Our signature program
Teaching of Tomorrow (TOT) is a nationally recognized and highly acclaimed Faculty Development Program. For over 30 years, UMass Chan faculty from the departments of Family Medicine and Community Health, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics have trained over 1,900 clinical faculty and preceptors from across the Northeast and beyond. TOT focuses on building and refining foundational skills for effective clinical teaching in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings. Preceptors from any specialty and discipline will enhance their clinical teaching skills through discourse and practice. TOT also provides valuable opportunities to network with other clinician educators. Our award-winning faculty utilizes the principles of adult learning, drawing on participants’ experience and building knowledge through dialogue. The conference provides frequent opportunities to practice and assess new skills in a safe and fun environment.
In 2022, TOT began collaborating with the HRSA-funded New England Nursing Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academy to expand our interprofessional focus and include nurse clinical faculty, instructors, and preceptors. The objective of this four-year grant was to increase the nursing workforce by recruiting, training, and preparing skilled and qualified clinical nursing faculty and preceptors.
Who is this for and why it matters?
Teaching of Tomorrow (TOT) is designed for clinicians across roles and disciplines who are engaged in teaching and who seek not only to improve their teaching skills but to grow as educators. The program recognizes that many clinician-educators enter teaching roles with deep clinical expertise but limited formal preparation in pedagogy, curriculum design, or learner assessment. As such, our curriculum meets learners where they are, providing a structured yet flexible space for educators to develop their teaching practices, reflect on their experiences, and build a shared language around education. Importantly, the program is not only for those who already identify as “educators,” but also for those who are becoming educators—supporting the longitudinal development of educator identity alongside clinical training and early faculty roles.
The work of CFDC and Teaching of Tomorrow addresses a critical gap in academic medicine: the need for intentional, sustained, and community-centered faculty development. Clinical teaching is complex, occurring in time-constrained, high-stakes, and unpredictable environments, yet formal preparation for this work is often fragmented or absent. By providing a longitudinal curriculum grounded in real-world teaching challenges, CFDC enables participants to translate educational theory into practice, develop adaptive teaching strategies, and engage in reflective practice. Moreover, the program fosters a community of practice in which educators learn with and from one another, advancing not only individual skill development but also a broader culture of teaching excellence. In doing so, CFDC contributes to improved learner experiences, stronger educational environments, and ultimately, better patient care outcomes through the development of thoughtful, intentional clinician-educators.
Target Audience
- Clinical educators – MDs, DOs, NPs, PAs, RNs, Behavioral Health, Pharmacists
- Primary Care and Specialty providers
- Teachers in both inpatient and Ambulatory settings
- Teachers of students, residents, and advanced learners
What this program prepares you to do
Practical skills for clinicians working to improve their teaching skills
The TOT Program prepares behavioral health clinicians to work with skill and confidence as members of a primary care team. After completing the TOT Program, you will be able to:
- Ignite and share a passion for teaching
- Develop practical teaching skills for effective and efficient teaching in the clinical setting
- Provide practice opportunities to apply and assess new teaching skills
Details of the TOT program
This comprehensive 2-day program is held over two Friday sessions and requires participants to attend both days. The learning sessions alternate between brief, large-group didactics and small groups, which include the application of new skills and case- and problem-based learning.
To be awarded AAFP credits, you must attend both days in full; attendance is taken for the accrediting source. Learn more about CME credit here
- When: October 23, 2026, and April 2, 2027
- Where: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, MA (after enrollment, you will receive detailed information)
- Cost: $850 - Applicants will receive acceptance information and an invoice via email
Enrollment is open now, and the registration deadline is October 9, 2026
Course Director and Faculty
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Philip Day, PhD, is Associate Director of Education and Associate Professor in the UMass Chan Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, which he joined in August 2021. He has over a decade of experience developing curricula and teaching in both higher education and academic medicine. His scholarly work spans the breadth of Family Medicine. Still, his main focus is collaborating with busy clinicians to improve their scholarship, develop their pedagogical skills, and explore novel ways to educate trainees. Trained as an ethicist and philosopher, Dr. Day serves as the co-Chair of the Ethics and Humanities Collaborative for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and has a special passion for ethics education in the healthcare professions. Dr. Day became Director of Teaching of Tomorrow in 2024. |
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The TOT Program is taught by more than 20 faculty, including national leaders in integrated behavioral health and primary care. Every faculty member is a practicing clinician with direct experience caring for patients in integrated settings. |
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Have questions about the TOT Program? Email us at Susan.Foley@umassmed.edu