maintaining high personal integrity, ethical standards, and commitment to inclusion and diversity
  • Fostering of inclusion and high academic standards in the clinical, classroom, and research settings and beyond

Required Application Supporting Documents (all of these documents are required):

  1. Letter of support from departmental or college leadership describing your contributions to the mentoring climate
  2. Table of trainees, their scholarship (publications/grants/speaking engagements/etc.) under the applicant’s mentorship, and their current positions
  3. Letters of support from three former trainees, i.e. trainees who are not currently receiving mentorship from the faculty member.
  4. Record of participation in and/or provision of faculty development pertinent to mentoring (locally, regionally, or nationally)

Criteria

Fulfillment of the criteria in one or more award categories is required to be eligible for recognition. Please note, that these are criterion reference awards. All applicants must adequately document contributions in education related to the desired award category and must demonstrate relevant contributions to the College of Medicine and faculty development participation pertinent to the award. Specifically, these awards recognize contributions to education and mentoring that have occurred during the faculty members' time at the University of Kentucky.

Application Materials

All applications must consist of the following:

  1. Cover letter documenting the award category areas for which you seek recognition and a brief summary of your contributions in each area
  2. Curriculum Vitae (standard University of Kentucky College of Medicine format is strongly encouraged)
  3. Reflective Statement tailored to categories for which you seek recognition
  4. Teaching Portfolio (sections relevant to categories for which you seek recognition)
  5. Required supporting documents as specified below for the award category in which you seek recognition

Application Deadline: June 20, 2024

All required documentation must be included with the application, and must be submitted electronically through the submission portal. Please do not submit materials via email.

This survey prevents multiple submissions. Please do not submit your application until it is complete. This survey should not be used for test runs, as it will lock after your first submission.

This application is now open. 

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