How to Launch and Continually Enhance an Effective Medical Campus Faculty Development Program: Steps for Implementation and Lessons Learned

Drawing on the decade of experience of Boston University Medical Campus' Faculty Development Office, this paper reports strategies used to launch and continually improve faculty development programming within an academic health sciences campus. The authors explain the steps that Boston University Medical Campus took to institute their set of faculty development programs, including an overview of resources on how to periodically conduct needs assessments, engage key institutional stakeholders, design and evaluate an array of programming to meet the needs of a diverse faculty, and institute real-time program modifications. In a step-by-step guide, and by highlighting vital lessons learned, the authors describe a process by which biomedical educators can create and sustain a robust faculty development office within their own institutions. This paper identifies steps to launch and improve faculty development program. Faculty development programs should be expanded to support faculty in academic medical centers.