Intealth™ has named Matthew Shick, JD, as Assistant Vice President and Chief Government Relations Officer. Shick, a seasoned government relations veteran, will focus on enhancing Intealth’s advocacy efforts on behalf of international medical graduates (IMGs) and the vital role they play in health care quality and accessibility across the United States. Shick will join Intealth on May 22.
Intealth and its members, ECFMG® and FAIMER®, are leading advocates for IMGs and the essential contributions they make to U.S. health care. In 2018, the organizations opposed a travel ban limiting the entry of IMGs from certain countries. In 2020, they led a successful grassroots effort to prevent the proposed administrative change to “duration of status” that would have had a devastating impact on U.S. health care. The organizations also worked to mitigate multiple visa processing and travel restrictions that threatened the continued entry of IMGs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have made significant strides in recent years to raise awareness of the important contributions that IMGs make to U.S. health care,” said William Pinsky, MD, FAAP, FACC, Chief Executive Officer of Intealth. “In this role, Matt’s wealth of experience in government relations in the health care sector and his proven record of advocacy will help us greatly expand those efforts.”
As Chief Government Relations Officer, Shick will be responsible for leading Intealth’s government relations strategy and priorities, as well as managing the organization’s relationships with local, state, and federal government entities. This includes shaping legislation and regulatory initiatives related to the health workforce, medical education, and immigration, among other areas impacting IMGs’ ability to practice medicine in the United States; advising Intealth’s executive leadership on potential impacts to the organization; and representing the IMG community’s interests to policy makers and government officials. In addition, he will develop and maintain relationships with peer organizations and communicate with internal stakeholders on government policy issues that could affect the organization's mission.
Shick comes to Intealth after 18 years at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), where he served as Senior Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs. In that role, he was responsible for the AAMC’s international medical education, immigration, visa, and citizenship policy development and guided AAMC leadership and constituencies on legislative and regulatory actions of Congress, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of State, among other federal agencies.
“I am drawn to Intealth’s values and its vision to be the trusted global authority on health care education,” Shick said. “In my time at AAMC, I saw firsthand the importance of international medical graduates to underserved patients as a quarter of the nation’s physician workforce. I look forward to helping Intealth maximize its considerable expertise and resources to shape policies and legislation that support IMGs’ continuing contributions to our nation’s health.”
Shick, a resident of Falls Church, Virginia, earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2012 from George Mason University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2004 from Georgetown University.
About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi‐layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions. Intealth is an integrated organization that includes ECFMG and FAIMER. Learn more at www.intealth.org.
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Makerere University Will Host, Mbarara University Will Be Regional Partner
May 10, 2023The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®), a member of Intealth™, today announced the launch of the Eastern Africa FAIMER Regional Institute (EAFRI) in partnership with Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda. Fellowships with the new Institute will begin in August 2023. Applications for fellowships are now available at https://apply.faimer.org/prog/eafri/ .
EAFRI will serve health professions educators in East Africa including Uganda, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Comoros, the Seychelles, and Mauritius. In addition, EAFRI will serve East African Community member states including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. It will also consider applicants from other regions of Africa.
Celebrating the EAFRI Launch: Leaders from Intealth, Makerere University, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology pose for a group photo following the official launch of the Eastern Africa FAIMER Regional Institute (EAFRI) in Kampala, Uganda. Front Row (left to right): Damalie Nakanjako, Principal, Makerere University College of Health Sciences; Sarah Kiguli, Director of EAFRI; Samuel Maling, Associate Director of EAFRI; Joseph Ngonzi, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology; and Ronald Blanck, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of FAIMER. Back Row (left to right): Rashmi Vyas, Senior Associate of FAIMER and Lead, FAIMER Global Programs and Annettee Nakimuli, Dean, Makerere University College of Health Sciences School of Medicine.
“We are honored to partner with two outstanding universities in the region to advance the education of physicians and other health care professionals throughout East Africa,” said William Pinsky, MD, FAAP, FACC, Chief Executive Officer of Intealth. “EAFRI Fellows will join a growing network of more than 2,000 FAIMER Fellows around the world, each a powerful example of how Intealth is advancing the global health workforce.”
The core curriculum of EAFRI is a two-year, part-time fellowship program based on the International FAIMER Institute , which teaches education methods, leadership and management, education scholarship and research, and project management and evaluation. The Institute uses an interactive, high-engagement approach that focuses on participants’ projects as the laboratory to apply their learning. EAFRI joins nine other Regional Institutes , including one in Chile, two in China, one in Egypt, four in India, and one in Indonesia.
“With the establishment of EAFRI, we are delighted to provide these faculty development opportunities to educators in the East Africa region,” said Ronald Blanck, DO, MACP, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of FAIMER. “The shared strength of both Makerere University College of Health Sciences and Mbarara University of Science and Technology will allow EAFRI to advance the health workforce in East Africa, benefiting faculty, students, and the communities in which these health professions educators serve.”
Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), the oldest medical school in the region, offers doctoral and master's programs in health professions education (HPE) and is creating an HPE Center of Excellence. MakCHS supports other medical schools in East Africa through several collaborative training programs, including the Medical Education Partnership Initiative, the Medical Education for Equitable Services for All Ugandans program, and the Health Professional Education Partnership Initiative.
“Partnering with FAIMER will enable us to develop leaders in health professions education, research, and community services who will transform the health care system and address the needs of the community in East Africa,” said Dr. Annettee Nakimuli, Dean at the MakCHS School of Medicine.
Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) is the second oldest public university in Uganda and has trained undergraduate and graduate health professionals since 1989. MUST features a medical education resource center and vibrant regional, national, and international collaborations.
“Mbarara University's collaboration with FAIMER provides a monumental opportunity to benefit from globally pooled expertise and resources in order to enhance excellent health professions education and ensure equitable access to health care for everyone,” said Dr. Joseph Ngonzi, Dean for the MUST Faculty of Medicine.
About FAIMER
Established in 2000 as a nonprofit foundation of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®), a member of Intealth, FAIMER conducts data analyses and research to inform policies and program development in support of ECFMG missions, supports the education of physicians and other health care professionals worldwide, and develops resources on the health care workforce used by global communities. Learn more at www.faimer.org .
About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi‐layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions. Intealth is an integrated organization that includes ECFMG and FAIMER. Learn more at www.intealth.org.
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More than 8,000 IMGs Will Join U.S. Health Care Teams
March 17, 2023The success of IMGs in pursuing graduate medical education (GME) in the United States remains strong with significant increases in the number of physicians obtaining first-year training positions, according to the results of the 2023 Main Residency Match® (The Match®) announced Friday by the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®).
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A total of 8,388 IMGs obtained first-year residency positions in accredited U.S. GME programs in the 2023 Match, an increase of 718 (9.4%) from last year. Of the IMGs matched, 3,356 are U.S. citizens, up 257 compared to last year. The number of positions obtained by non-U.S. citizen IMGs is 5,032, up 461 compared to last year. The match rates for U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen IMGs are 67.6% and 59.4%, respectively, both increasing compared to last year. An infographic on IMG performance in the 2023 Match can be found here.
According to William W. Pinsky, MD, CEO of IntealthTM and President of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®), the strong performance of IMGs announced Friday underscores both the quality of IMGs who pursue U.S. GME and the essential role they play as members of health care teams across the nation. He also noted that the record number of primary-care positions offered in this year’s Match is a positive development, since IMGs frequently pursue primary-care specialties.
“Today’s results demonstrate that IMGs continue to be very competitive in obtaining U.S. training,” Dr. Pinsky said. “Intealth and its members succeeded in ensuring a diverse and highly qualified pool of IMG applicants for U.S. training programs. Our services will continue to support the U.S. GME community and their new IMG trainees as they progress in training and make critical contributions to patient care.”
Intealth is an integrated organization that advances the global health workforce. In the United States, ECFMG , a member of Intealth, assesses the readiness of IMGs to enter U.S. GME. The program for certifying IMGs is a rigorous process that includes passing components of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®), the same examinations required of U.S. medical school students and graduates, and demonstration of clinical and communication skills. As part of the certification process, ECFMG also verifies the authenticity of IMGs’ medical education credentials, including their medical diplomas, directly with the issuing medical schools. Only IMGs who are certified by ECFMG can enter accredited U.S. GME programs.
About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi‐layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions. Intealth is an integrated organization that includes ECFMG and FAIMER.
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William W. Pinsky, MD, FAAP, FACC
CEO, Intealth
This week marks one year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an act that has ushered in a new era of needless loss of life and profound suffering. The impacts of this aggression extend far beyond the borders of Ukraine. The entire region is forever changed, bearing the indelible marks of refugee crises, societal damage, political unease, and economic disruption.
In late January, I landed in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, one of many locations where the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold. In the days that followed, I shared time with refugees and with the aid workers and medical staff who are working to sustain them with the basics of life. As a visitor, I can bear witness to the depth and constancy of this crisis, which is far from the mainstream media’s focus on nightmarish landscapes of devastation in Ukraine.
Past generations of my own family include those who fled persecution and violence in Russia and made new homes and new lives. I am a product of that history, shaped by the same kind of violent disruption occurring today in eastern Europe. Perhaps it is the reason that I became a physician, and why I continue to look for ways in my work to promote well-being for all. The consequences of today’s war for Ukraine will ripple through generations, in the form of lives that have been lost, families that have been torn apart, and homelands that have been abandoned.
The resilience and hope needed to rebuild lives also are evident in Chișinău, and I am in awe of those who can focus on a better future while enduring terrible conditions. Individuals from agencies are working daily to provide food, shelter, and medicine. The continued commitment and support of these agencies, and of private citizens, will be needed by refugees long after the geopolitical conflict ends.
In my own family, I grew up with stories of my aunt, Gertrude Pinsky, who left the comfort and security of her home in Cincinnati, Ohio, and traveled to Amsterdam in the aftermath of World War II. There, she worked to assist in the long and arduous process of relocating war refugees until her death in an airplane crash in 1946 while flying to Prague. Buried in Prague, she is both far from her home and close to one of our ancestral homelands. After Chișinău, I flew to Prague to visit the resting place of this woman who died in the service of others before I was born.
My trip was an intensely personal and spiritual one, fueled by the need to take action, and by connections to people and experiences through space and time. It is one of the ways I choose to honor and support the victims of the war for Ukraine and all of those working to care for them. While it is a trip that not everyone can or should undertake, it is part of a larger journey that is for all of us—to nurture a shared humanity and the opportunity to remake ourselves in the face of adversity.
Please remember and support the victims of the war for Ukraine, now and in the years to come.
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Leadership for a Pivotal Time of Strategic Growth and Development
Intealth, the trusted global authority on health care education, has selected Lieutenant General Ronald R. Blanck, DO, MACP (U.S. Army, retired), as Interim President of FAIMER, a member of Intealth. Dr. Blanck assumed leadership of FAIMER in late 2022, at a pivotal time of strategic growth and development.
As Interim President of FAIMER, Dr. Blanck is responsible for developing and guiding the overall strategic direction of FAIMER, which was formed in 2000 as a nonprofit foundation of ECFMG®. FAIMER supports the education of physicians and other health care professionals worldwide, conducts data analyses and research to inform policies and program development, and develops resources on the health care workforce used by global communities. In late 2021, ECFMG and FAIMER created Intealth, an overarching identity reflecting their integrated approach to operations and the enhanced potential this integration offers to support the health professions worldwide.
Dr. Blanck’s contributions will be critical to ensuring the continued forward momentum of Intealth and its members to improve health care for all. He brings extensive knowledge of the organizations, having served as Chair of the ECFMG Board of Trustees and as a member of the FAIMER Board of Trustees.
Dr. Blanck is a partner and Board Chair of Martin, Blanck & Associates, a health care consulting company for the private sector and the government. He retired in June 2006 as President of the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, where he headed an academic health center that includes the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, and School of Health Professions.
Dr. Blanck began his military career in 1968 as a medical officer and battalion surgeon in Vietnam. He retired 32 years later as the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command, with more than 46,000 military personnel and 26,000 civilian employees throughout the world. During his distinguished military career, Dr. Blanck also served as Commander, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, and Chief, Department of Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center.
A graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Blanck is board certified in internal medicine.
About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi‐layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions. Intealth is an integrated organization that includes ECFMG and FAIMER. For more information, please visit https://www.intealth.org/.
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Strategic Transformation Marks Tenure
Intealth announced today that Chief Executive Officer William W. Pinsky, MD, will retire at the end of 2023. At that time, Dr. Pinsky also will retire as the President of ECFMG®, a member of Intealth, and the Board Chair of FAIMER®, a member of Intealth. Dr. Pinsky’s retirement will follow more than seven years of strategic leadership during which he has transformed the organizations and their ability to promote better health care for all.
During his tenure beginning in 2016, Dr. Pinsky reimagined the structure of the organizations, refining governance, expanding the executive leadership team, and instituting progressive realignments of business units to nurture synergies and maximize impact. His unwavering focus on strategy has engaged all levels of the organizations, consisting of both focused, accelerated initiatives and a comprehensive framework to guide and integrate all activities.
This sustained period of transformation resulted in the creation of Intealth in 2021, fulfilling Dr. Pinsky’s vision for the integration of ECFMG and FAIMER to ensure a common focus and the efficient use of resources. As Intealth’s Chief Executive Officer, he has united these member organizations under a common vision, developed their complementary missions, and established a new set of core values to guide internal and external practice.
“Bill has created something powerful—a structure for growth and the potential to do more,” said ECFMG Board Chair Peter F. Buckley, MD. “He has elevated our baseline, creating a stronger foundation to support the future needs of the world’s physicians and other health professionals, medical education and regulatory communities, researchers and policy makers, and the public.”
The business transformation shepherded by Dr. Pinsky already has demonstrated its value. In recent years, Intealth and its members successfully navigated the profound disruptions of the global COVID-19 pandemic, not only ensuring continuity of their services, but also maintaining the momentum of critical initiatives. In 2021, FAIMER marked its 20th anniversary, convening nearly 600 participants from 51 countries to celebrate the success of its fellowship programs for health professions educators and unveiling new initiatives to support the health professions worldwide. In 2022, ECFMG confirmed the 2024 launch of its medical school accreditation initiative, which is vitally important to ensuring the quality of medical education and, ultimately, patient care globally. The organizations also have taken on proactive roles to advocate, share expertise, and inform public policy in order to ensure accessible, high quality health care.
The second half of 2023 will see the launch of MyIntealth™, a new on-line environment offering users streamlined access to services and a vastly enhanced user experience as well as the expansion of FAIMER’s network of Regional Institutes to include one in Eastern Africa.
A national search for Dr. Pinsky’s successor will be initiated in the near future.
About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi‐layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions.
Intealth is an integrated organization that includes ECFMG and FAIMER.
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Intealth™ Will Report Recognized Accreditation Status of Medical Schools
Intealth today announced plans for the initial implementation of its global medical school accreditation initiative, the Recognized Accreditation Policy. Beginning in 2024, Intealth will report when a medical school has satisfied the requirements of the Policy, achieving “recognized accreditation” status.
Medical school accreditation is vitally important to ensuring the quality of medical education and, ultimately, patient care. This Policy aims to stimulate accreditation efforts worldwide and to promote global standards for the evaluation of undergraduate medical education. Reporting of a school’s recognized accreditation status will provide valuable information to current and future medical students, U.S. residency/fellowship program directors, medical regulatory authorities, and others around the world.
The medical school accreditation initiative was announced in 2010, when ECFMG®, a member of Intealth, instituted recognized accreditation status as a future requirement for ECFMG Certification of international medical graduates (IMGs). For a medical school to achieve recognized accreditation status, the accrediting agency of the school must itself be reviewed and recognized by an external quality assurance organization. This quality assurance organization, in turn, must be reviewed and approved by ECFMG. Only medical schools accredited by an agency that is recognized by an organization approved by ECFMG will satisfy the requirements of the Recognized Accreditation Policy.
“In 2024, we will begin to realize the benefits of more than a decade of intense activity and accomplishment,” said William W. Pinsky, MD, CEO of Intealth and President of ECFMG. “The Recognized Accreditation Policy supports our steadfast commitments — to assure the U.S. public that IMGs, who provide supervised patient care while training, are ready to do so, and to ensure that directors of U.S. training programs have a properly qualified IMG applicant pool from which to choose their trainees.”
Since its announcement in 2010, the initiative has catalyzed global accreditation efforts. A significant number of accrediting agencies around the world have achieved recognition, enabling the medical schools they accredit to achieve recognized accreditation status. Additional accrediting agencies are in the process of seeking recognition.
At the same time, global events have disrupted key aspects of the recognition of accrediting agencies and the accreditation of medical schools by those agencies. The timeline and other key aspects of initial implementation announced today recognize the continued impacts of COVID-19 and global conflicts. When the Recognized Accreditation Policy is initially implemented in 2024, it will be in a way that continues to promote the importance of medical school accreditation by a recognized agency and will not impede an individual’s eligibility for ECFMG Certification.
“Intealth and its members are strong advocates for IMGs and their essential contributions,” Dr. Pinsky added. “As we continue to develop our future plans for implementation of the Recognized Accreditation Policy, we will balance the need to maintain the momentum of this initiative with our ongoing commitment to IMGs to support their aspirations to further their careers.”
For schools that achieve recognized accreditation status, this status will be reported beginning in 2024 in the school’s listing in the World Directory of Medical Schools . ECFMG also will work with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to include this information in the status reports provided to the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) for individuals seeking to obtain U.S. graduate medical education positions in the 2025 Main Residency Match®.
Further details on the Recognized Accreditation Policy are available on the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org/accreditation .
ECFMG Certification
Through its program of certification, ECFMG, a member of Intealth, assesses whether IMGs are ready to enter residency or fellowship programs in the United States that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Each year, more than 7,000 IMGs enter first-year residency programs in the United States, where they receive medical specialty training and provide essential health care services to U.S. patients. About 25% of all physicians in training and practice in the United States are IMGs.
Intealth – Advancing the Global Health Workforce
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, ECFMG and FAIMER®, Intealth offers a flexible and multi-layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions.
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The development of regional exchange programs for health professions students in Africa helped bridge a long-existing educational opportunities gap and build multilateral partnerships between institutions on the continent, according to a recent journal article authored by staff of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), a member of Intealth.
The article, Developing an African medical and health professions student regional elective exchange program: approaches and lessons learned , was published May 19 in MedEdPublish. It was authored by Faith Nawagi, Africa Regional Representative; Anna Iacone, retired Senior Associate; Justin Seeling, Associate Chief of Staff; and Snigdha Mukherjee, Senior Associate.
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), a member of Intealth, and FAIMER launched an African regional elective exchange program through the Global Educational Exchange in Medicine and the Health Professions (GEMx) initiative in 2016. Just four years after launch, the GEMx Africa regional elective exchange program included 34 medical colleges and health professions programs in 15 African countries that benefited nearly 200 students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
“The program successfully bridged a long-existing gap of inadequate opportunities for African health professional students to enhance their global exposure through IMEs (international medical electives). As a result, students gained transferable knowledge and skills through exposure to other disease burdens and health care settings,” according to the article. “Furthermore, the program helped to strengthen the various institutional networks' capacity-building agenda in medicine and the health professions through strong multilateral partnerships and a unified commitment to effective IMEs.”
Though the GEMx Africa regional exchange program was discontinued in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, FAIMER continues to move forward with health professions education programming and capacity-building efforts in Africa. The GEMx program is undergoing restructuring to focus on postgraduate clinical exchanges in areas of critical workforce development need in Africa, starting with ophthalmology. In addition, FAIMER has developed a three-year virtual interprofessional elective exchange program, in partnership with the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) and funded by a National Institutes of Health grant.
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The Philadelphia Business Journal has named Joshua Kisver, Intealth Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, as a CFO of the Year. Kisver and his fellow honorees are profiled in a special edition of the Philadelphia Business Journal and were recognized formally at a July 19 event at the Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia.
Presented annually, the Philadelphia Business Journal’s CFO of the Year program honors top financial professionals for outstanding performance in their roles, including demonstrated contributions to their company’s growth and/or profitability, success in overcoming business challenges, and influence within the community. Kisver is among 24 honorees from throughout the greater Philadelphia region representing various industries.
William W. Pinsky, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Intealth, congratulated Kisver on the honor and commended his work.
“Josh has guided Intealth skillfully and thoughtfully through the various financial challenges presented by the pandemic over the past two years,” Dr. Pinsky said. “Josh and his Finance team continue to lead a comprehensive transformation of Intealth’s fiscal planning and oversight that positions us very well for the future.”
A Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania and an Intealth employee since 2015, Kisver has two decades of management and financial experience in the nonprofit, health care, and higher education industries. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Temple University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Drexel University. He also earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science and is a Registered Respiratory Therapist.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal as a CFO of the Year,” Kisver said. “I’m very fortunate to work with a great team in Finance at Intealth and to be part of an organization that truly values its employees and plays such an important role in global health care. The people at Intealth help me to succeed at what I do, and I see this as an honor I can share with them.”
Intealth, an integrated organization that includes ECFMG and FAIMER, works to advance the global health workforce.
[posted June 9, 2022; updated July 19, 2022]
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The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), a member of Intealth, is excited to announce the launch of FAIMER Connect, an online community where FAIMER Fellows, faculty, and staff can stay connected, share information, and strengthen the FAIMER global community of practice.
FAIMER Connect is open to the more than 2,000 current and alumni Fellows of the International FAIMER Institute and the eleven current and former FAIMER Regional Institutes around the globe. In addition, the online community is open to institute faculty members, alumni of other FAIMER programs, members of FAIMER partner organizations, and FAIMER staff.
“We often hear from FAIMER Fellows that the relationships they establish with other Fellows, faculty, and FAIMER staff during their fellowships, and the collaborations that result from those relationships, are some of the most valuable and lasting benefits of the Institutes,” said Dr. Jeanette Mladenovic, President of FAIMER. “With the launch of FAIMER Connect, our goal is to take that global community of practice to the next level and create a larger, deeper, and more collaborative community to strengthen health professions education worldwide.”
To join FAIMER Connect, visit https://connect.faimer.org and select “Request Invitation.” Once your invitation has been accepted, you can explore the Community Directory, join a group, message other community members, check out the latest news and events, contribute to community discussions, or update the community on your latest accomplishments.
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As a new academic year for U.S. graduate medical education (GME) approaches, ECFMG, a member of Intealth, has collaborated with other leaders in U.S. GME to update a key resource for incoming residents and their residency programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The revised edition of Transition in a Time of Disruption: Practical Guidance to Support Learners in the Transition to Graduate Medical Education provides support for the delivery of high-quality patient care while also supporting the well-being, professional development, and equitable treatment of all incoming residents.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the education and training of physicians, and both learners and teachers have shown remarkable resilience,” said William W. Pinsky, MD, CEO of Intealth and President of ECFMG. “It is our obligation to continue to support them with the latest available information and guidance and to address the unique challenges of international medical graduates entering U.S. training.”
This resource is part of the Transitions in Medical Education series, which also includes toolkits on the transition from residency to fellowship and from residency/fellowship to practice.
The toolkits are not requirements and are meant to help guide learners and programs. They include review questions, recommended activities, and resources, and cover topics such as well-being, assessment, future planning, and much more.
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Facing pandemic-related challenges for a second year, international medical graduates (IMGs) remain resilient and competitive in pursuing graduate medical education (GME) in the United States, according to the results of the 2022 Main Residency Match® announced Friday by the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®).
A total of 7,670 IMGs obtained first-year residency positions in accredited U.S. GME programs in the 2022 Match, an increase of 162 (2.2%) from last year and up 294 (4.0%) compared to 2020, the last Match cycle not significantly impacted by the pandemic. Of the IMGs matched, 3,099 are U.S. citizens, down 53 compared to last year. The number of positions obtained by non-U.S. citizen IMGs is 4,571, up 215 compared to last year. The match rates for U.S.-citizen and non-U.S. citizen IMGs are 61.4% and 58.1%, respectively, both increasing compared to last year.
According to William W. Pinsky, MD, CEO of Intealth and President of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®), IMGs are critical to U.S. health care. They account for about 25% of all physicians in accredited GME programs. They not only serve as vital members of health care teams at the institutions where they train, but also lend a diversity of thought and experience that is invaluable to U.S. health care.
“The results of recent Matches demonstrate that IMGs have not been deterred by the pandemic in seeking U.S. training and that they remain highly competitive,” Dr. Pinsky said. “It also demonstrates that ECFMG continues to ensure that the applicant pool of IMGs for the Match is ample, diverse, and highly qualified despite the challenges of the pandemic.”
Intealth is an integrated organization that advances the global health workforce. In the United States, ECFMG , a member of Intealth, assesses the readiness of IMGs to enter U.S. GME. The program for certifying IMGs is a rigorous process that includes passing components of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®), the same examinations required of U.S. medical school students and graduates, and demonstration of clinical and communication skills. As part of the certification process, ECFMG also verifies the authenticity of IMGs’ medical education credentials, including their medical diplomas, directly with the issuing medical schools. Only IMGs who are certified by ECFMG can enter accredited U.S. GME programs.
Beginning in March 2020, the pandemic forced the suspension and eventual permanent discontinuation of the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) component of USMLE, which had been used by IMGs to demonstrate the clinical and communication skills required for ECFMG Certification. ECFMG and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) moved quickly to develop the Pathways to ensure that IMGs certified by ECFMG continue to have appropriate clinical and communication skills. Among IMGs who applied to U.S. GME programs beginning in 2022 through the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) and who had satisfied ECFMG’s examination requirements, 62% met ECFMG’s requirements for clinical and communication skills through a Pathway.
“We have ensured the continuity and integrity of ECFMG’s program of certification and the vital service it provides to the U.S. public and the U.S. GME community,” Dr. Pinsky said. “The integrated efforts of ECFMG and FAIMER to develop the Pathways yielded an agile, successful solution. This is a great example of the power of Intealth to innovate and to address issues of importance to the health professions worldwide.”
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There is a link between medical student performance on the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) and the accreditation status of the medical schools those students attend, according to a recent study by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®).
The study involved 39,650 individuals seeking ECFMG Certification who took one or more of the USMLE exams during the 2018-2020 study period. Examinees who attended medical schools accredited by an agency recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) had higher pass rates on the exams than individuals who attended medical schools not accredited by a WFME-recognized accrediting body.
“Making the Grade: Licensing Examination Performance by Medical School Accreditation Status ,” authored by Marta van Zanten, PhD, Senior Associate for FAIMER; John R. Boulet, PhD, retired Vice President for Research and Data Resources for ECFMG and FAIMER; and Christine D. Shiffer, MBA, MSL, Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Governance for ECFMG, was published on January 14 in the journal BMC Medical Education.
The study is based on first attempt pass rates on the Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), and Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) exams, all of which were required for ECFMG Certification during the study period. The Step 2 CS exam was discontinued in March 2020.
Of the three exams, the difference was greatest for Step 1, which assesses examinees’ ability to understand and apply important concepts of the sciences basic to the practice of medicine. On the Step 1 exam, 88.4 percent of individuals from medical schools accredited by agencies recognized by WFME passed on their first attempt, compared to 78.6 percent of individuals from medical schools not accredited by a WFME-recognized agency.
On the Step 2 CK exam, which assesses examinees’ clinical knowledge, 91.8 percent of individuals from medical schools accredited by a WFME-recognized accrediting agency passed on their first attempt compared to 88.8 percent for their counterparts from schools not accredited by a WFME-recognized agency.
On the Step 2 CS exam, which assessed examinees’ clinical and communication skills, 81.8 percent of individuals from medical schools accredited by a WFME-recognized agency passed on the first attempt compared to 73.8 percent of their counterparts at schools not accredited by a WFME-recognized agency.
“While accreditation systems are generally viewed as driving quality, such systems are resource intensive and require ongoing stakeholder support. Given these demands, and the growth of accreditation systems worldwide, evidence is needed to support the validity of medical education accreditation activities by conducting investigations that tie accreditation to improved outcomes,” the article states. “These results provide important positive evidence that external evaluation of educational programs is associated, on average, with better education outcomes, including in the domains of basic science, clinical knowledge, and clinical skills performance.”
ECFMG Certification is required for international medical graduates to enter accredited U.S. training programs and to obtain an unrestricted medical license in the United States. ECFMG established the 2024 Medical School Accreditation Requirement in 2010 to stimulate international accreditation efforts and to enhance the quality of medical education worldwide. The requirement is intended to encourage the development and implementation of standards for evaluating undergraduate medical education to provide greater assurance that medical students will be appropriately trained. Currently, 25 accrediting agencies functioning in 62 countries have been recognized by WFME and 15 agencies are in the process of recognition.
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In celebration of its 20th anniversary, FAIMER has released a highlight video of the 20th Anniversary Virtual Conference it held October 20-22. The video montage includes clips of featured speakers, Fellows and Directors of the International FAIMER Institute and Regional Institutes, and the cultural events representing the global reach and scope of FAIMER’s programs. More than 580 attendees from 51 countries around the world joined the celebration.
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FAIMER is proud to announce the publication of a thematic series of articles on the topic of “Health workforce: Accreditation of education and regulation of practice” in the journal Human Resources for Health. A total of 22 articles were published as part of the series, including several articles by current and former FAIMER staff members.
Health professional regulatory processes are central to ensuring health workforce quality and sustainability. Each of the articles in this series contributes to the evidence base on the implementation, management, and impact of health worker education and practice regulation.
Current and former FAIMER staff authored or co-authored the following articles in the series (FAIMER authors in bold):
Antwi J, Arkoh AA, Choge JK, Dibo TW, Mahmud A, Vankhuu E, Wanyama EK, McKinley D. Global accreditation practices for accelerated medically trained clinicians: a view of five countries. Human Resources for Health. 2021 19:110
Opalek A. Data element mapping to analyze fit for use of three XML standards for health workforce tracking. Human Resources for Health. 2021 19:72
Bedoll D, van Zanten M, McKinley D. Global trends in medical education accreditation. Human Resources for Health. 2021 19:70
Figueiredo AM, McKinley D, Massuda A, Azevedo GD. Evaluating medical education regulation changes in Brazil: workforce impact. Human Resources for Health. 2021 19:33
The articles are open-access and free to view on the Human Resources for Health website. For a full list of the articles in the series, please visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/accred .
This series originated from the World Health Organization and ECFMG|FAIMER co-organized Global Symposium on Health Workforce Accreditation and Regulation, held December 10-12, 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey. FAIMER provided financial support towards the publication of this series.
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New Identity Marks Successful Business Transformation
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) on Tuesday marked the success of a multi-year business transformation effort by announcing a new overarching identity, Intealth. Intealth brings together the expertise and resources of ECFMG and FAIMER, signaling their new way of operating and new potential to support the health professions worldwide.
Visit Our New Identity to watch the video and learn more!
ECFMG and FAIMER are world leaders and have earned significant global recognition and credibility through their programs for physicians and other health professionals, the medical education and regulatory communities, researchers and policy makers, and the public. As members of Intealth, ECFMG and FAIMER remain separate 501(c)3 corporations. They and their portfolios of programs and services will continue to thrive and grow under the Intealth umbrella.
According to ECFMG President and CEO William W. Pinsky, MD, the creation of Intealth marks the culmination of a strategic business transformation process. “We have an obligation not only to ensure the continuity of the critical services we provide today, but also to meet the needs of tomorrow,” said Dr. Pinsky. “This change creates an integrated and meaningful structure to support our continued growth and diversification.”
FAIMER President Jeanette Mladenovic, MD, highlighted other critical outcomes of the transformation process: a new common vision, complementary ECFMG and FAIMER missions, and an integrated strategic framework to guide activities. “We are now stronger than the sum of our parts and able to work more effectively,” she said.
Still to come in late 2022 is the launch of MyIntealth, a single, centralized on-line portal for users of all ECFMG and FAIMER services. MyIntealth embodies the efficiency of integration and enhanced customer service that is the inspiration for the new identity.
Rollout of the new Intealth identity will begin in early 2022. In the weeks and months to come, ECFMG and FAIMER will share more about Intealth and what it means for advancing the global health workforce.
In the interim, we invite you to share our excitement and enthusiasm, and to send us your feedback! Frequently asked questions will be added to this page soon.
About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi-layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions.
Intealth is an integrated organization that includes the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER).
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[Last update: May 18, 2023]