Houston Methodist Academic Institute
Faculty and Academic Development
Houston Methodist Academic Institute
Faculty and Academic Development
The Houston Methodist Academic Institute offers courses to build key competencies in research and education. Our courses are specially designed for trainees, researchers and educators on academic career tracks and the administrators who provide support across our system. Offerings range from introductory lectures that provide general topical overviews to advanced review and development of manuscripts, grants, curricula and other academic projects with experienced faculty.
View our current offerings at attend.houstonmethodist.org.
These courses are designed for faculty, staff and trainees interested in translation. For additional information, please contact academicaffairs@houstonmethodist.org
Lunch & Learn
This lunch hour series offers presentations on a variety of topics presented by the Office of Technology Transfer, ott@houstonmethodist.org
This monthly series sponsored by the Office of Translational Production & Quality covers key issues, such as documentation and validation that are necessary to move an idea into the clinic.
• Documentation
• Qualification & Validation
• Quality Management and the Pharmaceutical Quality System For additional information, please contact djkota@houstonmethodist.org
This monthly seminar series lays the foundation for translating key laboratory discoveries to clinical innovations that improve patient lives. Taught by experts in their field, this seminar is for participants who are passionate about taking their ideas to market and seek a practical and efficient process for making it happen.
Monthly topics include:
• Introduction to Intellectual Property
• Research Integrity and Documentation
• Regulatory Pathways
• Translational Project Management
• Quality Risk Management & Quality Development through GLP-Safety
• Translational Pathways & Manufacturing through GLP-Safety
• Moving from Basic Research to GLP Safety Studies
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-Manufacturing for Clinical Use
• Successfully Filing for First-in-Human
• Commercialization
• Faculty Startups: Engaging an Ecosystem of Resources
These courses are designed for faculty, staff and trainees interested in responsible conduct of research. For additional information, please contact the Research Integrity office.
This series provides an essential foundation in the regulatory and ethical frameworks governing human and animal research, and how to navigate these processes at Houston Methodist. By exploring the roles of various oversight bodies, participants will be well-equipped to navigate the complexities of research integrity and financial management in a clinical setting. Session topics include:
• Regulatory Oversight Overview: Human Subjects and Animal Research
• Research Credentialing, Study Design and Clinical Protocol Development
• Starting Clinical Research Projects: Administrative Review and Regulatory Affairs
• Overview of Human Research-Institutional Review Board
• Overview of Animal Research
• Overview of Safety Committees
• Overview of the Office of Research Integrity
• Clinical Research Finance
This Fundamentals of RCR Course is intended to meet federal requirements for training in Responsible Conduct of Research and to maintain an institutional culture of the highest integrity in all Houston Methodist research endeavors. The eight-session, in-person course promotes fundamental knowledge and practical skills for research in all disciplines, encourages open discussion with subject matter experts in these areas, and presents an opportunity to interact with experienced Houston Methodist faculty for real-world guidance.
This workshop focuses on supervising research data collection, storage and documentation, including the long-term confidence in accurate tracking and the potential consequences if not performed correctly.
These courses are designed for faculty, trainees and staff interested in conducting clinical research.
The Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (MCRTP) offers early-career physicians at Houston Methodist and Weill Cornell a fast-track program to acquire the skillset needed to develop a clinical trial proposal and embark on a clinical research career pathway. The MCRTP begins with an intensive, four-day workshop held at Weill Cornell in New York City and continues with project mentorship back at Houston Methodist. Participants must receive a nomination from their department chair. For more information, please contact aswright@houstonmethodist.org
This two-day training program focuses on key aspects of research, including ethics, study implementation, problem reporting, and coordination of monitoring and inspections. For more information, please contact QA@houstonmethodist.org
These courses are designed for faculty, trainees and staff interested in preparing NIH grant applications. For additional information, please contact academicaffairs@houstonmethodist.org
This lecture introduces how to use NIH RePORTER to:
• understand NIH funding in specific research areas
• identify researchers and their publications
• determine who is likely to review your work
• find NIH program officers and potential study section
This session introduces components of a typical NIH grant with emphasis on sections that are considered in the score, with a focus on Specific Aims, as they set the tone for the rest of the grant.
This workshop provides an organized framework to present a researcher’s education, training, research experience, publications and academic activity. Participants can share their NIH Biosketch in the workshop and receive feedback from instructors and participants.
NIH has mandated that all applicants provide a Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Plan after Jan 25, 2023. This course covers requirements for and development of a DMS plan to be submitted with all NIH grants except training grants. The six required elements will be discussed, examples and expert discussion provided.
This lecture is designed to support individuals applying for postdoctoral fellowships and mentored K awards. Participants will learn how to create a description of the mentor’s experiences, craft a personal statement and learn how mentors can best support the project.
This course will show principal investigators and their research staff the correct submission process of research contracts and grant agreements to be reviewed and approved in accordance with sponsor policy, institutional policy and governing regulations.
This interactive lecture covers elements to consider when developing a grant budget: inflation, allowable and non-allowable costs, key personnel vs. consultants, patient-care costs, and direct and indirect costs as they pertain to key personnel. Presenters also discuss the ARAF, managing funding proposals, MORTI budget development, project costing, sponsors and institutional policies, and the process for a timely grant submission and review by Grants Administration.
Grant Submission: Pre-Award
Workshop participants submit their grant research strategy for review. The session will present the key elements of the grant review process and the NIH scoring system. A panel of NIH-funded reviewers conduct a mock grant review for each participant’s grant research strategy.
This lecture provides an overview of components of the research strategy of an NIH grant. Area of focus will include the Innovation, Significance and Approach sections of the application to make your application more competitive.
This lecture provides an overview of the NIH review process, and an organized framework in which to identify required grant application information, institutional processes and other support to assist with a successful and timely grant submission.
Grant Submission: Post-Award
This lecture provides an overview of the MORTI post-award process: required documents, process for when to use continuations and modifications, and helpful MORTI templates, checklists and approvals.
In this service, grant writing professionals support researchers with grant proposal development: project management, technical writing and editing, addressing reviewer critiques, referrals to study design and data analysis, describing facilities and equipment at Houston Methodist and the Texas Medical Center, and identifying potential collaborators/consultants. We also assist with extramural funding opportunity identification, matching researcher interests with sponsors and their priorities. To request this service please contact academicaffairs@houstonmethodist.org.
This course will include a discussion of the preparation process of an NIH Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR), the RPPR components and subcomponents, how to manage unobligated funds, and the process of how to submit the RPPR information to Grants Administration.
This course will provide a discussion of how to respond to a request for application “RFA”. Participants will learn the parts of a proposal request, stages in the response to an RFA, how to plan and write components, RFA submission requirements, and resubmission tips.
The course will describe the submission requirements for incoming and outgoing subawards. Also included are the compliance and agreements associated with the subawards.
This 90-minute program will provide guidance on: federal and state regulations for any employee funded by a sponsored project, as well as the established policies/procedures of the Houston Methodist Research Institute for reporting time and effort. Led by the Office of Grants and Contracts, a Q&A session will follow the lecture. Attendees are encouraged to come prepared with questions for the presenters.
These courses are designed for faculty, trainees and staff interested in preparing manuscripts, oral and poster presentations. For additional information, please contact academicaffairs@houstonmethodist.org
This course offers best practices for data visualization and figure types used to convey research data and indications for usage. Data visualization is part of scientific communication strategies that faculty need to best disseminate their work.
Engaging scientific presentations are critical for showcasing and disseminating research findings. This lecture covers creating the structure for a research presentation and a compelling delivery in a timely manner.
Develop skills to create and present an effective research poster in this 90-minute workshop. This session will begin with a 30-minute presentation including helpful tips, followed by work in small groups to build a research poster while learning about important aspects of visual communication and design.
This lecture focuses on strategies for finding time to think and write, selecting a journal, submitting a paper, dealing with reviews and handling a rejected manuscript. It also includes tips for overcoming obstacles to writing and dealing with common problems in manuscripts.
Our research development professionals provide researchers with manuscript writing services: review, editing, journal matching, responding to reviewer feedback, cover letters, and presubmission inquiries. Services are also available for study protocols, including writing, editing, and referrals for study design. To request this service please contact academicaffairs@houstonmethodist.org.
Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Other Review Types
Learn about the different review types, steps of a systematic review, and resources needed to undertake a systematic review
This course overviews library materials and development of search strategies. The workshop includes use of MeSH and differences in MedLine databases, including OVID, EBSCO and PubMed as well as Clinical Key.
Learn how to search, pick up tips and tricks to gather materials for evidence-based practice.
Learn how to find previous reviews and how to start constructing a search strategy for a systematic review.
We Have It: An Introduction to Houston Methodist Library Materials and Services
General overview of Houston Methodist Library resources and subscription databases, including document retrieval and Interlibrary Loan services.
For additional information, please contact lgirouard@houstonmethodist.org in the Houston Methodist library.
The Clinical Educator Pathway aims to develop skills and scholarship of educators throughout Houston Methodist. This course spans several months, beginning with a series of foundational educational workshops coupled with group discussions and one-on-one mentorship. Participants are required to translate their knowledge and skills into a mentored capstone project with the intent of yielding a scholarly product for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
For detailed course descriptions, see Teaching and Learning Courses by Request. CEP topics include:
• Two-Day Intensive
• Introduction to Curriculum Development
• Practical Applications of Curriculum Development
• Psychological Safety
• Bedside Teaching
• Program Evaluation in Health Professions Education
• Introduction to Andragogy
• Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• How Others Learn — Experiential Learning and Evidence-Based Teaching Techniques
• Helping Learners Progress Through Feedback and Evaluation
For additional information, please contact oced@houstonmethodist.org
The Physician Educator Certificate Program (PECP), offered in collaboration with UTHealth, is an eight-month program designed to meet the growing demand for skilled and confident resident educators. The goal of the program is to provide residents with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to excel in their teaching roles. PECP consists of eight monthly sessions on a variety of education topics co-taught by educators from UTHealth and Houston Methodist, hosted at both institutions. Participants are also required to submit a teaching philosophy statement, two teaching observation reflections, and a final brief reflection statement.
PECP topics include:
• Curriculum Design
• Flipping Your Classroom with In-class Activities
• Providing Constructive Feedback and Meaningful Narrative Evaluation
• Bedside Teaching Tips
• Enhancing Your PowerPoint Slides
• Effective Teaching = Effective Learning: Applying Teaching Principles and Learning Theories
• My Learners’ Motivation & Mindset Reflection as a Learner and Educator – 6-55 Stories & Teaching Philosophy
These courses are designed for educators and those interested in teaching and learning. For additional information, please contact the Office of Curriculum and Education Development at oced@houstonmethodist.org
To adequately support learners, clinical educators need to be able to identify what type of guidance is best suited to the learner’s individual needs—advising, coaching or mentoring. However, there is not a broad understanding of the definitions of these terms, how they differ and in what situations each is most applicable. This workshop will help clinical educators recognize actions and purposes of advising, coaching and mentoring and how to identify which role is best suited to meet the learner’s needs and capitalize on the educator’s time and skills.
This workshop builds on Introduction to Curriculum Development course by walking participants through the curriculum design process from start to finish. We break down each component and explain why it matters and how each piece relates to the larger whole. Participants will leave with a curriculum design template they can use as a guide for creating educationally sound workshops and programs on their own.
Psychological safety has been a topic of considerable interest in various fields, including health care, over the past two decades. Evidence from empirical studies supports the idea that psychological safety not only matters in relation to quality improvement and patient safety but also in clinical learning environments. This course will provide training on how to foster a psychologically safe environment for learners in clinical settings.
Conducting a needs assessment is an important step in systematically designing a clinical educational program. This workshop will guide participants through the steps of conducting a needs assessment to better understand their target audience’s needs and align their educational program contents and delivery to meet those needs. Participants will have an opportunity to practice creating a learning needs assessment.
Curriculum development allows educators to take a thoughtful and methodical approach to determine what learners will be required to learn. The curriculum development process systematically organizes what will be taught, who will be taught, and how it will be taught. In this session, we will present an overview of the nuts and bolts of curriculum development, as well as a brief overview of common instructional design models.
This workshop, taught in tandem with a clinical educator and a curriculum developer, will highlight techniques to create a positive, effective learning experience and offer insights from senior clinical educators about how they implement these techniques in their setting. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss their own bedside teaching successes and struggles and collaborate with the session leaders on how to enhance their teaching practice.
Professionalism is the foundation for the social contract between physicians and society. In exchange for the privilege of caring for patients, as well as the status and respect that accompanies that privilege, society expects physicians to practice in a professional and empathetic manner and to self-regulate. The goal of this session is to provide clinical trainees and teaching faculty with a foundational understanding of medical professionalism, explain why it matters in clinical learning environments (CLEs), and give them tools to address unprofessional behavior when it is encountered.
Professionalism is a core competency of medical residents and fellows (trainees) in residency and fellowship training programs (training programs). Patients, medical societies, and accrediting organizations expect physicians to be professional. Therefore, teaching faculty should be able to identify unprofessional behavior and teach and assess medical professionalism in the clinical learning environment. However, training programs often struggle with educating trainees in the area of professionalism. In addition, there is a general lack of consensus regarding how to define, teach, assess, and remediate trainees who have lapses in professionalism. The purpose of this session is to help teaching faculty identify unprofessional behavior and organize appropriate instruction, assessment methods, and remediation processes for professionalism for their trainees.
Professionalism is a complex domain of competency that encompasses both behaviors and attitudes. Developing a professional identity is a sustaining, lifelong endeavor that allows clinicians to uphold their ideals, even in the face of undermining influences. This course teaches educators how they can encourage professional identity formation in their trainees and provides examples of what this looks like in action.
In clinical education programs, a program’s worth or merit is often anchored in specific outcomes based on accreditation requirements. This session will guide participants on how to work backwards from accreditation requirements to evaluate one’s program and ensure that it meets the outcomes that have been established.
Adults do not learn the same way children do. Unfortunately, many medical educators instruct their learners as if they were still in grade school. Developing educational programs in clinical learning environments that are not adapted to adult learning can lead to a lack of learner engagement. The session will explain the definition and origins of adult learning theory, provide a general overview of learning in adulthood, describe how to facilitate adult learning and characteristics.
Ever wonder about the efficacy of the active learning techniques you are using in class? This session will introduce the role and importance of educational scholarship in medical education. This workshop is for anyone who wants to learn more about assessing the impact of teaching and learning on their learners through sound research design focused on questions of interest. Participants will be exposed to common methods of data collection and analysis in SoTL. This workshop is primarily designed for people who are new to the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Active learning is an evidence-based approach to learning that engages learners through activities and discussion, as opposed to more passive forms of teaching such as lectures. The flipped classroom is one approach to active learning—it “flips” the usual classroom dynamic by spending the in-class time on application and discussion rather than information dissemination. This course will show you how to structure a flipped classroom experience and give you ideas for how you can make your teaching more interactive.
Feedback helps learners know what they are doing well and what they need to work on. Providing effective feedback is a skill, and this course is designed to help participants improve at giving both verbal and written feedback. We will discuss feedback challenges and evidence-based solutions and have opportunities to practice with case scenarios.
Understanding how to give effective feedback is an important first step in improving as an educator, but practice is necessary to fully develop this skill. In this workshop, we will briefly review key oral and written feedback principles and focus on applying those concepts using vignettes, role play and narrative revision activities in this interactive workshop. This workshop is a continuation of Helping Learners Progress Through Feedback and Evaluation.
The clinical learning environment consists of diverse health care professionals, which means that creating effective learning experiences should address learners with different educational and training backgrounds. An effective learning environment must acknowledge, value and support learners from varying backgrounds who work together to provide patient care. Therefore, it is essential that educators have a general understanding of how individuals learn and be intentional about creating effective learning environments.
Implicit bias refers to unconscious and unintentional mental associations that impact our understanding and actions. Such biases, when brought to the clinical learning environment, can impact education and patient care. Therefore, it is important for physicians to recognize their own biases in communication and become familiar with strategies to mitigate the effects of bias on effective education and patient care. In this session, we will examine ways to assess and reflect on one’s personal biases and discuss approaches that help to proactively mitigate the effects of personal bias in effective education and patient care. 1
Is the ever-shortening attention span of our learners a myth? Learn more about the neuroscience behind attention and engagement and how you can create, manage and sustain engaging learning experiences.
Question asking is one of the simplest and most effective tools educators have to monitor learner understanding and to provoke critical thinking and problem solving. To ask questions effectively, educators need to consider what type of knowledge—facts, comprehension, synthesis, analysis or evaluation—they want the learner to demonstrate and ask questions that will elicit the desired type of knowledge. In this workshop, we will discuss how to use Bloom’s Taxonomy of learner levels to create effective questions in clinical teaching settings and will practice these skills using scenarios. Setting a positive learning environment is key to effective question-asking, and we will identify how ineffective questioning practices can harm the learning environment and detract from learning.
Have you ever wondered why some people are able to persist in the face of difficulties and others give up? This workshop will help you understand the role our mindsets play in how we respond to challenges and how we can help our learners develop this crucial skill for lifelong learning.
These courses are available through the GME seminar series, as well as by request. For additional information, please contact oced@houstonmethodist.org
This panel discussion presents case-based instruction in publication ethics, data management, conflicts of interest, and research team dynamics in the context of competing clinical and career pressures faced by residents and fellows. Relevant content experts and institutional stakeholders in academic integrity and GME education serve as panelists to complement the presentation and facilitate a conversational atmosphere with attendees.
Knowing how to write effective goals is a necessary skill for lifelong learning. This workshop will show you how to write SMART goals and will help you coach others towards achieving their goals through deliberate practice.
An individualized learning plan (ILP) is a personal learning ‘contract’ that a learner develops based on their own reflection and self-assessment of the goals they want to attain over time. An ILP represents an opportunity for learners to reflect on your personal educational goals, as well as articulate, plan, track and monitor progress through your training program. In this course, we will discuss the components of an ILP and how educators can facilitate the ILP process by helping learners create SMART goals and providing guidance through regular feedback and monitoring.
There is a robust literature on best practices for giving feedback, but the learner’s role in this dynamic is often neglected. More recent research on the feedback process recognizes that it is a bidirectional exchange and requires engagement on the part of the learner. This workshop will provide clinical learners strategies to facilitate asking for, responding to, and acting on feedback. It will also describe how self-assessment and developing learning goals can help shape feedback conversations that are more actionable.
All residency programs have subsets of learners who struggle with some aspect of their training or clinical performance. Reviews of residency training programs have found a prevalence of 10% of learners with some kind of difficulty. Learning science approaches can be used to support remediation. In this session, we will define remediation, review the steps of remediation and provide competency-based interventions to help support struggling learners.
Nursing Preceptor Academy
Facilitated by the Center for Nursing, Research, Education and Practice, this two-day course prepares nurses to serve as preceptors to on-board colleagues and share the Houston Methodist culture. For more information, please contact cnrep@houstonmethodist.org
These courses are designed for educators, researchers, trainees and staff interested in academic mentorship and career planning. Courses are tailored for specific audiences.
This workshop guides faculty through a four-step process for creating a personal Individual Development Plan. The session will begin with a brief lecture before participants move to facilitated small groups to build their own plan. For additional information, please contact facultydev@houstonmethodist.org
This lecture offers an overview of the faculty appointment process at Houston Methodist and Weill Cornell. Participants will gain an understanding of the process and timelines as well as the materials required. For additional information, contact the Office of Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@houstonmethodist.org
These courses are designed for graduate research and postdoctoral fellows. For more information, please contact ogsta@houstonmethodist.org.
This workshop introduces trainees to the Individual Development Plan—a tool to help support, plan and track career development and learning opportunities.
Entering Mentoring is an evidence-based workshop designed for nonfaculty PhDs and graduate students working in labs with undergraduate or graduate students to develop skills and insight into mentoring young scientists.
Your CliftonStrengths themes are your talent DNA. These themes explain the ways you most naturally think, feel and behave. Trainees will take the CliftonStrengths assessment, receive a debrief from OGSTA staff, learn to sharpen your skills, improve problem-solving, and aim your strengths for success. ($20 will be charged to your cost center for the assessment.)
Participants will learn the basics of behavioral interviewing and the importance of proper preparation. Part 2 of the series will be a mock interview with OGSTA staff to practice interviewing skills and receive feedback.
The Houston Methodist Leadership Academy offers a wide variety of leadership and professional development courses. For more information on leadership courses, please see HMALL SharePoint.
This classroom workshop provides you with insights into what it means to be a leader at Houston Methodist. During this class, we will explore the difference between leading and managing, how to inspire and motivate people, and how to create trust and drive accountability while engaging your team.
How do you hold others accountable? When coworkers make promises, do you sigh in relief or do you start biting your nails? Do you make plans, set goals and give assignments, hoping they will deliver? If what you’re doing now isn’t working, then Crucial Accountability™ is the course for you. You’ll learn a methodology for effectively holding others accountable, how to build teamwork and relationships, decrease employee turnover, and how to improve bottom line results such as quality, efficiency, satisfaction and safety.
If you feel “stuck,” you are not alone. This course will help you learn how to keep your cool and get the results you want when emotions flare. We will prepare you to communicate your best when stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong.
This workshop series is designed for PhDs (non-faculty) and graduate students who want to learn more about leading and managing bioscience teams. Sessions include how to lead without authority, management 101, becoming an effective communicator and writing your leadership statement.
The Nursing Leadership Academy provides education and information regarding research and EBP through two courses, Nurse Manager Orientation, and Pathway to Bedside Leadership. For more information, please contact cnrep@houstonmethodist.org
Houston Methodist has developed several workshops and training programs designed to assist our faculty providers, trainees, and staff with building their physical, mental and spiritual wellness with tools for mindfulness and resilience.
At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to: (1) define mindfulness, (2) discuss how mindfulness can improve health and well-being in everyday living and in the workplace, and (3) describe mindfulness tools that can be applied to everyday living. For more information, contact profex@houstonmethodist.org
Navigating the significant challenges and stressors we face daily as members of the research community, steering through the career exploration process, and the stress of life can seem overwhelming and lead us to doubt ourselves just when we need confidence the most. The goal of Becoming a Resilient Scientist is to help develop the resilience you need to navigate challenging situations at work and in life. For more information, please contact ogsta@houstonmethodist.org
Trainee T 2-5 Minutes
This content provides short, guided mindfulness sessions to improve daily well-being. For more information, contact profex@houstonmethodist.org
This course focuses on understanding stress triggers and behaviors as well as strategies for building resilience. This course is designed for leaders and employees who have completed a Birkman assessment. For more information, contact Organizational Development.
Search our online calendar to see when courses are offered and create customized alerts for future offerings at attend.houstonmethodist.org
Faculty and Academic Development on Houston Methodist Watch For on-demand content, visit watch.houstonmethodist.org