Goal 1: Education

Saint Louis University School of Medicine will be an academically excellent, innovative, and engaging educational environment for learners and faculty, grounded in scientific method and commitment and service to others.

General Objectives

1. Increase our focus on scholarship, learning and the integration of knowledge. 
2. Establish a state-of-the-art education and interdisciplinary simulation center that will engage, challenge and support students, residents and fellows, faculty, and multidisciplinary and community healthcare providers. 

Educational Areas of Focus

• Undergraduate Medical Education
• Graduate Medical Education
• Graduate Student Education
• Continuing Medical Education

Undergraduate Medical Education (UME)

Objectives

1. Achieve full accreditation after the 2024-25 LCME visit.
2. Improve educational excellence in three pillars: basic, clinical and health systems science.
3. Foster a positive and effective learning environment.
4. Engage SSM in our teaching and learning mission.
5. Increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds in medical school.
6. Decrease student indebtedness.
7. Ensure that medical students have the tools and resources to make successful career choices.
8. Expand and provide additional clinical experiences for pre-clerkship and clerkship students.
9. Increase the number of SOM medical school graduates practicing in our region.
10. Increase percentage of accepted students who matriculate to SOM.
11. Ensure that graduating medical students are well-prepared for residency.
12. Establish a program for faculty development and recognition in medical education.

Strategies:

1. Complete data collection and self-study for LCME review.
2. Complete LCME site visit. 
3. Integrate three pillars into curriculum.
4. Collaborate with SSM to increase clinical training sites.
5. Maximize the post-baccalaureate program.
6. Increase scholarships for medical students.
7. Increase student recruitment and outreach. 
8. Structure early career advising for medical students.
9. Support specialty advising for students.
10. Strengthen the learning community program.
11. Increase pre-clerkship active learning and early clinical experiences.
12. Continue to revise preclinical curriculum.
13. Outreach and admit trainees with mission or regional connection.
14. Build a Health Education Center for active learning and multidisciplinary simulation.
15. Expand faculty recognition.
16. Develop faculty distinction pathways.

Graduate Medical Education (GME)

Objectives

1. Transition residencies to “SSM Health/Saint Louis University” sponsorship.
2. Ensure that all residency programs are fully ACGME accredited.
3. Align and right-size GME programs with the educational and clinical strategies of the partnership
4. Support program director and program coordinator retention. 
5. Increase faculty teaching skills.
6. Increase faculty and trainee scholarship.
7. Increase SLU residency graduate retention at SLU, SSM and in the region.
8. Increase SLU medical student graduate matriculation into SLU GME programs.

Strategies

1. Ensure appropriate number of teaching faculty in collaboration with SSM.
2. Ensure appropriate staffing for GME office and programs.
3. Effectively address ACGME citations and areas of concern.
4. Increase training sites for residents. 
5. Establish mentorship program for program directors and program coordinators.
6. Increase professional development opportunities for GME leaders, faculty, and staff.
7. Develop education curriculum and evaluation criteria for faculty.
8. Establish the Center for Lifelong Learning.
9. Create a GME leadership pipeline.
10. Establish a career ladder for program coordinators.
11. Provide opportunities for education in research methodologies.
12. Establish clinical research mentorship.
13. Continue GME taskforce for program size recommendations.

Graduate Student Education 

Objectives

1. Increase educational opportunities for biomedical Ph.D. students
2. Increase educational opportunities for Medical Family Therapy students.
3. Increase educational opportunities for post-baccalaureate students. 
4. Continue M.D. Ph.D. program.
5. Increase size of graduate programs.
6. Increase enrollment in the post-baccalaureate/Medical Anatomy and Physiology Program (MAPP) program.
7. Increase breadth of backgrounds of graduate students.
8. Increase graduate student wellness.

Strategies

• Increase research faculty.
• Identify funding opportunities to enable all graduate program growth.
• Increase external funding for biomedical graduate students including RO1, T and F grants.
• Increase Medical Family Therapy class enrollment.
• Increase funded laboratory placements for biomedical graduate students.
• Increase recruitment efforts.
• Include graduate students in SOM-wide wellness programs.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

Objectives

1. Increase and expand range and quality of CME programs.
2. Ensure all relevant standards of accreditation are met or exceeded.
3. Build collaborations to enhance the effectiveness of the CME program in addressing community/population health issues.
4. Provide Maintenance of Certification (MOC) offerings.