1999 Highlights

Project Administration/Organizational Structure

Since the initiation of the Macy Project at UMass, strong institutional leadership has been provided by Aaron Lazare, MD, Chancellor/Dean and Macy Principal Investigator, in collaboration with Michele Pugnaire, MD, Acting Vice Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Macy Project Director. The first half of the year (January-June 1999) focused on the development of an organizational infrastructure to support the UMass Macy Initiative. This included the formation of a Steering Committee, Executive Committee, Resource Group, Preclerkship and Clerkship Curriculum Working Groups, and a GME Working group. The project's full time administrator, Emily Ferrara, was hired in March to manage day-to-day operations on the grant, and a full-time administrative assistant, Donna St. George, was hired to support the project in July 1999.

During the summer, two new appointments were made to the UMass Steering Committee: Marjorie Clay, PhD, representing Ethics, and David Hatem, MD, representing PPS. The following individuals have served on the Steering Committee since the project's inception: Susan Billings Gagliardi, PhD, Preclerkship; Nancy Fontneau, MD, Clerkship; Andrew Cohen, MD, Graduate Medical Education, and Judith Ockene, PhD, Evaluation/Research. Twenty individuals representing key constituencies including undergraduate and graduate faculty, affiliate teaching site faculty, clinical system leadership, and residents and students, were appointed to serve on the UMass Macy Advisory Committee. The committee is expected to meet three times per year. 

Throughout the year, UMass held a series of planning meetings, including biweekly UMass Steering Committee and Executive Committee meetings, and quarterly Macy Strategy Meetings. To assist in Macy project planning efforts, focus groups were held in April, May and June (April - Clerkship Faculty/Student Group; May - PreClerkship Faculty/Student Group; June - GME Faculty/Resident Group). In addition, a process for planning and collaboration across the Macy partner schools was developed, with UMass as an active participant. During 1999, UMass hosted two Face-to-Face Macy Partners Meetings, in January and in May. UMass Executive and Steering Committee members participated in biweekly 3-School Steering Committee calls, as well as several subcommittees/task forces. In August Dr. Pugnaire participated in a site visit to Case Western Reserve. In October, UMass representatives traveled to NYU to participate in a Face-to-Face Macy Partners Meeting which focused on plans and strategies for curriculum development and implementation for the clerkship years. Also during the fall, appointments to the UMass Macy Advisory Committee were completed; 20 individuals representing key constituencies including undergraduate and graduate faculty, affiliate teaching site faculty, clinical system leadership, and residents and students, serve on the committee. The committee, which is expected to meet three times a year, held its first meeting in December.