The Medical Education Scholars Pathway (MESP) which was formerly iSCTL is a competitive program for faculty members who:
- Wish to develop skills as medical educators and scholars as one of their career goals; and
- Have innovative curriculum projects they would like to develop and implement in the WR2 curriculum.
The faculty portion of the MESP Program assists faculty in furthering their skills in teaching, curriculum development, and educational scholarship. This program is designed for faculty who have a project or program they would like to develop and implement that would enhance the education of students/trainees. In addition to program faculty, the collaboration includes early phase students from the Medical Education Scholars Pathway.
Faculty and students will be paired and work as project teams beginning in January and completing their formal participation in the program in August. During this period student and faculty scholars will develop, implement, and study their scholarly projects and will attend a series of Monday evening interactive workshops.
Faculty members will be selected based on criteria that measure their commitment to medical education. Selection of faculty scholars will also be based on the quality and relevance of the proposed medical education projects submitted with their applications.
Why a MESP Collaboration?
The Medical Education Scholars Pathway (MESP) creates a supportive environment where faculty members and students with committed interests in health professions education come together to learn from each other and help turn ideas into action. As a part of the MESP, participants develop and enhance skills in health professions education for current and future faculty members and students. They work with health professions education experts to implement projects, learn educational theory, explore new teaching methods and develop skills in curriculum innovation.
Program Goals
- Create a community of scholars, composed of faculty and students.
- Provide dedicated time and support for scholarly activities, self-reflection, team building and feedback.
- Enhance scholars understanding of teaching, learning and assessment and the theories that support them.
- Enhance scholars knowledge and skills in curriculum development and evaluation.
- Foster educational scholarship by transforming ongoing educational activities into scholarly products.
- Assist participants in reframing their belief about how students and faculty can help each other develop as educators.
Benefits to Faculty and Students
Faculty benefits:
- Professional spending account of $1000 upon completion of the MESP program.
- Mentorship of an early phase health professions student scholar.
- Development of expertise and scholarship in health professions education.
- Planning, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of a project of interest.
Student benefits:
- Student scholars can be reimbursed up to $1000 in travel and meeting expenses when they present their work at a regional, national, or international conference.
- Develop expertise and scholarship in health professions education research.
- Work closely with a faculty member as a project development team.
Mentoring: MESP program faculty along with faculty and student scholars serve as mutual mentors throughout all aspects of the program and beyond.
Unique credential: MESP is a unique program because it includes both faculty and students. It is an important credential for Promotions and Tenure for faculty and a unique credential for residency applications for students.
Meeting Schedule
- Monday evenings from 5:30-7:30 pm, 2-3 times per month. While the majority of the program is offered remotely, approximately 3 sessions will be held in person at the HEC.
- A special additional meeting schedule specifically for students will be established during the summer months to support their work. Faculty are welcome (but not required) to attend these meetings during the summer.
- Successful completion of the program includes attendance at 80% or more of the Monday evening workshops.
- The Collaboration will begin meeting on January 24, 2027, at the HEC.
Expectations
- All scholars - faculty and students - commit to full participation in the program sessions. Project groups composed of faculty and students have dedicated time during each MESP session to work on the development of their group's project. This collaboration depends on full team participation.
- Each Scholar (faculty and students) attends a minimum of 80% of sessions to qualify for the professional spending stipend.
- Each MESP faculty scholar serves as a mentor for the 1st year student scholar with whom he/she is collaborating.
Project Priority Areas
While curriculum projects in all areas of curriculum development are welcome, we particularly encourage projects related to use of technology in the classroom, flipped classroom, and use of generative AI in health professions education.
Faculty Submission
There will be an MESP Faculty Information session in November. Date will be posted soon.
Faculty scholar applicants will be required to submit a Qualtrics application and will be asked to answer questions about their project and upload a copy of their current CV.
If you have questions please contact (216) 544-6226 or dxc38@case.edu.
Testimonials
"This is such an amazing program that pushes you outside of your comfort zone and really drives innovation in medical education at CWRU. The step-by-step structure allows participants the opportunity to develop and hone a plan for advancements in a particular area of interest. The curriculum is designed to help transform medical education and the input from leading experts is the vessel that drives this transformation."
—Jensen Lewis, MSPAS, PA-C, Program Director, Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Program, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
“Being accepted into this program was such a great experience! It allowed me to focus time on a curricular project, with a fabulous student partner, and get guidance from some of the best our institution has to offer. The opportunity to learn from my colleagues as they chartered their own course on their projects was enlightening and inspiring. It was a wonderful way to fill my own educational cup and a truly enjoyable way to develop a closer knit community of devoted educators who continue to support me now, even two years after the program has finished! I am a fan!”
—Anastasia Rowland-Seymour, MD, Associate Dean, Program Innovation and Educational Enhancement, School of Medicine and Faculty Co-Director, Post-baccalaureate Readiness Instruction for bioMedical Education - PRIME, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Department of Internal Medicine, MetroHealth
“My involvement in this program as a faculty member was incredibly rewarding. As a new CWRU faculty member, this course not only helped me navigate the research processes here at CWRU, but also allowed me to dive into the world of medical education and curricular development/improvement. Engaging one-on-one with our student partner was both fun and rewarding. It was wonderful to see her passion for our project grow and watch her become engaged with the research process. I recommend this program for all faculty who wish to better their understanding of the medical school curriculum and interact with our students in a really meaningful way.”
—James Martin, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Medical Oncology, University Hospitals/Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
“I'm so glad that I did this program because it really helped me have a better understanding about medical education and how to successfully design an educational project and evaluate it. Participating really sparked my interest in medical education and wanted to learn more, leading me to pursue a med ed fellowship. Another aspect of the program that I liked was the opportunity to work closely with a student and be a mentor.”
—Elaine Cruz, DO, Block 8 Co-Leader and Director of Clinical Skills Curriculum and Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Department of Medicine, MetroHealth.
“As a new faculty member, iSCTL was an incredibly valuable experience giving me the opportunity to grow as an educator, strengthen my mentoring network, and kickstart an educational research project I was passionate about. Looking back at my time in iSCTL, the mentoring potential built into this program is what really sets this program apart. Before this program, I was struggling to connect with students interested in educational research but iSCTL was a catalyst for forming these relationships in addition to supporting my research efforts. Additionally, this program connected me with other faculty mentors that helped me grow as an educator that I may not have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise. The iSCTL program concentrates faculty and students with a passion for education, facilitating the formation of these crucial mentor-mentee relationships necessary for professional growth. I would highly recommend all faculty with an idea or project that fits iSCTL to apply for this program!”
—Tawna Mangosh, PharmD, PhD, Block 4 Co-Leader and Assistant Professor of Pharmacology