EPC Curriculum Committee Leadership

There are key changes to the curriculum oversight structure in Vista which will continue to function under the Education Policy Committee but will now include 5 curriculum EPC subcommittees that are either phase or pillar-based committees. Please listen to our podcast on the topic for details.  These committees will have faculty (2) and trainee (1) triadic leadership. Membership expectations are enhanced in Vista with required attendance and expectations for all members that are accounted for in the block and rotation leadership hour calculations. Leadership terms are 3 years with the opportunity for reappointment by the dean. These leadership roles are each supported at 0.075 FTE per co-chair.  Co-Chairs can work with EPC leadership and inform OEA to reallocated FTE based on individual responsibilities if the co-chair work is not evenly divided.  Clinical Curriculum Committee Leadership is not included in this first call. 

• Discovery Phase Curriculum Committee Chair – 0.075
• Discovery Phase Curriculum Committee Co-Chair – 0.075
• Health Systems Science Committee Chair – 0.075
• Health Systems Science Committee Co-Chair – 0.075
• Longitudinal Themes Curriculum Committee Chair 0.075
• Longitudinal Themes Curriculum Committee Chair 0.075
• Assessment Curriculum Committee Chair 0.075
• Assessment Curriculum Committee Co-Chair 0.075

Discovery Phase Curriculum Committee:

Discovery Phase CC Charge: The foundational phase CC is charged by the EPC with oversight and management of the foundational blocks, their calendaring, scheduling, reviewing, and responding to student feedback and needs assessments, developing, approving, and instituting guidelines, processes and relevant policies that pertain to this phase in alignment with institutional policies and procedures.  This CC will also oversee and standardize the student performance strategy between blocks consistently applying the guidance of the Assessment CC (while it is active) and will keep all block leaders informed of announcement and policy changes.  Strategic planning will be developed with oversight and engagement from OUME and aligned with institutional strategic plans. Block reviews will occur annually, and this subcommittee will ensure that is done in accordance with EPC guidance.  Blocks that are underperforming will be identified and supported by CC leadership as per EPC policy. A written and verbal report will be given to the EPC annually representing this committee’s work.

Twice monthly meetings with the 1^st meeting being reserved for course reports and the 2^nd monthly meeting for other business. This schedule may be modified based on needs and per the co-chairs' discretion.

Discovery Phase CC Leadership: We seek 2 faculty as co-chairs with equal support, preferably one from a biomedical and one from a clinical background. Co-Chairs should have discovery phase educator roles.   Student co-chairs will be from the Education Pathway and will serve a 1-year term and will be appointed by SBC leadership.  (In the transitions years, prior to having senior Education pathway students, the SBC will consider interested senior students for appointment as per the current process). Faculty Co-Chairs will be appointed by the dean after suggestion by the assistant dean of foundations and will serve 3 years with the option for reappointment. CC leaders will be selected from educational leaders of the discovery phase so appointment would be contingent upon being selected for a leadership role.  The CC leaders are charged with oversight of curriculum committee business including:

• maintaining membership and recruitment of new members with assistance as needed from the EPC and OUME leadership.
• setting the CC agenda
• ensuring the CC minutes are accurate and are uploaded to SharePoint
• collaboration with the administrator for committee oversight and operations
• scheduling course/content reviews & reports and cataloguing them on the EPC SharePoint
• identifying and supporting underperforming courses
• ensuring members are fulfilling their obligations (as defined in this document) and communication with department chairs as appropriate
• ensuring representation of their CC at the other CC meetings to ensure integration, creation of a rotating schedule
• communicating the announcements, changes, and approved policies to all committee members
• presenting the curriculum committee’s work annually to the EPC as per EPC guidelines
• attending and participating at EPC rules (EPC steering) committee monthly
• participation in accreditation processes
• institutional curriculum review and quality assurance
• other relevant duties as appropriate

Transitional considerations (please listen to the podcast on curriculum committee transitions):

• Discovery Curriculum Committee: starts August ‘22 for FOM1
• Will be crossover attendance with FOM2 since course content order is different
• Monthly meetings working up to twice monthly by AY end as FOM2 retires
• FOM2 will serve its last AY Aug 22-23 with maintained leadership structure from LInC
• Full Foundational CC will be active August ‘23

Health Systems Science Curriculum Committee

HSS CC Charge: The health system science CC is charged by the EPC with oversight and management of the health systems science content across the entire medical school experience including calendaring and scheduling of the population and community health clerkship, the Health Systems clerkship, HSS content within rotations, reviewing, and responding to student feedback regarding HSS curriculum, and student needs assessments regarding HSS learning. The HSS CC will work closely with the HSS longitudinal Focus Topic leader to ensure faculty development opportunities exist. This EPC subcommittee is also charged with developing, approving, and instituting guidelines, processes and relevant policies that pertain to HSS content in alignment with institutional policies and procedures.  The HSS CC will work with the assessment committee to ensure that learner performance and progression in HSS topics is captured and reflected in assessment strategies. The HSS CC will hear annual reports from the PCHC leadership, HSS clerkship leadership and an annual analysis of longitudinal, integrated HSS content will be prepared and presented annually at the HSS CC to the LTCC .  A written and verbal report will be given to the EPC annually representing this committee’s work. Monthly meetings will occur.

HSS CC Leadership:

We seek 2 faculty as co-chairs with equal support. The 2 faculty co-chairs should have HSS experience in some capacity and will serve a 3-year term. During the early years of the new curriculum this committee may be co-chaired by Asst Dean of HSS.  The student co-chair will be a senior level HSS pathways student appointed by the Student Body Committee (SBC). (In the first 3 years of the new curriculum (prior to the availability of a 4^th year pathway HSS student) the Asst Dean will appoint the senior student co-chair based on HSS experience and student interest.  The CC co-chairs are charged with oversight of curriculum committee business including:

• maintaining membership and recruitment of new members with assistance as needed from the EPC and OUME leadership.
• setting the CC monthly agenda with administrative support through OUME
• ensuring the CC minutes are accurate and are uploaded to SharePoint
• collaboration with the administrator for committee oversight and operations
• scheduling course/content reviews & reports and cataloguing them on the EPC SharePoint
• monitoring performance of Health Systems Science and the Population and Community Health Clerkship and implementing EPC policies to address underperforming elements
• ensuring members are fulfilling their obligations with administrative support
• ensuring representation of the HSS committee at the other CC meetings for integration (may be rotating)
• communicating the announcements, changes, and approved policies to all committee members
• presenting the curriculum committee’s work annually to the EPC as per EPC guidelines
• attending and participating at EPC rules (EPC steering) committee monthly
• participation in accreditation processes
• institutional curriculum review and quality assurance
• other relevant duties as appropriate

Longitudinal Threads Curriculum Committee:

Longitudinal Threads CC Charge: The LTCC is charged by the EPC with oversight of longitudinal threads across the entire medical school experience including pharmacology, nutrition, professional development, wellness, health equity diversity and inclusion, societal forces curricula as well as optional/learner-specific longitudinal experiences including the pathways program, the 3-year MD program as they relate to educational policy and curriculum.  Additionally, they are charged with reviewing, and responding to student feedback and needs assessments that pertain to longitudinal threads.  The LTCC will work with the assessment committee to ensure that learner performance and progression in longitudinal threads is captured and reflected in assessment strategies. The LTCC will hear annual reports from each thread specifically accounting for gaps and continuous improvement efforts.  The LTCC will identify threads that may be underperforming (yet to be defined) and will work with these thread leaders to develop improvement plans.  A written and verbal report will be given to the EPC annually representing this committee’s work. Monthly meetings will occur with rotating attendance at other curriculum committees and membership by CC chair invitation.

Longitudinal Threads CC Leadership: We seek 2 faculty as co-chairs with equal support, preferably one from a biomedical and one from a clinical background. Co-Chairs should have UMCMS educator roles.   Student co-chairs will be from the Education Pathway and will serve a 1-year term and will be appointed by SBC leadership. Eventually, the student leader will be a senior level student from the education pathway program. Prior to that they will be appointed by SBC leadership.  Students will serve a 1-year term. Faculty Chairs will be appointed by the dean and will serve 3 years with the option for reappointment.  CC leaders will be selected from educational leaders so appointment would be contingent upon being selected for a leadership role.  The CC co-chairs are charged with oversight of curriculum committee business including:

• Maintaining membership and recruitment of new members with assistance as needed from the EPC and OUME leadership.
• setting the CC monthly agenda
• ensuring the CC minutes are accurate and are uploaded to SharePoint
• collaboration with the administrator for committee oversight and operations
• scheduling course/content reviews
• ensuring members are fulfilling their obligations (as defined in this document),
• ensuring representation of their CC at the other CC meetings (may be rotating)
• communicating the announcements, changes, and approved policies to all committee members
• presenting the curriculum committee’s work annually to the EPC as per EPC guidelines
• attending and participating at EPC rules (EPC steering) committee monthly
• participation in accreditation processes
• institutional curriculum review and quality assurance
• other relevant duties as appropriate

Assessment Curriculum Committee:

Assessment CC Charge: The assessment CC is charged by the EPC with building and overseeing the assessment strategy and advising block, rotation, and integrated thread leadership regarding assessment within the intuitional framework and may be a transitional curriculum committee.  They are charged with ensuring that the assessment strategies are consistent within phases and capture competency-based progression in a consistent way throughout all years.  The assessment CC leaders will work with other CCs to refine and evolve assessment strategies to ensure they are fair and reflective of learning objectives.  The committee should identify educational activities with insufficient assessment and will task faculty content leaders with directives and guidance to address assessment deficiencies.  The assessment CC will oversee and report to the EPC on the NBME data, block performance, OSCE performance, the end of third year assessment, and USMLE outcomes in UMass Chan students.  They will finalize, monitor, and direct ongoing learner portfolio development and enhancement and will oversee the processes for information and data flow into the learner’s portfolio. 

• Portfolio: documentation of a learner’s development in multiple areas, guided by competencies/milestones. May include a record of scholarship and academic achievement including evaluations, competencies, grades, feedback, boards, exams, letters, creative accomplishments. 

Monthly Meetings with attendance of Assessment committee representatives as needed/requested by the other curriculum committees.  This committee will provide consultation as needed to individual blocks, rotations, or threads. 

Assessment Curriculum Committee Leadership: We seek two leaders with an interest and expertise in assessment, who will co-chair and receive consistent FTE and a volunteer UMass Chan resident or fellow with medical education interests.  The leadership will be appointed by the Dean and will serve a 3-year term, eligible for renewal.   The CC co-chairs are charged with oversight of curriculum committee business including:

• maintaining membership and recruitment of new members with assistance as needed from the EPC and OUME leadership.
• setting the CC monthly agenda
• ensuring the CC minutes are accurate and are uploaded to SharePoint
• collaboration with the administrator for committee oversight and operations
• scheduling assessment committee representation at all clinical and foundational curriculum committee meetings ensuring representation of their CC at the other CC meetings
• ensuring members are fulfilling their obligations (as defined in this document),
• communicating the announcements, changes, and approved policies to all committee members
• presenting the curriculum committee’s work annually to the EPC as per EPC guidelines
• attending and participating at EPC rules (EPC steering) committee monthly