News & Commentary

4.25.12

The Path Ahead For IPE

New York, NY

Our recent conference on interprofessional education (IPE) further crystallized for me the sense that IPE is at a tipping point and fueled my resolve to bring IPE into the mainstream of health professions education. As I reflect on what was shared and discussed at the conference, I am excited anew by the very real possibility we have to grow this movement and implement IPE on a large scale. As we move forward, there are three underlying principles that the conference helped illuminate and which I believe must guide our future efforts.

4.24.12

Annual Report: Achievements of 2011 Reveal Signs of Progress

New York, NY

The past year was a transformative one for the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation in which many of the ideas and plans we launched three years ago have begun to come to fruition. We are happy therefore to release our 2011 Annual Report, which aptly portrays real evidence of our impact.

1.24.12

What’s New With IPE? IPE Itself.

New York, NY

In the fall I had the opportunity to visit two of our grantees and see firsthand the work they are doing to advance interprofessional education (IPE). Their efforts reflect the tremendous progress Macy grantees are making in translating IPE from theory into practice. Interprofessional education has been discussed for more than 40 years but now, in these schools, it is becoming real.

11.28.11

Reflecting on the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges

New York, NY

A key measure for any foundation is whether the work it supports is having impact or influencing change in its area of focus. I recently returned from Denver, CO, where I attended the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual meeting, something I do every year. This year I was particularly struck by how much of the work we support is permeating discussions about academic medicine reform.

9.21.11

Changing Graduate Medical Education to Maintain the Public’s Trust

New York, NY

Last week, we released the Foundation’s latest report on graduate medical education in the United States. The report calls for major changes in the way we train residents. A broad panel of leaders generated the recommendations, focusing on how to ensure that physicians are trained more effectively and efficiently to meet public needs in today’s health care system.

7.21.11

Thibault Discusses GME Cuts, Reforms In Op-Ed

New York, NY

Cutting what Medicare spends to fund graduate medical education training may be an easy target. But it is shortsighted and not in the best interest of the American public. At a time when we need to address a serious shortage of physicians, policymakers should seize this opportunity to invest GME dollars more wisely, not scale them back to meet budgetary goals.

6.22.11

Macy Faculty Scholars: First Class

It is with great pleasure that we announced today the first cohort of Macy Faculty Scholars. These five scholars represent the next generation of innovators in health professions education. They will lead important curriculum reform in their home institutions, testing new models, approaches and content to better educate our future health care workforce. They will also participate in national faculty development programs and become part of a national network of Macy advisors and innovators.

5.12.11

Building a Foundation for Team-Based Care

Washington, D.C.

We have good evidence that health care delivered in teams is more efficient and leads to better outcomes for patients. But, while we are beginning to break down the silos that doctors, nurses and other health professionals work in, collaborative education is still not the norm. By providing opportunities for students from different health professions to work together in classroom and clinical settings, we can build a foundation for team-based care.

12.20.10

100 Years After Flexner: Medical Education Ushers In New Era of Reform

New York, NY

One hundred years ago, a scathing indictment of American medical schools known as the Flexner Report led to sweeping reforms in physician education.

A century later, medical education is again in need of major change - and not only because of national health reform.  Despite everything they do so well, medical schools have not kept pace with the ever-evolving needs of the society they serve.

The centennial of Abraham Flexner’s landmark report, coupled with rapid and dramatic changes in health care, offers an opportunity to review just how far medical schools have come, and, more importantly, where they need to go next.

12.8.10

Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Launches First Faculty Scholars Program

New York, NY

To develop the next generation of national leaders in medical and nursing education, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation today unveiled a new funding initiative: the Macy Faculty Scholars Program.  The Faculty Scholars Program is an attempt to recognize and nurture mid-career medical and nursing faculty that have shown great promise by providing to them protected time, mentoring, and a national support network so they can become leaders in educational innovation.  The Foundation is launching its first scholars program to accelerate needed reforms in health professions education to accommodate the dramatic changes occurring in medical practice and health care delivery.

11.22.10

Welcome from George E. Thibault, MD

Just as academic medicine is undergoing a dramatic transformation in how it teaches health professions students, we at the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation – the only national foundation solely dedicated to improving health professions education – have undergone our own makeover to improve how we educate you about our work. Today we’re very excited to debut a brand new look for our organization.

Our new website will better inform you about the fast-moving developments in health care and health professions education at a pivotal time in the United States. And, it will offer a much more nimble and effective platform to tell our story and engage you in our work.