Susan Kirk to Chair the ACGME’s Institutional Review Committee

Susan Kirk, MD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and the School of Medicine’s associate dean for graduate medical education, has been selected to serve as chair of the Institutional Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACMGME). The ACGME is the accrediting organization in the U.S. for all graduate medical education programs, including residency and fellowship programs. With the ACGME’s “single accreditation” initiative being rolled out in partnership with the American Osteopathic Association, osteopathic training programs will also be accredited by the ACGME.

Endocrinology chief Zhenqi Liu commented that, “As chair of the IRC and a member of the ACGME’s Council of Chairs, Dr. Kirk will interact regularly with the other ACGME review committees. This is a great testimony to her outstanding leadership in graduate medical education, and a well-deserved honor for her.”

In Dr. Kirk’s current role as UVA’s associate dean for graduate medical education, she oversees more than 100 UVA-sponsored programs that provide training to 750-plus residents and fellows. She also serves as the appointed “designated institutional official” (DIO), a required liaison position at all ACGME-accredited institutions. Dr. Liu remarked that the position of IRC chair “is arguably the highest for a DIO nationally.”

Dr. Kirk’s appointment to the IRC begins with a 14-month stint as chair-elect, followed by a four-year term as chair commencing in 2017. In these positions, Dr. Kirk will play a key role in shaping the GME community at a national level and setting its future agenda. In addition to the array of accreditation activities and initiatives in which the IRC is currently engaged, including the “Next Accreditation System,” Dr. Kirk  will be at the helm as the ACGME develops and launches its ‘Sponsoring Institutions 2025’ initiative.”

The ABCs of ACGME Accreditation

Every residency or fellowship program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) must be overseen and supported by an ACGME-accredited “sponsoring institution.” In order to receive and maintain institutional accreditation, sponsoring institutions must substantially comply with ACGME institutional requirements. Each sponsoring institution must identify a “Designated Institutional Official” (DIO) who has the authority and responsibility for oversight and administration of its programs. The ACGME’s Institutional Review Committee (IRC) assesses sponsoring institutions’ substantial compliance with ACGME standards through periodic accreditation reviews.