Overview

TRANSFORM is a program designed for faculty in science and medicine. Our goal is to ensure that faculty at the associate professor level acquire the skills and experiences needed to advance and excel in more senior faculty and leadership positions within their institution and nationally.

This innovative program:

• Combines responsive longitudinal leadership training, mentoring, and executive coaching tailored to mid-career faculty.
• Fosters a network of support, encouragement, and peer-peer learning among mid-career faculty.
• Unites the expertise and educational modalities of five institutions committed to the success of mid-career faculty.
• Positions mid-career faculty to build expertise and recognition at their institutions and nationally.

TRANSFORM is funded by National Institute for General Medical Sciences grant #R25GM143262

Please contact us at TRANSFORM@pitt.edu with any questions.

Program Description

The TRANSFORM program involves the following 4 components:

Navigating Academia

TRANSFORM scholars will complete six month-long online leadership modules. These modules:

• Online modules will draw extensively on the professional experience, knowledge, and culture of participants.

Module Topics:

• Navigating Academia
• Nurturing Your Well-Being
• Strengths-Based Leadership
• Strategic Career Planning
• Building National Visibility by Leveraging Social Capital
• Career and Resource Sustainability

Mentorship

TRANSFORM scholars will:

• Be matched with a mentor who has appropriate areas of scientific expertise and career experience. The mentor will help the scholar address academic and research-related challenges specific to mid-career faculty.
• Engage in peer-peer small-group mentoring, discussing challenges, practicing skills, and sharing strategies for success.

Leadership Project

• Working with their institutional leader, scholars will identify an organizational change project which targets an issue of importance to both the institution and to the scholars’ leadership and professional goals.
• Scholars will present their completed project proposals at the TRANSFORM Symposium at the end of the program.

Executive Coaching

• Scholars will use the results of baseline assessments that measure psychological safety, resilience, and self-efficacy to identify personal learning goals.
• Scholars will participate in 6, one-hour virtual sessions.
• Scholars will work in small peer-to-peer mentoring groups to share challenges, strengths-based practice skills, and strategies for success.

Leadership Skill Development

• TRANSFORM Scholars will complete six, 4 week-long online leadership modules. These modules will build on and more deeply explore the concepts offered at the AAMC Mid-Career Faculty Leadership Seminar.
  
• Modules include:
  • Navigating Academia as a Mid-Career Faculty Member
  • Nurturing Your Well-Being
  • Strengths-Based Leadership
  • Strategic Career Planning
  • Building National Visibility by Leveraging Social Capital
  • Career and Resource Sustainability
• Online Modules will draw extensively on the professional experience, and knowledge of participants and will employ a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities. Scholars should expect to allocate approximately 2 hours of work per unit.

Career Advancement & Professional Development

• Program Mentor: Scholars will be matched with a mentor who has similar areas of expertise and career paths. The mentor will help the scholar address academic and research-related challenges specific to mid-career faculty (i.e. moving to independent investigator status, procuring research funding, navigating the promotion and tenure process, pursuing leadership opportunities inside and outside of their home institution, etc).
• Peer-to-Peer Mentor: Scholars will be paired within small groups of current TRANSFORM Scholars. These small peer groups will enable Scholars to support each other and share their perspectives and resources. Scholars will work in small peer-to-peer mentoring groups to share challenges, strengths-based practice skills, and strategies for success.
• Scholars will have the flexibility to take additional short online self-paced research courses to sharpen their research skills. This includes Clinical Research, Applied Biostatistics, Measurement in Clinical Research, and computer Methods in Clinical Research.

Institutional Impact

• An Institutional Leadership Project is an opportunity to elevate the Scholar’s leadership and visibility within their institution. These leadership projects can be instrumental in facilitating relationships with institutional leaders that will put scholars on their radar for leadership opportunities.
• For the Institutional Project, Scholars will identify an organizational change project with their institutional leader (e.g., Dean, Dept chair) which targets an issue of importance to both the institution and to the Scholars’ leadership and professional goals. In collaboration with their institutional leader, Scholars will design and present their project at the end-of- year TRANSFORM symposium. Institutional leaders are expected to attend the presentations of their faculty.
  
  
  

Fostering Psychological Safety & Self-Efficacy

• Scholars will use the results of baseline assessments that measure psychological safety, resilience, and self-efficacy to identify personal learning goals.
• Scholars will participate in six responsive, semi-structured group coaching sessions. 90- minute virtual sessions, led by an executive coach.

TRANSFORM FAQs

Is this program virtual or in-person?
All components of TRANSFORM will be virtual, with the exception of your required attendance of the 2026 TRANSFORM Symposium (exact dates to come).

Can more than one faculty member from the same institution apply?
More than one faculty member from the same Institution may apply.

Does “Sponsoring Sites” mean that only faculty from these organizations can apply?
No, Scholars from any institution that has an AAMC membership are welcome to apply. The Sponsoring Sites indicate where the members of our executive committee are located and are the institutions sponsoring the program.

Is there a person I can talk to if additional questions arise?
Yes, if you have any additional questions, feel free to email this account transform@pitt.edu and we would be happy to set up a time to talk.

Will Scholars receive financial support as part of the program?
Yes, Scholars accepted into the program will receive a $10,000 stipend. These funds are intended to support professional development and research and will become available after Scholars are accepted into the program.

Application Process

If you are eligible to apply to the TRANSFORM Program, please complete the online application available here. The application package must include all components listed below.

• A copy of your CV (not NIH Biosketch)
• Description of your research (i.e. basic, clinical, translational, medical education) training, focus, and goals.
• Description of your leadership training, goals, opportunities, and challenges.
• A letter of support from your division chief, department chair, or school dean of your primary appointment is optional at the time of application, but will be needed if accepted into the program.

If you have questions about TRANSFORM or the application process, please contact TRANSFORM@pitt.edu.

Professional and Leadership Development Support

Accepted Scholars will be provided with:

• Funding

  • Scholars accepted into the program will receive a $10,000 stipend. These funds are intended to support professional development and will become available after Scholars are accepted into the program. Scholars are to attend the 2026 TRANSFORM Symposium using a portion of these funds. All other TRANSFORM-related activities and expenses will be covered by the program.

  • These Stipend funds can support (but are not limited to)

    • Individual Executive Coaching
    • Additional leadership books or activities
    • Research activities
    • Institutional projects
    • Conferences/Workshops
• Scholar Handbook
• 3 Leadership books
• Program leadership mentor
• Access to a lifelong leadership network