LCME Institutional Self-Study Under Way

In March 2003, Weill Cornell Medical College will again be visited by a survey team of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association. The LCME accredits the educational programs leading to the M.D. degree at medical schools in the U.S. and Canada every seven years, based on the comprehensive review of a database and an institutional self-study (ISS). This review culminates in a four-day site visit and report by medical educators from other medical schools. Weill Cornell was last visited in 1996.

Late last year, Dr. Carol Storey-Johnson, senior associate dean for education, and her staff began planning for the ISS, which provides an opportunity to examine all of the school's objectives and activities. Ten committees have been formed to study various elements of the school and to report to a steering committee, chaired by Dean Gotto. Each committee will meet an average of four times during the spring and produce a report for consideration by the steering group. The steering committee will review all the findings and develop a summary report to be submitted to the LCME late this year.

Many faculty, students and administrators will be invited to serve on the task force for this undertaking through participation on a subcommittee or in fulfilling requests for data. Simultaneously, medical students will be asked to construct and administer a comprehensive survey, and those results will also be reported.

The Medical College has established an LCME Accreditation Office, reporting to Dr. Storey-Johnson, to staff and coordinate the project. The office is located in room C-01A. Audra Bernstein, LCME coordinator, can be reached at (212) 746-6443.

"Weill Medical College does not easily lend itself to the structure of many of the questions posed by the LCME," Dr. Storey-Johnson notes. "However, the database forms and self-study questions provide focus for ongoing institutional planning as well as for accreditation. With the input of the WMC community, we are poised to excel in these efforts."