College Completes Accreditation Site Visit

The Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME) has completed a three-day site visit as part of the process toward full accreditation at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. Feedback from the survey team gave the medical school reason to believe the final decision of the LCME will be progress toward full accreditation, according to UA College of Medicine – Phoenix Interim Dean Kenneth S. Ramos, MD, PhD.

A detailed preliminary report from the committee is expected in April 2017 with a final report scheduled to be released in the summer of 2017.

The five-member team, designated by the LCME, met with 120 faculty, students and staff at the college during their comprehensive review of the medical education, research, clinical and community programs.

The team highlighted the institution’s commitment and resilience. The college also was commended for maintaining and leading the downtown Phoenix medical school’s innovative curriculum and its path of success and achievement.

The visitors delivered initial findings on Wednesday to UA President Ann Weaver Hart, PhD; Interim Senior Vice President, Health Sciences, Leigh Neumayer, MD, MS, and Dean Ramos.

“I was very pleased with the positive tone of the LCME site visit committee's exit interview and the positive direction of the committee’s observations,” said President Hart. “I want to thank the team at the College of Medicine – Phoenix who worked diligently on the materials and the site visit. They exemplified our commitment to an open and transparent process and demonstrated their dedication to our students and to the high quality of our medical education program.”

Dr. Neumayer commented: “I am extremely proud of our entire team, whose tremendous efforts have led us to this final stage in the process. We are confident that this visit further demonstrates our college’s strengths and will lead to full accreditation.” 

Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process of quality assurance that determines whether a doctor of medicine (MD) degree program meets established standards. All new medical schools undergo a rigorous process of preliminary, provisional and full accreditation designed to standardize and optimize the quality of medical education across the United States and Canada. The LCME review focuses on what is in the best interest of the students. During the accreditation process, more than 100 performance elements are evaluated to establish whether a medical school is in good standing.

“The UA College of Medicine – Phoenix is an exemplar in medical education, clinical and community service and innovative health care. Developing the first allopathic medical school in greater Phoenix and addressing Arizona’s physician shortage have been important goals,” explained Dean Ramos. “These goals are vital for the University and we will continue to provide resources and work diligently to deliver on our commitment to Arizona and beyond.”

College Facts

The UA College of Medicine – Phoenix was created to help meet the critical physician shortage in Arizona. It has graduated 273 physicians in 10 years. In 2016, the college received 4,721 applications for its 80 slots. Known for its innovative curriculum and a program that trains its students in a state-of-the-art Simulation and Innovation Center, it is one of only four medical schools in the nation to require every student to complete a four-year Scholarly Project, which prepares them for lifelong learning, critical thinking and problem solving. More facts.

Liaison Committee on Medical Education

The LCME is the national accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to MD degrees in the United States and Canada. It is sponsored by the American Association of Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association. Additional information can be found on the LCME website about obtaining accreditation.

About the University of Arizona Health Sciences

The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs almost 5,000 people, has nearly 1,000 faculty members and garners more than $126 million in research grants and contracts annually.