The Foundations in Teaching Skills (FITS) Certificate Program targets junior educators (approximately 1-5 years out of training) as well as faculty who are newly incorporating teaching excellence into their careers. This certificate program will span from October to June each academic year. The FITS program will focus on providing instruction in foundational teaching skills, establishing a community of educators with each program cohort, and beginning the process of producing one’s educator portfolio. Over the course of the academic year, participants will receive mentorship as well as feedback on their teaching skills through direct observations. Additional instruction in teaching skills will be provided with monthly workshops.

Program Structure:
Participants will meet monthly (4-6pm; one Tuesday of each month from October-June) for didactics, workshops, and discussions. Attendance is required.

Participants will also work independently on creating a Clinical Educator Portfolio and will meet with a mentor to review progress.

Participants will be directly observed in teaching environments, throughout the academic year, and will be expected to turn in the direct observation forms and reflections.

Targeted participants are faculty members particularly those at an entry or junior level approximately 1-5 years out of their residency or fellowship training. Final year fellows who are highly interested in pursuing a career focused on education are also welcome to apply. Those fellows completing training must be able to make a commitment to the full program which will begin in October, 2024 and conclude in June, 2025. In addition, those who are newly entering or reengaging into teaching as a career are also encouraged to apply. Entrance into the program will be through an application process with an acceptance of approximately 25 individuals per program year.

If you are interested in applying, please hold the following dates on your calendar for didactics pending application review: to be announced.

In order to complete your application, you must submit the following materials in your application:

  1. Brief statement of interest in the FITS Certificate program (do not exceed one page). In your statement:
    • Please address your area of teaching focus (classroom based, clinical, or other) for the FITS certificate
    • Your personal goals for the program (2 specific goals for the program; a goal can include a specific education based project in which you would like to focus), and
    • Your plans regarding how the program will benefit you and your program/ Division
  2. Description of your current teaching activities. Include the level of learners taught, topics of teaching and number of hours per week teaching.
  3. Current CV
  4. Letter of support from an individual in a leadership position in your Division or Department. (e.g., Division head, Department Chair or Dean of Curriculum or Faculty Affairs). This letter should include:
    • the rationale for the applicant’s participation
    • an agreement to provide protected time for this activity which will include the mandatory attendance at monthly didactic conferences.

Director: Dominique Cosco, MD

Submission Dates: To be announced

Eligibility: Washington University School of Medicine faculty (including faculty in MD, OT, PT, PACS, DBBS and other educational programs). NOTE: FITS Certificate Program targets junior educators (approximately 1-5 years out of training) as well as faculty who are newly incorporating teaching excellence into their careers.

Program Term: October 2024 – June 2025

Questions: Contact AcademyofEducators@wustl.edu

2022-2023 FITS Graduates

Megan Burgess, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Tony Dao, Assistant Professor Medicine

Kate Dunsky, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology

Kathryn Filson, Instructor in Medicine

Jill Johnson, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Zach Morgan, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Kristen Prufrock, Assistant Professor of Anatomy

Michael Quinn, Clinical Trainee in Pediatric Infectious Disease

Jennifer Yu, Assistant Professor of Surgery

2021-2022 FITS Graduates

Crystal Atwood, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Andrew Bluher, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology

Carol Faulk, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Allie Grither, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Jennifer Heeley, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Erin Linnenbringer, Associate Professor of Surgery

Grace Zhu, Abdominal Imaging Radiology Fellow

2020-2021 FITS Graduates

Jamie Colombo, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Cardiology

Ahmad Jezzini, Instructor in Neuroscience

Kaitlin Kenney, Instructor in Pediatrics

Suzanne Lecuyer, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Miriam Malik, Assistant Professor of Radiology

Katherine Massa, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Nicholas Raush, Pulmonology/Critical Care Fellow

Eduardo Reina, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology

Ian Ross, Assistant Professor of Medicine

2019-2020 FITS Graduates

Elizabeth Blaney, Associate Professor of Medicine

Jason Devgun, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Thy Huskey, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery

Neringa Juknis, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery

Erin Kane, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Andrew Lee, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Kathryn Marlow, Assistant Professor of Neurology

John Metzler, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery

Anubha Mutneja, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Daniel Paget, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Terry Ritzman, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Sarah Shelton, Instructor in Pediatrics Hospitalist Medicine

Melissa Stewart, Assistant Professor of Surgery

Prashanth Thakker, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Quinn Tyminski, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy

Ashley Veade, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lisa Zickuhr, Assistant Professor of Medicine