Faculty Award in Professionalism Education (FAPE)

John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Faculty Award in Professionalism Education (FAPE)

Applications will be accepted from faculty who have established one or more successful programs for promoting education in aspects of professionalism for learners enrolled in McGovern Medical School undergraduate or graduate programs.    

The recipient, selected by the FAPE award committee, will be awarded $2500 and recognized at an awards ceremony where they will be asked to give a brief presentation on their contributions to professionalism education. 

Below are some examples of professionalism education programs for those considering applying.  This is not an exclusive list as there certainly could be other educational endeavors that are worthy.  

Professional Identity Formation   

  • Advancing learners’ understanding of and commitment to medicine’s social contract and professional expectations, socialization, role models and mentors, communities of practice, social justice, and race-conscious professionalism with an interactive program. 

Faculty Development in Assessing Professionalism 

  • Implement a program in which faculty use formative and summative assessments of their learners’ professionalism, moral reasoning, etc., which promotes self-reflection. 

Organizational Professionalism Efforts 

  • Develop and implement an educational strategy that reframes professionalism issues from an organizational and systems perspective, such as psychological safety/addressing hidden curriculum, defining and implementing professionalism standards, social justice/community engagement, or enhancing the work environment promoting professional growth through improved workflow and reduced clerical burden.  
  • Resiliency Building Initiatives – Develop and implement a program in which learners develop skills to thrive in stressful work environments. Although stress and conflict can be destructive and are often driven by systemic issues, growth and learning are typically uncomfortable, and some programs can help learners flourish despite these challenges.   
  • Program to Assess and Remediate Professional Lapses – Implement an explicit program that assesses professional lapses and how best to respond to the lapses to balance the growth needs of the learner and the commitment to the profession and society. 

Interprofessional Education 

  • Develop and implement an educational program focusing on Interprofessional teamwork, communication, and collaboration to improve the health of patients.   
  • Failing Successfully – Develop a program for advancing learners’ understanding of the role of failure in professional growth and developing coaching programs for the emotional fallout of clinical outcomes with perceived or objective failures. 

 

How to apply: 

Applications open in October each year. Application packets must be electronically submitted to Rebecca Mathews by December 19, 2025.

Eligible faculty can nominate themselves or be nominated by the Chair of the Department.  

The application packet should include the following: 

  1. Nomination letter briefly describing the faculty’s contributions to advance education in professionalism based on criteria/areas such as those listed above. 
  1. Narrative from the faculty detailing their past and current efforts as well as plans for future endeavors to advance education in professionalism 
  1. Two letters of support from peers, mentors, past or current trainees describing the faculty member’s impact in advancing education in professionalism 
  1. CV of the faculty member 

For questions, email John Riggs MD or Vineeth John MD