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Faculty Development Opportunities at UC-COM

The Office of Faculty Affairs & Development have created new development programming for our faculty in the areas of professional development, research development, teaching and education development, and wellness. Programs in these four tracks will be offered on a monthly basis during the academic year. Complete listing of development programs being offered 2025-2026 Programs (PDF).

FEBRUARY 2026

FEBRUARY 3, 2026    Male Allyship: Advocacy through the Everyday

Facilitators: Bret Betz, MD & Ryan LaFollette, MD
Via: Microsoft Teams
Time: 12-1:00pm

Description:   Would you define yourself as a male ally? If you aren’t male, can you think of someone you would put into this definition and why they are there? This workshop will be focused on defining and engaging the audience in real-world applications of male allyship within the sphere of academic medicine. As female colleagues are consistently less likely to undergo promotion and recognition in the business world, we will discuss concrete examples of how to improve the culture and arm the audience in a collegial promotion of female colleagues.

At the end of this session, the audience should be able to:
  1. Define male allyship and its use in academic medicine
  2. Give 3 examples of male allyship that can be used with colleagues
  3. Identify and redirect gender-based bias
FEBRUARY 4, 2026 Medpace Series:  The Clinical Trial Site, Investigators and Patients​

Facilitators: Medpace speakers Debbie Elliott, PhD and Swapnil Pandey, MS
Via: Microsoft Teams
Time: 12-1:00pm

Description:    Medpace and UC have partnered to bring "Charting the Course of Drug Development" seminar series to campus (in-person & virtual) as part of the Research Development workshop offerings. 

The fourth seminar in the series will highlight:
  1. Roles and responsibilities of the trial sites, investigators and patients in drug development
  2. The key factors influencing trial site selection
  3. The challenges and opportunities for patients in trial participation
FEBRUARY 5, 2026 Conflict Management: Developing the Tools for Success in Difficult Moments

Facilitators: Liz Leenellett, MD & Charles Prestigiacomo, MD
Via: Microsoft Teams
Time: 12-1:00pm

Description:   Conflict is all around us and is unavoidable.  Managing conflict and most importantly, resolving an existing conflict, is important in improving the work environment.  Each of us has some natural tendencies in the management of such conflicts that depends on our own character traits.  However, it is important to recognize that there are skills to be learned in successfully navigating these often-tense waters.  This development seminar will bring to focus methods of distinguishing elements and patterns of conflict, while also providing the attendees tools for self-evaluation and methods of managing conflict in various environments.  This serves as a foundational element for potentially additional, advanced workshops such as multi-party conflicts and using emotional intelligence to identify clues to success.

Learning objectives:

  1. Identify your conflict style
  2. Recognize the fundamental concepts of conflict management
  3. Discuss specific conflict management styles and techniques
  4. Learn how to utilize these techniques to more effectively assess & resolve conflict in real-world settings
  5. Prepare for a difficult conversation 
FEBRUARY 11, 2026    Creating Psychological Safety in Collaborative Teams​

Facilitators: Jenn Molano, MD & Laura Hildreth
Via: Microsoft Teams
Time: 12-1:00pm

Description: Explore how VIA Character Strengths and Appreciative Inquiry can foster psychological safety, trust, and cohesion in collaborative teams.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Define psychological safety
  2. Recognize the link between strengths-based practices and psychological safety
  3. Apply a strengths-based approach to collaborative processes
FEBRUARY 12, 2026   Championing Culture Building in your Department (repeat)​

Facilitator:   Steven D Kniffley Jr., PsyD MPA ABPP HSP
Via: Microsoft Teams
Time: 12-1:00pm

Training will provide COM departments with practical tools needed to foster comprehensive excellence for students, faculty and staff. Specifically, this training will cover the following areas: conducting a cultural audit and assessing culture change and impact. 
FEBRUARY 17, 2026   Vision Quest:  Purpose, Identity, and Burnout in a Medical Career​

Facilitator:  Houman Varghai, MD
Via: Microsoft Teams
Time: 12-1:00pm

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
  1. Describe how personal and professional values evolve over the course of a medical career and how misalignment between values and roles can contribute to dissatisfaction or burnout.
  2. Use a structured reflective framework to clarify personal and professional values and examine how these values influence career direction, priorities, and sense of meaning.
  3. Recognize that uncertainty, non-linear career paths, and periods of recalibration are common experiences among physician faculty, and reframe these moments as opportunities for reflection rather than failure. 
FEBRUARY 23, 2026   Introduction to the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) 

Facilitators:  Robin Selzer, PhD & Darlene Taylor, MSW, IDI Qualified Administrators 
Via: Zoom
Time: 12-1:00pm

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe the developmental approach of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) continuum
  2. Explain how the IDI assesses and tracks intercultural competence
  3. Draw on highlights from prior research to contextualize the application of the IDI process
  4. Explore how the IDI enhances perspective taking and cultural understanding in medical education

March 2026

March 3, 2026 | Financial Planning for Early Career Health Care Providers

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Office of Faculty Affairs
and Development
231 Albert Sabin Way
Suite G003
Cincinnati OH  45229
Mail Location: 0554
Phone: 513-558-0175
FAX: 513-558-3513
Email: doudaa@uc.edu