Academy Membership Application

The Academy’s annual membership application cycle begins in the spring and concludes with the induction ceremony in September.

Sara Whetstone, MD being inducted into the Academy, September 2018
Sara Whetstone, MD being inducted into the Academy, September 2018; photo by Elisabeth Fall

Member Eligibility, Benefits, and Expectations

Member Eligibility

Eligibility to apply for membership

  • Faculty member in healthcare education or at a health professions school for three full years, on faculty at UCSF for two full years: since June 1, 2021. Volunteer Clinical Professors are eligible.
  • Outstanding educator of health professions students and/or residents and/or fellows, and/or a faculty developer focused on health professions educators at UCSF.
  • Demonstrates excellence in Teaching and one other domain (Educational Leadership, Learner Assessment, Curriculum Development and Instructional Design, or Mentoring and Advising).
  • Commits to fulfilling membership participation expectations.
Benefits of Membership
  • The Academy is a community of dedicated educators who work together to strengthen their own teaching and to promote excellence in teaching across UCSF.
  • Academy members are recognized as highly accomplished educators and are often consulted by colleagues and departmental leaders on questions of educational import.
  • Due to the rigor of the selection process, Academy membership is known to be a sign of outstanding performance by the committees that oversee UCSF's merit and promotion process.
  • Members are eligible to apply for the Academy endowed chairs program and for professional development, presentation travel support relating to the Academy and its mission. 
Expectations of Members

Academy members in good standing maintain the high level of work in education and teaching that qualified them for membership and contribute to advancing the Academy's mission.

Members fulfill minimum annual service expectations, e.g.:

  • Further faculty development and improving teaching through Academy co-sponsored activities
  • Contribute to an Academy action group or committee
  • Actively participate in Academy meetings and attend events such as the Celebration of New Members and UCSF Education Showcase (50% of activities over a 2-year period)
  • Document and reflect upon their participation and service

Academy members also contribute to a cyclical Membership Continuation Review process, for which they submit their current one-page Educator’s Portfolio Executive Summary in addition to their annual participation and service documentation and reflection.

Application to the Academy

2023 Application Timeline

Dates

Phase

April 2023

Call for applications

April 28 Deadline to request an application coach
May 9 Deadline to submit Educator's Portfolio for administrative review (required)

June 9

Application due

Mid-August

Candidates notified

September 13, 2-5 pm

Celebration of New Members induction ceremony

2023 Application Guide and Templates (Downloads)

Materials for the 2023 application cycle access here: https://ucsf.box.com/s/4brxim442xtnr2kj7atyjiy2yhopzl2x

Other Application Tips:

  • Request an Application Coach. Coaches are Academy members who help faculty decide when to apply and offer guidance, support and feedback to applicants on their Educator’s Portfolio, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement, and selection of referees. To request a coach, email Kathleen.Land@ucsf.edu.
  • Consider arranging a brief, informal peer feedback session about your teaching to help you demonstrate teaching outcomes in your Educator’s Portfolio. Ask a peer to observe you in any teaching setting, or discuss your teaching in a recently completed course with the course director. Use the new Brief Observation Teaching Tool, or AME-BOTT, to log your feedback and action plans: AME-BOTT.
  • Consider scheduling a Teaching Observation Program (TOP) Session to get formal feedback from a trained observer.