The University of Louisville’s Office of Continuing Health Sciences Education (CHSE) has been awarded Accreditation with Commendation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), a distinction awarded to only eight percent of programs nationwide.

“By awarding its highest level of accreditation to the University of Louisville, the ACCME has recognized the outstanding quality of our educational programs, the dedication of our faculty and staff to serving the continuing education needs of our community, and the leadership of Dr. Sharon Whitmer,” said Edward Halperin, dean of the School of Medicine.

“Because state law requires all licensed health care professionals to complete a certain number of continuing education hours each year, continuing health sciences education is an integral part of UofL’s mission and an important way that we serve the community and state,” said Larry Cook, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs.

CHSE accredits 23 grand rounds, 16 internet and 48 live courses annually.  In addition to continuing medical education credit, most of the courses offer additional credits such as AAFP, nursing, pharmacy and psychology.  The office provides continuing education credits to more than 8,000 health care professionals each year, according to Sharon Whitmer, Assistant Dean for Continuing Health Sciences Education.

In awarding accreditation with commendation for a six year period, ACCME cited UofL’s outstanding performance in planning educational content that supports the mission of the School of Medicine as well as the medical profession’s need for continuing education and tailoring these programs to the needs of each audience.  In addition, CHSE was commended for ongoing evaluation of educational programs after their presentation through the use of broad-based evaluation techniques that reach a large number of stakeholders.

ACCME also praised the University of Louisville’s support for continuing health sciences education and the high level of support from the School of Medicine’s administration.