Building on its impressive list of international accreditations, LAU recently received a stamp of approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–International (ACGME-I) for its graduate medical education (GME) at the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine.

This initial two-year accreditation granted to the university, as the sponsoring institution, enables the school of medicine to apply for the accreditation of its residency and, subsequently, fellowship programs.

“Obtaining an initial institutional accreditation signifies that our institution meets the foundational standards required to support high-quality residency and fellowship programs,” said Dean of the school of medicine Sola Aoun Bahous. “When it comes to applying for residency program accreditation, however, program-specific foundational standards will have to be met.”

The ACGME-I accreditation effectively enhances graduates’ training and subsequent employment prospects, and recognition of the school as “graduates from ACGME-I accredited programs may compete at a higher level, stand out among applicants, and get a better chance at joining fellowship programs in the US,” added Dr. Aoun Bahous.

That said, she pointed out, the school’s match rate for students and residents in training programs across the US already attests to the high standards offered by the school and the LAU medical centers.

As a non-profit private organization, the ACGME-I evaluates and accredits post-graduate medical education sponsoring institutions and residency and fellowship programs outside the US to promote the quality of education and professional practice for optimal patient safety and care.

Preparing for the accreditation was a lengthy and rigorous process led by Clinical Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education Rajaa Chatila and a GME steering committee composed mostly of program directors, with the support of the higher administration. It involved the school of medicine, the university as a whole, and the LAU medical centers.

Criteria and core education principles set by the ACGME-I range from quality of medical education, professionalism, experiential learning, excellence and innovation, and patient care, through to the support provided by the institution and medical centers to its residents and fellows, such as full-time staff-to-residents ratio, facilities, resources, medical insurance and even access to mental health.

The LAU school of medicine’s Graduate Medical Education offers 17 residency programs and seven fellowship programs. The plan is to submit a batch of programs regularly for accreditation, starting with the residency programs and moving on to the fellowships until they are all accredited.

“We have just applied for six of the residency programs,” said Dr. Chatila, “internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, anesthesia, obstetrics and gynecology, and radiology, with others to follow.”

The outcome will officially be announced in July, after the ACGME-I site visit, which is scheduled for May. To apply for accreditation, each program must first complete a self-study. If deemed eligible, each program then submits a separate application.   

“All 24 different programs have completed their self-studies and benchmarked against ACGME-I’s standards,” added Dr. Chatila. “We have high-caliber training, and everyone is working very hard to maintain and offer the highest standards of medical education and training. We owe it to the trainees, to society and to ourselves that we benchmark and showcase the high educational and training standards we adhere to.”

More than prestige, the accreditation is an ongoing process of self-appraisal and self-improvement that helps ensure “our graduates, some of whom stay in the country, are competent to take good care of our community in the future,” said Dr. Chatila. “It is a testament to the quality of education, which is what we want, to make sure that LAU is recognized as a first-class educational institution in medicine, among the best in the region.”

With three acquired accreditations— the Turkish Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Medical Education Programs (TEPDAD) for its MD program, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for the Clinical Simulation Center, and now the ACGME-I—the school plans to work on obtaining the American Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education (AACME) for its Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development program.

“Medical doctors never stop learning,” said Dr. Aoun Bahous. “Pursuing AACME will help us maintain our standards as healthcare providers.”

LAU thrives on a culture of accreditation, she added. “Over the years, accreditation and improvement have become instilled in our mindset.”