College of Medicine Governance

Focus on Collaborating

Faculty governance at Roseman University of Health Sciences occurs at multiple levels. At the university level there is a faculty senate and various university committees, and each college has its own faculty governance structure. At Roseman University College of Medicine (RUCOM) the faculty govern through the RUCOM Faculty Assembly.

RUCOM Faculty Bylaws

The bylaws of Roseman University College of Medicine (RUCOM) faculty are based on the principle of shared governance and the premise that the college can function properly only when integrity is nurtured and maintained by the dean, senior executive deans, associate and assistant deans, other administrators, faculty, staff, and students. These bylaws describe the interrelationships and responsibilities of the administrative officers, faculty, and governance committees within RUCOM.

Roseman University College of Medicine Faculty Bylaws (downloads a .pdf)

RUCOM Faculty Assembly

The Roseman University College of Medicine (RUCOM) Faculty Assembly serves as the representative body for RUCOM faculty. It collaborates with and advises the dean, academic leadership, and other individuals and committees on matters concerning the well-being and future of the college of medicine, its faculty, and students through its executive committee and elected representatives to RUCOM standing committees. It meets three times a year.

Faculty Assembly Charter (downloads a .pdf)

Faculty Assembly Membership

Members of the faculty include professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and instructors who hold full-time or part-time appointments at Roseman University College of Medicine and are .4 FTE or greater. Category I faculty in the chart below are eligible to vote in the Faculty Assembly.

Faculty Assembly – Executive Committee

President – Kanee Lerwill, MD, x2832, klerwill@roseman.edu
Office Hours:
Wednesdays 9-10am via Teams

President-elect – JP Vilai, MD, FAAP, x3012, jvilai@roseman.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesdays 12-1pm in Office 1068 (1st floor of the Discovery Building)

Faculty Assembly Meeting Schedule

Thursday, August 15, 2024
TBA

Email OFALI@roseman.edu for more information.

College of Medicine Standing Committees

Seven standing committees govern the operations of the medical school.

Please note that because Roseman University College of Medicine (RUCOM) is planning to pursue accreditation through the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, only limited information regarding the program can currently be shared. RUCOM  cannot publish admission requirements, nor consider any applicants to the program at this time.

Term: 3 Years

MEMBERSHIP
Chair
Adrian Jones, JD

Members
Alice Akunyili, MD (elected faculty; term starts 7/2024)
Robert McAuley, PhD (elected faculty; term starts 7/2024)

The Continuous Quality Improvement Committee shall oversee a monitoring system that ensures effective processes for maintaining compliance with LCME accreditation standards and elements, including determining which elements will be monitored, the timing of reviews, and documenting continuous quality improvement initiatives, assessment plans, results, and use of results for improvements. The committee operates according to the Continuous Quality Improvement Committee Charter.

Term: 2 Years

MEMBERSHIP 2023-2024
Chair
Robert McAuley, PhD
Vice Chair
Jamie Fairclough, PhD

Members
Judy Hanrahan, JD (elected faculty; term starts 7/2024)
Kelly Bounchareune, MPA (elected staff; term starts 7/2024)

The Curriculum Committee provides central management of the RUCOM doctor of medicine degree program curriculum. The Curriculum Committee and its subcommittees develop and review educational program objectives; ensure horizontal and vertical curricular integration; monitor the overall quality of courses and clerkships; monitor outcomes of the entire curriculum; and monitor the doctor of medicine degree program curriculum for achievement of program goals and compliance with accreditation standards. The Curriculum Committee operates according to the Curriculum Committee Charter.

Term: 3 Years

MEMBERSHIP 2023-2024
Co-Chairs
Lu Brewster, PhD
Karin Esposito, MD

Members
Cheryl Brewster, EdD
Jamie Fairclough, PhD
Marin Gillis, PhD, LPh
Judy Hanrahan, JD
Farzad Kamyar, MD, MBA
Kanee Lerwill, MD
Dietrich Lorke, MD, PhD
Ranjana Mitra, PhD
Andria Peterson, PharmD
Gregory Schneider, MD
Helen Tempest, PhD
Julpohng Vilai, MD
Nirupa Paulraj, MD (elected faculty; term starts 7/2024)

Ad-hoc Members
Kelly Bounchareune, MPA
Adrian Jones, JD
Robert “Bob” McAuley, PhD

The Dean’s Executive Committee provides strategic dialogue and counsel to the dean and manages the day-to-day operations of the college of medicine. The dean meets regularly with the Dean’s Executive Committee, and members of the committee are embedded in the committee governance structure of the college to facilitate communication to and from the dean throughout all operational areas. The committee operates according to the Dean’s Executive Committee Charter.

MEMBERSHIP 2023-2024
Chair
Pedro “Joe” Greer, MD, Dean Roseman University College of Medicine

Members
Cheryl Brewster, EdD
Lu Brewster, PhD
Kristina Connolly, MS
Karin Esposito, MD, PhD
Marin Gillis, PhD, LPh
Steven Embley, DO, MBA
Andria Peterson, PharmD
Pantelina (Lina) Zourna-Hargaden, MD, PhD
Kanee Lerwill, MD, President Faculty Assembly
JP Vilai, MD, President-Elect Faculty Assembly

The Faculty Appointment and Promotion Committee reviews and recommends candidates for appointment and reappointment to the faculty of RUCOM. The committee reviews and recommends faculty for promotion and/or five-year contract in accordance with the guidelines and standards presented in the latest edition of the RUHS Faculty Handbook, the RUCOM Faculty Handbook, and college-level procedures. The committee operates according to the Faculty Appointment and Promotion Committee Charter.

Term: 2 Years

MEMBERSHIP 2023 – 2024
Chair
Marin Gillis, PhD, LPh

Members
Alice Akunyili, MD (elected faculty; term ends 6/2025)
Karin Esposito, MD, PhD (appointed)
Roger Dilts, PhD – (elected faculty; term starts 7/2024)

Ad-hoc Members
Cheryl Brewster, EdD, OEIB representative

The Learning Environment and Professionalism Committee (LEAP) is responsible for ensuring that the college of medicine maintains high-quality, professional, respectful, and nurturing learning environments including in clinical, simulation, classroom, laboratory, household, library, and study spaces. The committee aims to promote high standards for professional behavior at the college especially by fostering respect, beneficence, adaptability, curiosity, compassion, integrity, responsiveness, discernment, and excellence. Toward this end, the committee makes policy and procedure recommendations based on analysis of data related to the learning environment at RUCOM. The committee operates according to the LEAP Committee Charter.

Term: 2 Years

MEMBERSHIP 2023-2024
Chair
Rebecca (Becky) Jayakumar, PharmD

Members
Maria Vazquez-Amaral, JD
Tanvirul Hye, PhD (elected faculty; term starts 7/2024)
1 elected clinical phase faculty
Up to 4 appointed faculty from clinical affiliates
1 student from each class
Gretchen Keys, MdD, MLS (appointed)
1 OCHI representative

Ad-hoc Members
Facilities representative
Human Resources representative
Gregory Schneider, MD
Helen Tempest, PhD

The Medical Student Promotion and Review Committee is responsible for issues related to medical student assessment, promotion, graduation, and any disciplinary action. The committee is charged with evaluating and making decisions concerning promotion, remediation, probation, leaves of absence, expanded curriculum plans, suspension, dismissal, and graduation. The committee operates according to the Medical Student Promotion and Review Committee Charter.

Term: 2 Years

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Chair
Judy Hanrahan, JD
Vice-Chair
Robert “Bob” McAuley, PhD

Members
Dimitrios Ioannou, PhD (elected faculty; term starts 7/2024)
3 appointed faculty – TBA

Ad-hoc Members
Karin Esposito, MD, PhD
Adrian Jones, JD
Robert “Bob” McAuley, PhD
Helen Tempest, PhD

Roseman University of Health Sciences Governance

Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate at Roseman University of Health Sciences is a representative body of faculty members elected from the Colleges/degree granting programs at the University in proportion to the number of faculty members employed in each area to recommend policies and affecting university faculty and to provide input on academic matters. Full-time faculty members holding a title at the rank of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor who do not hold a senior administrative role at the university (University President, Dean, Assistant/Associate Dean/Vice President or Program Director) are eligible to represent the College of Medicine. Roseman University College of Medicine has two Senator-representatives in the University Faculty Senate. If you are eligible and interested in serving as a representative in the Roseman University of Health Sciences Faculty Senate, please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs and Learning Innovation by emailing OFALI@roseman.edu.

University Level Committees

The function of the Committee on Faculty Rights is to provide the Dean/Program Director with recommendations regarding decisions that have been made to sanction, terminate, or dismiss a faculty member if requested by the faculty member who is the subject of such a decision. The Committee on Faculty Rights will hold a hearing to determine whether or not grounds to support the institution’s action have been established by evidence, provided by both the institution and the faculty member who requested the hearing. Procedures for this hearing are found in section IV.H. of the RUHS Faculty Handbook.
The Committee shall be composed of a minimum of three members—one member elected from each college and academic program within the University, and two members appointed by the  chancellors. Faculty who hold administrative titles are ineligible to serve on this Committee.

The function of the Special Review Committee is to mediate faculty grievances not related to sanctions, dismissals, or terminations. The seating of this Committee is initiated only if a faculty grievance cannot be resolved as described in section IV.K, subsection 4
of the RUHS Faculty Handbook.
The Special Review Committee shall consist of the following three members:
a. A faculty member chosen by the grievant;
b. A faculty member chosen by the person(s) whose decision is the subject of the grievance;
c. A faculty member elected by the faculty.

The purpose of this Committee is to conduct the investigation phase in the disposition of allegations involving academic and research misconduct. The Committee on Academic Integrity shall be elected by the faculty. The Committee on Academic Integrity shall consist of three faculty members with a minimum rank of assistant professor.

The University’s Chemical Biological and Radiation Safety Committee is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the chemical, biological and radiation safety programs and formulating policies consistent with state and federal laws. The Committee shall be composed of a minimum of three members. The University Chemical Hygiene Officer will chair the committee. The remaining members will be selected as follows: One member elected from each College or Program which controls, resides-in or regularly accesses a laboratory, two members appointed by the Chancellors.
All University campuses containing a laboratory must be  represented on the committee. A laboratory is any facility where hazardous chemicals, biohazards and/or radioisotopes
are used in any quantity, and includes teaching laboratories, film processing laboratories and other nonconventional laboratory areas.

An Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC), composed of at least five faculty members elected by the faculty, has the oversight responsibility of the University’s animal care program. The committee will review any research projects which require the use of animals. Any committee member having an active role in a particular project shall not have a vote in decisions regarding the project. In addition, a veterinarian and at least one other member who are not otherwise affiliated with the institution will serve on the
Committee. All campuses shall be represented on the committee.

The main function of the IRB is to assist investigators in the protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects. Investigators should not bear the sole responsibility for determining the standards for ethical conduct of research involving human subjects. It is necessary for others who are independent of this research to share this responsibility. Any proposal that involves the use of human subjects is to be conducted under specific guidelines to be formulated by the IRB. The Institutional Review Board will be composed of at least five faculty members, elected by the faculty and who have oversight responsibility of the conduct of the University’s investigational study review. In addition, a physician and at least one other member who are not otherwise affiliated with the institution will serve on the Committee. All campuses will be represented on the committee.

RUCOM Representatives:

Karin Esposito, MD, PhD | kesposito@roseman.edu | x2855

Judy Hanrahan, JD, MA | jhanrahan@roseman.edu | x2854

The functions of this committee shall be to analyze, evaluate and recommend improvements in university-wide information and technology support and to provide recommendations regarding technology initiatives. The committee will be chaired by the Vice President of Information Technology. The further membership will be comprised of the Director of Library Services, the Controller, the Director of Financial Aid, the Registrar, a faculty and student  representative from each academic program as designated by the Dean/Director of said programs, a representative from Development and a support staff representative as designated by the Committee Chair.

The purpose of this Committee shall be to assist the University in defining fringe benefit needs, assessing fringe benefit services, and implementing the Tuition Assistance Program (as described in Section VI.O of the RUHS Faculty Handbook). The functions of the Committee shall include recommendation of employee insurance carriers, insurance plans, and other fringe benefits including, but not limited to, the Tuition Assistance Program. All elected members shall represent the University as a whole and not solely the groups who elected them. However, it is the responsibility of each elected member to regularly communicate Committee business to his/her constituency and to apprise the Committee of relevant feedback from his/her constituency prior to the Committee formulating a recommendation. The Committee will survey employees to gather information regarding (1) health, dental, and vision insurance coverage and procedures, (2) life, disability, longterm care, and other insurance coverage and procedures (3) insurance broker employee support services, and (4) other insurance and fringe benefits matters of concern to the University community. The Committee will also invite the contribution of individual employees who wish to provide specific information regarding fringe benefits issue. The Committee shall consist of the President of the Faculty Senate and other members elected as follows: one non-administrative faculty representative elected from each academic program at each campus; one non-exempt staff member from each campus elected by non-exempt staff at each campus; one non-faculty exempt staff member from each campus elected by non-faculty exempt staff at each campus. Prior to June 30 of each year, representatives shall be elected to serve on the Committee during the next fiscal year. At the first meeting after June 30 in which a quorum is present, the Committee shall elect a Vice Chair to serve until the following June 30. The Director of Human  Resources will be an ex-officio non-voting member of the Committee, serving as the Committee’s Chair. The Committee secretary shall be a member of the HR staff selected by the Director of Human Resources. The Committee serves as an assessing and recommending body only. Final decisions rest with the Administrative Council and Board of Trustees.

RUCOM Representatives:

Judy Hanrahan, JD, MA | jhanrahan@roseman.edu | x2854

Robert “Bob” McAuley, PhD | rmcauley@roseman.edu | x2868