University of California San Francisco
UCSF School of Medicine UCSF Medical Center

Academy Endowed Chair Program

Larissa Thomas, MD

The Academy of Medical Educators Endowed Chair Program is a portfolio of endowed chairs in education to support teaching excellence, educator careers, creativity, and dissemination.  These term-limited chairs intend to allow talented Academy members to expand their impact as educators at UCSF and beyond by providing a source of discretionary funding for their use.

Guided by the vision of the former dean of the UCSF School of Medicine, Haile T. Debas, the Academy of Medical Educators facilitated the establishment of a portfolio of matched department- and Academy-based endowed chairs Academy Endowed Chair Program was launched in 2001:

  • Academy matched endowed chairs established with $250,000 from the School of Medicine’s Dean's Office and at least $250,000 in academic departmental funding
  • Three Academy-based chairs support the Academy Director position established through philanthropy.
  • More than $10 million has been committed to this program since its inception.

Endowed Chair Program Goals

  • To support teaching excellence, career development and professional identity as an educator for the chairholder and expand their impact at UCSF and beyond.
  • For the chaiholder to help develop the next generation of educators.
  • For the chairholder to serve as liaison between their department, the School of Medicine, and the Academy.
  • For the chairholder to use this discretionary income to pursue new “value-added” education work beyond specific roles in education, such as course or clerkship director.
  • To promote the AME values of community, diversity, advocacy, service and innovation.

  • Committee with recommendations made to the SOM Dean.

Impact

Chin-Hong P, Loeser H, Peterson A, Ramachandran R, O'Sullivan PS. Impact of an Innovative Endowed Chair Program on Medical Educator Recipients. Acad Med. 2022 Nov 1;97(11):1650-1655. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004599. Epub 2022 Jan 18. PMID: 35044975.

This study aimed to assess the impact on faculty members who received an endowed chair for education. The authors conducted qualitative interviews with chairholders from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine who had completed at least one 5-year term. The results showed that receiving an endowed chair had significant symbolic value, indicating quality and increasing visibility and status within the institution and externally. Chairholders reported that the resources provided by the endowed chair allowed them flexibility to pursue valuable activities for themselves, their mentees, and the organization. Holding the chair also facilitated professional development for both the chairholder and others. The impact of receiving an endowed chair extended beyond the term and led to increased visibility and opportunities in education. This study highlights the importance of endowed chairs for career development in education and institutional enhancement.

A Model of Impact

Poncelet A, Collins S, Fiore D, Rosenbluth G, Loeser H, Sawaya GF, Teherani A, Chang A. Identifying Value Factors in Institutional Leaders' Perspectives on Investing in Health Professions Educators. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Feb 1;6(2):e2256193. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.56193. PMID: 36795413; PMCID: PMC9936339.

This qualitative study aimed to explore the value factors that health professions leaders placed on educator investment programs, including intramural grants and endowed chairs. The study used semi-structured interviews with 29 leaders from UCSF and its affiliated systems. The results identified value factors across five domains: individual, financial, operational, social or societal, and strategic or political. Individual factors emphasized the impact on faculty career and development, while financial factors highlighted the importance of these investments as inputs rather than outputs. Operational factors focused on educational programs and faculty recruitment, while social and societal factors emphasized scholarship and dissemination benefits. Strategic and political factors highlighted the impact on culture, innovation, and organizational success. These findings suggest that health sciences and health system leaders find value in funding educator investment programs beyond direct financial return on investment and can inform program design and evaluation for future investments.

Value Domains and Identified Value Factors

UCSF does not use race, gender, sex, or other protected categories or proxies for protected categories in the selection process.