I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break! It was certainly a well-deserved break for everyone who worked so hard to make the LCME Site Visit a tremendous success. I want to personally thank everyone who was involved in the process. The entire visit went very smoothly.

LCME

I am delighted to share with you that the Site Visit team’s preliminary report was extraordinarily complimentary of our College’s education programs, our faculty and students, and overall educational and research resources. While we were “noncompliant” in several areas with the current education standards for medical education, the important thing to understand is that we have been systematically addressing many of these problems, and our approach and proposed solutions are in the correct direction. The preliminary report provides both the incentive and impetus to carry on.

At our next College-wide faculty meeting on Wednesday, April 7th at 5pm, I will outline the site visitors concerns. It is important to understand that the preliminary report will now be forwarded to the LCME for review. Based upon the Site Visit team’s report and the College’s Self Study, the LCME may affirm or revise the findings and provide a final report and recommendations to the College. Given the nature of the preliminary report, however, I believe we are in excellent shape, and will be able to address their concerns, and thereby improve the educational experience for our students.

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial

The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and the CHRISTUS Spohn Health System Corporation recently completed an affiliation agreement for the Family Practice Residency Training Program. This affiliation continues to build upon our existing programs and relationships in the Coastal Bend region of Texas. A press conference will be held on June 3 in Corpus Christi to announce this very important affiliation for the COM.

Strategic Planning

The Strategic Planning Committee met the first week in March and identified members for the five work groups. The five work groups include: medical education, research, facilities, information technology, and faculty development. These groups have convened, and are beginning to work on their respective white papers, which will be presented to the Strategic Planning Committee in June. Each work group has been charged with developing a 5-7 year plan for the COM including short-term strategies (1-2 years) aimed at achieving the goals. In addition, I am asking each work group to estimate the costs associated with each goal and subsequent strategy. From the estimated costs, each group is to suggest whether new resources are needed to achieve the goal, existing resources may be utilized, or a change in policy/procedure is indicated to shift resources to meet the stipulations of the goal. These recommendations will be forwarded to the Strategic Planning Committee and eventually the FAC, Executive Committee, and Academic Council for approval.

Student Affairs

Dr. Kate Fallon
Match Day 2004 was on Thursday, March 18th and proved to be a very festive occasion for our students and faculty. At 11:00 am on Thursday, March 18th, the Class of 2004 found out where they will be spending their next few years in residency programs across the country. A celebratory lunch attended by the students and their families followed the announcements.

The Match had over 25,000 applicants this year and over 20,000 matches were made to first and second year residency programs. The COM had a very good year as 91.9 percent of our seniors found a spot in the Match and did not have to “scramble." The scramble began at 11:00 am on Thursday, and everyone was matched by 3:00 pm on Thursday.

Over 50% of our seniors chose a primary care specialty and 54.2% chose to do their training in Texas. In addition, we will have our graduates located in 19 different states training in 16 different specialties. About 17% chose to stay at Scott & White for their residency training.

The National Residency Match Program does give out the breakdown for individual schools, and nationally 85% of all US seniors matched to one of their top three choices. Judging by the happiness seen at the Match Day Celebration, our seniors went to their top picks.

Medical Education

Dr. Ben Green and Dr. Tom Peterson
In December of 2003 and February of 2004, respectively, the Office of Education Development sponsored faculty development reviews of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Basic Science and Clinical Science subject exams. Forty (40) faculty attended the Basic Science review sessions and thirty-seven (37) faculty attended the Clinical Science review sessions. Plans are currently being made for a late summer/early fall Exam Item Writing Workshop to be presented in College Station by the NBME staff which will focus on construction of effective multiple-choice questions. Utilization of clinical vignettes and writing items requiring integration of factual information will be emphasized. The date and location will be announced to the faculty well in advance.

These projects are designed to provide faculty with insight into the expected breadth and depth of medical students' knowledge-base by those setting national standards as well as improving skill sets for intramural exam writing.

VA

Dr. Valerie Van Wormer
Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) is pleased to announce that T. Ulf Westblom, M.D., has been selected as Chief of a newly consolidated Medical Service at CTVHCS. Dr. Westblom has been at CTVHCS as Chief, Medical Service since July 1995; however, Medical Service was recently reorganized to include both primary care and specialty medicine. Effective March 7, 2004, Dr. Westblom was selected as Chief of this new consolidated service. As part of this position, Dr. Westblom will also hold the title of Professor and Associate Head, Department of Internal Medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

Dr. Westblom is certified by the American Boards of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He received his medical degree from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He completed Infectious Diseases fellowships in Sweden, as well as the University of Missouri Medical Center in Columbia, MO. Dr. Westblom has extensive research experience which has focused on microbial pathogenesis, bacterial growth characteristics, and animal models for antibiotic pharmacodynamics, with a special emphasis on how these areas relate to the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. Dr. Westblom has been the Director of a Gastrointestinal Infections Research Laboratory that developed molecular diagnostic tests (PCR) and improved isolation techniques for H. pylori infection. Dr. Westblom currently serves on a National Academy of Sciences committee for evaluation of research strategies for Pierce’s Disease.

Remember

College-wide Faculty Meeting, Wednesday, April 7th, 5:00pm, Lecture Hall 1 in College Station and Sid Richardson in Temple. All COM Faculty are encouraged to attend. Dr. Colenda will address the Faculty Merit Payment Program and LCME Site Visit.

Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H.
Dean, College of Medicine
The Texas A&M University Health Science Center
147 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building College Station, TX 77843-1114
Phone:979-845-3431
Fax:979-847-8663
Email: Colenda@medicine.tamhsc.edu