The Academy for Excellence in Education (AEE) recently welcomed 53 graduates of the Geoffrey Fleming Academy for Excellence in Education Mentorship Program — also known as the Fleming Society.
This year’s graduates received their certificates during a special ceremony led by founding chair Jill Simmons, MD. Under Simmons’ leadership, the Fleming Society has grown to include more 100 faculty members who have successfully completed the program.
As Simmons steps down from her role as chair, the Fleming Society Steering Committee and AEE Board are welcoming incoming chair Cody Chastain, MD, MEHP, and vice chair/chair-elect, Lealani Acosta, MD, MPH.
“Dr. Fleming was a masterful educator, coach and mentor. Dr. Acosta and I are honored to lead the Fleming Society, and we look forward to continuing Dr. Simmons’ incredible work,” Chastain said.
Acosta added, “Mentoring the next generation of leaders is one of my greatest rewards. I look forward to working with Dr. Chastain to help junior faculty become the kind of educators they consider as role models.”
Chastain and Acosta are eager to build on the program’s success and are gearing up to launch the next cohort of scholars for the 2025–2027 program. The program will run from September through April 2027. The Fleming Society provides junior faculty members, who have been nominated by their department chairs, with a unique opportunity to grow as educators through facilitated peer mentorship.
The Fleming Society, established in 2021, is named in honor of Geoffrey Fleming, MD, former professor of Pediatrics, whose passion for mentorship and medical education inspired this program. Open to all faculty members in the School of Medicine, the program focuses on educators not yet promoted to associate professor and is designed to:
- Augment teaching and communication skills
- Promote professional growth
- Enhance career development
- Strengthen connections within the VUSM educator community
- Facilitate peer-to-peer mentorship
Participants engage in monthly small-group meetings over a 24-month period that includes a summer break. Each group comprises eight to 10 junior faculty members, guided by two senior faculty facilitators who exemplify excellence in medical education. Active participation is encouraged to ensure meaningful engagement and growth.
“I am so grateful to be a part of this thriving program supporting medical educator development,” said Amy Fleming, MD, MSHPE. “Geoffrey would be thrilled with the incredible impact, not just for the faculty scholars who have recently graduated, but also for the faculty facilitators who learn and grow through this community, and for all our future trainees who will benefit thanks to our Vanderbilt faculty educators’ dedication to mentoring and teaching.”
