2. Educator Development
  3. Longitudinal Programs: HEFP, PECP, PLCP, CoMES

Longitudinal Programs: HEFP, PECP, PLCP, CoMES

Health Educators Fellowship Program (HEFP)

Overview
The Health Educators Fellowship Program (HEFP) is a prestigious, 18-month certificate program designed to advance the teaching skills of faculty and support the educational mission of UTHealth Houston. Offered every other year, HEFP brings together educators from across six schools at UTHealth Houston (including McGovern Medical School, Cizik School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, School of Public Health, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, and MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences) and MD Anderson Cancer Center, to foster a collaborative, interdisciplinary community of health professions educators. Through interactive workshops, scholarly projects, and peer collaboration, HEFP prepares fellows to become leaders in health education.

Vision
To elevate the quality of health professions education by cultivating faculty who lead with excellence, innovation, and a deep commitment to the advancement of teaching and learning across disciplines.

Mission
The Health Educators Fellowship Program empowers faculty to become scholarly, reflective, and impactful educators by:

  • Enhancing Expertise: Building knowledge in educational theory and best practices across the continuum of health professions education.

  • Developing Skills: Strengthening teaching, curriculum design, and program evaluation skills for diverse learning environments.

  • Fostering Leadership: Preparing faculty to lead educational initiatives and contribute meaningfully to their institutions and the broader academic community.

  • Encouraging Scholarship: Promoting inquiry, reflection, and dissemination of educational innovation and research.

  • Creating Community: Connecting educators across schools to foster collaboration, shared learning, and a culture of continuous improvement.

Interested faculty must complete the online application: To be posted
Please submit your application and associated documents by Friday, October 24, 2025. Interviews will be conducted through November 25, 2025. Applicants will be notified of their selection by December 5, 2025.
Program begins on January 16, 2026 (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM) in MSB 5th Floor Gallery.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Allison Ownby: [email protected]
Dr. Peggy Hsieh: [email protected]

Physician Educator Certificate Program (PECP)

Overview
Launched in 2016, the Physician Educator Certificate Program (PECP) is an intensive 8-month curriculum designed to meet the increasing need for skilled and confident resident educators. Since its inception, the program has graduated over 450 residents and fellows, many of whom have secured academic positions at prestigious institutions across the U.S. and around the world. PECP is recognized for its high-impact training, equipping early-career physicians with the expertise and confidence needed to thrive as educators in academic medicine.

Vision
To cultivate future physician educators who inspire learners, advance educational excellence, and transform healthcare through innovative teaching, mentorship, and a lifelong commitment to learning.

Mission
The Physician Educator Certificate Program prepares resident and fellow physicians to become outstanding educators by:

  • Delivering Comprehensive Training: Offering a robust curriculum that integrates foundational educational theory with practical teaching techniques.
  • Empowering Future Medical Educators: Building participants’ confidence, knowledge, and teaching skills to enable success in academic roles.
  • Fostering a Culture of Excellence: Cultivating habits of reflection, collaboration, and continuous professional growth to promote excellence in medical education.

Program Objectives

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

  • Facilitate large and small group discussions using interactive and learner-centered teaching strategies
  • Deliver meaningful, actionable feedback that promotes learner growth and development
  • Assess and reflect on their own teaching strengths and areas for improvement
  • Apply evidence-based teaching techniques to actively engage learners in various educational setting

Program Duration: September 2026 through April 2027
Meeting dates in 2026 (noon): Sept 16, Oct 21, Nov 18, Dec 16
Meeting dates in 2027 (noon): Jan 20, Feb 17, Mar 17, April 21
Graduation date: May 14, 2027

Graduation Requirements (Due May 1, 2027)

  1. Attend at least 6 of the 8 sessions
  2. Receive 2 peer observations of own teaching (clinic or lecture) and write a reflection paper (1-page/100-150 words) after EACH observation, based on the feedback you received.
  3. Submit a 6-55 Reflection (in-class activity)
  4. Revise your Teaching Philosophy as a final educational product

Application Deadline: August 17, 2026
Apply HERE (external link) (external link)
     Documents to submit when you apply through the link:
1. Teaching Philosophy
2. Letter of Support from Program Director

Course Topics

  1. Curriculum Design
  2. Bedside Teaching
  3. Enhancing Your PPT Slides
  4. Providing Constructive Feedback and Narrative Evaluations
  5. Flipping Your Classrooms with In-Class Activities
  6. Effective Teaching = Effective Learning
  7. Understanding Learner Motivation
  8. 6-55 Reflection as Learner and Educator

For more information please contact:
Dr. Peggy Hsieh: [email protected]

Physician Leader Certificate Program (PLCP)

Overview
The Physician Leader Certificate Program (PLCP) is a longitudinal leadership development program for residents and fellows at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. Designed to strengthen professional identity and leadership effectiveness, the program focuses on practical skill development in self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, and team leadership. Through interactive workshops, participants explore leadership styles, enhance communication strategies, navigate conflict and difficult conversations, develop negotiation and feedback skills, and learn to coach and mentor others while building high-functioning teams. The curriculum emphasizes reflective practice and real-world application through case discussions, role play, and coaching exercises tailored to clinical and academic environments. 

Vision
To cultivate future physician leaders who inspire teams, drive innovation, and transform healthcare through emotionally intelligent, strategic, and compassionate leadership. 

Mission
The Physician Leader Certificate Program prepares resident and fellow physicians to become effective healthcare leaders by: 

  • Developing Foundational Leadership Skills: Providing a comprehensive curriculum that integrates self-awareness, communication, teamwork, negotiation, and healthcare strategy.
  • Empowering Emerging Physician Leaders: Building participants’ confidence, leadership identity, and practical skills to lead effectively in clinical, academic, and organizational settings.
  • Fostering a Culture of Leadership Excellence: Cultivating accountability, collaboration, mentorship, wellbeing, and continuous professional growth to support sustainable leadership in medicine.

Program Objectives
By the conclusion of the program, participants will be able to: 

  • Develop greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence as physician leaders 
  • Communicate effectively across teams and clinical environments 
  • Navigate conflict, feedback, and difficult conversations with confidence 
  • Lead and develop teams using coaching and mentorship principles 

Program Duration: September 2026 – April 2027
Schedule: Second Tuesday of each month | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Graduation date: May 7, 2027

Graduation Requirements
The final session in May 2027 serves as a leadership showcase and graduation ceremony. Participants will deliver a brief TED Talk–style reflection on their leadership growth and future leadership goals. 

To receive the Physician Leader Certificate, participants must: 

  1. Attend at least 6 of the 8 core curriculum sessions
  2. Complete and present a graduation reflection during the final session

Application Deadline: August 17, 2026
Apply HERE (external link) (external link)

Documents to submit when you apply through the link:

  1. Personal statement describing interest in physician leadership
  2. Letter of support from Program Director 

For more information please contact:
Dr. Peggy Hsieh: [email protected]

Founders and Program Directors:
Drs. Abbey Bachmann, Peggy Hsieh, Elizabeth Hillman, Paul Hillman, Carissa Huq, Emma Omoruyi

Community of Medical Education Scholars (CoMES)

The purpose of CoMES is to introduce medical school faculty to the basics of educational scholarship with an emphasis on active, hands-on learning and engagement with others who have similar scholarly interests. At the end of the program, participants will have completed a draft IRB protocol. CoMES sessions are held monthly from September through February; each class is 90 minutes long and meets virtually. Applications for the next cohort will open in July 2022.

Program Objectives

  • Determine a medical education teaching activity area and develop a narrowly focused research question
  • Demonstrate the ability to conduct a basic literature search with a focus on the educational literature
  • Examine examples of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies as presented in the medical education literature
  • Recognize the role of the IRB in governing ethical research practices
  • Outline a research design for investigating the research question
  • Determine appropriate methods for data collection and data analysis

Session Topics

  • Intro to scholarship of teaching and learning; writing a research question
  • IRB; conducting a literature review; conceptual frameworks
  • Research design- qualitative, quantitative, mixed; characteristics of successful projects
  • Evaluating a research article; basics of survey design
  • Data collection; scholarship as part of P&T
  • Data analysis; growth as a scholar

For more information please contact:
Dr. Samuel Neher: [email protected]