Curriculum Committee

The School of Medicine Curriculum Committee is an LCME-mandated standing committee of the faculty and includes faculty, student and resident representation. The function of the curriculum committee is to oversee the education program as a whole and has the responsibility for the overall design, management, integration, evaluation and enhancement of a coherent and coordinated curriculum.

Through its work, the curriculum committee determines educational policy and curricular structure, promotes educational innovations and scholarship, and establishes implementation strategies for the four-year School of Medicine educational program leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree.

The curriculum committee has 2 standing subcommittees, the Phase I Block Chairs committee and the Phase II Clerkship Directors committee that oversee the day-to-day operations of their respective curricular phases, bring proposals forward to the curriculum committee and implement recommended changes from the curriculum committee.

• Develop, maintain and evaluate a curriculum that reflects current medical knowledge and practice and is consistent with meeting LCME standards.
• Review and modify the goals and objectives for the curriculum with particular emphasis on ensuring that the goals and objectives are linked to desired outcome measures.
• Establish a logical sequencing of the curriculum and curriculum content that is coordinated and integrated within and across the academic periods of study (i.e., horizontal and vertical integration).
• Monitor and evaluate the quality of the blocks and clerkships and their effectiveness in meeting the goals and objectives for medical student education.
• Ensure that the methods of pedagogy and medical student assessment are effective, innovative and appropriate for the achievement of the program's educational objectives.
• Monitor the content and student workload in each Phase of the curriculum.
• Promote educational innovation, experimentation and scholarship to inform the development and maintenance of a dynamic and current curriculum.

The curriculum committee is an integrated body with rotating membership that includes members of the faculty, administration and student body in proportions appropriate to assure wide understanding of the issues at hand, flexibility, a lack of bias, and full representation across the institution, in order to achieve the school’s overall educational objectives. All members are nominated or elected by their peers and appointed by the Dean. Members are appointed for three-year terms and may be reappointed for successive terms.

Regular Voting Members

• 3 Representatives selected by Phase I Block Chairs and may include Core Faculty (typically 1 per block; occasionally more than one per block)
• 2 Representatives selected by Phase II Clerkship Directors
• 2 Representatives selected by Phase III Clerkship Directors (one inpatient, one outpatient)
• 2 Representatives from Doctoring Curriculum
• 1 Representative from PA Program
• 1 Representative from the Clinical Reasoning Curriculum
• 1 Representative from the Learning Communities
• 1 Representative from Phase I Threads
• 2 Students from Phase III
• 2 Students from Phase II
• 2 Students from Phase I, Year 2
• 2 Students from Phase I, Year 1
• 1 student from MD-PhD program
• 5 Faculty At-Large (involvement in SOM teaching and elected by the general faculty)
• 1 Faculty Representative from VAMC
• 1 Representative from HSLIC
  
  

Ex-Officio Members*

• Representing A&L (Assessment and Learning)
• Representing PEAR (Program Evaluation)
• Representing CPL (Continuous Professional Learning)
• Representing CSC (Curriculum Support Center)
• Representing AMS (Academic Multimedia Services)
• Representing ACP (Applied Cognition in the Medical Sciences Program)
• Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education
• Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education
• Assistant Dean Medical Science Education
• Assistant Dean for Health Professions Programs
• Associate Dean for Student Affairs
• Associate Dean for Diversity or Representative
• Representing the Office of Professional Wellness
  
  

Meetings

Meetings of the Curriculum Committee are held twice monthly. Subcommittee meetings are held as needed and as called by each Subcommittee Chair. The agenda and minutes of each meeting are available electronically. All interested UNM-SOM faculty members, residents, students, and staff are invited to attend Curriculum Committee meetings as visitors. Meetings generally last one to one-and-a-half hours. Special meetings may be scheduled throughout the year.

Phase I Block Chairs subcommittee

Charge

To plan, schedule and review the pre-clerkship content and evaluation of students. This subcommittee reports regularly to the Curriculum Committee through its membership on the Curriculum Committee about all aspects of the pre-clerkship curriculum including any concerns and recommendations for change.

Membership

Includes all Phase I block chairs, Associate Dean Undergraduate Medical Education, representatives from the Curriculum Support Center, Assessment and Learning, and PEAR.

Clerkship Directors subcommittee

Charge

To plan, schedule and review the overall clerkship curriculum and the assessment of students. This subcommittee reports regularly to the Curriculum Committee through its membership on the Curriculum Committee about all aspects of the clerkship curriculum including any concerns and recommendations for change.

Membership

Includes all Phase II Clerkship Directors and co-Directors, Associate Dean Undergraduate Medical Education, representatives from the Doctoring Course, Assessment and Learning and PEAR.