Thank you so much for all of your hard work in preparation for our recent LCME full survey visit and the time that you were able to spend with the survey team during this intense interval.  I wish to extend to you my personal gratitude for all of your hard work and for the careful and thoughtful interactions that occurred with the team.  All of the team members complimented the quality of our preparation and feel strongly that they were able to glean a thorough understanding of our organization and the educational programs leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree.

The exit interview brought forward several important areas for consideration in the Educational Program Category of Standards and in the Medical Student Category of Standards.  It did not bring forward any suggested deficiencies in the Institutional Setting, Faculty or Educational Resource Standards and brought forth two remarkable strengths; our approach to Immersive Interprofessional Simulation and the wonderful work done by the Center for Creative Instruction.

It will be several weeks before we have the preliminary draft letter from the survey team and probably until mid or late October until we have the definitive findings by the LCME itself regarding the status of accreditation and any necessary follow-up.  I remain confident and proud based upon the quality of the work leading up to this full survey visit and the materials that were submitted prior to and during the visit, as well as the preparation of each of the individuals with whom they met.  I am particularly proud of our students who embodied all of these areas of accreditation standards and so much more as they approach the practice of medicine and improve the human condition.

As additional information becomes available, I am committed to sharing it with all of our faculty, students and staff in a timely and transparent way, and to working with the LCME to identify areas where we can continue to improve the quality of our programs.

My most sincere thanks,

Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.

Chancellor and Executive Vice President for Biosciences and Health Affairs

Dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences

We are pleased to announce a Call for Nominations for the 2012 College of Medicine Faculty Recognition Awards in the following categories:

                 Teaching Excellence

o   Clinical Faculty

o   Basic Science Faculty

                 Research

o   New Investigator

o   Research Leadership

The awards will recognize College of Medicine faculty members who have shown outstanding achievements in these categories in 2012.

Candidates must be full time COM faculty and nominations of others and self-nominations are welcomed. Student and resident involvement is strongly encouraged although all nominations must be submitted through a COM faculty member.

Please send the nomination packet including a letter of nomination, supporting letters from faculty, student, and/or residents, and a current copy of the candidates CV (which should be obtained from the candidates Chairperson) to Candace.busdiecker@utoledo.edu by Friday, August 2, 2013.

The Evaluation Committee is composed of previous recipients of the respective award. They will complete their evaluation and select the 2012 awardees. The awards will be presented at the Faculty Recognition Reception in October 2013.

A description of the Awards criteria and history are available at the link below:

DEANS AWARDS FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE 2012 GUIDELINES

DEANS AWARDS FOR RESEARCH 2012 GUIDELINES

Graduation for the College of Medicine and Life Sciences (COMLS) is around the corner!

The 42^nd Commencement Exercises will be held on Friday, June 7^th from 2-5 pm at the Stranahan Theater, Heatherdowns Blvd. The doors will open at 1 pm for general seating. Tickets are not required.

Graduating students and their Special Hooders should report with their academic regalia to the Great Hall by 12:30 pm to line up for the academic procession. Please leave all valuable with a friend or family member because there will be nowhere to store purses, cameras, cell phones, etc.

Faculty marching in regalia should report by 1 pm to the Great Hall. Faculty are asked to RSVP to 419-383-6300, so that adequate seating for the faculty is reserved.

This year’s Honorary Degree recipient and commencement speaker is Thomas Nasca, M.D., CEO of the ACGME.

Dr. Reginald Baugh, President of the College of Medicine Council, will serve as the Grand Marshal for the academic procession.

The University will award degrees to 235 College of Medicine and Life Sciences graduates as follows:

• 164 MD, including 6 dual degrees (1 MD/PhD, 1 MD/MPH, 3 MD/Graduate Certificate in Pathology)
• 5 PhD
• 30 MSBS, including 1 MSBS/Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics and Epidemiology
• 29 MPH, including 1 MPH/Graduate Certificate in Global Public Health
• 8 Graduate Certificates (6 Contemporary Gerontological Practice; 1 Epidemiology, 1 Global Public Health)

The MD graduates have selected Drs. Amira Gohara and Imran Ali as their class hooders.

The PhD and MSBS hoods will be placed by Dr. Randy Ruch and the MPH hoods will be placed by Dr. Sheryl Milz.

A Graduation Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 6^th from 3-5 pm in the Ballroom at The Hotel at UTMC, with a reception immediately following.

All graduating students will be recognized. In addition, a number of graduates will receive special recognition for their excellence. These awards are sponsored by the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, by the various departments within the college, by several professional organizations, both local and national, and by many friends of The University of Toledo.

In addition to the student awards, the graduating medical students have selected outstanding teachers, role models, residents, and staff who will also be recognized.

All students and faculty are asked to RSVP for the Graduation Awards Ceremony by calling or emailing Amanda Seabolt-Martin, MPH, GCCGP, MSN, Assistant Director of Medical Student Programs and Services, at 419-383-6428 or Amanda.Seabolt@utoledo.edu by May 30^th.

DEANS AWARDS FOR RESEARCH 2012 GUIDELINES regarding graduation, please contact COMcommencement@utoledo.edu.

Amanda Seabolt-Martin, M.P.H., GCCGP, MSN started in her new role on Monday, May 6^th and has not stopped for a breath yet! Or so it seems!

Many of you may know Amanda from when she worked in Student Affairs and Student Life, coordinating the student organizations, as well as the summer programs, among many other responsibilities.

In her new position, Amanda will be the coordinator for new medical student orientation, she will manage the logistical aspects of the Career Advising Teams (CATs/DOGS), and she will have primary responsibility for the various special ceremonies that are coordinated by the Office of Student Affairs. In fact, she has arrived just in time to help spearhead our efforts in putting on the College-wide Graduation Awards and Commencement ceremonies.

Amanda Seabolt-Martin has always been a rocket at heart! After receiving her Bachelor of Science from UT in 2009, she completed her Master in Public Health from UT COM in 2010. Most recently, she graduated with her Master of Science in Nursing from The University of Toledo College of Nursing on May 3, 2013, when she also received the Dean’s Award for excellence as a practitioner and scholar. This past year, Amanda went on a medical mission trip with the College of Nursing to Nicaragua over spring break. Her thesis research focused on student leadership development through the use of a governance model and she presented her findings at the Sigma Theta Tau International Conference in April 2013. Outside of education, she and her husband, Sean, live in Swanton, Ohio with their lovable labradoodle, Maverick, and enjoy spending their free time with their families.

Please join us in welcoming Amanda Seabolt-Martin to the Office of Student Affairs team!

We have completed setting structural steel for the building.  Detailing of the same will continue for a couple of weeks.  We continue to pour concrete slabs for the new building with the 3^rd floor actually being poured May 16^th.  Next week we will pour the 4^th floor as well as the cap on the connector tunnel between Health Science Building and Center for Creative Education.  Masonry has started in the basement of the building and extending up through the 1^st floor.  Stone masonry work on the exterior of the building will begin next week along with metal stud framing.  We have bid out the interiors package and are in the process of awarding contracts.  These new contractors will mobilize onsite in the next couple of weeks and we will start the process of installing plumbing lines, duct work, metal stud partitions, electrical conduits, etc.  We remain on schedule to have the building fully enclosed in September and to be complete with construction by the 1^st of the new year.   We will continue to schedule disruptive activities during the evening shift after 5pm.  Luckily most of this work has been completed.  If anyone is aware of or having issues please notify Jason Toth right away so that he can correct them.

We are working with the contractors to clean up the exterior of the site and the loop drive in front of Health Science Building.  To assist them in this endeavor we have agreed to provide them with a laydown area for construction materials in lot 43.  See the sketch below highlighting the 15+/- parking stalls that will be roped off for use by the contractors.  Materials will be staged in this area working from Transverse Drive and not within lot 43.  Contractors will only be using these space between now and August 1^st.  These parking stalls will be reopend for staff and student use when classes resume in August.

Egress paths and temporary walls in the Center for Creative Education along the south side of the building are being maintained.  With the demolition if the atrium and the install of the new structural steel we are looking at creating a safe path from the elevator to the southwest stair in case the elevator were to malfunction again.  We hope to have this resolved in the next few weeks.  Emergency egress from the southwest stair and the open stair exists to the west directly to the outside thru the former main entry to Center for Creative Education.  Emergency egress on the 1^st floor remains thru the courtyard space.

Dr. Thomas J. Nasca will receive an honorary doctor of science degree from the UT College of Medicine & Life Sciences and serve as speaker at the commencement ceremony scheduled on Friday, June 7 at 2:00 PM at the Stranahan Theater.

Dr. Nasca is the Chief Executive Officer of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).  In that role, he oversees the work of the organization that is responsible for the accreditation of over 8,500 residency education programs.

Dr. Nasca has an amazing career!  He is also currently the Chief Executive Officer of the ACGME International and a Professor of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College.  Dr. Nasca has been involved in medical education since 1981.  He has served as the Chairman and Residency Program Director of the Department of Medicine and Director of Medical Services at The Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh.  He served in the role of Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital responsible for the medical student, residency and fellowship educational programs.  He also served as the Associate Dean for Education and Research, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Affiliations and then was appointed the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Jefferson Medical College and President of Jefferson University Physicians.

Dr. Nasca was named the first Anthony F. and Gertrude M. DePalma Dean of Jefferson Medical College.  In 2007, Dr. Nasca left the deanship to assume the leadership of the ACGME.

Dr. Nasca has served in various leadership roles on the Council of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, the Nephrology MKSAP for the American College of Physicians, the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, the Federated Council for Internal Medicine, the Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine, the Council on Graduate Medical Education of the Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Congress.

Dr. Nasca has received numerous awards including the Dema C. Daley Founders Award for Excellence in Internal Medical Education from the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, the Rev. Clarence Shaffrey, S.J. Award from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Achievement Award.  He was named one of the 50 most powerful physician executives in 2009, 2010 and 2011 by Modern Healthcare.  Dr. Nasca is the author of over 100 peer reviewed articles, chapters and other publications and has delivered more than 300 invited lectures and presentations on topics related to medical education.

Dr. Nasca graduated from the University of Notre Dame with High Honors and is an Alpha Omega Alpha graduate of Jefferson Medical College.  He completed his internship, residency, and was chief medical resident at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, and completed his nephrology fellowship at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital.

We will warmly welcome him at our commencement ceremony!

The CME Office is planning numerous Fall, 2013 events and information should be readily available soon.  Please visit our website for any information.

Should you require your transcript for licensing/privilege applications, you may obtain online:

Website:   cme.utoledo.edu

Choose: “Direct Link to Login”

Sign on: username (lastnamefirstname)

Password (zip code)

Choose: “Credit transcripts”

You may print your entire transcript, or can specify the dates you require.

The COMLS Appointment, Promotion and Tenure Committee is revising the College of Medicine and Life Sciences’ Faculty Tracks and Criteria for Promotion document to include professionalism for all promotion and grant of tenure requests.  This will be in addition to the review of activities in the categories of scholarship, education and service.

Our policies and practices indicate faculty are required to conduct themselves at all times with professionalism to safeguard trainees, colleagues, staff, patients and others in the learning environment.  Thus, in addition to updated educational excellence descriptions, each of the 8 faculty tracks will contain a new criterion on faculty professionalism that will be evaluated by a review of the applicant’s faculty personal file and other pertinent information. This is appropriate since faculty members are expected to understand and comply with the AAMC guiding principles for promoting a positive learning environment and the expectations stated in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences Policy 3364-081-004-018-00, The Learning Environment and Faculty Professionalism:

Standards of professional behavior expected in the educational setting relate to: (1) creating a positive atmosphere conducive to learning and supporting the ethical principles of medicine including honesty and confidentiality; (2) maintaining appropriate boundaries, trust, humanism, respect for diversity and appropriate forms of communication with students, faculty, staff, patients and others and using a dignified approach to conflict resolution; and (3) maintaining ethical standards expected of all medical professionals from the perspective of individual performance. Serious professionalism violations and patterns of behavior will be dealt with through the Learning Environment and Faculty Professionalism Policy.

The University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences Academy of Educators is pleased to announce a new initiative whose purpose is to promote and support innovative educational scholarship. The Dean of the College of Medicine and the Academy are making research funding available to support educational research related to curriculum development (e.g., design, implementation or scholarly evaluation of the impact of innovative curricula), development and validation of assessment or evaluation tools, development and evaluation of instructional materials, or other research focused on enhancing medical education.

Awards will be based on content related principally to undergraduate medical education activities, but proposals that impact any UTCOMLS educational program (residents; PhD or masters level or graduate certificate) will be considered. You need not be a member of the Academy to apply. Selected educational grant(s) will be supported for up to $5,000 for the 12-month period of July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014. A total of $10,000 is available for this program. Deadline for submission is June 10, 2013 at noon. Awards will be announced no later than June 21.

UT’s Academy of Educators sees these awards as part of the Academy’s mission to: Promote student learning, advance the acquisition of knowledge and enhance patient care and health outcomes through teaching excellence. It is our hope, that over time, an educational research community network might be developed within UTCOMLS and between education and clinical departments.  For more information on UTCOMLS’s Academy of Educators and to download a copy of the Call for Proposals, please visit: http://www.utoledo.edu/med/academy/

Dr. Patricia Metting, Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences (COMLS), Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for the Health Science Campus (HSC), and Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, has announced her retirement effective July 1^st.

We wish to thank Dr. Metting for her dedicated service to the College of Medicine and Life Sciences and The University of Toledo over the past 37 years. Although she will be missed, we are pleased to announce that the administration has extensively prepared for this juncture by strategically executing a leadership transition plan over the past two years. In so doing, we have the highest level of confidence that our students will continue to receive the highest level of service excellence.

Vital to the transition plan was the addition of five new administrators in the Office of Student Affairs, which has permitted expansion of the academic and career advising services for medical students, while also ensuring the efficient operation of the services and programs provided and events planned throughout each academic year by the Office of Student Affairs. During this transition, Dr. Metting has served as Senior Associate Dean, working closely with the entire Student Affairs Team, namely:

Ronald McGinnis, M.D., Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Marlene Welch, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery

Yvette Perry, Ph.D., Director of Student Affairs, Career Advising, and Student Professional Development, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine

Dawn Durivage, M.P.H., Assistant Director of Student Professional Development

Amanda Seabolt-Martin, M.P.H., G.C.C.G.P., M.S.N., Assistant Director of Medical Student Services and Programs, who returned to the office on May 6^th upon completion of her MSN degree. Amanda replaces the Assistant Director position vacated earlier this year.

Michele Sheley, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor and Senior Associate Dean.

Dr. McGinnis, a 1977 graduate of the College of Medicine, was selected to succeed Dr. Metting as the Chief Student Affairs Officer based on his passion for teaching and advising medical students, as well as his extensive administrative experience in his previous roles as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Medical Director of University of Toledo Medical Center, Associate Dean for Community Outreach and AHEC, and Director of the Psychiatry Residency Program. Dr. McGinnis has served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs since February 2012. He has been a member of the COMLS Senior Leadership Team since 2005.

The responsibilities of the Vice Chancellor’s office will transition to Dorothea Sawicki, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor and Associate Dean for Graduate Biomedical Studies. As the two Vice Chancellors on the Health Science Campus, Drs. Sawicki and Metting have worked closely over the past couple of years in order to facilitate a smooth transition in oversight of several areas, including:

• Office of the Registrar and HSC Student Services Center;
• HSC Academic Enrichment Center;
• HSC Academic Test Center;
• HSC and COMLS Policy Approval and Revision Processes;
• Co-chair of the Academic Honors Committee for The University of Toledo, which makes recommendations to the Chancellor and Provost for Distinguished University Professors and Honorary Degree recipients;
• Chair of the Student Health Insurance Advisory Committee; and
• Administrative liaison for the HSC with the Office of Accessibility on matters related to ADA accommodations for qualified HSC students.

Dr. Sawicki has been involved in medical and graduate education as Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology since 1977. She previously served as Director of the Ph.D. program in Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Ph.D. Program in Infection, Immunology, and Transplantation, and currently serves on Graduate Executive Council, as well as the M.D./Ph.D. Committee. Dr. Sawicki served as a Team Leader and member of the Steering Committee for the recent LCME accreditation site visit. She also serves as Chair of the Appointment, Promotions, and Tenure (APT) Committee for COMLS, and as a member of the HSC Council of Deans and the COMLS Senior Leadership Team.