Nov. 10, 2023
Message sent on behalf of Carlos del Rio, MD, Interim Dean, Emory School of Medicine, and J. William Eley, MD, MPH, Executive Associate Dean, Medical Education and Student Affairs
Dear colleagues and friends:
For the past 2 years, a team of SOM faculty, staff and learners have been working diligently on a plan to transform education in all degree and residency programs in the School of Medicine with the goal of ensuring that our curricula and training are not only keeping up with the demands on today’s clinicians and scientists, but also empowering our learners to be change agents capable of addressing evolving health challenges.
Led by co-chairs Jada Bussey-Jones (medicine) and Eric Sundberg (biochemistry), a steering committee has developed recommendations and proposed next steps to begin implementation of the plan. I encourage you to review the full report as it provides a comprehensive look at progress to date. A few of the key points are also outlined below.
Highlighted priorities/recommendations from the working groups:
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Teach learners how to work effectively within teams of individuals from other professions, disciplines, and backgrounds.
- Establish program evaluation guiding principles that are transparent, clearly described, and shared across all programs.
- Emphasize experiential learning through small group/peer-based teaching and problem-solving activities.
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Create a center of education to enable shared resources across all School of Medicine degree programs.
Key next steps:
- Aligning program calendars and curricula mapping
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Identifying and adopting shared evaluation principles for all programs
- Identifying, launching, and assessing outcomes of prototypes and pilots for shared learning experiences
- Developing a shared infrastructure plan
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Adapting the curricula for the implications of new technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence) in health professions education
We recently announced that Joe Le Doux, PhD, will serve as executive leader for education transformation and innovation. While Le Doux will be responsible for leading this effort, true transformation will require the contributions and participation of the entire SOM community.
With that in mind, we are working to ensure that those who will play a significant role in implementing the plan will receive the training and support they need to achieve our shared goals. As part of his role, Le Doux will partner with Faculty Professional Development and GME leadership to articulate the skills, competencies, and experience types that will enable our faculty and residents to actively support and promote this updated approach to medical education.
I want to thank the working groups for their dedication to our education mission and to our learners. I also thank my colleagues Drs. Jada Bussey-Jones and Eric Sundberg for their exemplary leadership as co-chairs of this committee over the past 2 years. I recently spent a few minutes chatting with Jada and Eric about the goals of education transformation, what inspired them most during this process, and their best piece of advice for our first-year SOM students. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch the video.
Thank you for your ongoing engagement and support of this exciting initiative.