ADFM’s EXTERNAL REVIEW CONSULTATION SERVICE - Pilot Program
Staff Contact: Amanda Weidner, aweidner@adfm.org
Background on External Reviews: External reviews are opportunities to assess the performance of a department and its leadership. Many medical schools and academic health centers employ external reviews. In many cases, the medical school dean will invite the external reviewers, with or without seeking names suggested by the department chair. The reviews typically begin with the department’s in-depth self-study to describe areas as challenges and opportunities. After the self-study, one or more external peers of the department leader (e.g. other department chairs from the same discipline) conduct a visit usually of 1 to 2 days duration. The on site visit consists of a series of interviews and meetings to hear priorities, concerns, and feedback from institutional leaders and departmental leaders, faculty, staff, students, and residents. The external reviewers may probe, clarify, and offer alternative framing of issues arising during these interviews, and then synthesize all they have heard and seen during the review to compose recommendations and improvements to address the challenges and opportunities of the department.
Introducing the new pilot: To promote equity, accessibility, and standard approaches for external reviews for departments of family medicine, the national ADFM has created an External Review Consultation service that they started piloting in 2025. ADFM provides this service to enable medical schools and health centers to engage their leadership with external reviewers from various areas of expertise and perspectives.
ADFM handles the administrative details including but not limited to contracts, confidentiality agreements, and remuneration. The department being reviewed is responsible for a self-study process and developing a series of questions for the review team to explore in depth, and for arranging the agenda of the site visit portion of the review.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PRECONFERENCE
Staff contact: Samantha Elwood, selwood@adfm.org
A preconference focusing on various leadership development topics is held annually on the Wednesday afternoon of the ADFM Annual Conference. New chairs, not-so-new chairs, ADFM Fellows, and senior leaders are all invited to attend. Examples of past topics include Financing Departments of Family Medicine, Normalizing Change and Managing People, and Leadership Competencies.
Information about the pre-conference is shared with the ADFM Meetings information when available.
NEW CHAIR ADVISING PROGRAM
Staff contact: Sam Elwood, selwood@adfm.org
Interested early career chairs (1 to 3 years) are paired with a more experienced chair advisor (5 or more years, preferred). The pair commits to check-ins and communication on a regular basis, at least quarterly for 2 years, and to meeting in person at the Annual Conference and other venues where both parties are present. Specific goals/objectives for the advising relationship are identified at the beginning, including a general goal of providing/receiving advice and approaches to problem solving/management dilemmas. The advisor may also serve as a facilitator for relationships with others for specific expertise or input, if needed.
Let us know your interest in being an advisor or advisee by filling out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/adfmchair
ADFM DEI LEADERS MEETINGS
Staff contact: Sam Elwood, selwood@adfm.org
These are 90-minute meetings that offer a great opportunity for DEI Directors and Chair dyads to join an informal discussion and collaborate across departments on current DEI related topics.
If you haven't already, please share this opportunity with your DEI director (or equivalent). We will release more information on the topics for these dates as they get nearer. Reach out for details on our upcoming meetings.
More information and registration for meetings is available here.
RESEARCH DIRECTORS AND CHAIRS MEETING
Staff contact: Sam Elwood, selwood@adfm.org
This 90 min meeting is a great opportunity for Research Directors and Chair dyads to join an informal discussion and collaborate across departments on current research related topics.
More information and registration for meetings is available here.
BUILDING RESEARCH CAPACITY TRAINING & CONSULTATION OPPORTUNITIES
Staff contact: JoBeth Hamon, jhamon@adfm.org
BRC is a joint initiative between ADFM and NAPCRG in cooperation with STFM. BRC provides opportunities for all departments and residency programs to engage in a mutually beneficial learning community to leverage our strengths and resources for building research capacity. BRC offers a Brief Consultation Service and a Curriculum for all interested departments and residency programs and an Extended Consultation Service on a limited basis.
More information is available here.
BUILDING RESEARCH CAPACITY PRECONFERENCE
Staff contact: JoBeth Hamon, jhamon@adfm.org
A preconference focusing on how leaders can build research and scholarly activity in their department is held annually on the Wednesday afternoon of the ADFM Annual Conference. New chairs, not-so-new chairs, and senior leaders are all invited to attend. Examples of past topics include Change Management, A Tool for Meeting your Department’s Research Goals and The Leader’s Guide to Decision-Making When Building Research and Scholarship Capacity.
Information about the pre-conference is shared with the ADFM Meetings information when available.
