Our Mission

Rationale for Change

Although the field of medicine continues to attract some of the brightest and most capable people who go on to lead impactful and meaningful careers as physicians, it became clear that medical education was in need of change and reform. With the exponential expansion of scientific knowledge, medical education needed to do its part in developing a student’s ability and desire for lifelong learning.

Historically, medical education has focused on developing a competent clinical practitioner, and this rightly remains one of the most fundamental goals of medical education. However, the complexities of the modern health care system have gone beyond individual clinical practice.

Medical education must prepare students for practice in this complex, team-based, interdisciplinary setting. Not only must these students prepare to practice in these settings, they must also be the ones who influence the creation of new settings as the field of medicine responds to the needs of society.

The faculty at UMMS identified 5 reasons for change:

1. Our discipline is growing exponentially with regard to knowledge, skills, and attributes – far exceeding what could be covered within the confines of a medical school curriculum.
2. Medical education programs are structured in serial silos; yet development must be integrated and longitudinal.
3. Assessment tools are inadequate and incomplete with regard to what students will be expected to do.
4. The intensity of the practice environment and its associated requirements are disconnecting our instructors and assessors from our learners.
5. Society is asking for a different kind of health system and health practitioner.

In our commitment to educate these future physician leaders, the University of Michigan Medical School took the lead on transforming medical education.