Institutional Setting Subcommittee

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison began its institutional self-study in preparation for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) reaccreditation process in fall 2008.

The following members make up the Institutional Setting Subcommittee:

• Jeffrey Grossman, MD (Co-Chair)
• Stephen Nakada, MD (Co-Chair)
• Elizabeth Bolt
• Norman Drinkwater, PhD
• Ronald Gilmore, VP, Public Affairs
• Susan Goelzer, MD, MS, CPE
• Mary Marshall
• Kathy Oriel, MD, MS
• Ellen Wald, MD
• David Wassarman, PhD
• James Zagzebski, PhD
• Andrew Pugely, Med 3
• Ben Weston, Med 3

Questions Addressed by the Institutional Setting Subcommittee

A. Governance and Administration

1. Describe how institutional priorities are set. Evaluate the process for and success of institutional planning efforts, and discuss how planning has contributed to the accomplishment of the program's educational, research, and clinical services missions.

2. Evaluate the role of the governance structure in the administrative functioning of the medical school. Is the governance structure appropriate for an institution of this size and characteristics? Are there appropriate safeguards in place to prevent conflict of interest at the level of the governing board, and are these safeguards effective? Describe any situations that require review by or approval of the governing board (board of trustees) of the school or university prior to action being taken.

3. Evaluate the relationship of the medical school to the university and clinical affiliates with respect to:

a. The effectiveness of the interactions between medical school administration and university administration.
b. The cohesiveness of the leadership among medical school administration, health sciences center administration, and the administration of major clinical affiliates.

4. Assess the organizational stability and effectiveness of the medical school administration (dean, dean's staff). Has any personnel turnover affected medical school planning or operations? Are the number and types of medical school administrators (assistant/associate deans, other dean's staff) appropriate for efficient and effective medical school administration? Is departmental leadership stable or are vacancies rapidly replaced without detriment to departmental functioning?

B. Academic Environment

5. Evaluate the graduate program(s) in basic sciences and other disciplines, including involved departments, numbers and quality of graduate students, quality of coursework, adequacy of financial support, and overall contribution to the missions and goals of the medical school. Describe the mechanisms for reviewing the quality of the graduate program(s) in basic sciences and comment on their effectiveness. Assess whether the graduate programs have an impact (positive or negative) on medical student education. Describe opportunities for interaction between medical and graduate students and the frequency of those interactions.

6. Evaluate the impact of residency training programs and continuing medical education activities on the education of medical students. Describe any anticipated changes in graduate medical education programs (numbers of residents, shifts in sites used for training) that may affect the education of medical students.

7. Evaluate research activities of the faculty as a whole, including areas of emphasis and level of commitment, quality, and quantity in the context of the school's missions and goals.

8. Assess the adequacy of the resources (equipment, space, graduate students) for research. Evaluate any trends in the amount of intramural support for research and the level of assistance available to faculty members in securing extramural support.

9. Assess the impact of research activities on the education of medical students, including opportunities for medical student participation in research.

10. Describe programmatic and institutional goals for diversity. Evaluate the success of the medical school in achieving its goals for appropriate diversity among its students, faculty, and staff. Are there recruitment and support programs appropriate for the school's diversity goals? Describe how well institutional diversity contributes to the educational environment and prepares students for meeting the health care needs of a diverse society.