Mid-Point Progress Report

E1. Pathways to the College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attract and recruit diverse students of the highest caliber to serve our communities.

  • E1a. Enhance Scholarship Funding:
    • Progress – We have increased direct scholarship funding; proposed a matching challenge for minority applicants; and garnered support from the Community Foundation for the Pathway Scholars Program.
    • Next Steps – We will continue our emphasis on fundraising in support of scholarships.
  • E1b. Recruit and Retain College of Medicine – Phoenix Graduates for Arizona:
    • Progress – We have increased the percentage of Arizona residents for interview slots; increased the number of students in the Pathway Scholars Program; and enhanced our pipeline initiatives.
    • Next Steps – Expand Graduate Medical Education (GME) opportunities locally; explore student-resident mentoring program; and continue ongoing work with Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix on loan payback.
  • E1c. Increase Class Size:
    • Progress – We received approval from the LCME to increase our class size. It has increased incrementally from 80 to 100 students and then from 100 to 120 students. This has required additional resources, which have been planned for and implemented.
    • Next Steps – Continue to monitor the resources necessary to support the larger class size; enhance our ability to support clinical capacity needs.
  • E1d. Grow Graduate Programs:
    • Progress – In 2019, research mentorship training began; curriculum for a master's in Clinical Research — to begin in spring of 2022 — has been designed; funding for scholarships for interested junior faculty to obtain the master’s in clinical research has been allocated; and an MA in Bioethics is undergoing approval.
    • Next Steps – Develop teaching metrics for college faculty; continue to develop new degree programs, as needed.

E2. Personalize Medical Education

Create innovative programs to enhance personalized medical education.

  • E2a. Develop the potential for a three-year UME program with coordinated residency placement:
    • Progress – Steering Committee has been formed.
      • Work is on hold until after LCME visit.
    • Next Steps – Identify GME partners; formalize curriculum through the Curriculum Committee, LCME, etc.; and report on the process timeline in June 2022.
  • E2b. Implement Competency-Based Approach to Assessment to Enable Time-Variable Progression:
    • Progress – A mobile app has been piloted for POC assessment; and evaluation is underway for Clerkship curriculum revisions.
      • Work is on hold due to LCME preparation.
    • Next Steps – Expand the LCME student participation; identify potential GME partners; and formalize the curriculum through the Curriculum Committee, LCME, etc.
  • E2c. Support and Enhance Access to Dual Degree Programs:
    • Progress – The successful completion of an MD/PhD program within 10 years is in progress; and we continue to monitor the successful completion of the MD/MPH program.
    • Next Steps – Reevaluate the options for the MD/MBA program; continue to develop an MD/MCR program; and monitor the success of graduates from these programs.

E3. Invest in Faculty

Enhance the pedagogical excellence of the faculty.

  • E3a. Develop Professional and Career Development:
    • Progress – Inventories of college-wide and departmental paths for faculty professional and career development have been developed; new programs are being evaluated.
    • Next Steps – Implement new programs for career development; and begin a planning process to create a Center for Teaching Excellence.
  • E3b. Acknowledge Faculty Achievements:
    • Progress – An inventory of college and department awards has been developed; a Faculty Honors and Awards Committee has been established.
    • Next Steps – Retool the current college and faculty awards; and establish an annual service engagement award event.

E4. Advance Research through Education at Every Level

Increase the ability of students, residents, fellows and faculty to do research of national distinction.

  • E4a. Undergraduate Medical Education​:
    • Progress – Provide additional support — biostatisticians, mentors and advisors — to accommodate the class size increase.
    • Next Steps – Develop support for a one-year research fellowship for students; and increase the student publication rate.
  • E4b. Graduate Medical Education​:
    • Progress – The replacement for Richard Gerkin, MD, has been proposed to Banner; and quarterly tracking of scholarly activity by residents and fellows has been developed and will be distributed to program directors.
    • Next Steps – Designate the new leader; develop a plan and budget to achieve current goals; and identify department faculty leads to mentor.
  • E4c. Clinical Research:
    • Progress – A working group has been established, along with a proposal for the Center for Clinical Research Excellence and Educational Development (CREED); the MS in Clinical Research curriculum has been completed (set to begin in spring 2022); chairs have been tasked with identifying interested faculty and fellows; and scholarship money has been budgeted for tuition support.
    • Next Steps – Identify a permanent leader for the master's program; establish a process to identify ideal scholarship candidates; and launch CREED.

E5. Expand GME while Advancing Diversity and Excellence

Enhance the breadth and national distinction of residency and fellowships programs to attract diverse physicians of the highest quality in order to enhance medical student education and to meet the strategic needs of clinical partners and our community.

  • E5a. Evaluate and Strengthen Current College of Medicine – Phoenix Residency Programs:
    • Progress – The APE was changed to capture the necessary information; and GME created annual program reports (this began with Internal Medicine).
    • Next Steps – Revise the process for underperforming programs; develop a process for annual GME review; create a standardized brochure; and update the mid-year institutional GME survey.
  • E5b. Plan for and Create New Graduate Medical Education Programs​:
    • Progress – An RFP was developed and a consultant was named to optimize program development.
    • Next Steps – The consultant will deliver a full report in 2022.
  • E5c. Evaluate the Funding of Graduate Medical Education:
    • Progress – The hired consultant will help with data for new programs.
    • Next Steps – The consultant will deliver a full report in 2022.
  • E5d. Prepare Residents to Become the “Physicians of Tomorrow”:
    • Progress – We have engaged the program directors in planning; Resident-as-Educator and Leadership tracks have been established and are operational; and a new health disparities track has been approved and is being implemented.
    • Next Steps – Provide information on all tracks to stakeholders and formalize a marketing plan.