Distinction in Medical Education Program

Timeline/Guidelines for Achieving Distinction in Medical Education (DIME)

1. Students should show interest in academic medicine by seeking leadership positions, e.g. serving as student curriculum committee members and as course representatives, and engaging in volunteer or other teaching activities (service learning, PASS teaching, etc.) in the first two years of medical school.

2. Students must complete the DIME Non-Credit Elective* during M1 and M2 years by attending a minimum of 6 sessions over a two year period and by completing two required readings of their choice (click here to download the reading report form).

3. Students must submit a Statement of Interest Form for the DIME Program by the end of second year to include completed and proposed activities to fulfill the DIME requirements. Teaching experience and educational scholarship prior to medical school will be looked upon favorably, but is not required.

4. Students must participate in an M3-M4 Academic Medicine Elective.

5. DIME applicants must complete the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) Basic Course

6. Students must select a mentor/collaborator, formulate a scholarly project in education, and submit the DIME application no later than July 15 of the M3 year.

7. All educational scholarly projects must be submitted with a summary statement by January 15 of the student's graduation year.

8. Students satisfactorily completing the DIME Program are required to present their work at a symposium in the spring of their M4 year.

Guidelines for Scholarship in Education

Project proposals must be approved by a faculty mentor/collaborator and by 3 members of the DIME committee. Traditional research, as well as other forms of scholarship, are encouraged. Projects will be evaluated using the standards defined by Glassick* for assessing educational scholarship.

*Glassick, C.E. , Boyer's Expanded Definitions of Scholarship, the Standards for Assessing Scholarship, and the Elusiveness of the Scholarship of Teaching, Academic Medicine, v75 n9 p877-80 Sep 2000w

Timeline for DIME

M1
*Participate in DIME Non-Credit Elective

M2
* Complete DIME Non-Credit Elective
* Complete Statement of Interest Form for DIME
* Begin DIME Application

M3
* Complete DIME Application
* Schedule Medical Education Elective (M3 or M4)
* Complete the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) Basic Course

M4
* Complete Medical Education Elective
* Complete DIME Project
* Prepare Summary for DIME Committee
* Prepare to disseminate project (paper, conference submission,
presentations, etc.