September 15, 2004

Dear Colleagues,

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine this month will launch its self-study in preparation for LCME accreditation in 2006. The accreditation process adopted by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) has two general aims: to certify that a medical education program meets prescribed standards, and to promote institutional self-evaluation and improvement. The institutional self-study is central to this process and will begin in earnest at Hopkins in September 2004 and extend for 15 months. 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 accreditation for 7 years in 1999. We have seen remarkable growth and change in our tripartite mission in the interim, however, and the self-study is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the educational mission and respond to changing needs of our students and society at large. The standards for accreditation, which are contained in the document Functions and Structure of a Medical School have also been updated, with more emphasis on the educational program and curriculum. We are fortunate to be undertaking this activity concurrently with our curricular reform efforts in the School of Medicine, and I anticipate that each effort will inform the other.

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 5-8, 2006. 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) and information regarding our self-study on the SOM’s Web site www.hopinsmedicine.org/lcme.

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,

Edward D. Miller, M.D.
Dean/CEO
Johns Hopkins Medicine