Fourth-Year Student Serves on LCME

Elizabeth Abram, Class of 2011, has been appointed to a one-year term as a student member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting authority for medical schools in the United States.

Abram, who is one of two student members appointed nationwide this year, was selected by the Association of American Medical Colleges, and her counterpart was selected by the American Medical Association. She will participate in all LCME activities and enjoy full voting privileges during her term, which ends June 30, 2011.

Qualifying criteria for the position, according to the LCME, include that student members should be in their final year of medical school, have experience on a medical school curriculum committee, demonstrate strong academic achievements and have an interest in medical education and the role of accreditation.

Abram, who is applying for residency in orthopaedic surgery, participated on both the Phase I (years 1 and 2) and Phase II (years 3 and 4) curriculum committees and served as president of the medical student government, Polity, in her second year. She currently represents years 3 and 4 on the UB Medical LCME reaccreditation Subcommittee on Medical Students.

“Being a part of UB’s LCME self-study afforded me the privilege of negotiating the avenue between student and faculty views for the ultimate good of the educational process,” says Abram. “I am honored to be selected to carry this perspective to a larger scale and look forward to learning about curriculum on the national level with the LCME.”

The position of student member requires a significant time commitment to the LCME. Duties include reviewing accreditation reports, attending four LCME meetings (once as an observer, three times as a voting member), and participating on an accreditation survey.