Cultivating faculty developer identity in a resource‐limited context

Faculty development in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) often borrows from high-income models that overlook contextual realities.In South Africa, faculty developers frequently juggle roles as clinicians, educators and leaders, creating tensions that shape their professional identity formation within complex, resource-limited academic and clinical environments.While technical skills are important, deeper attention to identity, values, lived experiences and belonging are essential to ensure sustainability. 1 2 | WHAT WAS TRIED?The Faculty Development Special Interest Group of the South African Association for Health Educationalists designed a three-part series to support faculty developers' identity formation.Using the metaphor of trees indigenous to South Africa, participants engaged in structured reflection on their professional journeys, career transitions, support networks and growth areas.Session 1 explored values, motivations, and influences shaping professional identity.Session 2 examined current roles, tensions, networks and growth needs.Session 3 encouraged reflection on legacy and future impact-capturing the journey from roots to growth, harvest and renewal.This metaphor resonated with participants in our setting, offering a culturally flexible and low-resource approach to foster identity development and career sustainability.