Chattanooga Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC)
2022- 2023 GMEC Meeting Dates (usually conducted monthly - 3rd Tuesday's -- except December and June each year). Typically, our GMEC meetings are held in-person in the Erlanger POB Conference Room from 5 - 6 pm ET. We will also a Zoom option that will be emailed to GMEC members. Note that the in-person location for the November, January, and February GMEC meetings will be in the Erlanger Probasco Auditorium due to renovations in the POB Conference Room. Dates and locations are listed below:
- July 19, 2022 (POB Conference Room)
- August 16, 2022 (POB Conference Room)
- September 20, 2022 (POB Conference Room)
- October 18, 2022 (POB Conference Room)
- November 15, 2022 (Probasco Auditorium)
- No meeting in December 2022
- January 17, 2023 (Probasco Auditorium)
- February 21, 2023 (Probasco Auditorium)
- March 21, 2023 (POB Conference Room)
- April 18, 2023 (POB Conference Room)
- May 16, 2023 (POB Conference Room)
- No meeting in June 2023
Sudave Mendiratta, MD, Interim Designated Institutional Official, and Chair of the GMEC
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires every Sponsoring Institution to have a Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) that, in cooperation with the Designated Institutional Official (DIO), oversees the GME Programs sponsored by the institution. Meetings must be conducted at least once each quarter. The ACGME requires that voting members must include:
- Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
- A minimum of two Program Directors of ACGME-Accredited Programs
- A minimum of two peer-selected Residents from its ACGME-Accredited Programs
- A quality improvement or patient safety officer or designee
Our GMEC is chaired by the Interim DIO (Dr. Sudave Mendiratta). Voting Members include:
- All Department Chairs
- All Program Directors
- Dean, UT College of Medicine - Chattanooga
- Associate Dean, Research
- Assistant Dean, Well-Being and Undergraduate Medical Education
- Assistant Dean, Finance and Administration
- Director of Quality for CLER
- Peer-selected Residents/Fellows from each Department
- House Staff Association Officers
- Erlanger CEO
- Erlanger Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
- Erlanger Vice President, Patient Safety and Quality
- Erlanger Chief Medical Officer
- Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Medical Education
Non-Voting Members include:
- All Associate Program Directors (may vote when representing a Chair and/or Program Director)
- Erlanger Chief Nursing Officer
- Erlanger Chief Information Officer
- Erlanger Chief Medical Information Officer
- Chief Medical Officer, Erlanger Medical Group
- Chief, Medical Staff, Erlanger Health System
- Other Erlanger Administration, e.g., Chief Financial Officer (may vote if representing Erlanger Administration)
- GME Lead Coordinator
- GME Financial Specialist
We ask that at least one department official (Chair, Program Director, or Associate Program Director) represent each Department at the GMEC meetings. Our GMEC usually meets ten times per year -- the third Tuesday of each month except December and June).
Each GMEC meeting must be attended by at least one resident representative. Minutes must be maintained and must document the requirements and responsibilities identified as part of the ACGME Institutional Requirements. Minutes and GMEC documentation for our Campus are the responsibility of the Director of Graduate and Medical Student Education.
Responsibilities of the GMEC include:
Oversight of:
- ACGME accreditation status of the Sponsoring Institution and each of its ACGME-accredited program
- Quality of the GME learning and working environment within the Sponsoring Institution, each of its ACGME-Accredited programs, and its participating sites;
- Quality of educational experiences in each ACGME-accredited program that lead to measurable achievement of educational outcomes as identified in the ACGME Common and specialty-/subspecialty-specific Program Requirements;
- ACGME-accredited program(s)’ annual program evaluations and self-studies;
- All processes related to reductions and closures of individual ACGME-accredited programs, major participating sites, and the Sponsoring Institution; and,
- Provision of summary information of patient safety reports to residents, fellows, faculty members, and other clinical staff members. At a minimum, this oversight must include verification that such summary information is being provided.
Review and Approval of:
- Institutional GME policies and procedures;
- Annual recommendations to the Sponsoring Institution’s administration regarding resident/fellow stipends and benefits;
- Applications for ACGME accreditation of new programs;
- Requests for permanent changes in resident/fellow complement;
- Major changes in each of its ACGME-accredited programs’ structure or duration of education;
- Additions and deletions of each of its ACGME-accredited programs’ participating sites;
- Appointment of new program directors;
- Progress reports requested by a Review Committee;
- Responses to Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) reports;
- Requests for exceptions to clinical and educational work hour requirements;
- Voluntary withdrawal of ACGME program accreditation;
- Requests for appeal of an adverse action by a Review Committee; and,
- Appeal presentations to an ACGME Appeals Panel.
The GME Committee is responsible to establish and implement policies and procedures regarding the quality of education and the work environment for residents, review and make recommendations on resident stipends and benefits, establish and maintain oversight of program directors, establish and implement policies regarding duty hours, ensure programs provide appropriate supervision, review all ACGME program accreditation letters, and approve correspondence to ACGME.
The GMEC must demonstrate effective oversight of the Sponsoring Institution’s accreditation through an Annual Institutional Review (AIR).
The GMEC must identify institutional performance indicators for the AIR, to include, at a minimum:
- the most recent ACGME institutional letter of notification;
- results of ACGME surveys of residents/fellows and core faculty members; and,
- each of its ACGME-accredited programs’ ACGME accreditation information, including accreditation statuses and citations.
The DIO must annually submit a written executive summary of the AIR to the Sponsoring Institution’s Governing Body. The written executive summary must include:
- a summary of institutional performance on indicators for the AIR; and,
- action plans and performance monitoring procedures resulting from the AIR.
The GMEC must demonstrate effective oversight of underperforming program(s) through a Special Review process. The Special Review process must include a protocol that:
- establishes criteria for identifying underperformance; and
- results in a report that describes the quality improvement goals, the corrective actions, and the process for GMEC monitoring of outcomes.
Role | Name | Title/Department |
Chair, GMEC (Voting Member) | Sudave Mendiratta, MD, FACEP | Interim DIO; and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine |
Deans and Dean's Office Administration (Voting Members) | James W. Haynes, MD, MBA, FAAFP | Dean, College of Medicine - Chattanooga |
Jeffrey Bennett, MD, MBOE | Director of Quality for CLER | |
Crystal Maddox, MPA | Assistant Dean, Finance & Administation | |
Mukta Panda, MD, MACP, FRCP-London | Assistant Dean, Well-Being & Undergraduate Medical Education | |
Giuseppe Pizzorno, PhD, PharmD | Associate Dean, Research | |
GME Administration (Voting Member) | Pamela Scott, C-TAGME | Director, Graduate & Undergraduate Medical Education |
GME Administration (Non-Voting Members) | Jacqueline Hogan, CAP | GME Financial Specialist |
Position being recruited | GME Lead Coordinator | |
Erlanger Administration (Voting Members) | Jim Coleman, Jr | Erlanger President & CEO |
Donald Barker, MD, FACS | Erlanger Interim Chief Medical Officer | |
Robert Maloney, FACHE, DPT, MBA | Erlanger Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer | |
Erlanger Administration (Non-Voting Members) Note: One of these below may vote to represent either the Erlanger CEO or CMO if not present. | Dave Garrett | Erlanger Chief Information Officer |
TBA | Erlanger Chief Medical Information Officer | |
Christopher Poole, MD | Erlanger Chief of the Medical Staff | |
Rachel Harris, BSN, RN | Erlanger Chief Nursing Executive | |
Department Chairs (Voting Members) | Leslie Griffin, MD, MPH | Interim Chair, Department of Family Medicine; and Program Director, Family Medicine Residency |
Jigme Sethi, MD, FACP | Interim Chair, Department of Medicine | |
Mounzer Yassin-Kassab, MD, MS | Chair, Department of Neurology; and Program Director, Advanced Neurology Residency | |
Stephen DePasquale, MD, FACS | Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology | |
Richard Alvarez, MD | Interim Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery | |
Charles Woods, Jr, MD, MS, FAAP | Chair, Department of Pediatrics (also Chief Medical Officer, Children's Hospital at Erlanger) | |
Mark Brzezienski, MD, MS, FACS | Chair, Department of Plastic Surgery; and Program Director, Plastic Surgery Residency | |
Andrew Hill, MD | Chief, Erlanger Department of Radiology | |
Benjamin Dart, MD, FACS | Chair, Department of Surgery | |
Amar Singh, MD, FACS | Chair, Department of Urology | |
Program Directors (Voting Members) | Dharmendra Patel, MD | Program Director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship |
J. Daniel Stanley, MD, FACS, FASCRS | Program Director, Colon & Rectal Surgery Fellowship | |
Frank Tift, MD, FAEMS, FACEP | Program Director, Emergency Medical Services Fellowship | |
W. Douglas Gregorie, MD, FACEP | Program DIrector, Emergency Medicine Residency | |
Arslan Kahloon, MD | Program Director, Gastroenterology Fellowship | |
L. Curtis Cary, MD, FAAP, FACP, MRCP (London) | Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency (also Faculty, Pediatrics Residency) | |
Todd Boren, MD | Program Director, Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowsip (AAGL-Accredited) | |
Harris Hawk, MD | Program Director, Neuro-Interventional Surgery Fellowship (Non-Standard) | |
Angela Yates, MD | Program Director, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency | |
Jeremy Bruce, MD | Program Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency | |
Warren Gardner, II, MD | Program Director, Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery Fellowship (Accredited by the Orthopaedic Trauma Association) | |
Karla Garcia, MD, FAAP | Program Director, Pediatrics Residency | |
W. Heath Giles, MD, FACS | Program Director, Surgery Residency & ACS Mastery in General Surgery Program | |
Robert Maxwell, MD, FACS | Program DIrector, Surgical Critical Care Fellowship | |
Charles Joels, MD, FACS, RPVI | Program Director, Vascular Surgery Fellowship | |
Benjamin Smith, MD, FAEP | Program Director, Clinical Ultrasound (Emergency Medicine: Non-Standard) | |
Anand Shridharani, MD | Program Director, Urology Residency | |
Benjamin Waldorf, MD | Program Director, Urology Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgery Fellowship (Accredited by the Endourological Society) | |
Associate Program Directors (Non-Voting Members -may vote if representing a Chair or Program Director) | Karen Rogers, MD | Associate Program Director, Emergency Medicine Residency |
Steven Fox, MD | Associate Program Director, Family Medicine; and Director LifeStyle Medicine | |
Jensen Hyde, MD, MPH | Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency | |
Radhika Shah, MD | Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency | |
A. Mitch Dizon, MD, MSCR, FACOG | Associate Program Director, Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency and the MIGS Fellowship | |
Jesse Doty, MD | Associate Program Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency | |
Mark Freeman, MD | Associate Program Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency | |
Dick Kiner, MD | Associate Program Director, Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery Fellowship | |
Vanessa Pigg, MD | Assistant Program Director, Pediatrics Residency | |
Amy Wells, MD | Assistant Program Director, Pediatrics Residency | |
Jason Zurawick, MD | Associate Program Director, Pediatrics Residency | |
Jason Rehm, MD | Associate Program Director, Plastic Surgery Residency | |
S. Dave Bhattacharya, MD, FACS | Associate Program Director, Surgery Residency | |
Eric Nelson, MD, FACS, FACRS | Associate Program Director, Surgery Residency | |
Darren Hunt, MD, FACS | Associate Program Director, Surgical Critical Care Fellowship | |
Benjamin Waldorf, MD | Associate Program Director, Urology Residency | |
Neelima Katragunta, MD | Associate Program Director, Vascular Surgery Fellowship | |
Peer-Selected Resident/Fellow Representatives (one voting member per program) | Cardiovascular DIsease Fellowship Representative (PGY- Level) | |
Morgan Mayfield, MD | Emergency Medicine Resident Representative, PGY-3 Chief Resident | |
Stephanie Willer, MD | Emergency Medicine Resident Representative, PGY-3 Chief Resident | |
Elijah Wyatt, MD | Emergency Medicine Resident Representative, PGY-3 Chief Resident | |
Family Medicine Resident Representative (PGY- Level) | ||
William Oelsner, MD | Gastroenterology Fellow Representative (PGY-4 Level); and Secretary, House Staff Association | |
Larissa Wolfe, MD | Internal Medicine Representative (PGY-3 Level); and Well-Being Chair, House Staff Association | |
Joseph Bird III, MD | OB/GYN Resident Representative (PGY-4 Chief Resident) | |
Felipe Colon, MD | Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Representative (PGY-4 Level) | |
Daniel Miles, MD | Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Representative (PGY-5 Chief Resident) | |
Connor Read, MD | Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Representative (PGY-5 Chief Resident) | |
Abdelrahman Amro, MD | Pediatrics Resident Representative (PL-1 Level) | |
Kaitlyn Ellington, MD | Pediatrics Resident Representative (PL-1) | |
Plastic Surgery Resident Representative (PGY- Level) | ||
Hayley Everett, MD | Surgery Resident Representative (PGY-5 Level); and House Staff Association President | |
R. Chace Hicks, MD | Surgery Resident Representative (PGY-4 Level); and House Staff Association Treasurer | |
Dresden Melton-Soderstrom, MD | Surgery Resident Representative (PGY-6 Chief Resident); and House Staff Association Vice President | |
David Thompson, MD | Urology Resident Representative (PGY-4 Level) | |
Invited Guests (Non-Voting Members) |
Samantha Bond | Cardiovascular Disease and GastroenterologyFellowship Coordinator |
Maggie Hamblen, C-TAGME, CAP |
Colon & Rectal Surgery Fellowship; Surgery Residency; & Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Coordinator II | |
Hollie Daugherty | Emergency Medical Services Administrative Assistant | |
Velvet Green | Emergency Medicine Residency Coordinator | |
Elissa McCoy, MEd | Family Medicine Coordinator | |
Deborah Fuller | Internal Medicine Coordinator II | |
Jessica Howell, RN | MIGS Fellowship Coordinator & GYN Oncology Patient Navigator (Erlanger) | |
Position being recruited | Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency Coordinator | |
Kimberly Davis, MEd, CAP | Orthopaedic Surgery Residency & Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery Fellowship Coordinator | |
Ashley Thurston, C-TAGME, CAP |
Pediatrics Residency Coordinator | |
Rosalyn Stewart-Kalaukoa | Plastic Surgery Residency & Research Coordinator | |
Stacey Blanks, C-TAGME, CAP |
Urology & Laparoscopic & Robotic Urology Surgery Fellowship Coordinator | |
Cindy Rudolph, MS | Vascular Surgery & Surgery Lead Coordinator | |
Natasha Amjed, DO, MPH | Instructor & Administrative Chief Resident, Internal Medicine Residency | |
Sarah Rodriguez-Sawao, DO | Instructor & Administrative Chief Resident, Pediatrics Residency |