GW’s medical school has been taken off probation by the school’s accreditation board, ending a year and a half long ordeal that forced the medical school to revamp its curriculum management program, and add additional study space to the school’s library, University President Steven Knapp said Wednesday afternoon.
GW’s MD program in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences was placed on probation in October of 2008 by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the school’s accreditation board, for problems in several areas including curriculum management, lack of lounge and study space for students, and inadequate internal administrative processes.
The LCME returned in October of 2009 to evaluate the changes the SMHS made to remedy the problems, which included building a new database system which compares information from the school’s curriculum to national averages, and the addition of 6,748 square feet of new study space in Himmelfarb Library. In addition, two outdated laboratories were emptied and renovated for lounge space.
SMHS Dean James Scott learned that the school had been taken off probation Wednesday morning.
Scott was traveling in California during press time and was unavailable for comment.
Knapp said he feels the medical school has emerged stronger due to the probation.
“I think everybody knew that we were working hard to address these issues, and I do have to say it was a tremendous effort on a large level with a lot of student involvement, a lot of faculty and staff involvement, to work on all these objectives,” Knapp said.
Check Thursday’s Hatchet for the full story.