Academy Membership

The Academy for Excellence in Education provides a community for educators across UVA Health to be involved in programs centered on education. This community provides mentorship and networking as well as opportunities to connect with potential collaborators for program development and educational research/scholarly projects. Members can share their expertise as mentors or by leading professional development sessions for fellow educators. Members can also participate in workshops/programs to further develop their own competence in teaching and assessment, student/trainee advising, program development and evaluation, and other educator domains. Members can be considered for involvement in committees that guide the Academy and hold leadership roles on these committees. Members may also apply for internal educational grant funding and receive mentorship for career advancement. By engaging with the Academy, members can enhance their skills as educators and develop their teaching portfolio as they prepare for academic advancement.

Summary of Benefits: 

• Engage with education opportunities and visiting speakers with a focus on medical/biomedical sciences education
• Be or connect with an educational mentor across departments and divisions at UVA
• Lead/participate in committees or faculty development sessions
• Enhance educational expertise and teaching portfolio for academic advancement
• Connect with collaborators for program development or research/scholarly projects
• Establish a professional network within the educator community at UVA

1. Attend educator development programs co-developed with the Center for Medical Education Research and Scholarly Innovation and the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development
2. Attend mentoring talks and small-group discussion series with Academy Fellows
3. Attend Annual Excellence in Education Week events
4. Attend Academy-endorsed educator speakers or events sponsored by individual departments
5. Serve as a member, vice-chair, or chair of one of the Academy’s committees (Membership, Educator Development, or Building Community) OR serve as a member of a committee outside the Academy that promotes the SOM’s educational mission. Example committees include, but are not limited to:  Admissions Committee, Assessment Committee,  Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Committee, Excellence in Education Week Committee, Academic Standards and Achievement Committee (ASAC), etc.).

Fall 2022 Call

Call for applications: September 29, 2022

Applications due: October 30, 2022 (11:59pm)

Membership notifications: November 16, 2022

Spring 2023 Call

Call for applications: March 30, 2023

Applications due: April 30, 2023 (11:59pm)

Membership notifications: May 17, 2023

Any School of Medicine faculty member who contributes to education through training, teaching, and advising of undergraduate, medical or graduate students, residents, clinical or postdoctoral research fellows, or colleagues can be nominated (or self-nominate) for membership into the Academy.

Note: With the founding of the Academy, the faculty who had previously held membership in the Academy of Distinguished Educators (ADE) were automatically  granted an initial membership into the Academy without an application.  It is understood that continued membership will require renewal after 3 years with documentation of service and participation in Academy activities.

1. Attendance at Meetings/Events:  Each year members will be required to attend two programs or meetings hosted by the Academy or endorsed by the Academy. The calendar year will coincide with the academic year from July 1 – June 30.
2. Committee Participation: In one 3-year cycle, each member will be asked to participate in a committee that supports the educational mission of the SOM. Committees can be either directly related to the business of the Academy (Membership, Educator Development, Building Community) or help promote the educational mission of the School of Medicine (examples but not limited to – Admissions committee, Assessment committee, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) committee, Excellence in Education Week committee, Academic Standards and Achievement Committee (ASAC), etc.).
3. Track Requirements: It is the responsibility of the member to track of involvement in the Academy. Every 3 years, members’ service and involvement in the Academy must be submitted to the Membership committee to apply for renewal.
4. Lapse of Membership: Membership of faculty members or fellows shall lapse in the event of written resignation, loss of UVA SOM faculty appointment, or failure to meet membership requirements during a 3- year cycle. Trainee membership shall lapse in the event of written resignation or loss of UVA SOM trainee status at the end of a training program. Trainees who are hired as UVA faculty may apply for faculty membership.

1. Download the Member application here.
2. Complete each section of the application.
3. Save completed application with the naming convention: LastName_FirstName_Academy_Member
4. Submit completed application to Troy Buer.

Trainee members are those members who are actively engaged in a health sciences or biomedical sciences postgraduate training program at UVA. Any trainee in a health sciences or biomedical sciences program may be eligible for membership into the Academy. By joining the organization, trainee members are eligible to attend and participate in all programs of the Academy.

1. Nomination:  Trainee members must be nominated by a faculty member who is a member in good standing of the Academy and will serve to ensure the trainee is fulfilling the obligations of the Academy and actively participating in the organization.
2. Attendance at Meetings/Events: Trainee members will be required to attend two programs or meetings hosted by or endorsed by the Academy. The calendar year will coincide with the academic year from July 1 – June 30.
3. Track Requirements: It is the responsibility of the trainee member to track of involvement in the Academy. Trainee members’ service and involvement in the Academy must be submitted to the Membership committee to apply for renewal every three years.
4. Lapse of Membership:  If trainee members do not meet membership requirements within the required renewal period, the membership will lapse, and the trainee member can re-apply during the next membership cycle.
5. Membership Expiration: Trainee membership expires in the event of written resignation or at the end of the training program. Note: Trainees who join the UVA faculty must submit a Member application during a normal application cycle to be considered for Academy membership as a faculty member. Trainee membership does not automatically roll over to a Faculty membership. 

1. Download the Trainee application here.
2. Complete each section of the application.
3. Save your completed application with the naming convention: LastName_FirstName_Academy_Trainee
4. Submit completed application to Troy Buer (tsb5t).

SOM faculty members who have demonstrated sustained excellence through their contributions to the educational mission in the SOM can apply for recognition as a Fellow in the Academy. Fellows are those members who may contribute beyond the classroom in instructional design, education evaluation, and course and curriculum design.

Fellow designation is granted for a 3-year term. Continued designation as a Fellow will require demonstrated participation in the activities of the Academy and ongoing service to Academy members as a teacher or mentor for Trainee and/or Member faculty. Fellows who fail to meet the requirements for participation and service will revert to the status of Member if they meet the requirements for Member level designation within the Academy.

The application for Fellow designation will be developed and announced by the Membership Committee after its inception.