UMSOM Awarded ACCME Re-Accreditation 'With Commendation' for Continuing Medical Education

ACCME Re-Accreditation Assures Medical community and Public that UMSOM Delivers Education Relevant to Clinicians’ Needs

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, along with Nancy Ryan Lowitt, MD, EdM, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs & Professional Development, announced today that the UMSOM has been awarded “Re-Accreditation with Commendation” for its Continuing Medical Education programs by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).  The re-accreditation, which is for the next six years, is the highest level of achievement recognized by the ACCME.

According to ACCME, the accreditation is designed to assure the medical community and the public that UMSOM is delivering education that is relevant to clinicians’ needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness, and independent of commercial influence.

“This ACCME re-accreditation with commendation is an important recognition of our commitment provide the most advanced, relevant and high-quality continued training to our physicians,” said Dr. Lowitt.

Participation in accredited CME programs helps physicians meet requirements for maintenance of licensure, maintenance of certification, credentialing, membership in professional societies, and other professional privileges. Physicians can count on accredited CME to provide a protected space for them to learn and teach without commercial influence.

In meeting the re-accreditation, the ACCME reviewed if UMSOM demonstrated how the CME program will help improve performance or patient outcome and if the program addresses the needs of practitioners. The re-accreditation also took into account the role of patient and public representatives and students in the planning and delivery of CME programming.

Importantly, this ACCME also reviewed factors beyond critical care that affect health of populations and whether the UMSOM collaborates with other organizations to more effectively address population health issues.

“At the University of Maryland School of Medicine, we strive to be a leader in providing the most relevant and highest quality learning tools to support our research and care as we tackle the most challenging diseases and illnesses in the world,” said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who is also Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine.“

Learn More

• Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development
• University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) CME Program
• Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 45 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit www.medschool.umaryland.edu