From the Dean: The ‘Functions and Structure of a Medical School’

I am just back from a visit on behalf of the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), the organization responsible for accrediting all medical schools in the United States. As I’ve mentioned before, the LCME operates under the purview of the U.S. Department of Education and relies on volunteers from the medical community (like me!) to provide membership on teams that visit the various schools. Our team consisted of me as the team chair (which usually is a medical school dean), along with four other team members.

The visit typically takes place over three days, and is jam-packed with meetings with the faculty, staff, and students at the school. We also inspect the educational facilities. The survey team then forms preliminary assessments of the school’s compliance with the 93 so-called elements that are grouped into 12 standards. You can get a sense of the expectations of the LCME from its newest “Functions and Structure of a Medical School” document. Our team findings are preliminary, and the final word on the school’s compliance with these elements and standards is determined by the LCME. As you may recall, I also served on this LCME committee for two three-year terms; I rotated off last year as required by the LCME bylaws.

The visit went well, and yet again I was impressed by the dedication, altruism, and energy of the school’s faculty, staff, and especially students. As you may recall, we also underwent a re-evaluation of our accreditation status by the LCME in 2022. The LCME re-accredited us for the full eight-year term that is the maximum permitted under the rules. Thus, we won’t have a repeat survey team visit until the 2029-2030 academic year.

We did have a number of items that were identified by the LCME that required attention. As of this writing we have satisfactorily addressed the items identified by the LCME, and submitted our progress report to the organization this past August. Our progress report should have been reviewed by the LCME members during the LCME’s fall meeting that took place between Oct. 15 and 17. We are now waiting to hear back from the LCME as to its assessment of how we addressed these remaining items, but we feel good about our compliance with all 93 elements. I anticipate a letter from the LCME soon, and I’ll update you just as soon as we hear from the LCME.

This visit reinforced my belief that the entire LCME process is effective, both in confirming the educational activities of medical schools across the country (and thus reassuring the public as to the preparation of future doctors) as well as providing a vehicle for all schools to improve, even if they are already performing at a high level (as we feel the SMHS is). But we can always do better, and the 93 LCME elements form a framework for a portion of our continuing quality improvement efforts. These activities supplement and complement the UND LEADS strategic planning process.

As you undoubtedly know, I’ll be passing the torch for leading the school to Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, who will begin her duties as Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of your School of Medicine & Health Sciences on Dec. 1, 2024. At that time I will return to my position as a tenured faculty member in the UND Department of Internal Medicine. I’ll say more about my plans going forward in a subsequent For Your Health column, but I hope you will join me in giving Dean Jenkins as warm a welcome as you gave Susan and me when we first arrived in North Dakota in 2004.

Welcome Dean Jenkins, and best wishes!

Joshua Wynne, MD, MBA, MPH
Vice President for Health Affairs, UND
Dean, UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences