/ Modified aug 4, 2016 12:04 p.m.

UA Phoenix Med School Under Regents' Scrutiny

Board will hold meetings to review medical community complaints.

New Phoenix Medical School The University of Arizona's 28-acre College of Medicine campus in downtown Phoenix.
University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix

This story was updated with corrected information, 8-3-16, 2:05 p.m. MST

The Arizona Board of Regents will hold fact-finding meetings this week and next about issues raised by the state physicians' organization about the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.

At the center of the controversy is an exodus of senior management and the dean of the UA’s College of Medicine in Phoenix.

In June, the Arizona Medical Association called for an investigation and passed a vote of no confidence in UA’s leadership and oversight of the Phoenix medical school.

Regents Chair Jay Heiler said in a statement that the board wants to hear more from the medical association about its concerns.

In another matter, which UA officials said is unrelated to the medical association's action, the Phoenix medical college is awaiting the next step - full accreditation - from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the organization that provides accreditation for U.S. medical schools.

A year ago, the Liaison Committee warned the regents that the Phoenix college was at risk of being denied accreditation. There were four areas of concern: the new partnership with Banner Health, the chain of command for decision making, vacancies in 10 of 22 department chair positions and the number of faculty on the college’s admission committee.

The UA said in a press release in February that after filing a status report with the accrediting committee, it attained the provisional level, which "puts the college on pace for full accreditation in early 2018."

The meetings:

  • In Phoenix, 435 N. 5th St., Lecture Hall B102, Friday, Aug. 5, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

  • In Tucson, 1125 N. Vine St., Rooms 102-104, Friday, Aug. 12, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

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