Ecfmg 2015 Annual Report

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A MessAge froM the President 

In 2015, I announced that at the end of June, 2016, I will retire after serving as 

President & Chief Executive Ofcer for seven years. Te past year has been one of 

refection for me, afording an opportunity to review our recent accomplishments 

both in terms of their history and of what they might ofer to those whom we serve.

 As in past years, our many programs operated smoothly. ECFMG certifed 

10,000 physicians, a number that has remained relatively consistent during my tenure 

at ECFMG. Volume across our certifcation-related services was strong and steady. 

As ECFMG’s 60-year history demonstrates, as long as international physicians seek 

graduate medical education in the United States, ECFMG Certifcation will ensure the readiness of these physicians 

to seek such training; and ECFMG will provide services that support both these physicians and their U.S. training 

programs. 

We saw growth in key areas, including our Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC). With 

the addition of major international medical regulatory clients in 2015, I am proud to note that EPIC is realizing 

its intended purpose of making ECFMG’s world-class primary-source verifcation services universally available and 

raising standards for evaluating physicians around the world. I believe that EPIC will become a signifcant contributor 

to protecting the world’s patients. 

GEMx, established to facilitate elective exchanges in international medical education, expanded to include 

other health professions and launched the GEMx Student Exchange Grants. GEMx is a new way to address 

ECFMG’s traditional goal of promoting excellence in medical education. Taken together, GEMx and EPIC are 

successful examples of ECFMG’s ability to extend its service and expertise to international communities. 

Ms. Lisa Cover, M.H.A., who joined ECFMG as Vice President for Business Development and Operations 

in February, has initiated a thorough review and transformation of our Operations business units, with keen attention 

to growth, service, and efciency. Te resulting enhancements in structure and processes will serve ECFMG well in 

the rapidly globalizing landscape of medical education and regulation. 

It has given me great pleasure and satisfaction over the past seven years to serve as Chair of the Board of 

Directors of ECFMG’s Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). 

Among FAIMER’s many recent contributions to the international medical education and research communities, two 

stand out as most important for ECFMG. First, the World Directory of Medical Schools, a partnership of FAIMER 

with the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), has matured to become the leading information resource 

on the world’s medical schools. In 2015, ECFMG began to use the World Directory to determine the eligibility 

of applicants for ECFMG Certifcation and examination. Second, FAIMER’s enhanced role in administering the 

Programme for Recognition of Accrediting Agencies of WFME is providing important support for a meaningful 

international system of accreditation and much-needed harmonization of standards for medical education worldwide. 

Tis sampling of accomplishments illustrates the strengths that will carry ECFMG and FAIMER forward 

for many years to come—commitment to mission, willingness to transform, and the vision to invest in programs and 

resources that will serve many well into the future. In closing, I ofer sincere thanks to the dedicated staf of ECFMG, 

FAIMER, and the Clinical Skills Evaluation Collaboration (CSEC); to my many colleagues around the world; and to 

the Board members who have served ECFMG and FAIMER so well during my tenure. I look forward to following 

your many future successes. 

Emmanuel G. Cassimatis, M.D. 

President & Chief Executive Ofcer 

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates 

Chair, Board of Directors 

Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research 

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About eCfMg 

About eCfMg 

Overview 

ECFMG is a world leader in promoting quality health care—serving global communities of physicians, 

members of the medical education and regulatory communities, health care consumers, and those researching 

issues in medical education and health workforce planning. 

One-quarter of the U.S. physician workforce is comprised of international medical graduates, 

physicians who received their basic medical degree or qualifcation from medical schools located outside 

the United States and Canada. Certifcation by ECFMG (see page 12) is the standard for evaluating the 

qualifcations of these physicians before they enter U.S. graduate medical education (GME), where they provide 

supervised patient care. ECFMG Certifcation is also a prerequisite for international medical graduates to take 

Step 3 of the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) and to obtain an unrestricted 

license to practice medicine in the United States. ECFMG supports the entry of international medical graduates 

into U.S. GME through several other programs, including Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) 

Support Services at ECFMG, the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (EVSP), and the ECFMG Certifcate 

Holders Ofce (ECHO). 

Trough six decades of certifying international medical graduates, ECFMG has developed unparalleled 

expertise on the world’s medical schools, the credentials they issue to their graduates, and verifying the 

authenticity of those credentials. Trough ECFMG International Credentials Services (EICS) and the Electronic 

Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC

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), ECFMG ofers its primary-source credentials verifcation 

services directly to the world’s physicians and to the entities worldwide that evaluate physicians for education, 

training, registration/licensure, and employment (see page 29). 

Trough its GEMx

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 program, ECFMG is building a global partnership for international educational 

exchange in medicine and the health professions and facilitating the elective exchange process for institutions 

and students alike (see page 31). Trough the ECFMG Medical School Web Portal (EMSWP), ECFMG 

provides access to several web-based services for international medical schools, including electronic Credentials 

Verifcation and USMLE Performance Data (see page 33). Tese programs for the international medical 

education community provide high-quality services for medical schools and their students and graduates, and 

promote quality in medical education worldwide. 

Trough the Clinical Skills Evaluation Collaboration (CSEC), ECFMG and the National Board of 

Medical Examiners® (NBME®) partner to administer the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) component of USMLE, a 

requirement for both international medical graduates and for graduates of U.S. and Canadian medical schools 

who wish to be licensed in the United States. Trough CSEC, ECFMG uses its experience in assessment to 

ensure that all physicians entering U.S. GME programs can demonstrate the fundamental clinical skills essential 

to providing safe and efective patient care under supervision. For more information on CSEC, see page 35. 

ECFMG’s commitment to promoting excellence in medical education led to the establishment of its 

nonproft foundation, the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research 

(FAIMER®). FAIMER has assumed responsibility for, and expanded upon, ECFMG’s programs for international 

medical educators and ECFMG’s research agenda. FAIMER ofers fellowship programs for the world’s health 

professions educators, provides resources on the world’s medical education systems, and researches issues that 

afect the quality of health care and the functioning of health care systems. For more information on FAIMER 

and its activities, see page 38. 

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