LCME Accreditation Determination
Dear VP&S Community,
We are very pleased to share that the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)—the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs—has voted to continue full accreditation of the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons MD program for the maximum eight-year accreditation term. This decision follows the comprehensive institutional self-study and full accreditation survey conducted in January 2026. We will provide the LCME with a routine status report in April 2028 and our next full accreditation survey visit for the 2033–2034 academic year.
Receiving continued full accreditation is a tremendous affirmation of the extraordinary educational community we have built together at VP&S. This outcome is a result of years of thoughtful planning, honest self-assessment, and continuous growth. And while we celebrate this milestone, we also embrace the opportunity to continue developing the educational environment for every learner.
This achievement represents the collective work of hundreds of faculty, staff, students, residents, department chairs, course and clerkship directors, educational leaders, and administrative partners whose participation in the self-study, data collection, interviews, and continuous quality improvement initiatives made this possible. We are deeply grateful for your support, teamwork, and dedication to VP&S throughout the process.
The LCME recognized the significant work undertaken by VP&S to continually improve our educational experience, informed by our students. Among the twelve LCME accreditation standards, all were met, with two of those under ongoing monitoring—a strong outcome for which we thank all of our colleagues. We will monitor the ongoing implementation and evaluation of recent improvements, including in student mistreatment prevention efforts, learning spaces and facilities, curricular enhancements in fundamentals, clinical observation and assessment processes, student workspaces at affiliated hospitals, and student advancement and appeals processes.
We’d like to extend special recognition to Christopher Saffos and the Performance Improvement team for their partnership and unwavering commitment, and to our associate deans—Jean-Marie Alves-Bradford, Salila Kurra, Fritz Ehlert, Will Turner, and Anil Lalwani—whose outstanding leadership across curriculum, student affairs, faculty engagement, assessment, and educational quality ensured a comprehensive and successful accreditation process. In addition, we extend our appreciation to Rosa Lee, Aubrie Sein, Christine Mangle, and Katherine Elia, whose tireless coordination of documentation, evidence collection, logistics, communications, and survey preparation were instrumental.
Lastly, we’d like to recognize the members of the LCME Steering Committee, whose dedication and collaborative leadership guided VP&S through every stage of preparation: Lyndsey Adams, Jean-Marie Alves-Bradford, Jennifer Beirne, Phillip Boiselle, Katherine Elia, Alyson Fox, Zixun Hao, Maya Hastie, Jessica Kenney, Erika Kuciw, Salila Kurra, Clara Lapiner, Rosa Lee, Jesenia Liriano, Rosalina Lopez, Christine Mangle, Tiffany Murano, Rudina Odeh-Ramadan, Said Saab, Christopher Saffos, Aubrie Sein, Lauren Vermilion, and Shawanna Wannamaker.
This successful accreditation outcome reinforces VP&S’s national leadership in medical education and reflects our enduring commitment to preparing future physicians through innovation, excellence, and accountability. As we look ahead to the next accreditation cycle in 2033–2034, we aim to build upon this success by continuously advancing competency-based medical education, supporting learner well-being, and ensuring that every graduate is prepared to meet the evolving needs of patients and communities, both in New York and around the world.
Sincerely,
Monica Lypson, MD, MHPE
Vice Dean for Education, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
James McKiernan, MD
Interim Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Interim Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University
Chief Executive Officer, ColumbiaDoctors