Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine announced that it has been reaccredited by the Liaison Committee on Medicine Education for eight years, the maximum time possible.
Duane Mezwa, M.D., Stephan Sharf Interim Dean, OUWB, and chief academic officer, William Beaumont Hospital, shared the news with the OUWB community via email.
“It is with extreme pride that I share with you that OUWB has been granted eight years of accreditation, the maximum amount of time that can be awarded, from the LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education),” Mezwa said.
“Deservedly, much praise goes to the more than 100 individuals who did some very heavy lifting to prepare our school for such a positive LCME review,” he continued. “I am extremely proud of the entire team.”
LCME accreditation is important to OUWB as it allows students to be eligible to take the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) exams and apply for residency through the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
LCME accreditation also provides medical schools eligibility for select federal grants.
OUWB initially received full accreditation on Feb. 20, 2015. It was effective for five years.
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The reaccreditation process officially began last June with an “OUWB self-study.”
The comprehensive process consisted of an OUWB Task Force and several subcommittees —comprised of students, faculty and staff — that thoroughly examined OUWB’s medical school education program and identified strategic resources, strengths, and areas for improvement.
The process continued in late July with a mock LCME site visit. During the mock event, LCME consultants visited OUWB and critiqued the school on each of the areas that the subcommittees examined, providing constructive feedback for the official visit.
That visit took place Sept. 15-18.
The LCME visiting team consisted of:
- Chair Richard M. Conran, M.D., Ph.D., J.D., from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Conran is a professor and the chairman of the Department of Pathology & Anatomy. His medical specialty is pathology.
- Chair William F. Bina, III, M.D., MPH, from Mercer University School of Medicine. Bina is the former dean and professor of Family Medicine. His medical specialty is family medicine.
- Secretary Dan Hunt, M.D., MBA, from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Hunt is the LCME field secretary for the AAMC. His medical specialty is psychiatry.
- Member James Graham, M.D., from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine. Graham is a professor of Pediatrics and the associate dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. His medical specialty is pediatric emergency medicine.
- Faculty Fellow Nadia J. Ismail, M.D., MPH, M.Ed., from Baylor College of Medicine. Ismail is the associate dean of Curriculum and an associate professor of General Medicine.
Mezwa said that overall, reaccreditation is an accomplishment the entire OUWB community can take pride in as it looks ahead in its continuing evolution as a medical school.
“It is a tremendous achievement to know that OUWB is compliant and has once again met the standards that accredit medical education programs which lead to the M.D. degree,” he said.
