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UMass Medical School receives DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr. Award

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Arnold P. Gold Foundation award recognizes humanism in graduate medical education

  From left, ACGME President/CEO Thomas J. Nasca; ACGME Awards Program Liaison DeLonda Dowling; UMMS Graduate Medical Education Associate Dean Deborah M. DeMarco; UMMS GME Administrative Director Marilyn Leeds; UMMS School of Medicine Dean Terence R. Flotte; ACGME Board Director and Chair of the Awards Committee Diane Hartmann; and The Arnold P. Gold Foundation COO Elizabeth Cleek
 

From left, ACGME President/CEO Thomas J. Nasca; ACGME Awards Program Liaison DeLonda Dowling; UMMS Graduate Medical Education Associate Dean Deborah M. DeMarco; UMMS GME Administrative Director Marilyn Leeds; UMMS School of Medicine Dean Terence R. Flotte; ACGME Board Director and Chair of the Awards Committee Diane Hartmann; and The Arnold P. Gold Foundation COO Elizabeth Cleek

UMass Medical School received the DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr. Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation at its Annual Educational Conference on March 8 in Orlando, Fla. The award was given in recognition of UMMS as an “exemplar of humanistic and respectful environments for graduate medical education.” UMass Memorial Health Care serves as the clinical partner of UMMS.

“This award reflects the emphasis that we have put on the humanistic side of medicine,” said Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean of the School of Medicine. “It recognizes the dedication of the clinical faculty at our academic medical center to enhancing professionalism, promoting collaborative behavior, and encouraging transparency and core humanistic values within each individual learner.”

“We are really thrilled to receive this award,” said Deborah M. DeMarco, MD, professor of medicine, senior associate dean for clinical affairs and associate dean for Graduate Medical Education. “It’s a team effort to make our institution a humane place for our residents to work and learn and to have our efforts validated by an independent team of site visitors is very rewarding.”

Graduate Medical Education at UMMS consists of 53 accredited programs, from anesthesiology to vascular surgery; 577 residents and fellows; more than 2,500 full-time and community-based faculty; an academic medical center; affiliated teaching hospitals and community health centers; and a growing number of private office and group practices. As a teaching institution, UMMS has received the highest approval rating from ACGME.

As the clinical partner of UMMS, UMass Memorial Health Care provides residents in all generalist and specialist programs opportunities for supervised experiences in both tertiary and community practice. UMass Memorial Health Care delivers care through the UMass Memorial Medical Center and community hospitals (Clinton Hospital, HealthAlliance Hospital and Marlborough Hospital) with health care services further enhanced and augmented by community primary care practices, ambulatory outpatient clinics, home health agencies, hospice programs, rehabilitation and mental health services.

The Dewitt award, in its third year, recognizes institutions with accredited residency/fellowship programs that are exemplary in fostering a respectful, supportive environment for medical education and the delivery of patient care, which leads to the personal and professional development of learners. It was one of 29 awards presented at the annual ACGME conference. recognizing noteworthy achievements from a wide range of talented graduate medical education professionals.

“The ACGME is honored to recognize this group of outstanding individuals and institutions for their contributions to the medical community. Their passionate commitment to advancing health care through education has brought about significant and tangible improvements in graduate medical education, and in turn, to health care in our society,” said Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP, president and chief executive officer, ACGME.