Saturday October 5, 2013

Marshall medical school off probationary status

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - An accrediting authority for medical education programs has removed probationary status for Marshall University's medical school.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - An accrediting authority for medical education programs has removed probationary status for Marshall University's medical school.

The Huntington university said Saturday that the Liaison Committee on Medical Education lifted the probation at a meeting this past week and notified school officials on Friday.

Marshall's medical school was placed on probation in June 2011 after the board cited nine standards in noncompliance, one standard in compliance with a need for monitoring and three standards in transition. Marshall lost an appeal of the decision but the school remained fully accredited the entire time.

The noncompliance areas include scholarship support that's well below the national mean, limited programs and practices to support student well-being, and not making efforts to broaden diversity among medical school applicants or recruit faculty and students from demographically diverse backgrounds. The committee also cited the lack of "scholarly activity" by faculty members and the lack of an affiliation agreement with Riverpark Psychiatric Hospital. The committee said medical education programs must have written affiliation agreements with their clinical affiliates.

A team from the accrediting authority visited this school this summer to meet with administrators, faculty and students and then reported its findings to the entire board.

"We've worked to create a culture of innovation and creativity in response to the LCME's review," said Joseph Shapiro, the dean of the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. "Our students, residents, faculty and staff have been encouraged to provide input and their ideas have helped us shape what we think is an excellent model for medical education."

President Stephen J. Kopp said Marshall and the medical school will remain vigilant and continue to set the bar for improvement higher.

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Marshall medical school off probationary status