San Juan Bautista loses LCME accreditation

[Mithril]

https://www.aamc.org/students/sjb

 

...Wow. I feel bad for the fourth year students especially.

[future_doc]

This has the makings of at least a 9 figure class action lawsuit against the institution, the Dean and others by all current students and possibly recent graduates. If I was a student there or a recent graduate I would find the best litigation specialist alive and be in his office by Monday! How awful.

 

 

For ease of reference, here is the link & letter:

 

http://www.lcme.org/sjb3oct2011letter.pdf

 

Yocasta Brugal, MD

President and Dean

San Juan Bautista School of Medicine

Apartado 4968

Caguas, PR 00726-4968

 

Dear President Brugal:

 

This letter is to advise you of the action taken by the Independent Appeals Panel (the “Panel”)

appointed by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) to hear the final appeal of

the LCME’s decision to withdraw accreditation from the educational program leading to the MD

degree at the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine (SJB). Following the September 12, 2011

appeal hearing, in keeping with the Process for Appeal of an Adverse Action: Denial or

Withdrawal of Accreditation, the Panel met in executive session to review the proceedings and to

reach its decision.

 

The Panel affirmed the LCME’s decision to withdraw accreditation from the medical education

program. This decision is effective October 3, 2011. This decision constitutes the final decision

of the LCME on this matter. A copy of the Panel’s final report is enclosed.

 

The LCME will make available to the public, on the LCME website, a notification of the

decision to withdraw accreditation from the medical education program, and the reason for the

action, as required by The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 1965, as amended. In addition,

the US Department of Education (the “USDE”), the Middle States Commission on Higher

Education (“Middle States”), the Federation of State Medical Boards, the Puerto Rico Board of

Medical Licensure and Discipline, and the Council on Higher Education of Puerto Rico have

been notified. The Panel’s final report will be distributed to the USDE and to Middle States, but

will otherwise remain confidential. Any public dissemination of the report will be at the

discretion of SJB officials.

 

Upon receipt of this letter, the program must immediately notify all enrolled students, all

applicants accepted for enrollment, and all applicants seeking enrollment, that LCME

 

Yocasta Brugal, MD

October 3, 2011

Page 2

 

accreditation has been withdrawn. The program must also provide the LCME Secretariat with a

copy of such notification promptly thereafter.

 

The program has the opportunity to provide official comment on this decision to the USDE. If

you choose to do so, please send it to the address below and provide a copy to the LCME so that,

if requested, it can provide a copy to the public. A copy of this letter will be displayed on the

LCME website, as evidence that the LCME notified SJB of its right to make official comments

available to the public.

 

US Department of Education

Accreditation Group

Office of Post Secondary Education

Attn: Ms. Kay Gilcher, Director

1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006

 

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) will be notified of this decision. In the

past, the AAMC has assisted displaced students seeking to transfer to an LCME-accredited

program. We believe similar assistance will be provided to SJB students who seek it.

 

Sincerely,

 

Barbara Barzansky, PhD, MHPE, LCME Secretary, 2011-2012

 

 

Dan Hunt, MD, MBA, LCME Secretary, 2012-2013

 

enc: Final Report of the Independent Appeals Panel

Transcript of September 12, 2011 Appeals Panel Hearing

 

cc: Lynn D. Fleisher, PhD, JD, LCME Legal Counsel