Project lead: Linnie Golightly, MD

WCM Faculty Development Circles focuses on underrepresented in medicine (URM) faculty who seek professional advancement in academic medicine. This program is organized in conjunction with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The objectives of this faculty mentoring circle program are as follows:

• To enhance the career development (education and training) of URM faculty through improved technical skills (“hard skills”) and leadership practices and skills (“soft practices and skills”) to aid in their professional advancement.
• To identify ways to strengthen institutional support and collegial networking opportunities for individual URM  faculty that will assist in their professional advancement (e.g. promotion, appointments, publications).
• To improve the retention and satisfaction of URM faculty at WCM.

By meeting these objectives, the WCM Faculty Development Circles program is intended to help create a stronger pipeline of URM faculty at the institution. In this way, faculty mentoring circles may contribute to the long-term goal of increasing the number of URM faculty among all WCM faculty.