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.
When I took the helm in 2008, the goal of better aligning health professions education with the health care system was a core objective. This year, the theme of “alignment” began to take hold, particularly around interprofessional education (IPE) and graduate medical education (GME).
- IPE is the single largest component of our grant portfolio, and we are increasingly viewed as a beacon in what is an ever-expanding field. It was inspiring to see our grantees’ work so prominently visible at many key meetings I attended in 2011, and in the conference we recently convened on the topic. (I recommend that you revisit our blog posts in the News & Commentary section to read more.) There is still much work to be done on IPE in 2012 and beyond—so stay tuned.
- GME reform is another example of a needed realignment in academic medicine. Although the GME system in the United States has served us well, it must evolve rapidly to adapt to a changing health care system and changing patient populations and needs. To that end, we recently announced funding for one of our recommendations for reform: an Institute of Medicine study of GME finance and governance that will commence in June of this year. (You can read our recommendations for reform in our two reports on GME reform here and here).
I look forward to more signs of impact in 2012 and, as always, welcome your thoughtful feedback and ideas about issues related to our fundamental mission: improving the education of our nation’s health professionals.