The National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 – Oct 15) honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The observance began in 1968 and was expanded by President Reagan in 1988.

Learn more about the National Hispanic Heritage Month here.
Explore UIC Latinx Heritage Month events.

Congratulations to Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, Professor and Director of Community Engagement in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, on receiving the 2025 Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award. Dr. Figueroa’s outstanding leadership, teaching, and advocacy have impacted communities across Chicago and beyond.

Learn more about Dr. Figueroa’s humanitarian work in the Shin Award announcement here.

This interactive session, hosted by the System-wide Student & Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing Committee, will provide evidence-based practices and resources for promoting wellness in challenging times.

Speaker: Dr. Bryan Sexton, chief wellness officer of Duke Health Integrated Practice and director of the Duke Center for the Advancement of Wellbeing Science. 

When: Tuesday, October 14, from 1 - 3 p.m. CST
Where: Free via Zoom. Register here
Link to full invitation

Celebration of the expanded academic, clinical, and research affiliation between the Cook County Health System and the University of Illinois College of Medicine. This event will recognize the importance of the public-public partnership for providing access and excellence to clinical care, training, and research for the communities and patients we serve.

When: Tuesday, October 28, from 9:30 - 11:00 AM
Where: Cook County Health Professional Building, 5th Floor, 1950 W. Polk Street, Chicago
Register here

Join a conversation with Dr. Robert Califf, Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This session is part of the Chair Chats series, which brings visionary leaders to the UIC community.

When: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - 2 pm
Where: Retzky College of Pharmacy Auditorium, 833 S. Wood Street
Reception: A complimentary reception will follow the general session from 3:15 - 4 p.m.
Registration: Chair Chats is open to the UIC community and the broader public, but registration is required.

The annual UI COM Research Forum invites students, post-docs, and research staff from all campuses to share their work through poster presentations. Judges and attendees will have opportunities to network, provide feedback, and celebrate research excellence.

All eligible UI COM community members are encouraged to submit their abstracts and posters to take part in this important event. Submissions are now open. Please consider volunteering your time to judge. 

Key Dates:

Event Date: Friday, November 7, 2025 (in-person)
Submissions close: Friday, October 10 
Printing requests due at UIC Creative and Digital Services: Friday, October 17
Research Forum held: Friday, November 7

Important Notes:

1. Transportation will be provided for judges & participants from Rockford and Peoria.
2. Only one submission per person is permitted. Resubmissions for typos or errors will not be
    accepted. "Dummy submissions" are not allowed and will count as your sole entry.
3. Your submission must include an abstract, poster, and all required information requested in
    the form. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.

Submit your abstracts and posters
Read the submission guidelines

UIC DME invites applications for the Ilene B. Harris Legacy Fund, offering up to $40,000 for one year to support innovative research in health professions education. For full details and to apply, visit https://go.uic.edu/harrisfund.

High-quality proposals in medical and health professions education are encouraged, particularly in the areas of assessment, curriculum studies, educational leadership and organizational change, research methods, evaluation methods, and instructional methods. Proposals in other areas are also welcome.

Letter of intent due: Oct. 15, 2025
Project start date: May 15, 2026

The Fall 2025 virtual NFO session is a valuable opportunity for new faculty to learn about the appointment and promotion process in our college and their specific faculty track in relation to promotion and tenure.

When: Thursday, October 30, 2025, 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Where: Zoom - Register here

Questions? Please contact Rohan Verma, Office of Faculty Development Program Coordinator or Gillian Coombs, Director of Faculty Affairs

The UI COM Office of Faculty Development is offering a new series of mentor training workshops for faculty mentors. All workshops will be offered virtually. Registration is required; please note separate registration links for each workshop.

Overview of Mentorship: Practical Tips for Effective Mentoring in Academic Medicine
When: Monday, December 1, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
Instructor: Memoona Hasnain, MD MHPE, PhD, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Medical Education and Public Health; Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Register here

Communication Skills for Effective Mentorship
When: Monday, December 8, 2025, 12:00 pm
Instructor: Kathryn Fraser, PhD, Behavioral Medicine Director, Halifax Health Family Medicine Residency Program, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Register here

Coaching as a Key Element of Mentorship
When: Monday, December 15, 2025, 12:00 pm
Instructor: Stephanie Joe, MD, Professor & Director, Rhinology, Sinus & Skull Base Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, UI COM.
Register here

Are you interested in participating in activities that help recruit gifted students to the University of Illinois College of Medicine? The UI COM Office of Admissions invites faculty from all disciplines to serve as interviewers for Recruitment Days, held September 2025 – February 2026. Faculty interviews are a highlight of the program, which also includes student panels and curriculum presentations. Faculty interviewers are trained on the interview process.

Format: Virtual interviews (Tuesday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
Length: 30 minutes each; faculty may select multiple slots

This is a great opportunity to engage prospective students and showcase our talented faculty. If you're interested in participating, please email Trevonne Thompson, MD, Associate Dean for Admissions, at tthomps@uic.edu.

Since September 30, 2025 UIC has officially transitioned to Canvas as the new learning management system. Faculty can now log into Canvas with their NetID and explore sandbox courses. “How-to” modules and migration support are available through Learning Technology Solutions.

Interested in becoming an early adopter or restructuring your course? Submit a ticket to LTS.
See the full update here.

AAMC’s Group on Faculty Affairs invites faculty to a professional development webinar on advancing toward leadership roles such as Dean, Provost, or CEO. Participants will gain an understanding of the skills and experiences most valued in these roles and learn practical steps to begin preparing for future opportunities. The session is designed to help faculty reflect on their career trajectory, assess their readiness, and outline initial actions that can position them for success in pursuing senior leadership pathways.

When: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
Where: Zoom
Learn more and register here.

The National Collaborative for Education to Address the Social Determinants of Health (NCEAS) Annual Conference is a collaborative forum where educators, students, and leaders can come together to share their work on social drivers of health.

Conference theme - Education to Impact: Reaching Every Patient.
Learn more and submit abstracts here.

The AAMC is accepting submissions for Learn Serve Lead 2026. Learn Serve Lead (LSL) is open to all those engaged in advancing academic medicine and brings together our medical school and teaching hospital community from across campuses, across disciplines, and across missions.

The call for medical education submissions consists of three types:
1. Sessions on Medical Education 
2. Medical Education Innovation Abstracts
3. Medical Education Research Abstracts.

Event Dates: November 6 - 10, 2026, Anaheim, CA
Submission Deadline: December 1, 2025
Learn more.

The 2026 Call for Research in Medical Education (RIME) Papers consists of two types: (1) Research Papers and (2) Review Papers. Accepted papers will be presented at Learn Serve Lead 2026 and published in Academic Medicine. The Submission Portal will open on October 20, 2025. Work focused on a wide variety of themes, incorporating a broad representation of topics, institutions, and presenters, will be selected. Please email educationalaffairs@aamc.org with any questions.

Submission Portal Opens: October 20, 2025
Deadline: December 1, 2025
Learn more.

Strategies to Create a Thriving Culture of Wellness
A new AAMC publication, Empowering Wellness: Generalizable Approaches for Designing and Implementing Well-Being Initiatives Within Health Systems, highlights programs from wellness leaders nationwide that create healthier, more supportive learning and work environments.

Medical Educator Focus Group Report
Based on 2024 focus groups with CFAS members, this AAMC report explores faculty challenges in medical education. Findings reveal significant differences in time allotment for teaching, reliance on personal time to meet responsibilities, and the positive impact of institutional recognition on faculty support and value.

Recommendations for Assessment and Supervision of IMGs
The Advisory Commission on Additional Licensing Models issued new guidance for state boards and employers on assessment and supervision requirements for internationally trained physicians during provisional licensure. 

National AI Competencies to Guide Medical Education
A commentary in Academic MedicineAcademic Medicine by Alison Whelan, MD, and Lisa Howley, PhD, calls for establishing national AI competencies so learners and faculty can evaluate tools effectively, apply them ethically, and understand their societal impact.

Food Insecurity Among Medical Students
A recent JAMA study covered by Becker’s Clinical Leadership found that more than 20% of U.S. medical students face food insecurity—double the rate of the general population—with highest prevalence among Black, Hispanic, and Southeast Asian students.

Available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else podcasts are available.

This Academic Life. Julia Meade reflects on the difficulty of knowing when to retire from academic medicine. Listen here

The Anatomy of Gratitude. David Deshpande reflects on the Service of Gratitude and the lessons learned from anatomy donors and their families. Listen here

Faculty Mentoring Guidebook
A comprehensive resource designed to support the development, enhancement, and sustainability of mentoring programs across UIC’s colleges and departments. This guidebook offers practical tools, proven frameworks, and actionable guidance to help faculty mentors foster a culture where mentoring is visible, valued, and impactful. Faculty Mentoring Guidebook 

P&T Resource: UI COM Guidance for Mentoring Documentation in Promotion Dossiers
Since 2024, the P&T Dossier requires a Mentoring Plan to be developed for faculty members based on the revised Mentoring Policy. To facilitate the documentation of the mentoring plan in the P&T dossier, we have developed guidance for promotion candidates and UEOs. The updated Guidance for Mentoring Plan Documentation in the P&T Dossier is available here.

We-CARE Faculty Peer Support Program - Compassionate Alliances for Resilience & Empowerment 
The We-CARE program fosters faculty well-being, belonging, and inclusion by offering confidential peer support and collegiality—not therapy—through trained faculty volunteers known as We-CARE Helpers. Adapted from a Harvard model used nationwide, the program provides a safe space for faculty to share concerns such as burnout, workplace conflicts, or career challenges, while connecting them with additional resources. We-CARE Helpers represent the diversity of our College and are available to listen with empathy and without judgment.

Stephanie Joe, MD, FACS & Memoona Hasnain, MD, MHPE, PhD, We-CARE Co-Directors.
See We-CARE Website for more info.

Faculty Mentoring Toolkits

The Designing and Leading Inclusive Faculty Mentoring Programs at UIC Toolkit is now available to offer best practices for designing and leading inclusive faculty mentoring programs across a breadth of departments and colleges nestled within the UIC landscape. This toolkit includes interactive resources, such as the UIC Mentoring Map and best practices checklists for Units, Mentors, and Mentees. These Administrator Toolkits were created to provide easy access to tools and resources to help administrators manage compliance, support unit operations, and improve workplace effectiveness. Requests for additional toolkit topics may be submitted through this contact page.

We welcome submissions for our newsletter related to faculty development updates, training and funding opportunities.

Contact: Rohan Verma, Program Coordinator UICOM Office of Faculty Development, rverma26@uic.edu or Dr. Memoona Hasnain, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, memoona@uic.edu.

Past FD Newsletters 

1853 West Polk Street | Suite 130 | Chicago, IL 60612
www.medicine.uic.edu