Dean's Message

Dean Paul Rothman, M.D.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is currently engaged in its institutional self-study in preparation for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation visit in 2014. The accreditation process adopted by the LCME has two general aims: to certify that a medical education program meets prescribed standards, and to promote institutional self-evaluation and improvement. During the self-study, the medical school brings together representatives of the administration, faculty, student body and other constituencies to 1) collect and review data about the medical school and its educational programs, 2) identify institutional strengths and issues requiring action, and 3) define strategies to ensure that the strengths are maintained and any problems addressed.

The JHUSOM received full 8-year accreditation in 2006. Since that time, we have launched the innovative "Genes to Society" curriculum, built the Armstrong Medical Education Building, and opened the new Bloomberg Children’s Center and Sheik Zayed Tower in Johns Hopkins Hospital. We welcome the opportunity to reflect on the impact of these remarkable changes to our learning environment. The timing of the LCME self-study is indeed auspicious given the large strategic planning effort already underway. The standards for accreditation, which are contained in the document Functions and Structure of a Medical School have also been updated, and continue to emphasize centralized management as well as diversity and inclusion.

Once the self-study is completed, an executive summary and database with the school’s information is submitted to the LCME, which follows with a survey visit to the school. The site survey visit for accreditation will take place February 2-5, 2014. Faculty, staff and students who would like more information on the process of the self-study will find several useful documents on the LCME website (www.lcme.org). We will also use this website to update the community on our progress.  

I would like to thank the many faculty, administrative staff and students who will be working on this important effort in the next academic year. Many will be asked to serve on the subcommittees and write reports and others to complete questionnaires or provide required data. Your talents, creativity and commitment throughout this process will ensure our continued excellence and leadership in medical education.

Sincerely,

Paul Rothman, MD