VCU School of Medicine again receives full accreditation from Liaison Committee for Medical Education

By VCU News staff

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine M.D. program has again received full accreditation from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education, the accrediting body for all medical education programs resulting in an M.D. degree in the U.S.

LCME accreditation is a peer-review process that adheres to the accreditation standards outlined in the LCME's "Functions and Structure of a Medical School" document. LCME site visits typically occur every eight years and are an extensive and intensive examination of 105 elements across 12 standards that span the entirety of a medical school's administration, infrastructure, curriculum and operations.

The VCU School of Medicine's LCME site visit took place in February, and the school was granted full accreditation following the LCME's meeting in June. There are currently 155 LCME-accredited M.D.-granting schools in the U.S.

"Preparing for an LCME site visit and accreditation review is a substantial undertaking that requires years of preparation, organization, attention to detail and execution at every level," said Arturo Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine and executive vice president of medical affairs at VCU Health System.

Saavedra thanked School of Medicine leaders, administrators, students, faculty and the school's LCME committee members, as well as its partners in VCU Health, including VCU Medical Center President Michael Roussos and Marlon Levy, M.D., the interim senior vice president of VCU Health Sciences and interim CEO of VCU Health.

"The strength of our school has always been its people," Saavedra said. "Everyone played a part in our recent successful outcome."

Saavedra added that earning reaccreditation does not mean the School of Medicine's work is completed, and it will "continue to further enhance and improve all aspects of our medical education program with a vision toward continual quality improvement."

Levythanked Saavedra and all involved in the reaccreditation effort.

"The School of Medicine is an indispensable part of our university research and health science educational mission," Levy said. "We are fortunate to have a high-quality medical education program comprising dedicated faculty and staff who are committed to educating - and students who are committed to becoming - the next generation of compassionate caregivers, innovative researchers and physician-leaders who will advance the health of our community. This important work continues."

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