Academic medical experts will visit and critique the school at the downtown Phoenix Biomedical Campus from Sunday through Wednesday.
Dr. Kenneth Ramos says the University of Arizona medical school in downtown Phoenix has taken steps to shore up diversity recruitment for students, faculty and staff. Ramos, the interim dean, overlooks the new Biomedical Sciences Partnership Building that opened Feb. 23, 2017, in downtown Phoenix.(Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic)
The University of Arizonas medical school in downtown Phoenix thisweek will begin its final exam in a decade-long journey to full, independent accreditation.
University officials are not expecting a breezy test.
The challengecomes in the form of a team of academic medical experts who will visit and critique the school at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. They arrivedSunday and will stay through Wednesday.
"We would be successful beyond ourwildest imaginations if they gave us full accreditation and absolutely no citations," said Dr. Leigh Neumayer, UA's interim senior vice president for health sciences.
"We do think there will be some areas that they will want to, at a minimum, monitor."
The Phoenix school opened a decade ago as a branch campus of Tucson's UA College of Medicine to help address thestate's physician shortage. UA's Phoenix school struck out on its own in 2012 when itreceived separate "preliminary" accreditation, the first of three steps to full accreditation.
But the school's attempt at mid-tier "provisional" accreditation stalled in 2015 after the accrediting body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education,warned that changes were needed in four areasbefore advancing the school. Two of the four findings stemmed from governance issues following Banner Health's $1.2 billion merger with the UA Health Network and a 30-year affiliation with the medical school. The Phoenix school made changes, and the Liaison Committee advanced the school to provisionalaccreditation in February 2016.
That's one reason why university officials don't anticipate a rubber-stamp review on the way to full accreditation.
To prepare for the Liaison Committee's visit, the medical school earlier hosted a mock visit froma four-member team that included a former medical school dean,an associate deanand two consultants. The review team lauded the school for its accomplishments, Neumayer said, but the review team also asked why so many Phoenix medical school officials had "interim" attached to their titles.
"That's one that worries me," saidNeumayer, who was named interim senior vice president for health sciences in December after Dr. Joe "Skip" Garcia resigned from the position. The job oversees the UA medical schools in Tucson and Phoenix and three otherhealth-related schools.
The Phoenix school also has an interim dean, Dr. Kenneth Ramos, who was named to the position last year after Dr. Stuart Flynn, the longtime Phoenix dean, and most of his leadership team resigned to takepositions at a new medical school on Fort Worth, Texas. The departures prompted the Arizona Medical Association, a 4,000-member physicians organization, to seek an independent investigation by the Arizona Board of Regents.
The regents hired Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP to evaluate concerns, but after spending at least $179,653 on the work, the board determined no action was needed.
The regents have refused to make public the report, citing attorney-client privilege and work-product protections.
ROBERTS: What is the $180,000 secret at UA?
A search committee identified four candidates for the dean position, but two candidates have dropped out, Neumayer said. One candidate decided she was not interested in the position, and second person chose not to pursue the position after Garcia resigned from the post.
Neumayer declined to identify the two remaining candidates. She said the timing of the new dean's hiringpartly depends on finding time to schedule a meeting with the finalists.
"The two applicants left are highly qualified,"Neumayer said. "It's a matter of me being able to meet them and what kind of (compensation) package we can put together for them."
The Liaison Committee last February also told the medical school there were three areas in which itwould continue to monitor progress: theschool's affiliation agreement with Banner Health, the sufficiency of administrative staffand program diversity.
Neumayer and Ramos said some contract language changedin the Banner Health-UA agreement to address the Liaison Committee's concerns. Those changes included appointing the deans of both the Phoenix and Tuscon medical schools to a joint Banner Health-UA academic management council.
UA and Banner Health also made it clearthat the medical school deans in Phoenix and Tucson had full authority over clinical training appointments for third- andfourth-year students at their respective campuses.
Ramos said the Phoenix school has taken steps to shore up diversity efforts in the recruitment of students, faculty and staff. For example, the medical school has launched a "pathways program" that recruits 19 students from communities such as Latinos and Native Americans that are under-represented in medicine. The idea is to prepare these students and make themmore competitive in the rigorous application process formedical schools.
The Phoenix campus also has tried tobeef up administrative staff and faculty recruiting. Last June, the Phoenix school recruitedDr. Michael Fallon, who will be paid $680,000 per yearas the first chairman of the school's department of medicine. UA pledged a five-year, $40 million package for Fallon to build the department of medicine and recruit division chiefs, according to his offer letter.
MORE: 6 things to know: New UAresearch building in downtown Phoenix
Ramos noted that the newly opened $136 million Biomedical Science Partnership Building will provide space forthe medical school to beef up research efforts.
Despite the medical school's strides,Neumayer said, she would not be surprised if the Liaison Committee issues some type of finding. The most difficult step is achieving preliminary accreditation. All schools that have completed that first step have advanced to full accreditation, though some schools may take longer to get there.
"The point is, just because they find something significant doesn't mean you are not going to get accredited or re-accredited," she said. "Clearly you have to pay attention to the standards and the changes. I view it as a way for us to make sure our medical schools are the best they can be."
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2mvJZlN
Here is the original post:
UA Phoenix medical school faces final exam: Reviewers' critique of program - AZCentral.com
- "Shift Happens" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Getting Started With Your Personal Statement - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- I started this blog 1 year ago. I'm ready to become a medical doctor. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Poll Results: "What is your GPA?" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Why Ross University School of Medicine? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Why Ross University? (Continued) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Filling out applications with the last 4 years in mind. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "Active and Passive Euthanasia" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 300 Word Personal Statement - First Draft - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 300 Word Personal Statement - 2nd Draft - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "Where did you do EMT training at?" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "is this jonathan that went to brazil in the summer of 2006?" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- First Application is Away - Ross University - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- AMCAS—The American Medical College Application Service - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Student Doctor Network - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Crime Incident - Public Safety Announcement: STUDENTS - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- AMCAS Deadlines & Delays - Answered - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Headstart on Secondary Applications - The Student Doctor Network - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Complete Medical School & Admissions Guide - Revisited - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Interview Status - Ross University - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Finished my first interview. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "You have a 95% chance of acceptance..." - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "I was just wondering if I have to go to medical school i will have to start college allover again." - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Interview Feedback - Allopathic Medical Schools - Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica Caribbean) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- ACCEPTED! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Step 1 Revisited - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A Few More Thoughts On Moving - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Update - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Closing In - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Internet/Computer Hell - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Back On The Net - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 1 More Day - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Loan Deferment Blog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Graduated! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What Happened? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Interesting Case - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What Made Me Stupid? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Blah. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Call - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Medicine in the Media - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Was Medical School Worth It? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Off I Go... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is It Worth It, Part 2 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Oriented - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- GLBT in Medical School - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- GLBT in Residency Applications - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- I Survived - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Reflections on the First Week - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- All Good Things Must End - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Lone Coyote is Back - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Pre-med student switches gears to teach in Chicago school - Chicago Tribune - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Old-school barbecue coming to spot near Fort Worth medical district - Fort Worth Star Telegram - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Nursing home drug use puts many at risk - Boston Globe - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Dr. Anita Figueredo, first female surgeon in San Diego, dies at 93 - Los Angeles Times - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Stimulus funds pay for monkey research in NC - MiamiHerald.com - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Medicine as an economic engine - Buffalo News - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- UM medical school feels the squeeze - MiamiHerald.com - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ADVISER Bell's palsy not as serious as it appears - Detroit Free Press - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Baylor medical school works to get back on track - Houston Chronicle - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- From community college to Amherst College and Yale Medical School - WalletPop (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Man questions merit of coke monkey study - UPI.com - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- School Board has questions it wants answered about onsite medical clinic - Terre Haute Tribune Star - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Stimulus Funds Pay for Monkey Research - NewsMax.com - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Babylon schools head: Teen's collapse unrelated to athletics - Newsday (subscription) - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Cost Of Medical School Rises In Recession - NPR - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Flu Shots in Children Help People of All Ages - New York Times - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- A prescription for improving science education - Scope (blog) - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Live kidney donors do not die sooner: study - Reuters - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- UW football player suspended after alleged assault - Seattle Post Intelligencer - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- More Comparative Studies Needed to Guide Physicians Study finds less than a ... - ModernMedicine - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Conservationists worry about Mo. med school plan - KOAM-TV - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Dr. William D. Lynn - Baltimore Sun - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Suspect in North Dallas shootings became reclusive after parents died, family says - Dallas Morning News - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Drinkers Gain Less Weight - Harvard Crimson - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Long-Term Health Risks Low for Kidney Donors - WebMD - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- School resource officer remains in critical condition - Middletown Journal - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- New Lucian Leape Institute Report Finds That U.S. Medical Schools Are Falling ... - PR Newswire (press release) - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Dual degrees program expands for Mayo Medical School students - Post-Bulletin - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Comparative Effectiveness Research is a Must - TopNews United States - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Long Beach OKs medical pot ordinance - Contra Costa Times - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]