The Office of Institutional Planning and Policy (IPP) was created with a mission of supporting strategic decision-making through the integration and analysis of qualitative and quantitative information and data, with a focus on HMS Quad-based matters. The office manages the annual planning process for the preclinical departments, working closely with both the departments and other units within the school’s administration, including the offices of finance, human resources, faculty affairs, campus planning and facilities. IPP is responsible for creating and updating several analyses regarding Quad-based matters.
Other core areas of responsibility include: managing the Quad Faculty Policy Advisory Committee (which is advisory to the Dean), including the development and review of select policies; serving as the HMS liaison for the office of the Governing Boards in managing their Visiting Committee visits; and co-managing, together with the Program in Medical Education, the Accreditation Project Office (APO), which monitors standards as set forth by the School’s accreditation body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
In addition to annual core responsibilities of IPP, the Executive Director and members of the team are frequently involved in strategic projects or serve as internal consultants, at the request of the Dean or the Executive Dean for Administration. Examples of such projects include: managing the Faculty Strategic Review of Continuing Education and serving as interim liaison between the Department of Continuing Education and the administration from 2011-2013; working closely with the Center for Biomedical Informatics in preparation for achieving department status; and co-leading with the Dean of Academic and Clinical Programs, a review of the school’s Division on Medical Ethics. Some of its members were actively involved in managing the process that supported the drafting of the school’s strategic plan in 2008.
A current project of the office is the creation of a library of policies specific to Quad-based faculty and HMS staff that will be housed on the intranet. We are in the early stages of this project and look forward to partnering with many colleagues to best meet the needs of the school.