Faculty development to support medical humanities in medical education – Pilot results and insights

Introduction: Through collaborative pedagogical initiatives, the medical humanities (MH) have the potential to support healthcare professionals in developing various competencies in medical education (ME). However, there is a lack of data on faculty development programmes specific to this field. Methods: Based on our experience in designing a medical humanities workshop for medical students, we conducted two faculty development (FD) workshops that adopted an interdisciplinary approach towards faculty training. These FD workshops served to train fellow clinician educators in the integration of the MH in ME. Results: A total of 17 participants completed two workshops over two years, with seven participants in 2023 and 6 in 2024 completing pre- and post-workshop surveys that evaluated their experience, knowledge and skills. The survey consisted of six self-rated questions based on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) with an open-ended question embedded in the post-workshop survey. A paired t-test evaluation of the results suggests that there was an increase in awareness, knowledge, and confidence. Conclusion: Our MH-based FD programme is limited by the lack of qualitative data and further studies are needed. Similar programmes should include an introduction to the medical humanities and its methodologies so that a train-the-trainers approach is adopted. Programmes should also look beyond teaching effectiveness to include developing systemic awareness and support, assess outcomes such as professional identity formation, and build communities of practice for faculty members. Keywords: Faculty Development, Medical Humanities, Medical Education, Health Professions Education