School of Medicine Standing Committees

Description: The Admissions Committee is responsible for establishing and reviewing admission requirements for the School of Medicine (SOM) and selecting applicants. It is independent of the Dean and does not report to them. The committee aims to select students with academic qualities, attributes, and experiences that will lead to skilled, empathic physicians with high professionalism and strong communication skills. The committee's goal is to admit students who will positively contribute to the educational environment, medicine, and healthcare system.

Membership: The Admissions Committee is composed of twenty-five (25) members, of which 20 are voting. The 20 voting members are those nominated by their peers who complete a statement of interest and are then vetted and appointed by the Associate Dean of Admissions along with the Assistant Dean(s) of Admissions.

Committee Chair: Dr. Gregory Simonian

Description: The Appointments and Promotions Committee (“APC”) is responsible for making recommendations to the Dean regarding all matters related to the appointment and promotion of faculty members of the SOM.

Membership: The APC is composed of nineteen (19) members; there are 16 voting members (faculty members Associate Professor or Professor rank, elected by the Faculty Assembly and distributed proportionally across Departmental clusters; and three non-voting members (Associate Dean of Faculty; Associate Dean of Diversity and Equity, and the Chair of the APC). Department Chairs may serve on the APC.

Committee Chair: Dr. Florian P. Thomas

Description: The Data Governance Committee provides oversight and stewardship for the protection of access to and best use of all data at the SOM, including student demographics, academic learning and outcomes data, curricular data, and administrative data. This committee reports to the Dean of the SOM.

Membership: The Data Governance Committee comprises twenty (20) members, including twelve (12) voting members and four (4) alternates within their units. It includes four faculty members elected across clusters, including the Dean of the HMSOM, Associate Dean of Admissions, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Associate Dean of Faculty Advancement, Chief Operating Officer, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of Medical Education, Director Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment, Assessment Information Systems Specialist, Vice Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Wellbeing, Registrar, Research Associate, HMH Associate Chief of Information Science, and HMH Associate Chief of Data Science.

Committee Chair: Dr. Chosang Tendhar

Description: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is responsible for creating a diversity database, ensuring policies align with HMH's mission and vision, fostering personal attributes, supporting culturally relevant scholarly activities, providing a culturally competent environment, and developing policies to foster a culture of diversity, inclusion, and pluralism in the SOM. They work in collaboration with the Office of Cultural Diversity at HMH to develop and recommend programs to further promote inclusivity and diversity.

Membership: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is a group of  twenty (20) voting members, including six (6) faculty members, the Dean of the SOM, the Senior Associate Dean of DEI, the immediate Past Associate Dean, the Associate Dean of Faculty Advancement, the Associate Dean of Admissions, the Assistant Dean of DEI and Admissions, the Human Dimension Course Director, a representative from the HMH Office of Cultural Diversity, Director Student Affairs, and five (5) students. The committee is composed of academic department chairs and co-chairs, with appointments being three-year renewable.

Committee Chair: Dr. Mekbib Gemeda

Description: The Grievance Committee, upon the Dean’s request, is responsible for evaluating an allegation by any faculty member that an action taken by a SOM official or committee was a violation of provision(s) of the SOM Faculty Guide, Faculty Bylaws or action caused by an omission of restatement therein. The Grievance Committee is strictly advisory to the Dean. The final decision regarding an allegation by a faculty member of a violation is made by the Dean. The Grievance Committee does not have any jurisdiction over a claim concerning harassment or discrimination, institutional equity, or violation of federal, state, and/or local law.

Membership: The Grievance Committee shall consist of six (6) voting members; the six (6) voting members are elected by the Faculty Assembly and distributed proportionally across Departmental clusters.

Committee Chair: Dr. Stacy Doumas

Description: The IQI has four main responsibilities: monitoring accreditation standards, reviewing and assessing evaluation data for the Strategic Management Plan (SOM), advising on the achievement of educational and strategic plan goals, and promoting and supporting Quality Improvement (QI) projects/activities.

Membership: he committee consists of fifteen (15) members, with fourteen (14) voting and the Dean being non-voting unless a tie occurs. Three elected members serve three-year, renewable terms, while all other members are ex officio.

Committee Chair: Dr. Chosang Tendhar

Description: The Medical Education Committee (“MEC”) is responsible for making recommendations to the Dean regarding the design, implementation, management, assessment, and enhancement of the medical school curriculum. The MEC is responsible for the review of all its subcommittee reports and recommendations and votes on final decisions regarding all elements of the curriculum.

Membership: The MEC is a committee consisting of nineteen (19) members, including fifteen (15) voting members, seven (7) faculty members, a medical librarian, Chairs of Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 subcommittees, and IQI committee, three (3) student members, and four (4) non-voting members.

Committee Chair: Dr. Miriam Hoffman

Description: The Nominations and Election Committee (NEC) is responsible for managing the elections of faculty members to SOM committees, as well as to any SOM offices requiring the election of SOM faculty members.

Membership: The NEC is composed of six (6) voting members elected by the Faculty Assembly distributed proportionally across Departmental clusters. Department Chairs may not serve on the Nominations and Election Committee.

Committee Chair: Anthony Pagano

Description: The Policy and Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing the governance and policy-making processes of the School of Medicine (SOM). It serves as the primary communication channel between faculty and administration, ensuring all changes, new policies, or governance issues are communicated to the committee. The committee also shares information with the Faculty Assembly for feedback, recommendations, and a faculty vote. Proposed revisions to existing policies are also communicated to the Dean and the Dean's Cabinet.

Membership: The Policy and Governance Committee, which reports to the Dean, consists of five (5) voting members, plus the Associate Dean of Faculty (ex officio, non-voting) and the Dean (ex-officio, non-voting). The five (5) voting faculty members are: Chair, Faculty Assembly; Vice-Chair, Faculty Assembly; Immediate past-chair, Faculty Assembly; and two (2) at-large faculty members elected by the Faculty Assembly (one [1] clinical and one [1] non-clinical).

Committee Chair: Dr. Stephen Percy

Description: The Research Committee oversees and supports the HMSOM research enterprise, including policies, infrastructure, research activities, regulatory compliance, grant proposal submission, partnerships, interdisciplinary funding, intellectual property protection, resource allocation, and coordination with technology transfer offices. It also works with HMH and the HMSOM to identify duplicative services and policies. The committee also reviews research submissions, manages the HMSOM Biomedical Incubator and Student Research Training Facility, and promotes research culture. The committee also defines research experiences for envisioned graduate programs.

Membership: The Research Committee is made up of ten (10) voting members, including six (6) faculty members, an Institutional Research Officer, the Vice Dean for Research and Medical Sciences, the President of Academic Research and Innovation for Hackensack-Meridian Health Network, and one (1) member from the IHS campus with interprofessional research interest. Academic Department Chairs may also serve as elected committee members.

Committee Chair: Dr. Stanley Terlecky

Description: The Student Performance Review Committee (SPRC) is responsible for assessing the academic performance of all enrolled students, addressing deficits and allegations of professional misconduct. The committee provides recommendations to the Dean for students who fail to meet SOM curriculum expectations, including allegations of misconduct.

Membership: The SPRC is composed of fourteen (14) members; 11 voting (six [6] elected faculty members elected by the Faculty Assembly distributed proportionally across Departmental clusters and five (5) faculty members appointed by the Dean of the HMSOM distributed proportionally across Departmental clusters), and three (3) ex officio non-voting members (the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Wellbeing, and Assistant dean of Academic Progress). Phase I Course Directors and Phase II Clerkship Directors may not serve on the SPRC.

Committee Chair: Dr. Stephen Percy