MEC By-Laws

Medical Education Committee By-laws David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles

Revised version approved by the Faculty Executive Committee on 7/11/2018 

ARTICLE I - GENERAL

The Regents of the University have vested the Faculty of the School of Medicine with the responsibility to authorize and supervise all courses and curricula offered in pursuit of the degree of Doctor of Medicine (Regent Standing Order 105.2b).

Section 1 – Purpose

The Medical Education Committee (MEC) is charged to formulate and periodically review the mission statement and graduation competencies for undergraduate medical education; to review and recommend revisions of the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) curricula, including scheduling of courses; to evaluate existing courses and clerkships and other educational programs that support the curriculum; and to develop and recommend educational policies related to curricular implementation for consideration by the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC).

Section 2 – Source of Authority

The MEC is a standing subcommittee of the FEC of the DGSOM and reports to and is subject to the Bylaws of the FEC.

The MEC is charged to formulate and periodically review the mission statement for undergraduate medical education; to review and recommend revisions of the DGSOM curricula, including scheduling of courses; and to evaluate existing courses and clerkships.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 - Bylaws Specified by the FEC for the MEC

1. The Chair(s) and members of the MEC shall be appointed by the FEC.
2. The Chair(s) and members of the MEC shall be appointed for three year terms, renewable for a maximum of three terms, with the consent of the FEC.
3. The FEC Chair and Vice-Chair shall be ex-officio members of the MEC without vote.
4. The Dean of the DGSOM or the Dean's designee, shall be an ex-officio member of the MEC without vote.
5.  Appointment of new members of the MEC and reappointment of current members will be submitted to the FEC for approval in every July. If a vacancy on the MEC occurs at other times in the year a faculty member will be submitted to the FEC as a replacement for the member leaving the committee.  The first term of MEC members or chairs who are appointed off cycle will end in July of the 3^rd  calendar year after they were appointed.

Section 2 - Specific Bylaws of the MEC

1. This Committee shall be composed of 24 voting members and 3 non-voting members, as follows:
1. Nineteen of the voting members shall be UCLA faculty, including the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs (or designee as determined by the Vice Dean for Education) and two UCLA faculty from the associated Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine (Drew) program. 
2. The faculty representatives shall be chosen for their active interest and experience in undergraduate medical education, and shall collectively represent the broad range of the basic and clinical sciences and clinical training sites of the DGSOM. They are expected to be advocates for the curriculum at large rather than representatives of the interests of specific departments, divisions or courses. 
3. This number shall include the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Committee. 
4. There shall be two representatives per year chosen by the members of the first and second year classes and three representatives per year chosen by the members of the third and fourth year classes. Each class of the four years of medical school shall have one vote per class. Additionally, students in extended study programs outside of the traditional four-year curriculum shall be represented by individuals selected from each program in a manner to be determined by the Medical Student Council. This group of representatives shall have one vote.
5. A representative of the Biomedical Library shall serve as a non-voting member 
6. The Chair and Vice Chair of FEC shall serve as non-voting members, as specified in Section One of this Article. 
7. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall serve as a non-voting member.
2. The Chair (or Co-Chairs) of the MEC shall be selected by the FEC from among current or previous members of the MEC 
3. The MEC Liaison Committee is charged with advising and assisting the MEC Co-chairs in setting the MEC agenda, overseeing the work of the standing committees, and meeting all FEC reporting requirements for the MEC as outlined in the MEC Bylaws. An MEC Liaison Committee composed of the MEC Co-Chairs, the Vice Dean for Education, the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall meet monthly for the purpose of coordinating MEC functions with the DGSOM Dean’s office curricular functions.

ARTICLE III - DUTIES and PROCEDURES

Section 1 - Bylaws as Specified by the FEC

1. The MEC shall review its Bylaws at least every three years.  The Chair(s) of the MEC may proposed Bylaw changes to the membership of MEC at a regular or special meeting of the committee.  An affirmative vote by a majority of the MEC membership is required to accept Bylaws changes, which must then be submitted to the FEC for review and approval. 
2. The MEC shall circulate a meeting agenda and the previous meeting minutes to members at least one week prior to the next meeting.
3. The MEC shall submit an annual report to the FEC.
4. The MEC shall present recommendations for approval by the FEC in writing to the FEC Chair at least two weeks prior to the next FEC meeting so that they may be circulated to the FEC members. 

Section 2 - Specific Bylaws of the MEC

1. A mission statement and set of graduation competencies for undergraduate medical education shall be developed and reviewed periodically by the MEC. A summary of the review will be presented to the FEC in a timely manner after the review.
2. The MEC shall monitor the curriculum of the DGSOM to assure that, as a whole, it is consistent with the educational mission of the DGSOM. This responsibility includes the School's associated Drew program.
3. The MEC shall evaluate existing courses, clerkships, and other programs that support the mission statement and graduation competencies, and produce periodic reports for the FEC that summarize these evaluations.
4. The MEC shall develop and recommend educational policies related to curricular implementation and recommend and oversee revisions of the Medical School curriculum, including scheduling, addition and deletion of courses, or major curricular content. Before recommending revisions, the committee shall elicit an appropriately broad range of faculty and student opinion.
5. The MEC may appoint ad hoc working groups to research, study and develop recommendations regarding specific issues. In general, each working group will be temporary and serve only so long as necessary to complete its specific charge.
6. The MEC may create standing subcommittees to help meet its charge.  Creation and dissolution of standing subcommittees of the MEC can be done without requesting FEC approval. A summary of the action should be presented to the FEC in a timely manner after the action.
7. The presiding Chair of a MEC meeting shall vote only to make or break a tie vote.
8. No member may vote for a motion in absentia or without being present for the discussion that leads up to the vote.
9. A quorum shall consist of 50% of the non-excused voting members.
10. Regular monthly meetings shall be calendared in advance for the entire academic year, but may be cancelled by either Chair of the MEC with the concordance of the other chair for lack of sufficient business. 
11. The meetings shall be open to all interested parties in the DGSOM, but closed sessions may be held if required by the nature of the committee's business. Individuals not in the DGSOM may attend as guests at the invitation of the MEC Co-Chairs.
12. Meeting time and agenda should be placed on the MEC website, preferably one week before the MEC meeting.
13. The Dean's Office shall provide staff for the MEC.