Faculty Development in the Health Professions: A Focus on Research and Practice

Kelley M. Skeff, M.D., Ph.D., May 2013:

In this text, Steinert and her colleagues have provided a significant contribution to the future of faculty development. In an academic and comprehensive way, the authors have both documented past efforts in faculty development as well as provided guidance and stimuli for the future. The scholarly and well-referenced chapters provide a compendium of methods previously used while emphasizing the expanding areas deserving work. Moreover, the writers consistently elucidate the faculty development process by highlighting the theoretical underpinnings of faculty development and the research conducted. Thus, the book provides an important resource for two major groups, current providers and researchers in faculty development as well as those desiring to enter the field. Both groups of readers can benefit from a reading of the entire book or by delving into their major area of interest and passion. In so doing, they will better understand our successes and our limitations in this emerging field. Faculty development in the health professions has now received attention for 6 decades. Yet, dedicated faculty members trying to address the challenges in medical education and the health care delivery system do not have all the assistance they need to achieve their goals. This book provides a valuable resource towards that end.