New Harvard Macy Institute course aims to help institutions “make the grade”

Just as health care organizations are recognizing the importance of measuring clinical quality to improve outcomes—and enhance competitiveness— academic medical institutions are similarly stepping up efforts to evaluate the quality of their graduates and educational programs.

Connie Bowe, MD

“The mobility of health care professionals worldwide and the growing influence of globalization on clinical and educational standards are leading institutions to devote considerable resources to collecting data on student learning, faculty teaching effort, and program quality. However, assessment systems that link the various evaluation elements and provide a useful ‘big picture’ are often lacking,” said Connie Bowe, MD, who is one of the directors of a new Harvard Macy Institute course designed to address this issue.

The ”Program for Comprehensive Assessment in Health Science Education,” which will be held for the first time in March 2007, will gather academic faculty, health care educators, and administrators to collaborate on the design of assessment systems for their home institutions.

The program will focus on assessment and evaluation in four major areas: learning, teaching, curricula and professional training programs, and institutional performance. More specifically, the program will cover the acquisition of competencies by students and residents, discuss how to evaluate faculty teaching and educational effort, examine methods for assessing program efficacy, and help participants develop strategies for aligning resources and support with the educational mission of their institution.

“Our goal is to help the faculty who participate in this course move from a theoretical base of understanding to designing real action plans that can be implemented at their institutions,” said Bowe.

With input from program faculty and fellow participants, each faculty member will define measurable outcomes reflecting institutional goals and priorities, and design strategies to maximize the utility of assessment information gathered. It is intended that the assessment systems produced during the course integrate evaluation information at multiple levels and optimally inform a continuous quality improve­ment process to further their institutions’ educational missions.   

The program will introduce assessment theory and methodology, best practices in evaluation and accreditation, and applications of a logic outcomes model for assessment, utilizing a variety of formats, including topic presentations, large-group case discussions, small-group literature analyses, and project groups. Informal consultations with participating leaders in the field of assessment will also be available.

Joining Bowe on the program faculty from HMI are Elizabeth G. Armstrong, PhD, director of the Institute, and Lynn Eckhert, MD, MPH, DrPH, director of academic programs. Other core program faculty include Louis Pangaro, MD, FACP, vice chairman of the education program at Uniformed Services University; Emil Petrusa, PhD, associate dean for curriculum assessment at Duke University School of Medicine; and Thomas Viggiano, MD, associate dean for faculty affairs at Mayo Medical School

The program is designed for academic faculty, health care educators, and administrators with responsibility for assessment of students/residents, faculty, educational programs, and teams and/or individuals embarking on institutional assessment for accreditation.

“The diversity of Harvard Macy Institute participants’ backgrounds, disciplines, and professional experiences has added to the richness of our other Harvard Medical School-based programs, and we hope will be a key ingredient in this course as well,” said Armstrong. 

The course will be held March 19-23, 2007 at Harvard Medical School in Boston. The deadline for submitting applications is November 15, 2006, and attendance is limited to 40 participants. Preference will be given to teams of applicants from the same institution, though individual applicants are also encouraged to apply.  Please visit the Harvard Macy Institute website to apply online.

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