History

History of Curriculum Discussions

In medical education, some level of curricular change is constant. Upstate is no exception. Systems are in place to monitor program outcomes and accreditation requirements, and to regularly elicit student and faculty feedback, prompting adjustments in procedures or policies as needed. Mechanisms, including the curriculum committee and subcommittees, also provide avenues for introducing new ideas.

Periodically, larger curricular changes are undertaken, such as the move from foundational science disciplines to organ systems-based units with foundational and clinical science co-directors which was recommended by the New Directions Task Force (2011-2013) and rolled out in 2016 as the UP Curriculum.

As part of Upstate’s commitment to continuous quality improvement, review of the curriculum was ongoing. In 2019, two task forces were commissioned to explore innovative curricular models, including an accelerated three-year pathway. In 2020, Dean Chin charged a Steering Committee to work with faculty, students, and leadership to study the reports from the task forces and develop a curriculum modification proposal that was reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Committee.

In November 2021, Dean Chin submitted applications for initiation of a three-year program and modification of the four-year program to the LCME, for review at their February 2022 meeting. On March 1, 2022, the LCME notified Dean Chin that there appear to be adequate resources to support the proposed curricular changes. The first class to follow the new curriculum will matriculate in August 2023.