Administration of residency and fellowships programs will shift to UA College of Medicine – Phoenix from Banner Health
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has granted the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Graduate Medical Education Program full, 10-year sponsoring institutional accreditation.
The ACGME sets the standards for U.S. graduate medical education programs (residencies and fellowships) and the institutions that sponsor them, and renders accreditation decisions based on compliance with these standards.
“It is gratifying to see the accreditation council acknowledge our commitment to improve the health of all Arizona,” said Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, MS, UA interim senior vice president for health sciences. “The state’s ongoing investment in graduate medical education, bolstered by this significant accreditation, will elevate our profile as a leader in academic medicine.”
The designation completes the formal transition of the graduate programs to the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix from Banner Good Samaritan/Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, which had administrated residency and fellowship programs for 50 years, said Alan I. Leibowitz, MD, associate dean for graduate medical education. The college is accredited until 2027. Residents and fellows also train jointly at the Phoenix Veterans Administration Medical Center.
“We would like to offer our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the faculty, staff, residents and fellows who met with the ACGME during the site visit in May and to the GME office staff who assisted in the preparation of documentation that led to full accreditation,” Dr. Leibowitz said.
Guy Reed, MD, MS, Dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix.
Each of the college’s 24 residency and fellowship programs now will undergo separate, rigorous, individual accreditation processes designed to standardize the quality of graduate medical education of each specialty in the United States and Canada, Dr. Leibowitz said.
“We’ve reached this significant milestone because of the passion and tremendous work of many individuals,” said Dean Guy Reed, MD, MS. “This achievement acknowledges the strength and excellence of our college and furthers our mission to train exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders.”
Accreditation for Graduate Medical Education programs is different from the full accreditation the college received in June from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME accreditation is a multi-year, voluntary, peer-review process of quality assurance that determines whether a doctor of medicine degree program meets established standards. All new medical schools undergo a rigorous process of preliminary, provisional and full accreditation designed to standardize and optimize the quality of medical education across the United States and Canada.
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix admitted its inaugural class of first-year medical students in August 2007 and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The College inspires and trains exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders to optimize health and health care in Arizona and beyond. The College is uniquely positioned to accelerate the biomedical and economic engines in Phoenix and the State by leveraging vital relationships with key clinical and community partners. For more, visit phoenixmed.arizona.edu/tenyears.
University of Arizona Health Sciences
The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs almost 5,000 people, has nearly 1,000 faculty members and garners more than $126 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: uahs.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn)