UC Davis School of Medicine has been granted full accreditation for eight years by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States and Canada.
"Receiving this important accreditation, for the longest period of time possible, is a testament to the strength of our education programs and the incredible work of our faculty, staff, students, and trainees," said Mary S. Croughan, UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor. "The School of Medicine's unwavering commitment to achieving exceptional results in all areas of our mission — while providing the highest quality medical care to our community — is unequaled."
Accreditation is a peer-reviewed quality assurance process that determines whether the medical education program meets 12 LCME standards incorporating 93 elements. The LCME can provide accreditation for up to eight years. The School of Medicine's last accreditation review took place in 2014, from which it also received a full eight-year accreditation. The LCME can also decide only to accredit a school provisionally, or for shorter periods of time, based upon the number and type of concerns identified by its review.
"This recognition is the result of a dedicated effort across our entire organization, and it's worthy of celebration," said David Lubarsky, CEO of UC Davis Health and vice chancellor for Human Health Sciences. "This is not easily earned, and it requires considerable and time-consuming preparations, not only to complete this accreditation, but to make sure everyone at the school is doing everything we can for the students. This truly was a collaborative effort."
The virtual LCME site visit took place February 28 - March 2, 2022. The LCME team met with more than 150 School of Medicine faculty, staff, students and hospital leaders. The accreditation process is designed to enhance the quality of medical education by identifying areas for improvement.
"I want to thank everyone involved in our successful LCME re-accreditation," said Susan Murin, the medical school's interim dean. "Our success is the result of years of meticulous preparations and extraordinary work by the Office of Medical Education and all who served on committees, assisted with preparations and participated in survey visits. This achievement is an affirmation of our school's commitment to excellence, continuous quality improvement, and listening to – and addressing – the needs of our students."
At the School of Medicine, preparation for the LCME accreditation process was led by an Institutional Self-Study Task Force and self-study sub-committees. These involved faculty, staff, students, residents, leaders and affiliate partners, who generated hundreds of pages of data and analysis demonstrating compliance with LCME standards. The effort also included a detailed survey of the medical student body, called the Independent Student Analysis, which was written and administered by the students themselves.
"I am grateful to the core LCME preparation team for their incredibly hard work, and to my colleagues across the health system for their contribution and commitment to medical education over the years," said Mark Servis, vice dean for medical education. "It has been inspiring to see how everyone has been actively engaged in the LCME accreditation process while responding to the challenges of educating students, caring for patients, conducting research, and serving our community."
The UC Davis School of Medicine is a nationally recognized academic and medical training institution, with three rankings in the Top 10 nationally. The school is ranked as the 3rd most diverse medical school in the U.S., 7th in family medicine, and 8th in primary care, as well as 48th for research in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
