Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)

Dean's Message

The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is currently engaged in its programmatic self-study of the MD program in preparation for review by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation in 2024. The LCME accreditation process serves several important purposes:

1. To certify that a medical education program meets prescribed standards for educational quality,  
2. To promote organizational and programmatic self-evaluation and improvement,
3. Establish program eligibility for federal grants, programs, and Title VII funding, and
4. Ensure program graduates are eligible to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). 

During the self-study, representatives of the medical school’s administration, faculty, student body and other constituencies gather to collect and review data about the medical school and its educational programs; identify institutional strengths and other issues requiring action; and define strategies to ensure that the strengths are maintained, and any challenges are addressed.

The UMSOM received the maximum accreditation grant of 8 years following its last review by the LCME in 2016. Since that time, we have launched the innovative Renaissance Curriculum, led the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as an academic medical center by leading the clinical trials for three currently authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines – Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax – and by running a large-scale testing initiative for the state of Maryland, and we launched two new major Institutes – the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) and the University of Maryland - Medicine Institute for Neuroscience Discovery (UM-MIND). We welcome the opportunity to reflect on the impact of these remarkable changes to our learning environment.

Once the self-study is completed, an executive summary, the school’s specific responses to all 93 accreditation Elements and supporting documentation is submitted to the LCME, which is followed by a survey visit to the school. The onsite survey visit for accreditation will take place on April 14-17, 2024. Faculty, staff and students who would like more information on the process of the self-study will find several useful documents on the LCME website (www.lcme.org).

I would like to thank the many faculty, administrative staff, and students who will be working on this important effort during the two academic years leading up to the survey visit. Many have been asked to serve on subcommittees and write reports. Our self-study subcommittees include members who represent a broad cross-section of our medical school community with basic science and clinical faculty, residents, fellows and other trainees, students, staff, SOM and UMB administrators, and UMMS leadership. Your talents, creativity, and commitment throughout this process will ensure our continued excellence and leadership in medical education.

Sincerely,

Mark T. Gladwin, MD