FAWC Fellowship Grant Program in Wound Care
This program is funded through the generous donations from:
Part I: Introduction
It is the position of the American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery (ABWMS), together with its sister organization, the Foundation for the Advancement of Wound Care (FAWC), that recognition of wound care as a medical subspecialty would serve both the needs of both patients who suffer from chronic wounds and the physicians who care for them. The American demographic shifts continually toward a patient cohort of advanced age and long-term illness, often complicated by chronic wounds. Dissemination of training in wound healing would allow for more cost-effective and evidenced-based care delivery to this growing population.
To take the first steps towards recognizing wound care as a medical subspecialty, the FAWC will manage a grant program to encourage the development and proliferation of wound care fellowships. Under the direction of physicians certified by the ABWMS, fellows in these programs will receive the training to address society’s growing wound care needs.
The grant program’s purpose is twofold: 1.) to educate and train qualified wound care physicians and 2.) to generate a sufficient number of ongoing wound care fellowship programs to validate and substantiate our position in seeking ACGME accreditation of these fellowship programs.
The following outlines the Foundation’s Fellowship Grant Program. Awards will be made starting in 2024.
Part II: Program Goal and Objectives
The program’s goal is to generate allopathic and osteopathic physicians specializing in wound care. The program plans to achieve this goal by funding post-residency fellowship training experiences. These fellowships will be modeled on comparable programs accredited by the American Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Accreditation of wound care fellowships by the ACGME will serve as an indication of the program’s success. Obtaining subspecialty status for wound care physicians will become possible when there are a sufficient number of fellows and fellowship programs to demonstrate the support and engagement among the medical community for this recognition. Fellows who complete FAWC-funded wound care fellowships will be eligible to sit for the ABWMS certification examination, waiving the non-fellowship requirement for three years of wound care practice before becoming exam-eligible.
Objectives
1. Number of Fellows
The number of fellowships funded through this grant program will depend upon the interest in the field and the availability of funds. The FAWC Board of Directors anticipates that a minimum of five (5) fellowships will be produced in each year of the program, generating five to 10 fellows. Board-eligible licensed physicians and physicians in practice who maintain AOA or ABMS board certification will be eligible candidates for FAWC-funded fellowship.
2. Educational Outcomes
Physicians completing a fellowship program will be trained following the ABWMS Core Curriculum and be prepared to take advantage of advancing wound care technologies. The ABWMS Core Curriculum is a comprehensive resource for educators. At the same time, it is sufficiently flexible to accommodate various educational requirements where training occurs. The FAWC will undertake periodic surveys of fellowship-trained Diplomates to assess the effectiveness of their training in providing them with essential skills for successful employment in a wound care setting.
3. Performance on the ABWMS Certification Examination:
Scores and pass/fail rates on the ABWMS certification examination taken by fellows who complete an FAWC Fellowship will be part of the data used to assess an FAWC fellowship.
4. Preparation
The training offered to fellows will give them the skills to work productively and effectively in various settings, including hospital-based and free-standing wound care centers, where they may serve as leaders, medical directors, and program directors. The proliferation of wound care centers mandates that the fellow be conversant with the demands of these settings. The number of fellows who successfully engage in wound care practice will reflect the achievement of this objective.
5. Program Directors:
Within five years of the program’s operation, a cohort of program directors volunteers will be formed to allow collaboration on program goals and objectives, strategies to address accreditation issues, and student evaluation. In time, this group will be organized into an association of fellowship directors to provide direction and policy for the education of fellows nationally.
Program Eligibility
To be eligible to receive grant funds, applicants must complete an application and submit it per the program’s annual schedule. Additionally, each applicant must meet the following specific requirements:
1. Applicant Institution
Applications will be considered eligible only if received from an accredited institution.
2. Applicant Funding
A grant through this program is not intended to fund the entire cost of the fellowship program or its personnel. To be eligible, the applicant must contribute meaningfully to the costs of the proposed program.
3. Program Director
A physician certified in wound care by the American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery (ABMWS) or who becomes certified within 12 months of the program’s inception may serve as program director for the fellowship program.
4. Resources
Applicants must maintain a complement of faculty and a sufficient patient base to conduct the fellowship program successfully.
5. Curriculum
Programs are required to use the ABWMS Core Curriculum in designing their programs. The submitted curriculum will reflect the resources available to the specific training site(s). Applicant institutions are encouraged to be innovative in their program design while adhering generally to ACGME’s Common Program Requirements (Fellowship).
6. Graduates
Fellowship graduates must take the ABWMS certification examination no later than two years after completing the fellowship.
7. Research
The program must offer trainees research opportunities, including publication of articles in professional journals and presentations at professional meetings.
Part III: Application Form
Fellowship grants will be made only after review and approval of the Foundation for the Advancement of Wound Care.
For a fellowship grant to be considered, the application form must be completed and submitted online by July 31, 2024.
This Word Document or this PDF Document should be used as a worksheet to guide the completion of the online application submission.
Access to the application will be available June 1st, 2024.