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Volume2/1986_September26UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER Friday, September 26,1986 School of Medicine Prepares for LCME Accreditation Visit More than a year ago, a School of Medicine committee began compiling hundreds of bits of information about the school - all in preparation for the School's 10-year accreditation review. Each of the 127 medical schools in the United States goes through the process on a regular basis, according to Dr. Hiroshi Kuida, associate dean for student programs. The Us School of Medicine, like the others, is reviewed by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME). This is a joint organization of the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Without accreditation, a medical school would cease to be a medical school, since the M.D. degree cannot be conferred by an unapproved school, said Dr. Kiuda. Prior to scheduling an on-site visit to a medical school, the LCME asks for specific information about the school's educational and research programs, its faculty and students. This database and the so- called "accreditation self- study evaluation" is submitted to the LCME for detailed study by a four-person committee, which then conducts the on-site visit The U's accreditation visit is scheduled for October 6 - 8. " The requirement of the institutional self- study is a stimulus for us to look at our educational operation, evaluate it and report our findings," Dr. Kuida explained. " These visitors will be touring and observing throughout the facility," Dr. Kuida said. " People might wonder what's going on when they see these visitors around." The site visit committee includes a dean of a medical school, an associate dean of another medical school, a practicing private physician and a former administrator of the AAMC. " These people will examine every aspect of the school but focus on the education program, and then write a report at the end of their three days here," Dr. Kuida continued. " Before they leave, they will meet with U President Chase Peterson to give him their preliminary findings." By the time they arrive for the on- site review, the committee members will have studied the database and self- study evaluation provided by the school. This information includes details of programs in the clinical and preclinical sciences and aspects of the educational program, Dr. Kuida said. During their visit they will seek more detailed information. They will meet with students, faculty and administrators, and tour the clinics, classrooms and library. The committee's report goes to the LCME and will be used to determine if the U School of Medicine is to be accredited for another 10 years. Utah has never failed to gain accreditation since it was first approved in the early 1940s, Dr. Kuida said. A school can be put on probation if it fails to meet any of LCME's criteria. If this happens, the school will go through the review process again within one or two years. Accreditation of medical schools grew out of Abraham Flexner's 1910 Report on American medical education. Flexner's report to the Carnegie Foundation evaluated medical education in the U. S. and Canada. As a result of his studies, standards for accreditation of medical schools evolved and were upgraded, resulting in a marked reduction ( Continued on back) New Drugs Topic of Seminar Set for Sunday " New Drug Developments- - 1986" will be discussed at a University of Utah College of Pharmacy Continuing Education Program on Sunday, September 28, at 8 a. m. at Skaggs Hall. The daylong event is intended for working pharmacists, physicians and other health- care professionals. It is approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. Participants will receive .6 continuing education credits. Topics include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, management of antiepileptic therapy, antiarrhythmic agents, drug interactions and drugs developed in the past year. The faculty includes Jack A. Madsen, MX)., and Grant W. Cannon, MX)., both from the University's School of Medicine; Phillip D. Hansten, Pharm. D„ from Washington State University; Jeffrey L. Anderson, M. D., chief of cardiology at LDS Hospital and Linda Stone Tyler, Pharm. D., from the University's College of Pharmacy. Advance registration is $ 30. To register, contact William J. Stilling, College of Pharmacy continuing education coordinator, at ext. 6205. The program is scheduled for Sunday because that is the only day most pharmacists are available, according to Mr. Stilling. Health Sciences Center Names Two Fund Raisers Suzanne Nelson and Dr. Henry O. Whiteside have been named to the University of Utah Health Sciences Center's development staff. " Private giving is the key to continued growth and excellence of the research, education and patient care programs of the University Health Sciences Center," said Arthur Swindle, executive director of development. " Fighting the maladies of humanity and training tomorrow's health- care professionals is what the U's Health Sciences Center is about. It must have increased private support if it is to ensure its position of leadership and continue to provide these opportunities to our children and grandchildren," according to Mr. Swindle. " We are excited to have the talents of Ms. Nelson and Dr. Whiteside telling the Health Sciences Center's story." A graduate of the University of Utah, Ms. Nelson assumes responsibility for raising private funds for the colleges of Health, Nursing and Pharmacy. She previously served as Director of Volunteer Services for the University Hospital and as Executive Director of the Utah Affiliate of the National Society to Prevent Blindness. Formerly an assistant vice president of Triad America Corporation, Dr. Whiteside also has extensive experience with the Utah State Office of Planning and Budget and the Division of State History. A graduate of Princeton University, Dr. Whiteside earned his master's and doctorate degrees at Stanford University. His fund- raising efforts will focus on the University's School of Medicine. Foldable Intraocular Lens Being Tested at Health Sciences Center A new soft, foldable intraocular lens which is surgically implanted in the eye after cataract removal is now being clinically tested in patients at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. The new lens presents many potential advantages over those currently in use. Dr. Alan S. Crandall, associate professor of ophthalmology in the School of Medicine, is one of six vision care specialists nationwide asked by IOLAB Corporation, Covina, California, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its new " SOFLEX" lens. " As a member of the University's Center for Intraocular Lens Research, Dr. Crandall has pioneered the surgical implantation and follow- up study of this lens in primates, and his experience in surgically inserting the foldable lens is unmatched," according to John K. Fitzgerald, manager of IOLAB's clinical research department. Fitzgerald said that because of Dr. Crandall's surgical expertise and the outstanding facilities available at the Utah center, other evaluators have come here to learn his implantation technique. The new lens represents state- of- the- art biomaterials technology, according to Dr. Crandall. " The lens is manufactured from a soft silicone material, in contrast to the relatively hard polymethylmethacrylate ( PMMA) plastic used in most intraocular lenses now on the market," he says. " The lens can be folded and inserted into the eye through an incision about half the size of that needed to implant the PMMA lens. This causes less surgical trauma to the eye and is expected to result in shorter recovery time. It is anticipated that the relatively soft silicone material will cause less irritation to the delicate tissues within the eye." The ongoing study has been approved by the U's Institutional Review Board. Data from the study will be used by the manufacturer to gain approval for the new lens from the Federal Food and Drug Administration. Hospital Nursing Staff Changes Announced The Department of Nursing Practice recently announced the following changes in staff. Susan Beck, R. N., M. N., has been appointed to the position of clinical specialist in oncology. Prior to the appointment, Ms. Beck worked in program development with the staff of 5 ^ ^ North. Ms. Beck is currently a doctoral student at the University. Freda Warner, R. N., is the new assistant head nurse on 2 East, formerly the 3 West patient unit. Ms. Warner was a staff nurse on 5 West prior to her promotion. She has been with University Hospital for a year. Sylvia Simoncini has been appointed to the newly created position of patient educator and will assume the duties of the position sometime this Fall. Ms. Simoncini is presently the nursing quality assurance coordinator. As the new patient educator, she will be responsible for developing a formalized patient education program. School of Medicine Accreditation. . ( Continued from front page) in the numbers of schools, Dr. Kuida said. The LCME accreditation process is the reason there is such a high degree of uniformity among the 127 approved medical schools in this country. " American Medical schools are considered among the best in the world because of the high standards," Dr. Kuida said. The U's School of Medicine has 400 students pursuing the M. D. degree, 100 in each class, and more than 500 faculty members. University of Utah Health Sciences Center INTERCOM is published by the Office of Community Relations, Rm. 2753 . Nominations for employee of the month are welcome and should be sent in writing to Ken Johnson in Community Relations. Ideas for articles also are welcome and should be sent to Pat Hawthorne in Hospital Personnel, ext. 2300