Welcome Message from

Michael F. Collins, MD, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences and Chancellor
Terence R. Flotte, MD, Executive Deputy Chancellor, Provost and Dean, T.H. Chan School of Medicine

LCME accreditation of our medical education program is a cornerstone of our mission and a commitment to our students, alumni, faculty and community that we hold as one of our most important priorities. While LCME accreditation is voluntary, it is a rigorous, peer-reviewed process of quality assurance that determines whether the medical education program meets established standards and is a benchmark of our capacity to develop and deliver a medical education program of distinction.

In August of last year, three distinguished academic leaders from across the country had a substantive and deeply probing virtual visit to UMass Chan as part of the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) accreditation process. Following that visit and the submission of our LCME report, we have been awaiting formal notice of our accreditation status. At this time, we are pleased to report to you that the LCME has confirmed that our medical education program is in compliance with all standards and we have been granted full accreditation for a period of eight years, through 2028.

We are extremely gratified by this result. This outcome would not have been possible without your collective efforts and commitment to the spirit of the accreditation process. Our LCME team has been led by Anne Larkin, MD, associate professor of surgery and vice provost for educational affairs, who has worked with literally hundreds of faculty, staff, students and community members to evaluate our medical education program, assess our educational goals and examine the teaching environment for our medical students.

Please join us in thanking Dr. Larkin and her team, including Melissa Fischer, MD, MEd, associate dean for undergraduate medical education; Sonia Chimienti, MD, vice provost for student life and enrollment management; Mariann Manno, MD, associate dean for admissions; Kevin Hinchey, MD, senior associate dean for education, UMass Chan-Baystate; Mary Zanetti, senior director of institutional research, evaluation and assessment; and task force leaders and members from across the institution, including senior project manager Ashton Gunn, who has led the administration and execution of the accreditation process with exceptional insight and care.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in U.S. and Canadian medical schools. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association.