It is my pleasure to announce that UTMB was recently resurveyed by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and was awarded Accreditation with Commendation for six years as a provider of continuing medical education for physicians on November 30, 2012. Six-year accreditation is the highest accreditation awarded by the ACCME.  In 2012, only one-third of CME providers across the US received this distinction rather than the standard four years.

ACCME accreditation seeks to assure the medical community and the public that UTMB provides physicians with relevant, effective, practice-based continuing medical education that supports US health care quality improvement. The ACCME employs a rigorous, multilevel process for evaluating institutions' continuing medical education programs according to the high accreditation standards adopted by all seven ACCME member organizations. These organizations in the US are the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Association for Hospital Medical Education, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the US, Inc.

Our successful accreditation was achieved under the leadership of Lois A. Killewich, MD, PhD, Assistant Dean for Continuing Education, and through the efforts of Brenda Johnson, MEd, CCMEP, Director for the Office of Continuing Education (OCE), and the entire OCE staff who ensured that our CME Program demonstrated compliance with all 22 ACCME accreditation criteria and policies.  In particular, the ACCME found that UTMB is engaged with our environment, develops collaborations and partnerships that result in improvements in practice and health outcomes, and is actively involved in promoting quality care and patient safety. 

This is a proud accomplishment for the institution, and a true testament to the quality of our educational programs and CME activities.  Please join me in congratulating Dr. Killewich and the Office of Continuing Education for their excellent work.

Sincerely yours,

Danny O. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS
Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine
Thomas N. & Gleaves T. James Distinguished Chair