Dean's Significant Conversations I

Current Crisis in Academic Medicine: Existential Threat? There seems to be little disagreement that "academic medicine" is in crisis, with many, including The BMJ Commission on the Future of Academic Medicine and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), characterizing the crisis as existential. This crisis stems from severe structural strains on its core threefold mission: training future doctors, conducting scientific research, and providing complex patient care. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] These strains range from financial and regulatory issues (e.g., federal disinvestment in science, narrowing margins for teaching hospitals, and economic burdens for students) to workforce challenges (e.g., unsustainable teaching and research expectations, plummeting MD-PhD graduates and fewer students entering the basic sciences, and burnout for clinical faculty due to the ever increasing demands for clinical productivity). Given the current environment, where do we (Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine) stand, what are our current excellences, and what might those tell us about the way forward not just in responding to crises but in creating and shaping our future? Panelists: Stan Gerson, Mark Jackson, Lia Logio, Grace McComsey, and William Schiemann Program: 5:00-5:30 Defining "Academic Medicine," Responding to Current Challenges and Highlighting Our Local Excellences (Stan Gerson) 5:30-6:00 Panel Discussion (Panelists: Stan Gerson, Mark Jackson, Lia Logio, Grace