A rationale is presented for medical schools to hire deans who are members of a minority group, with special capabilities and responsibilities for representing the interests of minority students in medical school and for making just opportunities available so that more minority students might enter medical school. (JT)

Reports the results of a Delphi probe of the perceptions of medical school deans regarding the most significant changes in medical education and in the health care system that they expect to influence medical education over the next 20 years. (Editor)

Established to initiate innovative, creative communication channels among medical schools in Michigan, the Michigan Medical Schools Council of Deans encourages cooperative efforts in program areas and long-range planning. This article describes recent projects and activities of the Council which has a full-time paid staff. (JT)

Advantages and disadvantages of academic tenure for clinical faculties, including an appraisal of its financial burdens, the utility of modified or alternative systems, and the issue of abolition of tenure, were examined through a questionnaire survey of 106 U.S. medical schools. (Editor/LBH)

Records maintained by the Association of American Medical Colleges were examined to determine the nature and major sources of academic training received by U.S. medical deans who served during the years 1960-1980. Harvard led the list, followed by Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern. (MLW)

A study of the role of the medical school dean's wife is discussed. Topics include: role orientation, perceived expectations, activities, resources, priorities, and satisfaction. A conceptual model is presented in the form of a three-part typology (active, passive, and nonparticipant) to describe the approaches used by wives. (Author/MLW)

A survey of medical school administrators and curriculum committee chairmen sought information on committee organization, membership, role and philosophy, and curriculum tasks, and their perceived impact as it related to their approach, procedures, and makeup. (MSE)

A study to assess the value of the dean's letter of recommendation as a predictor of internship performance compared information in dean's letters with the evaluation made by clinical staff during internship and found no significant correlation between the two. (JT)

Deans of student affairs at U.S. medical schools were surveyed regarding the composition of "dean's letters" (summary letters sent near the end of students' undergraduate medical training to be part of the students' residency applications). They were asked to describe themselves and the letters they write. (MLW)

Deans' letters of recommendation can be regarded as measuring instruments that are used in the selection process to evaluate and predict the future performance of residents and interns. This study demonstrates that the dean's letter can be a reliable and valid measure of medical student performance that correlates with performance in residency…

Residency training directors have noted variability in the quality of deans' letters sent by medical schools on behalf of graduating students. Letters from 103 U.S. medical schools received by the University of California--Los Angeles, Neuropsychiatric Institute were rated. Recommendations are offered for authors and readers of deans' letters.…

Despite a lack of agreement on its validity as a predictor of performance during residency, the dean's letter of recommendation has become an important factor in each medical student's application to postgraduate training programs. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the content of dean's letters was conducted. (MLW)

To determine compliance with the guidelines of the U.S. government and the Joint Committee on Accreditation of Hospitals pertaining to informed consent, hospital administrators, medical school department chairpersons, and medical school deans were surveyed about policies on student involvement in patient care. (Author/MLW)