Writing the Personal Statement
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 12:10 noon–1:10 pm
Location: Virtual
Facilitated by Dr. Monique Dufour, Director of Faculty Development, School of Medicine.
Description/Learning Objectives: Start where you are, make progress on your draft, and leave with a plan for writing a statement with impact. In this hands-on workshop with experienced writing coach Dr. Monique Dufour, you will learn what makes for successful personal statements and how to apply them to your own. Whether you’re just getting started, have a complete draft, or are in a messy middle, you can expect to feel more confident and to have some momentum on writing this important element of your promotion and tenure portfolio. By the end of this learning activity, participants will be able to:
- Describe the required elements of an effective personal statement.
- Identify the relevant performance criteria for your case and assemble strong evidence that meets the criteria.
- Evaluate your personal statement draft using criteria for statements that make effective cases that align with performance criteria.
- Draft parts of your statement that demonstrate key features of your case.
- Make a plan for completing the statement and getting useful feedback to revise and polish.
Please bring your cv, personal statement drafts (in any state—can even be in notes form), and any other portfolio materials you’ve assembled. Note that you will not be required to share your statement draft. (1.0 CME credit)
Target Audience:
physicians and other faculty
Accreditation & Designation Statements
In support of improving patient care, the University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™: The University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Hours of Participation: The University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing awards 1 hour of participation (consistent with the designated number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ or ANCC contact hours) to a participant who successfully completes this educational activity. The University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing maintains a record of participation for six (6) years.
Faculty Disclosure/Conflict of Interest
The facilitator, Dr. Monique Dufour, Director of Faculty Development, School of Medicine, does not have any personal or professional financial relationships with a commercial entity producing healthcare goods and/or services.
The University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing as a Joint Accreditation Provider adhere to the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, released in December 2020, as well as Commonwealth of Virginia statutes, University of Virginia policies and procedures, and associated federal and private regulations and guidelines. As the accredited provider for this CE/IPCE activity, we are responsible for ensuring that healthcare professionals have access to professional development activities that are based on best practices and scientific integrity that ultimately supports the care of patients and the public.
All individuals involved in the development and delivery of content for an accredited CE/IPCE activity are expected to disclose relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies
occurring within the past 24 months (such as grants or research support, employee, consultant, stock holder, member of speakers bureau, etc.). The University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing employ appropriate mechanisms to resolve potential conflicts of interest and ensure the educational design reflects content validity, scientific rigor and balance for participants. Questions about specific strategies can be directed to the University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
The faculty, staff and planning committee engaged in the development of this CE/IPCE activity in the Joint Accreditation CE Office of the School of Medicine and School of Nursing have no financial affiliations to disclose.
Disclosure of discussion of non-FDA approved uses for pharmaceutical products and/or medical devices
As a Joint Accreditation provider, the University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Nursing, requires that all faculty presenters identify and disclose any off-label or experimental uses for pharmaceutical and medical device products. It is recommended that each clinician fully review all the available data on new products or procedures prior to clinical use.
Comments