Letter to the UNC School of Medicine Community

In March 2020, we will host a visit by a site visit team representing the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the official accrediting body for educational programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States and Canada. The accreditation process, which occurs every eight years, allows us to review our progress and accomplishments, and to evaluate our strengths and challenges with respect to medical student education.

A visit by the LCME is a significant event in the life of any medical school. In preparation for the site visit we will be undertaking a comprehensive self-study. To facilitate the completion of the self-study I have appointed a Self-Study Committee consisting of a steering committee which Dr. Page and I co-chair. There are also five sub-committees. The sub-committees correspond to the areas which the LCME will assess: institutional setting, education for the MD degree, medical students, faculty, and educational resources. Each area has detailed standards that we must address. There are over 130 standards in all.

Our Self Study Committee represents the broad spectrum of our community: basic and clinical science faculty, student representative, staff, alumni and administrators from UNC School of Medicine, the UNC Health Care System, and the state Area Health Education Centers. In all over 100 individuals will contribute to this review. Medical students play a critical role. As required by the LCME, a separate student subcommittee, composed only of medical students, will create and distribute a questionnaire, and present their findings in a separate report. Our timeline for the LCME site visit is detailed on this website and it is here that I will keep you informed of our progress.

Thank you in advance to your hard work and ideas for making UNC the finest public medical school in the country.

Sincerely,