Curriculum Governance Committees
Welcome to the School of Medicine’s Curriculum Governance webpage! Here you will find information about the curriculum governance committees including meeting schedules, bylaws, membership rosters, and meeting minutes.
Curriculum Governance Overview
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredits medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States. To achieve and maintain accreditation, a medical school must demonstrate appropriate performance in LCME’s 12 standards, each with an accompanying set of elements. The UWSOM’s governance committees fulfill LCME requirements around leadership, administration, faculty participation, policies, and curriculum management, evaluation, and enhancement.
In 2014, the Medical School Executive Committee and the Dean of the School of Medicine approved the Curriculum Governance Committee Oversight Report establishing the curriculum governance structure and committees. These committees are the main driver of curricular quality improvement and are accountable for all curriculum-related components of the medical education program.
The educational leadership, i.e., block, course and thread directors, teaching faculty, Associate Dean for Curriculum, and the Curriculum Committee and its subcommittees, have responsibility for developing and implementing a curriculum that is appropriate for the education and training of students for the practice of medicine. The curriculum is educationally equivalent at each Foundations site, and common examinations are given to ensure that all students achieve the same level of competence.
Curriculum Committee
Curriculum Committee is delegated authority by the Dean of the School of Medicine and is accountable for the oversight of learning objectives, curriculum implementation, and evaluation procedures for the entire medical student education program’s curriculum. It serves as the LCME-mandated committee assuring continuous oversight and evaluation of the curriculum.
Committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. Join the online Zoom Meeting on Mondays from 4-5:40PM Pacific Time. To recieve updates, please email the Curriculum Office at somgov@uw.edu to be added to our mailing list.
2024-2025 Academic Year Meeting Schedule:
- September 9, 2024
- October 7, 2024
- November 4, 2024
- December 2, 2024
- January 6, 2025
- February 3, 2025
- March 3, 2025
- April 7, 2025
- May 5, 2025
- June 2, 2025
The University of Washington School of Medicine
Curriculum Committee Bylaws
Section 1: Curriculum Committee
Article 1: General Governance
The following bylaws govern the organization and procedures of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s (UWSOM) Curriculum Committee and its related committees and subcommittees. These bylaws were adopted in accordance with the Curriculum Governance Committee Report that was finalized in February 2014 and approved by the Medical School Executive Committee and the Dean of the School of Medicine.
Article 2: Authority and Accountability
- Authority: Curriculum Committee is delegated authority by the Dean of the School of Medicine and is accountable for the oversight of learning objectives, curriculum implementation, and assessment and evaluation procedures for the entire medical student education program’s curriculum. Per Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) accreditation requirements, it serves as the LCME-mandated committee assuring continuous oversight and evaluation of the curriculum. Standing subcommittees address specific aspects of the curriculum and are represented on the Curriculum Committee.
- Accountability: Curriculum Committee reports and provides recommendations to the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs (the Chief Academic Officer designated by the Dean of the School of Medicine). Once a year, the Curriculum Committee will provide a summary of the past year’s activities, issues, and resolutions to the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs and the Dean of the School of Medicine.
- Relationship to Faculty Council on Academic Affairs: The Faculty Council on Academic Affairs (FCAA) is chaired by the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs and provides a forum for presentation and discussion of topics of importance to the development of the medical student education program, reports from standing committees, and approval of recommended changes in operational or program management. FCAA provides advisory oversight for the curriculum and related policy decisions; may initiate further discussion of curricular issues with regional leadership and other stakeholders; or respond to issues raised by the Curriculum Committee.
Article 3: Guiding Principles
- Governance procedures are consistent with LCME requirements.
- Governance procedures incorporate appropriate representation from across the WWAMI region (defined as Wyoming, Eastern Washington, Western Washington (greater than 90 miles from Seattle), Alaska, Montana, and Idaho).
- Curriculum management allows for balance between central oversight and local initiative, innovation, and site optimization.
- The governance process encourages continuous improvement of the curriculum.
- All UWSOM students have equal access to an equivalent curriculum designed to achieve the medical education program’s learning objectives.
- Decision-making is based on open discussion, transparency, shared governance, and iterative consensus development.
Article 4: Membership
- Voting member expectations:
- Attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled meetings per academic year (July – June).
- Review meeting materials ahead of time and come prepared to discuss, ask questions, and vote on a variety of topics related to and impacting the curriculum.
- Serve on ad hoc subcommittees as requested.
- Provide information to the co-chairs and curriculum deans on emerging issues in the curriculum.
- Although membership is designed to ensure broad representation of the UWSOM, members have the responsibility to function as “members of the whole,” working to optimize the curriculum, rather than represent the interests of a particular constituency.
- Faculty: Curriculum Committee will consist of nineteen elected faculty members in good standing and the four Academic Co-Chairs from the Foundations Phase, Patient Care Phase, Explore & Focus Phase, Themes/Medicine Health and Society representative and Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee (PEAC) committees. Members may either be university- based or based in clinical settings but must be active participants in the UWSOM medical education program. Voting member faculty seats include:
- Four basic science faculty (faculty who teach in the medical education program during the Foundations Phase and who represent the basic sciences)
- Eight general faculty
- The four Academic Co-Chairs of the Phase (Foundations, Patient Care, and Explore & Focus)
- One Themes/Medicine Health and Society Representative.
- One self-nominated member from the Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee (this individual may be a staff member).
- Staff: Curriculum Committee will include two administrative undergraduate education staff members with one staff member from the WWAMI region.
- Students: Voting member student seats: Curriculum Committee will include six student members in good standing with broad representation across campuses and cohorts.
- Terms: Faculty and staff committee members will serve a three-year term with the option of serving one additional term. Approximately one-third of the committee membership will rotate off (or be re-elected) each year. The Phase Academic Co-Chairs will serve terms coinciding with their terms on those committees. No faculty member will serve more than six consecutive years (with the exception of the Academic Co-Chair, see Article 5, b.). Student committee members will serve a two-year term. Graduating students are eligible even if they cannot serve the entire term. No student member will serve more than two consecutive years.
- Election of faculty, staff, members: Annually, the Dean of the School of Medicine will issue a call for faculty and staff candidates for open seats on the Curriculum Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to all faculty throughout the WWAMI region. The call for staff member candidates will be sent to WWAMI-based Foundations and clinical staff, department-based clerkship administrators and academic affairs staff. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
- A Nominating Committee will be formed for faculty, staff, and students, consisting of the Executive Co-Chair, the Academic Co-Chair, one Student Affairs Dean, a regional Assistant Dean, the Director of Educational Evaluation, the Director of Educational Experience, three faculty committee members (at least one from the WWAMI region), one staff member, and two Medical Student Association representatives. The Nominating Committee will review statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates for an all-faculty and staff vote. If there are insufficient candidates for a category, the Nominating Committee can issue fewer candidates for that category.
- The slate of candidates will be presented to the entire faculty and undergraduate education administrative staff for an electronic vote. The Nominating Committee is disbanded after selection of the final slate of candidates and can vote in the Curriculum Committee election. The voting process will be open for ten days. To ensure no faculty or staff member votes twice, the vote will be confidential rather than anonymous. The candidate who receives the greatest number of votes for a given category (basic science, clinical, and WWAMI) will join the Curriculum Committee. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held.
- Election of student members: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for student candidates for open seats on the Curriculum Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to students throughout the WWAMI region. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
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- The Nominating Committee will review statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates for an all-student vote.
- The slate of candidates will be presented to the entire UWSOM student body for an electronic vote. The Student Nominating Committee is disbanded after selection of the final slate of candidates and student members can vote in the Curriculum Committee election. The voting process will be open for ten days. To ensure no student votes twice, the vote will be confidential rather than anonymous. The candidate who receives the greatest number of votes for a given category (Foundations Phase, WWAMI, etc.) will join the Curriculum Committee. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held.
- Faculty or student member resignation or replacement: In the event a voting member resigns, the co-chairs shall appoint a member from the same category (basic scientist, clinician, WWAMI faculty, student, etc.). The appointed member will finish the term of the member whose seat they are replacing and can then self-nominate to serve another term, if eligible.
- Possible replacement for absenteeism: Members who miss three or more committee meetings in a six-month period can be dismissed by the co-chairs after discussion with the members.
Article 5: Officers
- Designation: Curriculum Committee will be co-chaired by a committee member (Academic Co-Chair) and the Associate Dean for Curriculum (Executive Co-Chair). The Academic Co-Chair will be selected from the current faculty members who have expressed interest in the position in the event of multiple candidates, a vote will be called by the Curriculum Committee. The Academic Co-Chair may not serve as the Curriculum Committee representative on another phase committee while serving as co-chair and vacate their faculty seat upon being elected.
- Officer Terms: Academic Co-Chairs will serve a three-year term. Recruitment for the Academic Co-Chair elect will begin in January of the third year of the current co-chair’s term.
- Duties: The Executive Co-Chair and Academic Co-Chair are expected to work together to set agendas, lead meetings, ensure adequate and appropriate documentation of meetings and decisions, convene task forces and special groups as needed, serve as liaisons to the Foundations Phase, Patient Care Phase, Explore & Focus Phase, and FCAA, oversee the work of appointed committees and subcommittees, report recommendations to the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs and by extension FCAA, and provide regular updates to the Medical School Executive Committee. The Curriculum Office is responsible for record-keeping associated with the Curriculum Committee.
Article 6: Procedures
- Meetings:
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- Committee meetings will be called by the co-chairs.
- Each committee meeting will be chaired by the Executive Co-Chair, the Academic Co-Chair, or both, at the discretion of the co-chairs. At least one co-chair must be present at each meeting.
- Committee meetings are scheduled every month. Meetings may be canceled at the discretion of the co-chairs.
- The co-chairs may call special meetings for the purpose of hearing reports, discussing matters of interest, and seeking the committee’s advice.
- Typical committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. However, the co-chairs may call closed door meetings (with just the voting members and key executive staff present) at their discretion.
- Guests (including, but not limited to associate and assistant deans and other representatives of the dean, other members of the faculty, staff and students) serve as ex-officio members. Ex-officio members do not vote.
- Parliamentary authority: The conduct of meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
- Voting:
- Voting members: Voting members are the elected faculty, student members, and the Phase Academic Co-Chair (not including the Executive Co-Chair and ex-officio/guest members).
- Quorum: More than 50 percent of the voting members must be present to vote.
- Voting: Motions are decided by a majority vote of those voting members present (including the Academic Co-Chair but not the Executive Co-Chair). However, changes to educational policies or program level changes require approval by sixty percent of all voting members. Voting may occur electronically.
- Tie votes: The Executive Co-Chair will only cast a vote in the event of a tie vote of the committee members, including the Academic Co-Chair.
Article 7: Communications, records, and approval
- The co-chairs are responsible for ensuring administrative staff maintain accurate records of all meetings. Meeting minutes will be retained for at least 10 years. Meeting minutes will be posted on the Curriculum Governance website.
- All decisions and recommendations made by the Curriculum Committee will be kept in a dated log.
Section 2: Standing Phase and Subcommittees
Definitions and Jurisdiction:
- Foundations Phase Committee is responsible for oversight of Foundations Phase content and learning objectives, identifying opportunities for continuous curriculum improvement, and assuring evaluation of student performance, teaching effectiveness, and curricular quality. The committee will ensure the Foundations Phase curriculum is delivered as planned and there is equivalency across WWAMI Foundations campuses, including an acceptable range of diversity in contemporary pedagogical methods and other course elements. The Foundations Phase Committee Academic Co-Chair will serve on the Curriculum Committee as a full voting member. A separate and complementary set of bylaws developed by the Curriculum Committee will address the proceedings of the Foundations Phase Committee.
- Patient Care Phase Committee is responsible for oversight of Patient Care Phase content and learning objectives, identifying opportunities for continuous curriculum improvement, and assuring evaluation assessment of student performance, evaluation of teaching effectiveness, and curricular quality. The committee will assure the Patient Care Phase curriculum is delivered as planned and there is equivalency across sites, including an acceptable range of diversity in contemporary pedagogical methods, clinical experiences and opportunities, and other course elements. The Patient Care Phase Academic Co-Chair will serve on the Curriculum Committee as a full voting member. A separate and complementary set of bylaws developed by the Curriculum Committee will address the proceedings of the Patient Care Phase Committee.
- Explore & Focus Phase Committee is responsible for oversight of Explore & Focus Phase content and learning objectives, identifying opportunities for continuous curriculum improvement, and assuring evaluation assessment of student performance, evaluation of teaching effectiveness, and curricular quality. The committee will assure the Explore & Focus curriculum is delivered as planned and there is equivalency across sites, including an acceptable range of diversity in contemporary pedagogical methods, clinical experiences and opportunities, and other course elements. The Explore & Focus Phase Academic Co-Chair will serve on the Curriculum Committee as a full voting member. A separate and complementary set of bylaws developed by the Curriculum Committee will address the proceedings of the Explore & Focus Phase Committee.
- Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee is responsible for defining methods and options for evaluation assessment of students and the evaluation of teaching effectiveness and curricular quality as presented to and approved by the Curriculum Committee and the Phase. The Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee (PEAC) will monitor and assure equivalent assessment across all WWAMI Foundations campuses and sites, including timing, content, administration, grading, and interpretation. A representative of PEAC will sit as voting member of the Curriculum Committee.
Section 3: Management of Conflicts
When conflicts occur during management or oversight of the curriculum, resolution will be attempted through iterative discussion at the Phase/or Curriculum Committee level. If conflicts cannot be resolved this way, further advisory input will be sought from the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. The Vice Dean may seek resolution with the Faculty Council on Academic Affairs and/or request broader discussion and input from regional leadership and other stakeholders as appropriate. Ultimate authority rests with the Dean of the School of Medicine and is delegated to the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs as Chief Academic Officer.
Section 4: Ad hoc Subcommittees
Curriculum Committee may appoint ad hoc subcommittees or workgroups as needed, provided the purpose of any such subcommittee does not fall within the jurisdiction of an existing committee (i.e., Foundations Phase, Patient Care Phase, Explore & Focus Phase, and Program Evaluation and Assessment committees). Ad hoc subcommittees may be composed of members of the Curriculum Committee, Phase/ or faculty, students, and staff at large, or a combination thereof. No ad hoc subcommittee will be appointed for a term longer than two calendar years.
Section 5: Additional Areas of Responsibility
Business, content, and areas related to the medical school curriculum that are not enumerated or delegated to another committee and require committee attention will be the purview of the Curriculum Committee.
Section 6: Amendments and Other Provisions
Amendments to the Curriculum Committee bylaws will be presented to the Curriculum Committee for review, discussion, and a vote.
- Approval Date: June 8, 2015
- Revision: March 13, 2017
- Revision: December 11, 2017
- Revision: August 6, 2018
- Revision: December 2, 2019
- Revision: August 20, 2020
- Revision: June 3, 2024
| Curriculum Committee Voting Members | TERM 1 | TERM 2 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT | POSITION | SITE | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | INITIATION | EXPIRY | INITIATION | EXPIRY | ||
| CHAIR | Executive Co-Chair | Seattle | Heather | McPhillips | Appointed | Term-exempt position | ||||
| FC ACC | Foundations Phase Committee Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Matt | Cunningham | Elected | Term as dictated by Foundations Phase Committee | ||||
| PC ACC | Patient Care Phase Committee Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Kristine | Calhoun | Elected | Term as dictated by Patient Care Phase Committee | ||||
| EF ACC | Explore & Focus Phase Committee Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Esther | Chung | Elected | Term as dictated by Explore & Focus Phase Committee | ||||
| PEAC ACC | PEAC Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Rebekah | Burns | Elected | Term as Dictated by PEAC membership | ||||
| Themes Rep | Themes Working Group Representative | Seattle | Sarah | Gerrish | Elected | Term as dictated by Themes Working Group | ||||
| ACC | Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Laura | Goodell | Elected | 2022 | 2025 | N/A | N/A | |
| Faculty Seat 1 | Basic Science Faculty Member 1 | Spokane | Zach | Gallaher | Elected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 | |
| Faculty Seat 2 | Basic Science Faculty Member 2 | Seattle | Cat | Pittack | Elected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 | |
| Faculty Seat 3 | Basic Science Faculty Member 3 | Bozeman | Seth | Pincus | Elected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 | |
| Faculty Seat 4 | Basic Science Faculty Member 4 | Seattle | Meghan | Keifer | Elected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Faculty Seat 5 | General Faculty Member 1 | Seattle UWMC | Alexandra | Collis | Elected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Faculty Seat 6 | General Faculty Member 2 | Spokane | Molly | Gilbert | Elected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Faculty Seat 7 | General Faculty Member 3 | UWMC-Northwest | Colette | Inaba | Elected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 | |
| Faculty Seat 8 | General Faculty Member 4 | Missula | Chris | Jons | Elected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 | |
| Faculty Seat 9 | General Faculty Member 5 | Wyoming | John | Willford | Elected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 | |
| Faculty Seat 10 | General Faculty Member 6 | Seattle | Jelena | Svircev | Elected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Faculty Seat 11 | General Faculty Member 7 | Vacant | ||||||||
| Faculty Seat 12 | General Faculty Member 8 | Idaho | Leanne | Rousseau | Elected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 | |
| Administrator/Staff Seat 1 | Administration and Staff Member 1 (Seattle) | Seattle | Nick | Cheung | Elected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Administrator/Staff Seat 2 | Administration and Staff Member 2 (Regional) | Wyoming | April | French | Elected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Student | Student Member 1 | Seattle | Shelby | Snyder | Elected | 2023 | 2025 | |||
| Student | Student Member 2 | Spokane | Zakriye | Mohamed | Elected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student | Student Member 3 | Spokane | Prabhat | Aluri | Elected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student | Student Member 4 | Spokane | Raymond | Hsu | Elected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student | Student Member 5 | Idaho | Abigal | Petty | Elected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student | Student Member 6 | Alaska | Byron | Kim | Elected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
Foundations Phase Committee
The Foundations Phase Committee is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. The committee is accountable for assuring delivery and evaluation of the Foundations Phase curriculum that meets UWSOM learning objectives and is equivalent across all WWAMI Foundations campuses.
Committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. Join the online Zoom Meeting on Mondays from 4-5:30PM or Tuesdays from 9-10:30AM Pacific Time. To recieve updates, please email the Curriculum Office at somgov@uw.edu to be added to our mailing list.
2024-2025 Academic Year Meeting Schedule:
- September 30, 2024 (Monday)
- October 28, 2024 (Monday)
- November 25, 2024 (Monday)
- December 17, 2024 (Tuesday)
- January 28, 2025 (Tuesday)
- February 24, 2025 (Monday)
- March 24, 2025 (Monday)
- April 28, 2025 (Monday)
- May 20, 2025 (Tuesday)
- June 23, 2025 (Monday)
University of Washington School of Medicine
Foundations Phase Committee Bylaws
Section 1: Foundations Phase Committee
Article 1: General Governance
The following bylaws govern the organization and procedures of the Foundations Phase Committee, a subcommittee of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s (UWSOM) Curriculum Committee. These bylaws were adopted in accordance with the Curriculum Governance Committee Report that was finalized in February 2014 and approved by the Medical School Executive Committee and the Dean of the School of Medicine. The Curriculum Committee reviewed and approved the Foundations Phase Committee bylaws on March 25, 2016.
Article 2: Authority and Accountability
- Authority: The Foundations Phase Committee is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. The committee is accountable for assuring delivery and evaluation of the Foundations Phase curriculum that meets UWSOM learning objectives and is equivalent across all WWAMI Foundations campuses.
- Accountability: The Foundations Phase Committee reports and provides recommendations to the Curriculum Committee. Once a year, the committee will provide a summary of the past year’s activities, issues, and resolutions to the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Article 3: Guiding Principles
- Governance procedures are consistent with Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) requirements.
- Governance procedures incorporate appropriate representation from across the WWAMI region (defined as Wyoming, Eastern Washington, Western Washington (greater than 90 miles from Seattle), Alaska, Montana, and Idaho).
- Curriculum management allows for balance between central oversight and local initiative, innovation, and site optimization.
- The governance process encourages continuous improvement of the curriculum.
- All UWSOM students have equal access to an equivalent Foundations Phase curriculum designed to achieve UWSOM learning objectives.
- Decision-making is based on open discussion, transparency, shared governance, and iterative consensus development.
Article 4: Membership
- Voting member expectations:
- Attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled meetings per academic year (July – June).
- Review meeting materials ahead of time and come prepared to discuss, ask questions, and vote on a variety of topics related to and impacting the Foundations Phase curriculum.
- Serve on ad hoc subcommittees as requested.
- Although membership is designed to ensure broad representation of the UWSOM, members have the responsibility to function as “members of the whole,” working to optimize the curriculum, rather than represent the interests of a particular constituency.
- Faculty: The Foundations Phase Committee will consist of about sixteen faculty members in good standing, with broad representation across the WWAMI Region. All members must be active participants in the UWSOM medical education program. Faculty members can be block, thread and theme leaders or team members without leadership roles. Voting member faculty seats include:
- Six basic science faculty (faculty who teach in the medical education program during the Foundations Phase and who represent the basic sciences)
- Four members representing longitudinal curricular components, including Foundations of Clinical Medicine, threads (pharmacology, histology, pathology, and anatomy & embryology), themes (Medicine, Health, & Society content), and Integrations Weeks with at least two members from the Threads.
- Two general faculty members.
- One self-nominated member from the Patient Care Phase Committee.
- One nominated member from the Themes/Medicine Health and Society workgroup.
- One self-nominated member from the Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee (this individual may be a staff member).
- Staff: Foundations Phase Committee will include two administrative undergraduate education staff members with one staff member from the WWAMI region.
- Students: Voting member seats: The Foundations Phase Committee will include at least four student members in good standing with broad representation across campuses and cohorts.
- Terms: Faculty and staff committee members will serve a three-year term with the option of serving one additional term. Approximately one-third of the committee membership will rotate off (or be re-elected) each year. Self-nominated faculty representatives from the other governance committees will serve terms coinciding with their terms on those committees. No faculty member will serve more than six consecutive years. Student members will serve a two-year term. Graduating students are eligible even if they cannot serve the entire term. No student member will serve more than two consecutive years.
- Selection of faculty and staff members: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for faculty and staff candidates for open seats on the Foundations Phase Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to faculty throughout the WWAMI region. The call for staff member candidates will be sent to WWAMI-based Foundations and clinical staff, department-based clerkship administrators and academic affairs staff. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
- The Faculty Nominating Committee (appointed by the Curriculum Committee) will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee.
- Selection of student members: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for student candidates for open seats on the Foundations Phase Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to students throughout the WWAMI region. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
- The Nominating Committee will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee.
- Faculty or student member resignation or replacement: In the event a voting member resigns, the co-chairs shall appoint a member from the same category (block, thread, etc.). The Curriculum Office will recruit to fill the seat during the following election cycle. If the appointed member is elected, this interim period does not count toward the cumulative period of the term.
- Possible replacement for absenteeism: Members who miss three or more committee meetings in a six-month period can be dismissed by the co-chairs after discussion with the members.
Article 5: Officers
- Designation: The Foundations Phase Committee will be co-chaired by a committee member (Academic Co-Chair) and the Assistant Dean for Basic Sciences (Executive Co-Chair). The Academic Co-Chair will be selected from the current faculty members who have expressed interest in the position in the event of multiple candidates, a vote will be called by the Foundations Phase Committee. The Academic Co-Chair may not serve as the Foundations Phase Committee representative on another phase committee while serving as co-chair and vacate their faculty seat upon being elected.
- Officer Terms: Academic Co-Chairs will serve a three-year term. Recruitment for the Academic Co-Chair elect will begin in September of the current Academic Co-Chair’s third year and onboarding will begin January of the same year.
- Duties: The Executive Co-Chair and Academic Co-Chair are expected to work together to set agendas, lead meetings, ensure adequate and appropriate documentation of meetings and decisions, convene task forces and special groups as needed, report recommendations and serve as liaisons to the Curriculum Committee, and oversee the work of appointed committees and subcommittees. The Curriculum Office is responsible for record-keeping associated with the Foundations Phase Committee.
Article 6: Procedures
- Meetings:
- Committee meetings will be called by the co-chairs.
- Each committee meeting will be chaired by the Executive Co-Chair, the Academic Co-Chair, or both, at the discretion of the co-chairs. At least one co-chair must be present at each meeting.
- Committee meetings are scheduled every month. Meetings may be canceled at the discretion of the co-chairs.
- The co-chairs may call special meetings for the purpose of hearing reports, discussing matters of interest, and seeking the committee’s advice.
- Typical committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. However, the co-chairs may call closed door meetings (with just the voting members and key executive staff present) at their discretion.
- Guests (including, but not limited to associate and assistant deans and other representatives of the dean, other members of the faculty, staff, and students) serve as ex-officio members. Ex-officio members do not vote.
- Parliamentary authority: The conduct of meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
- Voting:
- Voting members: Voting members are the faculty and student members ratified by the Curriculum Committee (not including the Executive Co-Chair and ex-officio/guest members). Voting members may have multiple roles on the committee but will have a single vote.
- Quorum: More than 50 percent of the voting members must be present to vote.
- Voting: Motions are decided by a majority vote of those voting members present (including the Academic Co-Chair but not the Executive Co-Chair). Voting may occur electronically.
- Tie votes: The Executive Co-Chair will only cast a vote in the event of a tie vote of the committee members, including the Academic Co-Chair.
Article 7: Communications, records, and approval
- The co-chairs are responsible for ensuring administrative staff maintain accurate records of all meetings. Meeting minutes will be retained for at least 10 years. Meeting minutes will be posted on the Curriculum Governance website.
- All decisions and recommendations made by the Foundations Phase Committee will be made available for review by the Curriculum Committee. All decisions and recommendations will be kept in a dated log.
Section 2: Management of Conflicts
When conflicts occur during management or oversight of the Foundations Phase curriculum, resolution will be attempted through iterative discussion at the committee level. If conflicts cannot be resolved this way, further advisory input will be sought from the Curriculum Committee and if needed, the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. Ultimate authority rests with the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Section 3: Ad hoc Subcommittees
The Foundations Phase Committee may appoint ad hoc subcommittees or workgroups as needed, provided the purpose of any such subcommittee does not fall within the jurisdiction of an existing committee. Ad hoc subcommittees may be composed of members of the Foundations Phase Committee or faculty, students, and staff at large, or a combination thereof. No ad hoc subcommittee will be appointed for a term longer than two calendar years.
Section 4: Amendments and Other Provisions
Amendments to the Foundations Phase Committee Bylaws will be presented to the Curriculum Committee for review, discussion, and a vote.
- Revision: September 10, 2018
- Revision: December 02, 2019
- Revision: August 20, 2020
- Revision: July 19, 2021
- Revision: June 3, 2024
| Foundations Phase Committee Voting Members | TERM 1 | TERM 2 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT | POSITION | SITE | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | INITIATION | EXPIRY | INITIATION | EXPIRY | ||
| CHAIR | Executive Co-Chair | Seattle | Edith | Wang | Appointed | Term-exempt position | ||||
| Themes Rep | Themes Working Group Representative | Seattle | Lindsay | Rettler | Appointed | Term as dictated by Themes Working Group | ||||
| PEAC R | PEAC Representative | Seattle | Matthew | Cunningham | Appointed | Term as dictated by PEAC | ||||
| PC R | Patient Care Phase Committee Representative | Seattle | Jenny | Wright | Appointed | Term as dictated by Patient Care Phase Committee | ||||
| ACC | Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Matthew | Cunningham | Appointed | 2020 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 | |
| Faculty Seat 1 | Block Representative 1 | FCM | Seattle | Rebekah | Burns | Selected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 |
| Faculty Seat 2 | Block Representative 2 | CHB | Seattle | Natasha | Hunter | Selected | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 |
| Faculty Seat 3 | Block Representative 3 | FMR | Alaska | Holly | Martinson | Selected | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 |
| Faculty Seat 4 | Block Representative 4 | R&R | Montana | Gerald | Groggel | Selected | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 |
| Faculty Seat 5 | Block Representative 5 | HNG | Spokane | Michael | Stephens | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 6 | Block Representative 6 | MBB | Seattle | Leo | Wang | Selected | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 |
| Faculty Seat 7 | Longitudinal Representative 1 | Integrations | Alaska | Shannon | Uffenbeck | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 8 | Longitudinal Representative 2 | Anatomy & Embryology | Wyoming | Cam | Walker | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Faculty Seat 9 | Longitudinal Representative 3 | Anatomy & Embryology | Montana | Cassie | Cussick | Selected | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 |
| Faculty Seat 10 | Longitudinal Representative 4 | Foundations of Clinical Medicine | Spokane | Leigh | Bishop | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Faculty Seat 11 | General Faculty Member 1 | CHB | Seattle | Kate | Weaver | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Faculty Seat 12 | General Faculty Member 2 | Reproduction & Development | Clinical Associate Professor | Angela | Scharnhorst | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Adminstrator/Staff Seat 1 | Administration and Staff Member 1 | Learning Specialist | Montana | Katie | Daughenbaugh | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Adminstrator/Staff Seat 2 | Administration and Staff Member 2 | Asst Director of Curriculum-Foundations | Seattle | Julien | Goulet | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Student Member 1 | Student Member 1 | Seattle | Ryan | Thomas | Selected | 2023 | 2025 | |||
| Student Member 2 | Student Member 2 | Spokane | Nell | Baumgarten | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member 3 | Student Member 3 | Idaho | Patrick | Mark | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member 4 | Student Member 4 | Wyoming | Aaron | Erickson | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
Patient Care Phase Committee
The Patient Care Phase Committee is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. The committee is accountable for assuring delivery and evaluation of the Patient Care Phase curriculum that meets UWSOM learning objectives and is equivalent across all WWAMI sites.
Committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. Join the online Zoom Meeting on Mondays from 4-5:30PM Pacific Time. To recieve updates, please email the Curriculum Office at somgov@uw.edu to be added to our mailing list.
2023-2024 Academic Year Meeting Schedule:
- September 16, 2024
- October 14, 2024
- November 18, 2024 (Clinical Phase Joint Meeting)
- December 09, 2024
- January 13, 2025
- February 10, 2025 (Clinical Phase Joint Meeting)
- March 10, 2025
- April 14, 2025
- May 12, 2025
- June 9, 2025 (Clinical Phase Joint Meeting)
University of Washington School of Medicine
Patient Care Phase Committee Bylaws
Section 1: Patient Care Phase Committee
Article 1: General Governance
The following bylaws govern the organization and procedures of the Patient Care Phase Committee, a subcommittee of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s (UWSOM) Curriculum Committee. These bylaws were adopted in accordance with the Curriculum Governance Committee Report that was finalized in February 2014 and approved by the Medical School Executive Committee and the Dean of the School of Medicine. The Curriculum Committee reviewed and approved the Patient Care Phase Committee bylaws on September 12, 2016.
Article 2: Authority and Accountability
- Authority: The Patient Care Phase Committee is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. The committee is accountable for assuring delivery and evaluation of the Patient Care Phase curriculum that meets UWSOM learning objectives and is equivalent across all WWAMI sites.
- Accountability: The Patient Care Phase Committee reports and provides recommendations to the Curriculum Committee. Once a year, the committee will provide a summary of the past year’s activities, issues, and resolutions to the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Article 3: Guiding Principles
- Governance procedures are consistent with Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) requirements.
- Governance procedures incorporate appropriate representation from across the WWAMI region (defined as Wyoming, Eastern Washington, Western Washington (greater than 90 miles from Seattle), Alaska, Montana, and Idaho).
- Curriculum management allows for balance between central oversight and local initiative, innovation, and site optimization.
- The governance process encourages continuous improvement of the curriculum.
- All UWSOM students have equal access to an equivalent Patient Care Phase curriculum designed to achieve UWSOM learning objectives.
- Decision-making is based on open discussion, transparency, shared governance, and iterative consensus development.
Article 4: Membership
- Voting member expectations:
- Attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled meetings per academic year (July – June).
- Review meeting materials ahead of time and come prepared to discuss, ask questions, and vote on a variety of topics related to and impacting the Patient Care Phase curriculum.
- Serve on ad hoc subcommittees as requested.
- Although membership is designed to ensure broad representation of the UWSOM, members have the responsibility to function as “members of the whole,” working to optimize the curriculum, rather than represent the interests of a particular constituency.
- Faculty: The Patient Care Phase Committee will consist of about sixteen members in good standing, with broad representation across the WWAMI region. Members may either be university-based or based in clinical settings but must be active participants in the UWSOM medical education program. Voting member faculty seats include:
-
-
- One self-nominated member from the Foundations Phase Committee
- One self-nominated member from the Explore & Focus Phase Committee
- One nominated member from the Themes/Medicine Health and Society workgroup
- One self-nominated member from the Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee
- Eleven self-nominated general faculty members.
- Required clerkship directors and administrators not serving as voting members are ex-officio (non-voting) members.
-
- Staff: Patient Care Phase Committee will include two administrative undergraduate education staff members with one staff member from the WWAMI region.
- Students: The Patient Care Phase Committee will include at least four student members in good standing with broad representation across campuses and cohorts.
- Terms: Faculty and staff committee members will serve a three-year term with the option of serving one additional term. Approximately one-third of the committee membership will rotate off (or be re-elected) each year. Self-nominated faculty representatives from the other governance committees will serve terms coinciding with their terms on those committees. No faculty member will serve more than six consecutive years (with the exception of the Academic Co-Chair, see Article 5, b.). Students who have completed Foundations Phase will be eligible to serve a two-year ter. Students members will have the option to transition from Patient Care Phase Committee after year 1 of their term to serve the remainer of their term on Explore and Focus Phase Committee. No student member will serve more than two consecutive years.
- Selection of faculty and staff members: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for faculty and staff candidates for open seats on the Patient Care Phase Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to faculty throughout the WWAMI region. The call for staff member candidates will be sent to WWAMI-based Foundations and clinical staff, department-based clerkship administrators and academic affairs staff. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
A Nominating Committee (appointed by the Curriculum Committee) will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee. - Selection of students: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for student candidates for open seats on the Patient Care Phase Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to students throughout the WWAMI region. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
- The Nominating Committee will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee.
- Faculty or student member resignation or replacement: In the event a voting member resigns, the co-chairs shall appoint a member from the same category (clerkship representative, WWAMI, etc.). The Curriculum Office will recruit to fill the seat during the following election cycle. If the appointed member is elected, this interim period does not count toward the cumulative period of the term.
- Possible replacement for absenteeism: Members who miss three or more committee meetings in a six-month period can be dismissed by the co-chairs after discussion with the members.
Article 5: Officers
- Designation: The Patient Care Phase Committee will be co-chaired by a committee member (Academic Co-Chair) and the Assistant Dean for Clinical Education (Executive Co-Chair). The Academic Co-Chair will be selected from the current faculty members who have expressed interest in the position in the event of multiple candidates, a vote will be called by the Patient Care Phase Committee. The Academic Co-Chair may not serve as the Patient Care Phase Committee representative on another phase committee while serving as co-chair and will vacate their faculty upon being elected
- Officer Terms: Officer Terms: Academic Co-Chairs will serve a three-year term. Recruitment for the Academic Co-Chair elect will begin in September of the current Academic Co-Chair’s third year and onboarding will begin January of the same year.
- Duties: The Executive Co-Chair and Academic Co-Chair are expected to work together to set agendas, lead meetings, ensure adequate and appropriate documentation of meetings and decisions, convene task forces and special groups as needed, report recommendations and serve as liaisons to the Curriculum Committee, and oversee the work of appointed committees and subcommittees. The Curriculum Office is responsible for record-keeping associated with the Patient Care Phase Committee.
Article 6: Procedures
- Meetings:
- Committee meetings will be called by the co-chairs.
- Each committee meeting will be chaired by the Executive Co-Chair, the Academic Co-Chair, or both, at the discretion of the co-chairs. At least one co-chair must be present at each meeting.
- Committee meetings are scheduled every month. Meetings may be canceled at the discretion of the co-chairs.
- The co-chairs may call special meetings for the purpose of hearing reports, discussing matters of interest, and seeking the committee’s advice.
- Typical committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. However, the co-chairs may call closed door meetings (with just the voting members and key executive staff present) at their discretion.
- Guests (including, but not limited to clerkship directors and administrators, associate and assistant deans and other representatives of the dean, other members of the faculty, staff and students) serve as ex-officio members. Ex-officio members do not vote.
- Parliamentary authority: The conduct of meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
- Voting:
- Voting members: Voting members are the faculty and student members ratified by the Curriculum Committee (not including the Executive Co-Chair and ex-officio/guest members). Voting members may have multiple roles on the committee but will have a single vote.
- Quorum: More than 50 percent of the voting members must be present to vote.
- Voting: Motions are decided by a majority vote of those voting members present (including the Academic Co-Chair but not the Executive Co-Chair). Voting may occur electronically.
- Tie votes: The Executive Co-Chair will only cast a vote in the event of a tie vote of the committee members, including the Academic Co-Chair.
Article 7: Communications, records, and approval
- The co-chairs are responsible for ensuring administrative staff maintain accurate records of all meetings. Meeting minutes will be retained for at least 10 years. Meeting minutes will be posted on the curriculum governance website.
- All decisions and recommendations made by the Patient Care Phase Committee will be made available for review by the Curriculum Committee. All decisions and recommendations will be kept in a dated log.
Section 2: Management of Conflicts
When conflicts occur during management or oversight of the Patient Care Phase curriculum, resolution will be attempted through iterative discussion at the committee level. If conflicts cannot be resolved this way, further advisory input will be sought from the Curriculum Committee and if needed, the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. Ultimate authority rests with the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Section 3: Ad hoc Subcommittees
The Patient Care Phase Committee may appoint ad hoc subcommittees or workgroups as needed, provided the purpose of any such subcommittee does not fall within the jurisdiction of an existing Committee. Ad hoc subcommittees may be composed of members of the Patient Care Phase Committee or faculty, students, and staff at large, or a combination thereof. No ad hoc subcommittee will be appointed for a term longer than two calendar years.
Section 4: Amendments and Other Provisions
Amendments to the Patient Care Phase Committee Bylaws will be presented to the Curriculum Committee for review, discussion, and a vote.
- Revision: September 10, 2018
- Revision: December 2, 2019
- Revision: August 20, 2020
- Revision: June 3, 2024
| Patient Care Phase Committee Voting Members | TERM 1 | TERM 2 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT | POSITION | SITE | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | INITIATION | EXPIRY | INITIATION | EXPIRY | ||
| CHAIR | Executive Co-Chair | Seattle | Joshua | Jauregui | Appointed | Term-exempt position | ||||
| THEMES REP | Themes Working Group Representative | Seattle | Karen | McDonough | Appointed | Term as dictated by Themes Working Group | ||||
| PEAC R | PEAC Representative | Seattle | Matthew | Cunningham | Appointed | Term as dictated by PEAC | ||||
| EF R | Explore & Focus Phase Committee Representative | VACANT | Appointed | Term as dictated by Explore & Focus Phase Committee | ||||||
| FC R | Foundations Phase Committee Representative | VACANT | Appointed | Term as dictated by Foundations Phase Committee | ||||||
| ACC | Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Kristine | Calhoun | Appointed | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 | |
| Faculty Seat 1 | General Faculty Member 1 | Internal Medicine | Seattle | Jennifer | Wright | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 2 | General Faculty Member 2 | Family Medicine | Seattle | Toby | Keys | Selected | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 |
| Faculty Seat 3 | General Faculty Member 3 | Surgery | Seattle Montlake | Lena | Sibulesky | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Faculty Seat 4 | General Faculty Member 4 | Psychiatry | Seattle | Paul | Borghesani | Selected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 |
| Faculty Seat 5 | General Faculty Member 5 | OBGYN | Seattle | Alicia | Scribner | Selected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 |
| Faculty Seat 6 | General Faculty Member 6 | Western Washington | Western WA | John | McCarthy | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 7 | General Faculty Member 7 | Eastern Washington | Spokane | Paula | Silha | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 8 | General Faculty Member 8 | Western Washington | Western WA | Devin | Sawyer | Selected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 |
| Faculty Seat 9 | General Faculty Member 9 | Otolaryngology | Seattle | David | Horn | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 10 | General Faculty Member 10 | Pulmonary Medicine | Seattle | Amy | Detorri | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Faculty Seat 11 | General Faculty Member 11 | Emergency Medicine | Seattle | Micheal | Santiago | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Adminstrator/Staff Seat 1 | Administration and Staff Member 1 (Seattle) | Family Medicine | Seattle | Max | Keyes | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Adminstrator/Staff Seat 2 | Administration and Staff Member 2 (Regional) | Program Administrator | Montana | Judi | Sulivan | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Student Member Seat 1 | Student Member 1 | Seattle | Megan | Glenski | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member Seat 2 | Student Member 2 | Wyoming | Rylie | Pilon | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member Seat 3 | Student Member 3 | Seattle | Haley | Pang | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member Seat 4 | Student Member 4 | VACANT | ||||||||
Explore & Focus Phase Committee
The Explore & Focus Phase Committee is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. The committee is accountable for assuring delivery and evaluation of the Explore & Focus Phase curriculum that meets UWSOM learning objectives and is equivalent across all WWAMI sites.
Committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. Join the online Zoom Meeting on Mondays from 4-5:30PM Pacific Time. To recieve updates, please email the Curriculum Office at somgov@uw.edu to be added to our mailing list.
2024-2025 Academic Year Meeting Schedule:
- September 23, 2024
- October 21, 2024
- November 18, 2024 (Clinical Phase Joint Meeting)
- December 16, 2024
- January 27, 2025
- February 10, 2025 (Clinical Phase Joint Meeting)
- March 17, 2025
- April 21, 2025
- May 19, 2025
- June 9, 2025 (Clinical Phase Joint Meeting)
University of Washington School of Medicine
Explore & Focus Phase Committee Bylaws
Section 1: Explore & Focus Phase Committee
Article 1: General Governance
The following bylaws govern the organization and procedures of the Explore & Focus Phase Committee, a subcommittee of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s (UWSOM) Curriculum Committee. These bylaws were adopted in accordance with the Curriculum Governance Committee Report that was finalized in February 2014 and approved by the Medical School Executive Committee and the Dean of the School of Medicine. Curriculum Committee reviewed and approved the Explore & Focus Phase Committee bylaws on November 16, 2016.
Article 2: Authority and Accountability
- Authority: The Explore & Focus Phase Committee is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. The committee is accountable for assuring delivery and evaluation of the Explore & Focus Phase curriculum that meets UWSOM learning objectives and is equivalent across all WWAMI sites.
- Accountability: The Explore & Focus Phase Committee reports and provides recommendations to the Curriculum Committee. Once a year, the committee will provide a summary of the past year’s activities, issues, and resolutions to the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Article 3: Guiding Principles
- Governance procedures are consistent with Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) requirements.
- Governance procedures incorporate appropriate representation from across the WWAMI region (defined as Wyoming, Eastern Washington, Western Washington (greater than 90 miles from Seattle), Alaska, Montana, and Idaho).
- Curriculum management allows for balance between central oversight and local initiative, innovation, and site optimization.
- The governance process encourages continuous improvement of the curriculum.
- All UWSOM students have equal access to an equivalent Explore & Focus Phase curriculum designed to achieve UWSOM learning objectives.
- Decision-making is based on open discussion, transparency, shared governance, and iterative consensus development.
Article 4: Membership
- Voting member expectations:
- Attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled meetings per academic year (July – June).
- Review meeting materials ahead of time and come prepared to discuss, ask questions, and vote on a variety of topics related to and impacting the Explore & Focus Phase curriculum.
- Serve on ad hoc subcommittees as requested.
- Although membership is designed to ensure broad representation of the UWSOM, members have the responsibility to function as “members of the whole,” working to optimize the curriculum, rather than represent the interests of a particular constituency.
- Faculty: The Explore and Focus Phase Committee will consist of about sixteen members in good standing, with broad representation across the WWAMI region. Members may either be university-based or based in clinical settings but must be active participants in the UWSOM medical education program. Voting member faculty seats include:
- One self-nominated member from the Patient Care Phase Committee
- One nominated member from the Themes/Medicine Health and Society workgroup
- One self-nominated member from the Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee (this individual may be a staff member).
- The Advanced Patient Care or Elective Clerkship Director
- Ten self-nominated general faculty members.
- Required clerkship directors and administrators not serving as voting members are ex-officio (non-voting) members.
- Staff: Explore and Focus Phase Committee will include two administrative undergraduate education staff members with one staff member from the WWAMI region.
- Students: Explore and Focus Phase Committee will include at least four student members in good standing with broad representation across campuses and cohorts.
- Terms: Faculty and staff committee members will serve a three-year term with the option of serving one additional term. The Advanced Patient Care representative position is term exempt. Approximately one-third of the committee membership will rotate off (or be re-elected) each year. Self-nominated faculty representatives from the other governance committees will serve terms coinciding with their terms on those committees. No faculty member will serve more than six consecutive years (with the exception of the Academic Co-Chair, (see Article 5), b., and the term-exempt Career Advisor and Director seats). Students who have completed the Foundations Phase shall be eligible to serve a two-year term. Student members serving on the Patient Care Phase Committee will have the option to transition to the Explore and Focus Phase Committee to complete their term. Transitioning students will not serve more than one year. No Students will serve more than two consecutive years.
- Selection of faculty and staff members: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for faculty and staff candidates for open seats on the Explore & Focus Phase Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to faculty throughout the WWAMI region. The call for staff member candidates will be sent to WWAMI-based clinical staff, department-based clerkship administrators and academic affairs staff. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
- The Nominating Committee (appointed by the Curriculum Committee) will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee.
- Selection of students: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for student candidates for open seats on the Explore & Focus Phase Committee. The call for candidates will be sent to students throughout the WWAMI region. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
- The Nominating Committee will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee.
- Faculty or student member resignation or replacement: In the event a voting member resigns, the co-chairs shall appoint a member from the same category (APCs, WWAMI, etc.). The Curriculum Office will recruit to fill the seat during the following election cycle. If the appointed member is elected, this interim period does not count toward the cumulative period of the term.
- Possible replacement for absenteeism: Members who miss three or more committee meetings in a six-month period can be dismissed by the co-chairs after discussion with the members.
Article 5: Officers
- Designation: The Explore & Focus Phase Committee will be co-chaired by a committee member (Academic Co-Chair) and the Assistant Dean for Clinical Education (Executive Co-Chair)The Academic Co-Chair will be selected from the current faculty members who’ve expressed interest in the position In the event of multiple candidates, a vote will be called by the Explore and Focus Phase Committee. The Academic Co-Chair may not serve as the Explore & Focus Phase Committee representative on another phase committee while serving as co-chair and will vacate faculty seat upon being elected
- Officer Terms: Academic Co-Chairs will serve a three-year term. Recruitment for the Academic Co-Chair elect will begin in September of the current Academic Co-Chair’s third year and onboarding will begin January of the same year.
- Duties: The Executive Co-Chair and Academic Co-Chair are expected to work together to set agendas, lead meetings, ensure adequate and appropriate documentation of meetings and decisions, convene task forces and special groups as needed, report recommendations and serve as liaisons to the Curriculum Committee, and oversee the work of appointed committees and subcommittees. The Curriculum Office is responsible for record-keeping associated with the Explore & Focus Phase Committee.
Article 6: Procedures
- Meetings:
- Committee meetings will be called by the co-chairs.
- Each committee meeting will be chaired by the Executive Co-Chair, the Academic Co-Chair, or both, at the discretion of the co-chairs. At least one co-chair must be present at each meeting.
- Committee meetings are scheduled every month. Meetings may be canceled at the discretion of the co-chairs.
- The co-chairs may call special meetings for the purpose of hearing reports, discussing matters of interest, and seeking the committee’s advice.
- Typical committee meetings are open for any interested individual in the UWSOM community to attend as a guest. However, the co-chairs may call closed door meetings (with just the voting members and key executive staff present) at their discretion.
- Guests (including, but not limited to clerkship directors and administrators, associate and assistant deans and other representatives of the dean, other members of the faculty, staff and students) serve as ex-officio members. Ex-officio members do not vote.
- Parliamentary authority: The conduct of meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
- Voting:
- Voting members: Voting members are the faculty and student members ratified by the Curriculum Committee (not including the Executive Co-Chair and ex-officio/guest members). Voting members may have multiple roles on the committee but will have a single vote.
- Quorum: More than 50 percent of the voting members must be present to vote.
- Voting: Motions are decided by a majority vote of those voting members present (including the Academic Co-Chair but not the Executive Co-Chair). Voting may occur electronically.
- Tie votes: The Executive Co-Chair will only cast a vote in the event of a tie vote of the committee members, including the Academic Co-Chair.
Article 7: Communications, records, and approval
- The co-chairs are responsible for ensuring administrative staff maintain accurate records of all meetings. Meeting minutes will be retained for at least 10 years. Meeting minutes will be posted on the Curriculum Governance website.
- All decisions and recommendations made by the Explore & Focus Phase Committee will be made available for review by the Curriculum Committee. All decisions and recommendations will be kept in a dated log.
Section 2: Management of Conflicts
When conflicts occur during management or oversight of the Explore & Focus Phase curriculum, resolution will be attempted through iterative discussion at the committee level. If conflicts cannot be resolved this way, further advisory input will be sought from the Curriculum Committee and if needed, the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs. Ultimate authority rests with the Curriculum Committee and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Section 3: Ad hoc Subcommittees
The Explore & Focus Phase Committee may appoint ad hoc subcommittees or workgroups as needed, provided the purpose of any such subcommittee does not fall within the jurisdiction of an existing committee. Ad hoc subcommittees may be composed of members of the Explore & Focus Phase Committee or faculty, students, and staff at large, or a combination thereof. No ad hoc subcommittee will be appointed for a term longer than two calendar years.
Section 4: Amendments and Other Provisions
Amendments to the Explore & Focus Phase Committee Bylaws will be presented to the Curriculum Committee for review, discussion, and a vote.
- Revision: September 10, 2018
- Revision: December 2, 2019
- Revision: August 20, 2020
- Revision: June 3, 2024
| Explore & Focus Phase Committee Voting Members | TERM 1 | TERM 2 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT | POSITION | SITE | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | INITIATION | EXPIRY | INITIATION | EXPIRY | ||
| CHAIR | Executive Co-Chair | Seattle | Joshua | Jauregui | Appointed | Term-exempt position | ||||
| THEMES REP | Themes Working Group Representative | Seattle | Gina | Campelia | Appointed | Term as dictated by Themes Working Group | ||||
| PEAC R | PEAC Representative | Seattle | Matthew | Cunningham | Appointed | Term as dictated by PEAC | ||||
| PC R | Patient Care Phase Committee Representative | Seattle | Jenny | Wright | Appointed | Term as dictated by Patient Care Phase Committee | ||||
| ADV | Career Advisor | Seattle | Sarah | Thomson | Appointed | Term-exempt position | ||||
| APC/ELCD | APC/Elective Clerkship Director | VACANT | Term-exempt position | |||||||
| ACC | Academic Co-Chair | Seattle | Esther | Chung | Appointed | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 | |
| Faculty Seat 1 | General Faculty Member 1 | Vascular Surgery | Seattle | Nam | Tran | Selected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 |
| Faculty Seat 2 | General Faculty Member 2 | Clinical Asst Proffessor | Montlake | Mahesh | Karandikar | Selected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 |
| Faculty Seat 3 | General Faculty Member 3 | Pediatrics | Seattle | Emily | Myers | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 4 | General Faculty Member 4 | Neurology | Idaho Falls | Erich | Garland | Selected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 |
| Faculty Seat 5 | General Faculty Member 5 | WRITE/Family Medicine | Alaska | Barb | Doty | Selected | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2026 |
| Faculty Seat 6 | General Faculty Member 6 | Department of Emergency Medicine | Seattle | Daniel | Robinson | Selected | 2023 | 2026 | 2026 | 2029 |
| Faculty Seat 7 | General Faculty Member 7 | Cardiology | Seattle | Troy | Johnston | Selected | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | 2025 |
| Faculty Seat 8 | General Faculty Member 8 | Radiation Oncology | Seattle | Ralph | Emorian | Selected | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Faculty Seat 9 | General Faculty Member 9 | Elective Clerkship Director | Seattle | Roger | Tatum | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Faculty Seat 10 | General Faculty Member 10 | Neurology | Seattle | Ashley | Amick | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Faculty Seat 11 | General Faculty Member 11 | Internal Medicine | Seattle | Eric | Kraus | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Adminstrator/Staff Seat 1 | Administration and Staff Member 1 (Seattle) | Asst Director of Family Medicine Student Education | Seattle | Ivan | Henson | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Adminstrator/Staff Seat 2 | Administration and Staff Member 2 (Regional) | Clerkship Program Manager- Otolarygology | Seattle | Vanncy | Crookes | Selected | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 |
| Student Member Seat 1 | Student Member 1 | Seattle | Nadia | Marnani | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member Seat 2 | Student Member 2 | Wyoming | Hanna | Ahuja | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member Seat 3 | Student Member 3 | Spokane | Kayla | Cayton | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| Student Member Seat 4 | Student Member 4 | Spokane | Colton | Kray | Selected | 2024 | 2026 | |||
Program Evaluation & Assessment Committee (PEAC)
The Program Evaluation & Assessment Committee (PEAC) is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee. In consultation with the Phase Committees, the PEAC Committee reviews annual reports on student achievement toward UWSOM program objectives and annual reports on medical student outcomes across four years of undergraduate medical education. PEAC advises on methods and options for both assessment of student learning and collection of medical student feedback and tracks and reports on equivalent assessment across all regional sites.
University of Washington School of Medicine
Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee Bylaws
Section 1: Program Evaluation and Assessment Committee (PEAC)
Article 1: General Governance
The following Bylaws governing the organization and procedures of the PEAC have been adopted in accordance with the Curriculum Governance Committee Report that was finalized in February 2014 and approved by the Medical School Executive Committee and the Dean.
Article 2: Authority and Accountability
The PEAC is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and is accountable for providing expertise and advice to assist UWSOM in achieving compliance with the following LCME standards:
- Standard 8.4 Evaluation of Educational Program Outcomes: A medical school collects and uses a variety of outcome data, including national norms of accomplishment, to demonstrate the extent to which medical students are achieving medical education program objectives and to enhance the quality of the medical education program as a whole. These data are collected during program enrollment and after program completion.
- Standard 8.5 Medical Student Feedback: In evaluating medical education program quality, a medical school has formal processes in place to collect and consider medical student evaluations of their courses, clerkships, and teachers, and other relevant information.
- Standard 8.7 Comparability of Education/Assessment: A medical school ensures that the medical curriculum includes comparable educational experiences and equivalent methods of assessment across all locations within a given course and clerkship to ensure that all medical students achieve the same medical education program objectives.
- Standard 9.4 Assessment System: A medical school ensures that, throughout its medical education program, there is a centralized system in place that employs a variety of measures (including direct observation) for the assessment of student achievement, including students’ acquisition of the knowledge, core clinical skills (e.g., medical history-taking, physical examination), behaviors, and attitudes specified in medical education program objectives, and that ensures that all medical students achieve the same medical education program objectives.
- Standard 9.5 Narrative Assessment: A medical school ensures that a narrative description of a medical student’s performance, including his or her non-cognitive achievement, is included as a component of the assessment in each required course and clerkship of the medical education program whenever teacher-student interaction permits this form of assessment.
- Standard 9.6 Setting Standards of Achievement: A medical school ensures that faculty members with appropriate knowledge and expertise set standards of achievement in each required learning experience in the medical education program.
In consultation with the Phase and Theme Committees, the PEAC will:
- Review annual reports on student achievement toward UWSOM program objectives
- Review annual reports on medical student outcomes
- Advise on methods and options for both assessment of student learning and collection of medical student feedback
- Track and report on equivalent assessment across all regional sites, including timing, content, administration, grading and interpretation
- The PEAC will submit at least annually, a written report on its areas of accountability, the activities undertaken, issues, resolutions, and the curriculum assessment outcomes to the Curriculum Committee, the Associate Deans for Curriculum and Student Affairs, and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Article 3: Guiding Principles
- Adopt procedures consistent with LCME requirements
- Incorporate representation from across the WWAMI region
- Foster an appropriate balance between central oversight and local initiative, innovation, and site optimization
- Encourage continuous quality improvement in the curriculum
- Foster in meetings, procedures, and decision-making a culture of open discussion, transparency, and iterative consensus development.
Article 4: Membership
- Voting Member Expectations:
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- Attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled meetings per academic year (July – June).
- Review meeting materials ahead of time and come prepared to discuss, ask questions, and vote on a variety of topics related to and impacting the assessment and evaluation in the Foundations Phase curriculum.
- Serve on ad hoc subcommittees as requested.
- Although membership is designed to ensure broad representation of the UWSOM, members have the responsibility to function as “members of the whole,” working to optimize the curriculum, rather than represent the interests of a particular constituency.
- Faculty: PEAC will consist of about sixteen faculty members in good standing, with broad representation across the WWAMI Region. All members must be active participants in the UWSOM medical education program. Voting member faculty seats include:
- Four basic science faculty (faculty who teach in the medical education program during the Foundations Phase and who represent the basic sciences)
- Seven general faculty
- One self-nominated member of the Foundations Phase Committee
- One self-nominated member from the Patient Care Phase Committee
- One self-nominated member of the Explore and Focus Phase Committee
- One nominated member from the Themes/Medicine Health and Society workgroup
- Staff: PEAC will include two administrative undergraduate education staff members with one staff member from the WWAMI region.
- Students: PEAC will include at least four student members in good standing with broad representation across campuses and cohorts.
- Ex-Officio Members
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- A number of individuals actively involved in conducting and directing assessment and evaluation activities in the curriculum, including faculty and professional staff members, may also be invited to participate in the committee as ex officio members.
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- These individuals might include faculty and staff members of the Division of Medical Education and Evaluation and faculty and administrative staff from all sites responsible for evaluation and assessment.
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- Although these individuals may participate in committee discussions they will not vote.
- Terms: Faculty and staff committee members will serve a three-year term with the option of serving one additional term. Approximately one-third of the committee membership will rotate off (or be re-elected) each year. Self-nominated faculty representatives from the other governance committees will serve terms coinciding with their terms on those committees. No faculty member will serve more than six consecutive years. Student members will serve a two-year term. Graduating students are eligible even if they cannot serve the entire term. No student member will serve more than two consecutive years.
- Selection of faculty and staff members: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for faculty and staff candidates for open seats on the PEAC. The call for candidates will be sent to faculty throughout the WWAMI region. The call for staff member candidates will be sent to WWAMI-based Foundations and clinical staff, department-based clerkship administrators and academic affairs staff. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office.
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- The Faculty Nominating Committee (appointed by the Curriculum Committee) will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee.
- Selection of student members: Annually, the Curriculum Office will issue a call for student candidates for open seats on the PEAC. The call for candidates will be sent to students throughout the WWAMI region. Interested individuals will be asked to submit their eligibility and a statement of interest to the Curriculum Office. The Nominating Committee will review the statements of interest and prepare a slate of candidates to be reviewed and ratified by a vote of the Curriculum Committee.
- Faculty or student member resignation or replacement: In the event a voting member resigns, the co-chairs shall appoint a member from the same category. The Curriculum Office will recruit to fill the seat during the following election cycle. If the appointed member is elected, this interim period does not count toward the cumulative period of the term.
- Possible replacement for absenteeism: Members who miss three or more committee meetings in a six-month period can be dismissed by the co-chairs after discussion with the members.
Article 5: Officers
- Designation: The PEAC will be co-chaired by a committee member and the Director of Educational Evaluation. The Academic Co-Chair will be selected from the current faculty members who have expressed interest in the position in the event of multiple candidates, a vote will be called by the PEAC. The Academic Co-Chair may not serve as the PEAC representative on another phase committee while serving as co-chair and vacate their faculty seat upon being elected.
- Terms: Academic Co-Chairs will serve a three-year term. Recruitment for the Academic Co-Chair elect will begin in September of the current Academic Co-Chair’s third year and onboarding will begin January of the same year.
- Duties: The co-chairs are expected to work together to set agendas, lead meetings, ensure adequate and appropriate documentation of meetings and decisions, and convene task forces and special groups as needed. The PEAC will actively liaise with the Phase and Theme Committees and make recommendations to the Curriculum Committee
Article 6: Procedures
- Meetings
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- Will be called by the co-chairs
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- Each committee meeting will be chaired one or both co-chairs, at the discretion of the co-chairs. At least one co-chair will be present at each meeting.
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- Will occur at least bi-monthly beginning in October
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- The co-chairs may call special meetings for the purpose of hearing reports, discussing matters of interest to the curriculum, and seeking the committee’s advice.
- Parliamentary authority: The conduct of meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
- Voting:
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- Voting members: Voting members are the faculty and student members ratified by the Curriculum Committee (not including the Executive Co-Chair and ex-officio/guest members). Voting members may have multiple roles on the committee but will have a single vote.
- Quorum: More than 50 percent of the voting members must be present to vote.
- Voting: Motions are decided by a majority vote of those voting members present (including the Academic Co-Chair but not the Executive Co-Chair). Voting may occur electronically.
- Tie votes: The Executive Co-Chair will only cast a vote in the event of a tie vote of the committee members, including the Academic Co-Chair.
Article 7: Communications, Records, and approval
- The co-chairs of the PEAC will be responsible for ensuring that administrative staff keep accurate records of all meetings. A full set of minutes of each meeting of the PEAC will be retained for at least 10 years.
- All decisions and recommendations made by the PEAC will be kept in a permanent, dated log and will be transmitted to the Curriculum Committee.
Section 2: Management of Conflicts
When conflicts occur, resolution will be attempted through iterative discussion with the PEAC and the Phase and Theme Committees. If conflicts cannot be resolved in this way, the PEAC may seek advisory input directly from the Associate Dean for Curriculum. The Associate Dean for Curriculum may decide to place the issue on the agenda of the Curriculum Committee and/or request broader discussion and input from the regional leadership and other stakeholders as appropriate to the issue under discussion. Ultimate authority and decisions rest with the Dean of the UW School of Medicine and are delegated by the Dean to the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs as Chief Academic Officer.
Section 3: Ad Hoc Subcommittees
In conducting its business, the PEAC may appoint ad hoc subcommittees from time to time, as these may become necessary for transaction of business of the committee, provided the purpose of any such subcommittee does not fall within the jurisdiction of an existing Phase or Theme Committee.
Section 4: Amendments and Other Provisions
Amendments to the PEAC bylaws will be presented to the Curriculum Committee for review, discussion, and a vote.
- Approved by the Curriculum Committee on: 10/22/2019
- Revised: June 3, 2024
| Program Evaluation & Assessment Committee | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TERM 1 | TERM 2 | ||||||
| POSITION | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | INITIATION | EXPIRY | INITIATION | EXPIRY | |
| Executive Co-Chair | Matt | Cunningham | Term-exempt position | ||||
| Basic Scientist Faculty Member 1 | Edith | Wang | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Basic Scientist Faculty Member 2 | Meghan | Keifer | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Basic Scientist Faculty Member 3 | Kathleen | Raskob | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Basic Scientist Faculty Member 4 | John | Willford | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Foundations Committee Representative | Bekah | Burns | 2021 | N/A | |||
| Patient Care Committee Representative | Toby | Keys | 2021 | N/A | |||
| Explore and Focus Committee Representative | VACANT | N/A | |||||
| Themes Working Group Member | Stefan | Wheat | 2024 | N/A | |||
| General Faculty Member 1 | Frank | Batcha | 2022 | 2025 | 2025 | 2028 | |
| General Faculty Member 2 | Karen | McDonough | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 | |
| General Faculty Member 3 | Kathleen | Kieran | 2021 | 2024 | 2024 | 2027 | |
| General Faculty Member 4 | Joshua | Jauregui | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| General Faculty Member 5 | Kris | Calhoun | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| General Faculty Member 6 | Sara | Kim | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| General Faculty Member 7 | Janelle | Clauser | 2022 | 2025 | 2025 | 2028 | |
| Administrator/Staff Seat 1 | Michael | Campion | |||||
| Administrator/Staff Seat 2 | Jordan | Kinder | 2024 | 2027 | 2027 | 2030 | |
| Faculty Co-Chair | Bekah | Burns | 2023 | 2026 | N/A | ||
| ENTRY | |||||||
| Student Member: Foundations | E22 | Margaret | Phillips | 2023 | 2025 | N/A | N/A |
| Student Member: Clinical | E20 | Kendall | Jones | 2023 | 2025 | N/A | N/A |
| Student Member: Clinical | E-17 | Zak | Yaffe | 2024 | 2026 | N/A | N/A |
| Student Member: MSTP | VACANT | N/A | N/A | ||||
Curriculum Learning Objective Oversight and Management (CLOOM) Committee
CLOOM is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and is accountable for providing oversight and management of medical education learning objectives for all curricular items, evaluating gaps and/or redundancies related to the learning objectives, and developing processes for changing learning objectives. In consultation with the Phase Committees, CLOOM recommends actions to the Curriculum Committee for an in depth-annual review of the program level objectives and/or make recommendations for changes in program level objectives.
Curricular Learning Objective Oversight and Management Committee Bylaws
Section 1: Curricular Learning Objective Oversight and Management (CLOOM) Committee
Article 1: General Governance
The following Bylaws governing the organization and procedures of the Curricular Learning Objective Oversight and Management Committee has been adopted in accordance with the Curriculum Governance Committee Report that was finalized in October 2018 and approved by the Medical School Executive Committee and the Dean.
Article 2: Authority and Accountability
The CLOOM Committee is delegated authority by the Curriculum Committee and is accountable for providing expertise and advice in the following areas:
- Provide oversight and management of medical education learning objectives for all curricular items, including items which are located outside of a block or clerkship such as OSCEs.
- Coordinate activities connected to learning objectives, competencies and milestones for clarity on monitoring, implementation, revision, approval and documentation.
- Evaluate learning objectives, competencies and milestones as they relate to assessment.
- Review and make requests for additions and changes to the learning objectives.
- Evaluate gaps and/or redundancies related to the learning objectives, competencies and milestones and make recommendations to the Curriculum Committee and other governing bodies.
The committee will have the authority to:
- Clarify session, block, and clerkship learning objectives and how they are used in the four-year curriculum.
- Make recommendations on location of learning objectives, competencies and milestones in the four-year curriculum
- Develop a process to request new or change session, block, and clerkship learning objectives.
In consultation with Phase Committees, this committee will recommend actions to the Curriculum Committee such as:
- In depth-annual review program level objectives, competencies and/or milestones and report to Curriculum Committee
- Identify gaps and/or redundancies in objectives and make recommendations for changes in program level objectives.
- Develop a process to implement new activities into the curriculum such as Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) to meet program level objectives
- Make objective, competency and milestone data available to governance committees
- Policy proposals and changes regarding the use of session, block, clerkship, and program level objectives
Article 3: Guiding Principles
- Adopt procedures consistent with LCME requirements
- Incorporate representation from across the WWAMI region
- Foster an appropriate balance between central oversight and local initiative, innovation and site optimization
- Encourage continuous quality improvement in the curriculum
- Foster in meetings, procedures and decision making a culture of open discussion, transparency, and iterative consensus development
Article 4: Membership
- Expectation of members:
- Although members are elected to ensure broad representation of the SOM, members have the responsibility to function as “members of the whole,” working to optimize the curriculum, rather than to represent the interests of a particular constituency.
- All committee members are expected to attend scheduled meetings and come prepared to actively engage in discussion of agenda items. Members unable to attend and participate in meetings on a frequent basis will be asked to step down.
- Four (4) Faculty: The Curricular Learning Objective Oversight and Management Committee will consist of up to 4 faculty members. The Curriculum Committee will appoint to the CLOOM Committee four faculty members from the phase committees with expertise and interest in CLOOM areas of accountability and authority. At least one of these individuals will be from a WWAMI site or state other than Western Washington.
- Five (5) Professionals: By virtue of their roles in medical education curriculum, the following individuals will be members of the committee:
- Associate Dean for Curriculum
- Assistant Dean for Basic Sciences
- Assistant Dean for Clinical Curriculum
- Director of Educational Evaluation
- Manager, Curriculum Management System
- Terms:
- Faculty will serve terms coinciding with their term on the phase committee. No person will serve more than six consecutive years.
- Professionals will serve terms concurrent with their tenure in the administrative position.
Article 5: Officers
- Designation: The CLOOM Committee will be chaired by the Assistant Dean for Basic Sciences.
- Duties:
- The chair is expected to work set agendas, lead meetings, ensure adequate and appropriate documentation of meetings and decisions, and convene task forces and special groups as needed.
- The CLOOM Committee will actively liaise with the Phase Committees and make recommendations to the Curriculum Committee
- The CLOOM Committee will submit at least annually, a written report on its areas of accountability, the activities undertaken, issues, resolutions, and the curriculum assessment outcomes to the Curriculum Committee, the Associate Deans for Curriculum and Student Affairs, and the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.
Article 6: Procedures
- Meetings
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- Will be called by the chair
- Will occur at least bi-monthly beginning in November 2019
- The Chair may call special meetings for hearing reports, discussing matters of interest to the curriculum and seeking the committee’s advice.
b. Ex-Officio Members
- Will include representative from Academic Learning and Technology, and a representative from the Education and Quality Improvement unit.
- Individuals actively involved in the use and mapping of learning objectives in the curriculum, including faculty and professional staff members, may also be invited to participate in the committee as ex officio members.
- These individuals might include faculty and staff members of the Curriculum team within Academic Affairs
- Although these individuals may participate in committee discussions they will not vote.
c. Parliamentary authority: The conduct of meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
d. Voting:
- Voting members are the faculty, professional and dean members.
- Quorum: The quorum required for meetings will be more than 50 percent of the voting members. All items brought before the CLOOM Committee will be decided on by majority vote of voting members present,
- Tie votes: The vote of the Chair will be cast only in the event of a tie vote of the committee members, including the Faculty Co-Chair.
Article 7: Communications, records and approval
- The chair of the CLOOM Committee will be responsible for ensuring that administrative staff keep accurate records of all meetings. A full set of minutes of each meeting of the CLOOM Committee will be retained for at least 10 years.
- All decisions and recommendations made by the CLOOM Committee will be kept in a permanent, dated log and will be transmitted to the Curriculum Committee.
Section 2: Management of Conflicts
When conflicts occur, resolution will be attempted through iterative discussion with the CLOOM Committee and the Phase Committees. If conflicts cannot be resolved in this way, CLOOM Committee may seek advisory input directly from the Associate Dean for Curriculum. The Associate Dean for Curriculum may decide to place the issue on the agenda of the Curriculum Committee and/or request broader discussion and input from the regional leadership and other stakeholders as appropriate to the issue under discussion. Ultimate authority and decisions rest with the Dean of the UW School of Medicine and are delegated by the Dean to the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs as Chief Academic Officer.
Section 3: Ad Hoc Subcommittees
In conducting its business, the CLOOM Committee may appoint ad hoc subcommittees from time to time, as these may become necessary for transaction of business of the committee, provided the purpose of any such subcommittee does not fall within the jurisdiction of an existing Phase or Theme Committee.
Section 4: Amendments and Other Provisions
Amendments to the CLOOM Committee bylaws will be presented to the Curriculum Committee for review, discussion and a vote.
Approved by the Curriculum Committee on: 10/22/2019
Revision: 10/14/2022
Coming soon!
Scholarship Subcommittee
The Scholarship Subcommittee has authority and accountability for oversight of the scholarship requirement, including assessment of the current overall approach and consideration of alternate approaches; development and implementation of learning objectives; curriculum implementation and evaluation; and opportunities for public dissemination of scholarly work.