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The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG^®) and its Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER^®) share a mission to promote quality health care worldwide — and they are being recognized for bringing that mission to life within the organization. ECFMG/FAIMER has been selected as a 2019 Healthiest Employer of Greater Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

ECFMG/FAIMER is one of only 36 businesses and organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region selected for this year’s honor. It is the seventh time ECFMG/FAIMER received the award, having been recognized most recently in 2015.

“We are thrilled once again to be recognized for our commitment to employee well-being,” said William W. Pinsky, MD, President and CEO of ECFMG and Board Chair of FAIMER. “We take a deliberate and holistic approach in developing our wellness program, knowing that this investment will benefit our employees as well as the important work we perform around the world.”

The health care plans offered by ECFMG/FAIMER provide extensive coverage at a very low cost to employees. On-site exercise and Weight Watchers classes and gym membership reimbursements also are offered. In addition to programs that promote physical health, there are a variety of offerings to promote emotional, financial, social, and occupational well-being. For more information on benefits and career opportunities at ECFMG/FAIMER, visit www.ecfmg.org/about/careers.html.

To be considered for the honor, employers complete an online assessment. The Business Journal partners with national company Springbuk to evaluate and assess the nominees for the Healthiest Employers program. Each nominated employer is judged on six values, including:

• Vision: Clearly understands the challenges and opportunities which differentiate its workplace, workforce, and industry, and has identified the attributes that set its corporate wellness initiatives apart and above.
• Culture/Engagement: Engages the hearts, minds, and bodies of employees to address and affect well-being. “Walks the talk” in every respect of workplace culture, including working conditions and organizational practices.
• Learning: Employer is a learning-minded organization that demonstrates a track record of continuous improvement leading to increasingly successful and repeatable employee wellness outcomes.
• Expertise: Seeks out wellness professionals who balance subject-matter expertise with emotional intelligence and a deep understanding of behavior and motivation. Develops the internal know-how to execute on organizational vision.
• Metrics: Employer clearly understands and defines the strategic value of wellness to the overall organization. Measures success and makes adjustments as needed to sustain and improve results.
• Technology: Maintains awareness of tools and technologies and understands how to match them to organizational needs. Deploys the most suitable technologies to direct and manage corporate wellness initiatives.

By developing programs that promote HIV prevention, tackle malnutrition, and combat air pollution, college students around the world aren’t waiting until they graduate to make a difference in their communities, and they are being recognized for their efforts. The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) and its Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) on Monday announced the recipients of the 2019 Student Projects for Health awards.

Now in its fifth year, the Student Projects for Health competition recognizes students who have made outstanding contributions through projects that promote community health and well-being. It is open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in any course of study who have been participating in such projects. The competition is supported by FAIMER and by ECFMG through its GEMx_sm program, which promotes global educational exchange in medicine and the health professions. Since the competition was launched in 2015, ECFMG/FAIMER has presented awards to 75 students from 22 countries.

“Promoting quality medical education and health care worldwide are core to the ECFMG/FAIMER mission,” said William W. Pinsky, MD, President and CEO of ECFMG and Board Chair of FAIMER. “The quality of this year’s projects and the engagement of these students in improving the health of their communities are truly inspiring. The recipients have demonstrated the innovation and diversity of efforts needed to meet global health care needs.”

From the 72 submissions received from around the globe, ECFMG/FAIMER selected 12 students from nine countries to receive this year’s awards. Submissions were reviewed by an international panel of 18 reviewers. They were judged on the quality of the project, degree and nature of the applicant’s participation, the applicant’s contribution to project innovation, the impact of the project, and diffusion and integration of the project.

The award recipients are invited to present their projects during the 2019 conference of The Network: Towards Unity for Health which will be held September 10-13 in Darwin, Australia. The award includes air travel, hotel accommodations, and conference registration fee.

The 2019 recipients are:

• Oscar Acopiado of Manila, Philippines, a medical student at the University of the Philippines Manila College of Medicine, for the project titled The Quisumbing-Escandor Film Festival for Health
• Samuel Robert Bunting of Chicago, Ill., a medical student at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences Chicago Medical School, for the project titled Interprofessional Collaboration to Increase PrEP Prescription for HIV-Prevention in Primary Care: A Student-Led Initiative
• Fabrice Humara of Kigali, Rwanda, a pharmacy student at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine & Health Sciences, for the project titled Pharmacy Students’ Engagement in Prison Inmates’ Health Attention to Tuberculosis Disease
• Hiba Eltayeb Mahgoub of Wad Madani, Sudan, a medical student at the University of Gezira, for the project titled Health Promotion Among School-Aged Children in Wadsrair El-Dar Village
• Lauren Yu-Lien Maldonado of Durham, N.C., and Los Angeles, Calif., a medical student at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, for the project titled Chamas for Change: An Integrated Maternal and Child Peer Support and Micro-Finance Model in Western Kenya
• Evode Mbabazi of Kigali, Rwanda, a medical student at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine & Health Sciences, for the project titled CINEMA Education for Health
• Yidnekachew Girma Mogessie of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a medical student at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, for the project titled Sexual Health Education for Better Awareness
• Husna Moola of Cape Town, South Africa, a medical student at the University of Cape Town, for the project titled Prevalence of Dysglycemia in a Population that Attends a Masjid in Cape Town and a Novel Approach to Community Epidemiology
• Julius Nuwagaba of Kampala, Uganda, a medical student at Makerere University School of Medicine, for the project titled She Decides Project
• Stephen Odiwuor Ochieng of Juja, Kenya, a medical student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, for the project titled Early Childhood Development Center Malnutrition Program
• Nishimagizwe Patience of Kigali, Rwanda, a medical student at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine & Health Sciences, for the project titled CompanionApp
• Amitavikram Sattigeri of Delhi, India, a medical student at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, for the project titled WindMe: The Electricity-Free Exhaust Fan for Combating Indoor Air Pollution in Indian Slums