Dean's Update 2023-09
September 26, 2023
MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s initiative provides foundation and guidance for professionalism
I often talk about how it is in our DNA as an osteopathic medical college to educate our students in the art of treating the whole person, and to avoid distilling those who seek us for their care down to only a disease or symptom, while also always striving to serve in a number of additional capacities in the communities we engage. These attributes are also ingrained within the culture of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) and the way all the people within the college support and serve each other, individuals outside of the college and our communities.
To ensure we remain diligent and focused, the college’s Common Ground Professionalism Initiative (CGPI) grew out of our collective dismay with the work and educational climate we inherited back in 2018. CGPI was initially developed to help define what we stand for as a college and community, and how each of us could contribute to creating a safe and healthy, positive and professional environment in which students, faculty and staff could ALL thrive.
Since then, we also developed the Common Ground Framework and the CGPI submission portal to provide a means for members of the community to confirm that their voices were being heard, as well as to provide a venue to not only share behaviors that may seem misaligned with the Common Ground Framework, but also, (and equally important) as a way to celebrate exemplary professionalism. Both are necessary.
Indeed, several other colleges, the provost, and others have taken note of our leadership in this critical space and have sought out our expertise so they can also improve the work and educational climates of their respective units.
This process is ongoing, evolving and growing. For example, following our most recent climate survey, we have begun to address concerns identified, as well as kudos, and reminded our college community of the value of this initiative for our people and our community, now reflected in our CGPI 2.0 project.
To help understand the current state of the MSUCOM CGPI project, I’ve asked Senior Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs Katherine Ruger, Ed.D., to explain more about the Common Ground Professional Initiative and the work of the team behind the scenes.
Katherine Ruger, Ed.D.
The Common Ground Professionalism Initiative not only provides the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine community guiding and foundational principles, but it also p
The program was “relaunched” a few weeks ago, just in time to welcome our new class to the college community.
The team in the background ensuring that this work continues to add value to the college and the community is the CGPI advisory team and the Spartan Community Clearinghouse – made up of faculty, staff and students and our wonderful colleague, Lydia Weiss, from MSU’s Prevention, Outreach, and Education team. The CGPI advisory team serves as the strong foundation to ensure community voices are heard and community feedback is used to continue to strengthen MSUCOM’s culture and to strive toward continuous improvement.
This advisory team worked to develop the framework and ensure everyone in every role across MSUCOM is held accountable for professionalism across the college. The advisory team also created the celebration tools – sending a kudos email to the person who is being celebrated and then also creating awards to ensure everyone in the college is aware of the positive work.
Spartan Spotlight Recipients 2023-2024
The Spartan Spotlight Award is presented annually to up to three members of the MSUCOM community, including faculty, staff and students. This award recognizes exemplary dedication to the CORE (collaboration, opportunity, responsibility, expertise) principles of the Common Ground Framework for Professional Conduct.
Recipients for the 2023-2024 year are:
- OMS Zachary Waarala
- OMS Neema Kamau
The Continued Work
Submissions of concern are routed to the Director of Human Resources to address issues related to faculty and staff, and the Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs to address matters related to students.
In addition, the Spartan Community Clearinghouse (SCC) focuses on better understanding patterns of behavior that are experienced within the college, including both accolades and concerns, and acknowledging and discussing the “why” of these trends, along with what can be done to change concerning behaviors or capitalize on positive behaviors.
“The work of the Spartan Clearinghouse Committee capitalizes on the framework by offering a voice to all stakeholders in the college, recognizing that no single voice is more important than another," said Stephanie Jalaba, PA-C, MMS, assistant professor and principal faculty in the MSUCOM Physician Assistant program and co-moderator of the SCC and CGPI advisory team member. “Considering multiple perspectives and different angles from the SCC has allowed administration to see matters with a wider lens. We are able to gather behavioral trends in the college and through this, provide directed trainings and interventions based on what we are seeing. Our goal is not only to assess the needs of the community, but also to help each member grow and learn together.”
That requires each member of MSUCOM to understand their role and ensure all are upholding CGPI and supporting others to do so. This involves providing each other with feedback.
Dr. Ruger explains that we are working to build a community that welcomes feedback with the spirit of always seeking continual improvement; of ourselves, our teams, our college, and our impact on the world. Part of this work includes bringing professional development opportunities to our COMmunity, which seeks to empower us to build a skillset in order to do just that.
“The framework provides the real power that helps each of us at the college to model behaviors that make us successful and the community that is healthy beyond physical health,” Dr. Ruger said.
The recent climate survey results continue to show the college community is becoming healthier and happier, and a safer community, Dr. Ruger said. “This framework helps us,” she added. “It’s our roadmap to thrive in areas we have deemed important to us. By modeling these behaviors, we can take a proactive approach to building a place where people thrive; just like D.O.s in the way they practice – the framework is intended to be a holistic and preventative approach to the way we work.”
CGPI has also caught the interest of others outside of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. In fact, other osteopathic medical schools want to learn more, Dr. Ruger said.
We all come with different experiences and when we gather together, we must ensure we are not only bringing our best selves forward, but that we are also aware that what we do and say can have a profound impact on our community. The Common Ground Professionalism Initiative is our guide each day here at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, and we are grateful for the team who continues to ensure we all are doing our part as good stewards in our community.
Andrea Amalfitano, D.O., Ph.D.
Dean
Katherine Ruger, Ed.D.
Senior Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs