September 3, 2021: Focus: ISA Report

On August 30, 2021, the student-led ISA Steering Committee presented the LCME Task Force with the final report from the Independent Student Analysis (ISA). The ISA is an independent student-written and analyzed evaluation of the COM on accreditation issues from the students’ perspective. The ISA utilized the data results from the ISA survey, which was distributed to all M1-M4 class years in December 2020, to guide their analysis and conclusions.

The ISA will be used within the COM so that we can improve upon the student experience as part of our educational mission and institutional goals. Again, we want to say “thank you” to the students who were a part of the ISA Steering Committee for implementing and analyzing the ISA survey and creating the ISA Report, and who are continuing to help the LCME Task Force prepare for accreditation. Your time and efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we sincerely appreciate all of you.

If you have further questions about the ISA report, please send an email to Dr. Judith Westman Judith.westman@osumc.edu.

July 28, 2021: DCI Completion & Institutional Self-Study Summary Report

Final edits and revisions of the DCI Standards and Elements are currently underway. The completed DCI will be submitted to our external consultants in September of 2021.  As we conclude our self-study year, we would like to thank everyone once again for their hard work and commitment towards completing their DCI assignments and identifying strengths and challenges in each of the related areas. Your knowledge and expertise are greatly appreciated and we would not have been able to complete a project of this magnitude without your contributions. 

OSUCOM’s Task Force Leadership team has held meetings throughout May, June, and July to discuss the strengths and challenges identified by the DCI and ISA survey. During these key meetings they have worked to find solutions and develop action plans to resolve any areas of concern, and are also preparing to write the 5-page institutional Self-study Summary Report (SSR) which is a required component of the LCME survey package.

June 10, 2021: ISA Focus

The Steering Committee of the Independent Student Analysis (ISA) has been working hard to analyze the results of the ISA survey and present their findings to the teams working on various components of the institutional self-study. On May 25, student Co-Chairs Preethi Chidambaram and Alessandra Bliss gave a detailed presentation to Executive Curriculum Committee (ECC), explaining the selection process for the ISA steering committee, methods used for survey design, provided qualitative analyses of each category of the survey, and provided specific recommendations to the ECC to address opportunities for improvement. Again, we would like to give a huge “thank you” to the Co-Chairs, to the members of the ISA Steering Committee, and to the students who have served as a member of a Data Collection Instrument teams. Students from all class years as well as those who were on leave of absence participated in the process. These students have shown leadership, provided thoughtful insights and attention to detail, and contributed a lot of valuable time towards this necessary component of LCME accreditation.

May 11, 2021: LCME Site Visit update – Virtual Meeting

The LCME has recently informed us that our March 2022 re-accreditation visit will be virtual. The meeting times with OSUCOM leadership, faculty and staff dates are still taking place from March 21-23, 2022. Please stay tuned for further details and information as it becomes available.

May 6, 2021: DCI and Self-Study Report update

All five self-study teams have completed their DCI Element assignments and also submitted their lists of strengths, challenges and strategies for improvement for review. These lists will be quite valuable to the Task Force Leadership team as they commence a series of monthly meetings in preparation to write the institutional self-study report (SSR) for submission to the LCME. The SSR is a condensed, 5-page summary report that will detail OSUCOM’s institutional strengths, weaknesses, and program initiatives and strategies which have been implemented to ensure compliance with the 12 LCME Standards.

April 2021: ISA results summary

In March 2021, student leaders for the Independent Student Analysis (ISA) steering committee presented the LCME Task Force with the data from the survey which provides a student perspective on OSUCOM accreditation issues. The results of the survey have been shared with all teams working on the OSUCOM self study for incorporation into their assignments. Meanwhile, the student leaders are working on their analysis and writing up their report as one of the required components for our LCME survey package.

The COM takes the perspectives of our students seriously and views addressing any concerns highlighted in the ISA as an institutional priority.

February 2021: Data Collection Instrument

All subcommittee teams are continuing their progress towards completion of the DCI Standards and Elements. Some teams have completed all of their Standards and have submitted their initial drafts for review and editing suggestions, while others will require some additional time to complete their sections or are awaiting ISA data. Overall, we remain on-schedule and appreciate everyone’s time commitment and efforts towards working on their Elements and regular participation in team meetings. We know that many of you worked on LCME matters over the holidays and are grateful for your efforts.

We anticipate that the ISA data required for several of the DCI tables will be available by early February 2021. As always, please reach out to Dr. Westman or Sonia Mann if you have specific questions.

January 11, 2021

COUNTDOWN: 14 months
We appreciate everyone’s continued efforts as we work through the institutional self-study process.

COVID-19 Update:
While the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted several changes to university-wide programs, class and faculty schedules, and in-person meetings, OSUCOM is still scheduled to have our in-person site visit in March 2022. In preparation for our site visit, we have reserved meeting spaces that allow for adequate social distancing with the safety of all participants being our utmost priority. We are also updating our plans regularly as the pandemic evolves. Our DCI self-study and the student-led ISA are progressing in accordance with our timeline and set to be completed this Spring. We will continue to update everyone of any changes as any announcements are made by the LCME.

January 10, 2021: Independent Student Analysis

The ISA survey was launched in mid-December 2020 and is currently underway. As of January 10, 2021, 437 students have completed the survey, which is an approximate response rate of 49%. Our goal is to have over an 80% response rate by the end of this month. The ISA steering committee has conducted weekly drawings for one of two Visa gift cards for students who complete the survey. Student appreciation gifts will be made available to all students who complete the survey as they return to campus, and distribution plans are being currently developed.

December 15, 2020

The Independent Student Analysis (ISA) survey is officially open and a link to complete the survey has been sent to all medical students. The ISA is a critical aspect of OSUCOM’s LCME re-accreditation process and is created for students, by students. It is an opportunity for students to independently and objectively evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of OSUCOM’s medical education program, student life and overall environment.

The ISA steering committee has been dedicated to ensuring student voices are heard at OSUCOM, and a great deal of effort and student input has been considered in creating the survey. All survey responses are anonymous and members of the ISA Steering Committee will review the responses holistically to identify areas for improvement. We respectfully request (and strongly encourage) all medical students to complete the survey, as it is a vital component for LCME accreditation.

The ISA survey will be open through January 29, 2021

Each student will receive an email with a unique link from Qualtrics to access the survey, which should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Every student who completes the survey will receive a customized OSUCOM portable charging device as an appreciation gift. Additionally, students who complete the survey will automatically have their names entered for a weekly drawing of two $50 Visa gift cards.

For any questions or concerns regarding the ISA survey, please feel free to reach out to the ISA Student Co-Chairs Preethi Chidambaram (Preerhi.Chidambaram@osumc.edu) and Alessandra Bliss (Alessandra.Bliss@osumc.edu).

November 1, 2020: Independent Student Analysis (ISA) Update

The ISA survey is on track to be distributed to all classes the last week of November, 2020. We ask that all medical students please keep an eye out for emails providing information about the ISA survey. The survey is expected to be completed over an 8-week period. As an incentive for timely completion of the survey, each student will receive a portable universal charging device as a special thank you from the COM. Once all surveys have been received, the results will be distributed to all institutional self-study teams for inclusion in the Data Collection Instrument (DCI) where necessary.

We want to give a big “thank you” to the students working on the Student Leadership Team who have designed and worked hard to implement the ISA, and those who are continuing to work on individual subcommittee teams on completion of the DCI.

OSUCOM is committed to addressing any areas of issue or concern highlighted in the ISA, and look forward to receiving the ISA results.

August 2020: ISA Update

Last month, the student leader Co-Chairs, Preethi Chidambaram and Alessandra Bliss, selected students to form the ISA Steering Committee. The ISA Committee represents a diverse group of students from all academic years who can offer unique perspectives in their contribution to building the ISA. The team has held focus groups within the different classes to seek input from the student body regarding what questions, in addition to the LCME-required questions, to include in the survey so that student experiences and opinions are adequately captured. Also, the Co-Chairs have begun working with the Office of Curriculum and Scholarship (OCS) to plan the specific details for the survey format and delivery.

July 2020: Subcommittee Formation

Team leaders for the five subcommittee teams have officially started their work on the Data Collection Instrument. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings to launch the process took place via Carmen Zoom, where each team received a detailed presentation of the LCME process and an in-depth review of their assigned Standards. For the next one year, these individuals will collect and review data, identify strengths and challenges in each of their team’s assigned areas, and assist in the development of action plans to improve the medical education program.

Learn more

June 2020: LCME Institutional Self Study Begins

The College of Medicine launched the official beginning of the institutional self-study with the kickoff meeting of the LCME Steering Committee, chaired by Daniel Clinchot, MD and Judith Westman, MD. The Steering Committee oversees the five teams charged with completing the Data Collection Instrument (DCI) over the 2020-2021 academic year.The information from the DCI will be combined with the Independent Student Analysis to complete the COM institutional self-study and to evaluate the COM’s compliance with LCME accreditation standards.

As we begin the self-study year, the Co-Chairs wish to thank all the faculty, staff and students who will help to compile the data for this important work!

May 2020: Independent Student Survey Update

In the upcoming months, medical students serving on The Ohio State University College of Medicine’s Student Leadership Team will create a customized Independent Student Analysis (ISA), a component of the LCME reaccreditation process. The ISA will serve to share the student body’s thoughtful assessments, identify strengths and critique the medical education program from the students’ perspective. This comprehensive evaluation allows students and faculty to evaluate the institution’s strengths as well as providing a platform to enable earnest discussions of the school’s weaknesses. Student leaders will use the results of the survey to prepare an executive summary report. Faculty and medical school leadership will have the benefit of reviewing the ISA results and the report to complete their self-study, and also use it as a tool to facilitate changes where reform is indicated.

April 2020: College of Medicine Selects LCME Institutional Self-Study Team Leaders and Independent Student Analysis Chairs

In planning for its upcoming accreditation visit in March 2022, the COM has created five LCME teams composed of faculty, staff and students. Each team will be responsible for collecting and responding to the information requested in a portion of the Data Collection Instrument (DCI), a critical part of the institutional self-study and review process. The following senior faculty and staff members have been selected by Dr. Dan Clinchot, Chair of the LCME Steering Committee, and Dr. Judith Westman, Faculty Accreditation Lead (FAL), to serve as team leaders:

  • Team 1: Infrastructure (Standards 1, 2, and 5)
    Ryan Goerlitz MBA, Associate Vice President for Finance
    Carla Granger MBA, Director for Education Administration, Senior Administrator for Biomedical Education & Anatomy
  • Team 2: Student Life and Environment (Standards 3, 11, and 12)
    Joanne Lynn MD MPH, Associate Dean for Student Life, Professor of Clinical Neurology
  • Team 3: Faculty (Standard 4)
    Tatiana Oberyszyn PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Pathology
  • Team 4: Curriculum (Standards 6, 7, 8, and 9)
    Jennifer McCallister, MD, Associate Dean for Medical Education, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
  • Team 5: Admissions and Transfers (Standard 10)
    Demicha Rankin, MD, Associate Dean for Admissions; Associate Professor of Anesthesiology

The team leaders will be responsible for oversight and tracking progress for their team’s assigned sections in the DCI for the next 18 months, as well as contributing an analysis of strengths and opportunities to be utilized by the Steering Committee in the creation of the final self-study report.

April 6, 2020: LCME Task Force and Student Leadership Team Formations Underway

In preparation for the March 2022 LCME reaccreditation site visit, The Ohio State University College of Medicine is in the process of forming a task force consisting of deans, medical school leadership and faculty. The task force will provide oversight for the institutional self-study process and subcommittees, which will culminate in the writing of a final self-study report. Medical students will also have an active role in the reaccreditation process. During the spring 2020 semester, a call for applications was announced requesting interested students to join Ohio State College of Medicine’s Student Leadership Team, whose members will draft the Independent Student Analysis (ISA) and also serve in integral roles on the various subcommittees.

Feb. 15, 2020: Ohio State College of Medicine LCME Site Visit Dates Announced

The Ohio State University College of Medicine will host a site team representing the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the official accrediting body for schools granting an MD in the U.S. and Canada. As part of the re-accreditation process, the LCME has notified us that we will have a full reaccreditation site visit on March 20-23, 2022. Site visitors will meet with over 100 faculty, staff and students during the three-day visit. The visit will include various meetings, tours of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, school buildings and the Health Sciences Library. Our last site visit was conducted in 2014 and we received full accreditation status. As part of the process, we will begin a period of self-study that will last approximately one and a half years. We encourage and hope all medical students, faculty and staff will actively participate in the reaccreditation process. The self-study process will allow Ohio State College of Medicine to assess the medical education program’s strengths and areas of weakness, and allow for constructive and positive change as we move into the future as one of the leading institutions in medical education.

July 1, 2019: Judith Westman, MD, has been named LCME Faculty Accreditation Lead (FAL)

Judith Westman, MD, will serve as Faculty Accreditation Lead for the 2021-22 LCME reaccreditation visit. Dr. Westman has served as the associate dean for Admissions, the associate dean for Student Affairs and the associate dean for Medical Education Administration within The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and has participated in three previous LCME site visits.

Jan. 6, 2020: Sonia Mann, JD, has been named program manager for the LCME accreditation process and will serve as our survey visit coordinator

She will work with the Faculty Accreditation lead, Judith Westman, MD. Please be on the lookout for any emails coming from either Dr. Westman or Ms. Mann. They will be sending updates regarding the specifics of our timeline and coordinating faculty and student involvement.