(Philadelphia)
- Arthur H. Rubenstein, M.B., B.Ch., Executive
Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for
the Health System and Dean of the School of Medicine,
was one of ten deans across the country named to serve
on the advisory board of the Institute for Improvement
in Medical Education. The new institute was established
by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
to help improve the quality of medical education in
the United States and to meet the needs of a rapidly
changing health-care delivery system.
In recent years, the AAMC has focused its effort in
reforming medical education on the four years of medical
school. The new Institute will expand those efforts
to include the next periods of medical education: residency
training and continuing medical education. Over the
next year, the Institute's advisory board will coordinate
a comprehensive review of the current state of medical
education in the country and work to set a strategic
direction for reform across the entire continuum of
medical education. The advisory board's findings, expected
to be released by February 2004, will serve as a blueprint
for the Institute's future projects and activities.
"I am delighted to serve on the advisory board
of this important new institute," said Dr. Rubenstein.
"The original purpose of our academic medical centers
was to educate and train the next generations of doctors,
and everything else that we do ultimately depends on
how well we perform that educational function."
Dr. Rubenstein took office at Penn in September 2001,
but his experience in medical education goes back many
years. From 1997-2001, he was Dean of Mount Sinai School
of Medicine in New York City, and he served as chair
of the University of Chicago's Department of Medicine
for 16 years. Among his many honors and awards in the
educational field, he was president of the Association
of Professors of Medicine and served on the educational
policy committee of the American College of Physicians.
He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine of
the National Academy of Sciences.
"Improving medical education is a recurrent theme
at academic medical centers, and we should never feel
satisfied that we have reached the highest level,"
said Dr. Rubenstein. "At Penn, the last major effort
in educational reform began in the mid-1990s, under
Dr. Gail Morrison's direction, with our ambitious initiative
called Curriculum 2000. Not only did it change what
our students learn, it also changed how they learn.
We are proud that Curriculum 2000 has been closely observed
by our peer institutions." Dr. Rubenstein also
pointed out that Penn, like other academic medical centers
across the country, is presently evaluating ways to
improve the process of medical residency. To that purpose,
Penn's program for graduate medical education was recently
reorganized.
"I look forward to sharing what Penn has learned
about medical education, and I am eager to learn from
my fellow deans and colleagues at other institutions,"
said Dr. Rubenstein.
The Institute for Improvement in Medical Education
has a full agenda. It is expected to examine ways to
improve the medical curricula, reform the clinical education
of students and residents, enhance public health education
in medical schools, promote professionalism during medical
education and training, and engage in international
medical education activities. In addition, because the
leaders of medical education recognize that medical
education has become a lifelong process in the today's
rapidly changing environment, the Institute will explore
ways to better meet the need for continued professional
development of physicians once they enter practice.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.