University of Maryland School of Medicine Receives Full Approval for Re-Accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)

‌University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, announced today that the UMSOM has received full approval for re-accreditation for the maximum term of 8 years by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or “LCME.”  The LCME is jointly sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association (AMA), and is the official accrediting body for all programs leading to the MD degree in the U.S.

The LCME’s rigorous evaluation process assessed various aspects of the MD Degree program, including curriculum design, student services, faculty qualifications, and institutional resources. Achieving this full accreditation reflects the School of Medicine’s dedication to maintaining the highest standards in medical education and the School’s continuous efforts to improve and innovate.

The LCME team at UMSOM, led by Donna Parker, MD and a dedicated LCME Steering Committee, completed a process that ultimately involved more than 200 faculty, student and staff members, who contributed to various aspects of implementing the process.

Members of the Steering Committee included:  Philip Dittmar, MD; Olga Ioffe, MD; Constance Lacap, DO; Devang Patel, MD; Norman Retener, MD; Nirav Shah, MD; and it also included the entire Undergraduate Medical Education leadership team: Donna Parker, MD (who served as faculty accreditation lead); Joseph Martinez, MD; Kerri Thom, MD; Sandra Quezada, MD; Miriam Laufer, MD; Jim Kaper, PhD; Kevin Brown, Douglas Clarke, and Tanya Hopkins.

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Parker, the LCME Steering Committee, and everyone who contributed to this remarkable achievement,” said Dean Gladwin.  “Their hard work, dedication and passion for medical education have made this possible.  This accreditation not only validates our current efforts but also inspires us to continue striving for excellence in the years to come.,” he said.

Dr. Parker added: “This achievement aligns perfectly with our mission to educate and inspire future leaders in medicine who will advance the health of our communities through compassionate care, innovative research, and lifelong learning. Our vision of being a premier institution that transforms medical education and healthcare delivery is further solidified by this accreditation,” she said.

The accreditation success comes on the heels of the School’s recent recognition as a rising leader among the nation’s medical schools.

In the recent ranking of the top medical schools, U.S. News & World Report ranked the UMSOM in the 1^st tier for primary care, which places it among the top 15 institutions in the nation for primary care training.  The School was also named a Tier 2 medical school for research, placing it among the top 36 research-intensive schools.

In the 2024 Blue Ridge Report, which ranks schools based on NIH funding, UMSOM ranked #16 among public medical schools, with 15 of its academic departments ranked in the top 20.

For the LCME process, initial planning meetings started in 2021.  Several committees consisting of faculty, students and staff members were established in 2022 to prepare the required self-study.  The self-study was submitted electronically in January, 2023, and covered 95 different elements within 12 broad standards dealing with all aspects of the SOM, not just narrow curriculum issues.

The full three-day site visit with five external reviewers was held in mid-April.  The site team submitted a report to the national LCME committee, which met in June October, 2024.

In the final review phase, the UMSOM submitted a 329-page data collection instrument with 296 attachments.