A new format for training medical school faculty members was begun in 1978 when the federal government and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation simultaneously began funding separate faculty development programs for family medicine faculty members. The goals of these two programs were to recruit and prepare new physician faculty members for family medicine educational programs. In the present study, the authors assessed the impact of these programs by a review of grant proposals and a survey of alumni for each program. They found that very different fellowship programs developed under these two funding sources. Consequently, the two programs produced participants who went to different academic settings and became involved in quite different activities, especially in the area of scholarly work. However, regardless of the program the participants chose, common factors were found to characterize those who were active in scholarly areas and those who were less active. Based on these findings, recommendations are offered to future planners and funders of faculty development programs for preparing new physician faculty members.