Annual Seminars

OEA Mutual Mentoring Program

TUSM’s Office of Educational Affairs (OEA) seeks to support efforts that strengthen faculty retention, scholarly productivity, excellence in teaching and the development of leadership skills among faculty in the university community. Mentoring network grants of up to $1,000 are awarded to Health Sciences faculty to invest in their careers at Tufts University through intentional networking across the University and with local colleagues or national experts in the Boston area. Mutual Mentoring does not replace departmental mentoring, but serves as an additional support as faculty progress through their career. If awarded, the grant recipient agrees to attend an opening two-hour workshop introduction to Mutual Mentoring in Boston and mapping of their personal network for success, as well as three cohort meetings with OEA staff to discuss the progress of the networking goals during the course of the grant. Faculty also agree to submit monthly reports on the achievement and progress of their goals, as well as a final report at the conclusion of the grant. The OEA will sponsor up to ten faculty members from the Health Sciences Campus per year. A call for application is sent each academic year.

OEA Teaching Scholars Program

Tufts University teaching faculty are eligible to apply to participate in the OEA Teaching Scholars Program to be held on the Tufts University School of Medicine Campus. Up to 20 teaching faculty members are enrolled. The program consists of four two-and-a-half hour sessions. The topic areas of discussion are educational design, learner-centered teaching, team-based learning, peer observation of teaching, and providing and receiving constructive feedback with peers and learners. Participants have an opportunity to share an aspect/topic/event of their teaching practices they would like to discuss with their peers and receive feedback, using the step-back consultation approach. A call for application is sent each academic year.

OEA Educational Leadership Seminar

This seminar is intended to assist TUSM’s faculty members who lead and manage the educational training of health professionals with developing their leadership and managing knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to their role and organization. The seminar addresses the personal qualities of the leader as an individual, the interaction of the leader with other people and the leader’s behaviors in relation to the environment or system. The seminar also addresses managerial skills. The seminar consists of four two-hour sessions. Each session starts with a 60-minute plenary session followed by a 60-minute step-back consultation session during which each participant has an opportunity to share an aspect/topic/event of her/his leadership practices they would like to discuss with their peers and receive feedback, using the step-back consultation approach. The topic areas of discussion include leadership styles, negotiation, management leadership, and promoting organizational change. A call for applications is sent each academic year.

Research in Medical Education Seminar

The purpose of this seminar is to introduce participants to conducting research in medical education. The seminar is intended for those faculty members who are considering conducting research in medical education, as well as for those who are already conducting this research and would like to reinforce their understanding of the foundational concepts and approaches to doing so. The seminar consists of five ninety-minute sessions and session topics will cover research questions, theoretical frameworks, approaches and methods. The sessions will include reviews of theoretical concepts and approaches relevant to medical education research, as well as reflective and collaborative exercises to apply concepts to research practices. Participants will be encouraged to generate ideas that could evolve into potential research questions and designs relevant to medical education. Participants will also have to review required readings in between sessions to inform and bolster their understanding of the topics reviewed at the sessions. A call for application is sent each academic year.

For more information contact Maria Blanco at Maria.Blanco@tufts.edu or 617-636-6588.