Concerns about collaboration efforts with the developing College of Medicine are growing within the university\u2019s Physician Assistant Program and Department of Biology. <\/p>\n
As CMED faces a decision based on an evaluation from the Liason Committee on Medical Education for preliminary accreditation, the related academic departments hope to be better incorporated in the university\u2019s decision-making process in the future. <\/p>\n
Ahmad Hakemi, director of the Physician Assistant Program, said he will meet to provide input with CMED officials Thursday, the first time in more than two years. <\/p>\n
\u201cRecently, there has been an effort for us to be included to see what\u2019s happening and closely collaborate,\u201d Hakemi said. \u201cBut we were not included at all in the past two years.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hakemi said he was once involved in CMED discussions when former University President Michael Rao\u2019s administration presided over the university. <\/p>\n
\u201cInitially, two and a half years ago, we were included and I attended all the meetings and was very involved,\u201d Hakemi said. \u201cI was one of the first people involved that the university and ex-president Rao talked to.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hakemi said his department is looking forward to collaborating with CMED programs and faculty, and the shared facilities, simulation labs and standardized patients will help strengthen the PA program. <\/p>\n
\u201cLCME\u2019s standards are very high and if they\u2019re going to allow a medical school to proceed, expectations are very high,\u201d Hakemi said. \u201cSo this means that you\u2019re going to have top people here, the best resources here, the best minds here and the best researchers here, and I really look forward to collaborating, because we have very limited resources in the PA program.\u201d <\/p>\n
CMED Dean Ernest Yoder said he expects collaboration efforts to increase after LCME\u2019s evaluation next week. Recently, Yoder said, a significant amount of work has been dedicated to ensuring CMED will meet the required criteria for accreditation. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a fair amount of work that was going in regard to LCME which did not invite in folks from other departments,\u201d Yoder said. <\/p>\n
As the school continues to develop, Yoder said, he envisions CMED collaborating with the university\u2019s relevant departments, along with the Mount Pleasant community. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe view ourselves as a community-engaged medical school and we think there\u2019s going to be very substantial collaboration involving all of the departments at CMU, as well as the community we hope to serve,\u201d Yoder said. <\/p>\n
Stephen Roberts, chairman of the Biology Department, said the department\u2019s recent endorsement of the Academic Senate\u2019s vote of no confidence against University President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro stemmed from issues with CMED, a lack of shared governance and perceived devaluation of faculty during contract negotiations. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the deliberations of the motion to endorse the Academic Senate\u2019s vote of no confidence, some Biology faculty members expressed concerns about perceived communication lapses from the administration during the conception and planning of the College of Medicine,\u201d Roberts said in an email. <\/p>\n
However, Roberts said development of CMED has already started to make a positive impact on the Department of Biology, including the number of students majoring in biology and biomedical sciences. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is little doubt that the creation of the College of Medicine has played a significant role in the growth of the biology and biomedical sciences majors, which combined have grown from 450 students to 725 students in the past three years,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cHistorically, the Biology Department has had strengths in field and aquatic biology, but in the past decade or so, has also grown and developed strength in cell biology and molecular genetics.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Follow this link: Concerns about collaboration efforts with the developing College of Medicine are growing within the university\u2019s Physician Assistant Program and Department of Biology. As CMED faces a decision based on an evaluation from the Liason Committee on Medical Education for preliminary accreditation, the related academic departments hope to be better incorporated in the university\u2019s decision-making process in the future. Ahmad Hakemi, director of the Physician Assistant Program, said he will meet to provide input with CMED officials Thursday, the first time in more than two years Continue reading
\nBiology, health departments concerned with university collaboration over CMED<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"