While I was reading the article -- Suspect in Craig[s]list killing off the street (http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1166939&pos=breaking) -- I could not help but to reflect on some of the comments posted on this blog by University of South Dakota School of Medicine students, faculty and peripheral staff. One South Dakota physician (who I have agreed not to name)argued that the medical school applicant decision process is by no means perfect, but that he felt that the positive decisions outweighed the negative decisions. Part of his argument stressed the importance and the relevance of a one-on-one interview to "weed-out" potential applicants. Other students have commented on their perceived importance of the interview portion of the application procedure. As I was thinking about these comments, I am beginning to wonder how an individual like Philip H Markoff (age: 22), a second year medical student, gained admission to Boston University School of Medicine? Of course, the motto of innocent until proven guilty in a Court of Law applies in this (and all) cases.
Okay, before everyone blasts me on how this relates to the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, let me take a few lines to extrapolate the data line. In a quick Google search on the University of South Dakota School of Medicine there are a few ooppss hits that point to the poor judgements made by the "admissions committee." One particular embarassment surrounds a 4th year medical student at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine who removed confidential medical records from the hospital (a violation of HIPAA in itself) and then threw the records away in a public dumpster (a serious violation of HIPAA). Just happens that a reporter witnessed the event and blew-the-story wide-open.
"Documents referring to over 125 psychiatric patients of Rapid City Regional Hospital were found in a convenience store trashcan by an editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A University of South Dakota fourth year medical student had taken papers outside of the hospital and dumped them in the trash. The documents included lists of patients in the psychiatric unit and their diagnoses along with the student's handwritten notes about some of the patients. The University's faculty committee will be recommending discipline for the student. (C. Brokaw, "S. Dakota Investigates Psych Records," Associated Press, December 30, 2001)"
Source: http://er.hipaaps.com/examples.html
Another blunder by the admissions commitee was played-out on the admission of Mr. Michael Swango into a University of South Dakota residency program. Mr. Swango "served two years in prison for feeding ant poison to six paramedics in Illinois in 1985." This individual was admiteed into the University of South Dakota School of Medicine residency program in July 1992 and dismissed in February 1993 (way to go on that one Paul Bunger!).
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/27/nyregion/medical-schools-alerted-about-intern-with-a-prison-record.html
There have been a number of people who have sent very negative e-mails to me with regard to this blog ... some of them from students and some from USD faculty (we have your IP addresses). On the flip-side, there have been more positive e-mails than negative e-mails ... but I digress. The faculty of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine have "argued" that they have performed a stellar service to the Citizens of South Dakota. In fact, many of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine Admissions Committee members are simply NOT qualified to sit in either their academic positions or on the decision making end of the medical school spectrum. Here are two specific cases where the admissions committee has made serious errors in judgement ... I wonder how many more errors are out there, and how many cover-ups the USD School of Medicine has made to date and will make in the future?
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
With Salaries Like This Who Needs Enemies
The story behind the Faculty of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine becomes more and more interesting with each new day. As this blog has laid-out, the qualifications of a majority of the faculty members on the School of Medicine Admissions Committee are simply NOT qualified to sit and decide on the applicants to the School of Medicine. Many of the applicants to the MD program have far superior academic qualifications than the Faculty. We have taken a fresh look at the Faculty and are exposing for the first time to the general public the salaries each of these individuals are receiving from the Citizens of the State of South Dakota. We think you will be shocked!
According to the State of South Dakota (http://www.state.sd.us/factpage.htm) the estimated annual salary in South Dakota is approximately $28,444 (c.2005). The average K-12 teacher has an annual salary of ~ $34,040. However, the average PhD faculty member within the BioSciences Department at the University of South Dakota makes an ALARMING salary of ~ $102,247 (+/- SD = $39,123.66) and the average salary of a faculty member with a Masters of Science degree rakes in ~ $66,958 (+/- SD = $1,675.21). In comparison to South Dakota State University, the average PhD salary for the BioSciences Department is ~ $84,863.61 (+/- SD = $19,339.03) and for the Masters of Science the average annual salary is ~ $43,472.71 (+/- SD = $4,591.27).
At first glance you might believe that these salaries are in-line with national averages ... but they are not. The US National average for a PhD in the "biosciences" is ~ $77,000 annually (http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Doctorate_(PhD)/Salary). What is more amazing, a MAJORITY of the University of South Dakota "biosciences" faculty DO NOT have research funding and MOST have not published a single peer-reviewed (novel) research manuscript in 5+ years. I guess the old academic addage of "publish or perish" is not adhered to at the USD.
Below is a listing of the "biosciences" faculty of the University of South Dakota, the institutes that granted their PhDs (or MS), their individual appointment classificiations at the USD, and their salaries. You can view each individial at the USD website:
http://www.usd.edu/med/biomed/faculty/home.cfm
University of South Dakota "BioSciences"
Stephen Armstrong PhD University of Pennsylvania Associate Professor
Daniel Bird PhD Instructor $61,000
Brian Burrell PhD Ohio State University Assistant Professor $67,704
Maureen Burton PhD Instructor
Gudiseva Chandrasekher PhD University of Mysore, India Associate Professor $88,000
Subhash Chauhan PhD Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India Assistant Professor
Michael Chaussee PhD University of Oklahoma Assistant Professor $86,940
Kristi England PhD University of Iowa Assistant Professor
Adhar C. Manna PhD Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India Assistant Professor $80,050.00
Pasquale Manzerra PhD University of Toronto Assistant Professor $67,567
Douglas Martin PhD University of Saskatchewan Professor $110,545
Robin Miskimins PhD University of Arizona Professor $129,661
W. Keith Miskimins PhD University of Arizona Professor
Robert Morecraft PhD University of Iowa Professor $107,748
Daniel Neufeld PhD Tulane University Professor $98,885
Timoth O'Connell PhD University of Michigan Assistant Professor
William Percy PhD University of Aberdeen, Scotland Associate Professor $76,788
Alexander Erkins PhD St. Petersburg State University, Russia Assistant Professor
Kathleen Eyster PhD University of Arizona Professor $118,416
Gina Forster PhD Macquarie University, Australia Assistant Professor $76,270
A. Martin Gerdes PhD University of Texas Professor
Barbara Goodman PhD University of Minnesota Professor $92,234
Victor Huber PhD Medical College of Ohio Assistant Professor $72,500
Meena Jaggi PhD Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India Assistant Professor
Joyce Keifer PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor $114,307
Curtis Kost Jr PhD Vanderbilt University Associate Professor $75,685
Yi-Fan Li PhD Beijing Medical University, China Assistant Professor $69,935
Qiangrong Liang PhD University of North Dakota Assistant Professor
Ronald Lindahl PhD Wayne State University Professor $220,379
Patrick Ronan PhD University of South Dakota Assistant Professor
Evelyn Schlenker PhD SUNY Buffalo Professor $117,701
Carlos Telleria PhD University of San Luis, Argentina Associate Professor $82,548
John Thomas PhD University of Illinois Professor
Barry Timms PhD University of Wales, U.K Professor $106,149
Steven Waller PhD University of Maryland Associate Professor $149,008
Xuejun Wang PhD The University of South Dakota Professor $201,768
Michael Watt PhD Macquarie University, Australia Assistant Professor $52,199
Keith Weaver PhD University of Texas Professor $116,040
Da-Qing Yang PhD Kansas State University Assistant Professor
Gerald Yutrzenka PhD University of North Dakota Associate Professor $92,828
Paul Bunger PhD University of Nebraska Associate Professor/Dean of SOM Admissions $130,053
Masters Faculty
Scott Druecker Instructor $65,558
Jane Gavin Instructor $66,502
Ann Settles MS Instructor $68,814
For comparison the salaries of the SDSU "biosciences" faculty are also listed:
South Dakota State University "BioSciences"
PhD Faculty
Auger, Donald PhD University of North Dakota Assistant Professor $78,483.00
Bleakley, Bruce H. PhD University of Florida Associate Professor $80,482.00
Brözel, Volker PhD Microbiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa $85,548.00
Bucking, Heike PhD Professor $72,923.00
Cheesbrough, Thomas PhD Purdue University Professor/Chairperson/Dept Head $110,484.00
Cochrane, Mark PhD $110,258.00
Dieter, Chuck PhD South Dakota State University Assistant Professor $76,492.00
Erickson, Alan K. PhD North Dakota State University Associate Professor $83,010.00
Gibbons, Bill PhD South Dakota State University, Brookings Professor $106,982.00
Gibson, Susan A. PhD University of Oklahoma Associate Professor $68,791.00
Gilmanov, Tagir PhD Moscow State University Assistant Professor $56,413.00
Granholm, Nels H. PhD Iowa State University Professor $98,879.00
Hardwidge, Philip PhD Mayo Clinic
Henebry, Geoffrey PhD Professor $110,455.00
Hildreth, Michael B. PhD Tulane Professor $100,476.00
Johnston, Carol A. PhD University of Wisconsin Professor $115,029.00
Kaushik, Radhey PhD University of Saskatchewan, Ca Assistant Professor $76,405.00
Kayongo-Male, Henry PhD Michigan State University Professor $80,000.00
Krueger, Jerome PhD U. of Minnesota Professor $60,080.00
Larson, Gary E. PhD North Dakota State University. Professor $82,653.00
Li, Feng PhD Associate Professor $99,082.00
Pedersen, Scott PhD University of Nebraska Assistant Professor $67,656.00
Reese, Neil R. PhD University of Idaho Professor
Ruffolo, John J. University of Iowa Associate Dean/Professor $122,686.00
Sutton, Fedora PhD Howard University College of Medicine Professor $76,567.00
Troelstrup, Nels H., JR. PhD University of Minnesota Associate Professor $99,210.00
Wake, Carol PhD SDSU Assistant Professor $67,525.00
Wang, Xiuqing PhD University of Connecticut $79,910.00
Warren, Randall PhD Indiana University $40,394.00
West,Thomas P PhD Texas A&M Professor $93,775.00
Xu, Lan PhD NDSU Assistant Professor $57,739.00
Yen, Yang PhD University of Missouri-Colombia Associate Professor $81,666.00
Young, Alan PhD University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario Canada Assistant Professor $90,719.00
Zhou, Ruanbao
Masters Faculty
Braun, Lyle MS M.S. - South Dakota State University Instructor $45,150.00
Ellis, Andy MS M.S.- Biology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD. Instructor $37,642.00
Heiberger, Greg MS SDSU Coordinator and Advisor for Pre-Health Professionals $41,484.00
Hill, Kendra M. MS Johns Hopkins University Instructor $49,263.00
Ladonski, James MS Southern Illinois University $37,900.00
Lenertz, Kristen MS Auburn University
McCutcheon, Terry MS Murray State University Instructor $47,773.00
Willgohs, Joann A. MS SDSU Instructor $45,097.00
For emphasis it is important to note that the
Dean/VP of Health Affairs at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine receives an annual salary of $379,600.00 plus his clinical salary.
The President of the USD has an annual salary of $321,360.00
The Governor of South Dakota has an annual salary of $115,331.00
All salaries can be verified at: http://www.open.sd.gov/
An important note, (2) of the USD faculty claim to have MD degrees, however, neither individual is licensed as an MD in the State of South Dakota and neither individual has ever had a license to practice medicine in the USA. Both individuals earned an MD from China. Claiming an MD in South Dakota without a medical license is a Violation of the State of South Dakota Constitution.
South Dakota it is time to stand up and demand a higher level of excellence from the USD School of Medicine. We are paying for it!
According to the State of South Dakota (http://www.state.sd.us/factpage.htm) the estimated annual salary in South Dakota is approximately $28,444 (c.2005). The average K-12 teacher has an annual salary of ~ $34,040. However, the average PhD faculty member within the BioSciences Department at the University of South Dakota makes an ALARMING salary of ~ $102,247 (+/- SD = $39,123.66) and the average salary of a faculty member with a Masters of Science degree rakes in ~ $66,958 (+/- SD = $1,675.21). In comparison to South Dakota State University, the average PhD salary for the BioSciences Department is ~ $84,863.61 (+/- SD = $19,339.03) and for the Masters of Science the average annual salary is ~ $43,472.71 (+/- SD = $4,591.27).
At first glance you might believe that these salaries are in-line with national averages ... but they are not. The US National average for a PhD in the "biosciences" is ~ $77,000 annually (http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Doctorate_(PhD)/Salary). What is more amazing, a MAJORITY of the University of South Dakota "biosciences" faculty DO NOT have research funding and MOST have not published a single peer-reviewed (novel) research manuscript in 5+ years. I guess the old academic addage of "publish or perish" is not adhered to at the USD.
Below is a listing of the "biosciences" faculty of the University of South Dakota, the institutes that granted their PhDs (or MS), their individual appointment classificiations at the USD, and their salaries. You can view each individial at the USD website:
http://www.usd.edu/med/biomed/faculty/home.cfm
University of South Dakota "BioSciences"
Stephen Armstrong PhD University of Pennsylvania Associate Professor
Daniel Bird PhD Instructor $61,000
Brian Burrell PhD Ohio State University Assistant Professor $67,704
Maureen Burton PhD Instructor
Gudiseva Chandrasekher PhD University of Mysore, India Associate Professor $88,000
Subhash Chauhan PhD Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India Assistant Professor
Michael Chaussee PhD University of Oklahoma Assistant Professor $86,940
Kristi England PhD University of Iowa Assistant Professor
Adhar C. Manna PhD Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India Assistant Professor $80,050.00
Pasquale Manzerra PhD University of Toronto Assistant Professor $67,567
Douglas Martin PhD University of Saskatchewan Professor $110,545
Robin Miskimins PhD University of Arizona Professor $129,661
W. Keith Miskimins PhD University of Arizona Professor
Robert Morecraft PhD University of Iowa Professor $107,748
Daniel Neufeld PhD Tulane University Professor $98,885
Timoth O'Connell PhD University of Michigan Assistant Professor
William Percy PhD University of Aberdeen, Scotland Associate Professor $76,788
Alexander Erkins PhD St. Petersburg State University, Russia Assistant Professor
Kathleen Eyster PhD University of Arizona Professor $118,416
Gina Forster PhD Macquarie University, Australia Assistant Professor $76,270
A. Martin Gerdes PhD University of Texas Professor
Barbara Goodman PhD University of Minnesota Professor $92,234
Victor Huber PhD Medical College of Ohio Assistant Professor $72,500
Meena Jaggi PhD Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India Assistant Professor
Joyce Keifer PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor $114,307
Curtis Kost Jr PhD Vanderbilt University Associate Professor $75,685
Yi-Fan Li PhD Beijing Medical University, China Assistant Professor $69,935
Qiangrong Liang PhD University of North Dakota Assistant Professor
Ronald Lindahl PhD Wayne State University Professor $220,379
Patrick Ronan PhD University of South Dakota Assistant Professor
Evelyn Schlenker PhD SUNY Buffalo Professor $117,701
Carlos Telleria PhD University of San Luis, Argentina Associate Professor $82,548
John Thomas PhD University of Illinois Professor
Barry Timms PhD University of Wales, U.K Professor $106,149
Steven Waller PhD University of Maryland Associate Professor $149,008
Xuejun Wang PhD The University of South Dakota Professor $201,768
Michael Watt PhD Macquarie University, Australia Assistant Professor $52,199
Keith Weaver PhD University of Texas Professor $116,040
Da-Qing Yang PhD Kansas State University Assistant Professor
Gerald Yutrzenka PhD University of North Dakota Associate Professor $92,828
Paul Bunger PhD University of Nebraska Associate Professor/Dean of SOM Admissions $130,053
Masters Faculty
Scott Druecker Instructor $65,558
Jane Gavin Instructor $66,502
Ann Settles MS Instructor $68,814
For comparison the salaries of the SDSU "biosciences" faculty are also listed:
South Dakota State University "BioSciences"
PhD Faculty
Auger, Donald PhD University of North Dakota Assistant Professor $78,483.00
Bleakley, Bruce H. PhD University of Florida Associate Professor $80,482.00
Brözel, Volker PhD Microbiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa $85,548.00
Bucking, Heike PhD Professor $72,923.00
Cheesbrough, Thomas PhD Purdue University Professor/Chairperson/Dept Head $110,484.00
Cochrane, Mark PhD $110,258.00
Dieter, Chuck PhD South Dakota State University Assistant Professor $76,492.00
Erickson, Alan K. PhD North Dakota State University Associate Professor $83,010.00
Gibbons, Bill PhD South Dakota State University, Brookings Professor $106,982.00
Gibson, Susan A. PhD University of Oklahoma Associate Professor $68,791.00
Gilmanov, Tagir PhD Moscow State University Assistant Professor $56,413.00
Granholm, Nels H. PhD Iowa State University Professor $98,879.00
Hardwidge, Philip PhD Mayo Clinic
Henebry, Geoffrey PhD Professor $110,455.00
Hildreth, Michael B. PhD Tulane Professor $100,476.00
Johnston, Carol A. PhD University of Wisconsin Professor $115,029.00
Kaushik, Radhey PhD University of Saskatchewan, Ca Assistant Professor $76,405.00
Kayongo-Male, Henry PhD Michigan State University Professor $80,000.00
Krueger, Jerome PhD U. of Minnesota Professor $60,080.00
Larson, Gary E. PhD North Dakota State University. Professor $82,653.00
Li, Feng PhD Associate Professor $99,082.00
Pedersen, Scott PhD University of Nebraska Assistant Professor $67,656.00
Reese, Neil R. PhD University of Idaho Professor
Ruffolo, John J. University of Iowa Associate Dean/Professor $122,686.00
Sutton, Fedora PhD Howard University College of Medicine Professor $76,567.00
Troelstrup, Nels H., JR. PhD University of Minnesota Associate Professor $99,210.00
Wake, Carol PhD SDSU Assistant Professor $67,525.00
Wang, Xiuqing PhD University of Connecticut $79,910.00
Warren, Randall PhD Indiana University $40,394.00
West,Thomas P PhD Texas A&M Professor $93,775.00
Xu, Lan PhD NDSU Assistant Professor $57,739.00
Yen, Yang PhD University of Missouri-Colombia Associate Professor $81,666.00
Young, Alan PhD University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario Canada Assistant Professor $90,719.00
Zhou, Ruanbao
Masters Faculty
Braun, Lyle MS M.S. - South Dakota State University Instructor $45,150.00
Ellis, Andy MS M.S.- Biology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD. Instructor $37,642.00
Heiberger, Greg MS SDSU Coordinator and Advisor for Pre-Health Professionals $41,484.00
Hill, Kendra M. MS Johns Hopkins University Instructor $49,263.00
Ladonski, James MS Southern Illinois University $37,900.00
Lenertz, Kristen MS Auburn University
McCutcheon, Terry MS Murray State University Instructor $47,773.00
Willgohs, Joann A. MS SDSU Instructor $45,097.00
For emphasis it is important to note that the
Dean/VP of Health Affairs at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine receives an annual salary of $379,600.00 plus his clinical salary.
The President of the USD has an annual salary of $321,360.00
The Governor of South Dakota has an annual salary of $115,331.00
All salaries can be verified at: http://www.open.sd.gov/
An important note, (2) of the USD faculty claim to have MD degrees, however, neither individual is licensed as an MD in the State of South Dakota and neither individual has ever had a license to practice medicine in the USA. Both individuals earned an MD from China. Claiming an MD in South Dakota without a medical license is a Violation of the State of South Dakota Constitution.
South Dakota it is time to stand up and demand a higher level of excellence from the USD School of Medicine. We are paying for it!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
When the Bums Cannot do the Job -- Fire Them!
Is it possible that the Admissions Committee and the Faculty of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine are oblivious to the reality of the numbers? Can "they" be this obtuse? Or, are "they" just incompetent? You know my answer!
As you will read from the previous entry -- The Residency Numbers Do Not Lie -- it is clear that the PRIMARY mission of the USD School of Medicine is to educate and promote (encourage) the entry of graduating medical students into FAMILY PRACTICE (as mandated by the State of South Dakota Legislature). Reviewing the recently released 2008 National Resident Matching Program (http://www.nrmp.org), the State of South Dakota had 16 openings for Family Practice residency positions, however, only 12/16 (75%) positions were filled. More amazing, of the 12 positions, only 8 were from 2008 graduating medical students (only 5/8 were graduates of the USD School of Medicine). More interestingly, of the 12 students entering into Family Practice 2/12 were international "educated" students, of which, one is NOT a US citizen.
If the above numbers don't alarm you the following should scare you to death. Of the 16 Family Practice residencies offered in the State of South Dakota (8 in Sioux Falls and 8 in Rapid City), all 8 residency positions were filled in Sioux Falls (which has no shortage of physicians), however, only 4/8 Rapid City Family Practice positions were filled! You might be inclined to believe that these were isolated events, but you would be incorrect. In 2007, 1/8 (6.25%) Family Pratice residency were filled in Rapid City and only 4/8 (25%) Family Practice residencies were filled in Sioux Falls!
A principle tenent of this blog is to bring the FACTS of the overall POOR and DISMAL job being performed by the University of South Dakota School of Medicine Admissions Committee (headed by Dean Paul Bunger) and associated Faculty. This blog has exposed the reality of the situation and the embarassing performance by this administration. The University is MANDATED by the Citizens of South Dakota to educate medical students to perform in the arena of Family Practice ... and I would strongly argue that the performance is WELL BELOW acceptable! In fact, the perfomrance of the medical school admissions committee is an absolute FAILURE.
This blog has argued that several members of the Rapid City area (or areas west of the Missouri River) should be on the Admissions Committe of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. Currently (and for as far back as we can find records), NOT ONE MEMBER of the admissions committee resides outside the immediate areas of Sioux Falls/Vermillion.
The Faculty of the Admissions Committee (especially the PhDs) are simply UNQUALIFIED to sit on this committee. South Dakota, Stand Up and take action! Demand that the Governor upholds the Constitution of the State of South Dakota! If change is not enacted ... FIRE THE BUMS! The members of the USD are PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ... THEY WORK FOR US ... IF THEY CANNOT PERFORM WE CAN FIRE THEM! If the Governor does not take action we need to recall him, if your State Legislator does not take action, recall them!
The health of the Citizens of SD is in clear jeopardy!
As you will read from the previous entry -- The Residency Numbers Do Not Lie -- it is clear that the PRIMARY mission of the USD School of Medicine is to educate and promote (encourage) the entry of graduating medical students into FAMILY PRACTICE (as mandated by the State of South Dakota Legislature). Reviewing the recently released 2008 National Resident Matching Program (http://www.nrmp.org), the State of South Dakota had 16 openings for Family Practice residency positions, however, only 12/16 (75%) positions were filled. More amazing, of the 12 positions, only 8 were from 2008 graduating medical students (only 5/8 were graduates of the USD School of Medicine). More interestingly, of the 12 students entering into Family Practice 2/12 were international "educated" students, of which, one is NOT a US citizen.
If the above numbers don't alarm you the following should scare you to death. Of the 16 Family Practice residencies offered in the State of South Dakota (8 in Sioux Falls and 8 in Rapid City), all 8 residency positions were filled in Sioux Falls (which has no shortage of physicians), however, only 4/8 Rapid City Family Practice positions were filled! You might be inclined to believe that these were isolated events, but you would be incorrect. In 2007, 1/8 (6.25%) Family Pratice residency were filled in Rapid City and only 4/8 (25%) Family Practice residencies were filled in Sioux Falls!
A principle tenent of this blog is to bring the FACTS of the overall POOR and DISMAL job being performed by the University of South Dakota School of Medicine Admissions Committee (headed by Dean Paul Bunger) and associated Faculty. This blog has exposed the reality of the situation and the embarassing performance by this administration. The University is MANDATED by the Citizens of South Dakota to educate medical students to perform in the arena of Family Practice ... and I would strongly argue that the performance is WELL BELOW acceptable! In fact, the perfomrance of the medical school admissions committee is an absolute FAILURE.
This blog has argued that several members of the Rapid City area (or areas west of the Missouri River) should be on the Admissions Committe of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. Currently (and for as far back as we can find records), NOT ONE MEMBER of the admissions committee resides outside the immediate areas of Sioux Falls/Vermillion.
The Faculty of the Admissions Committee (especially the PhDs) are simply UNQUALIFIED to sit on this committee. South Dakota, Stand Up and take action! Demand that the Governor upholds the Constitution of the State of South Dakota! If change is not enacted ... FIRE THE BUMS! The members of the USD are PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ... THEY WORK FOR US ... IF THEY CANNOT PERFORM WE CAN FIRE THEM! If the Governor does not take action we need to recall him, if your State Legislator does not take action, recall them!
The health of the Citizens of SD is in clear jeopardy!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The Residency Numbers Do Not Lie
Unlike the Admissions Committee and the Administration of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, I have taken the time to read and analyze the Mission Statement (mandated by the State of South Dakota Legislature) of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine.
The mission of the Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota is to provide the opportunity for South Dakota residents to receive a quality, broad-based medical education with an emphasis on family practice. The curriculum is to be established to encourage graduates to serve people living in the medically underserved areas of South Dakota, and is to require excellence in the basic sciences and in all clinical disciplines.
The Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota is to provide to its students and to the people of South Dakota excellence in education, research and service. To these ends, the School is to provide educational pathways leading to both the Doctor of Medicine and the Doctor of Philosophy Degrees; and Quality health care for the people of South Dakota is addressed by undergraduate, graduate and continuing educational programs as well as by basic and applied medical research. The School of Medicine should serve as a technical resource in the development of health care policy in the state and provide extension and research initiatives to improve the health care of the citizens of the state.
And I have become amazed at the levels of deviation that have occurred in the completion of the education mission mandated to this school. As we have already discussed in earlier posts the qualifications of the School of Medicine faculty are dismal. In fact, I would go as far as saying that a majority of the School of Medicine (PhD) faculty are UNQUALIFIED to sit in their academic positions (Prof. Schlenker is excluded).
This faculty has FAILED in its primary mission to educate and guarantee that Family Practice physicians are educated and return to South Dakota, especially areas of SD that are medically under-served. Analysis of the residency positions of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine graduates confirms that ONLY 24% of total graduates (years 2000-2009) have placed into Family Practice/Pediatrics residencies (121/500 students). If the analysis excludes Pediatrics from the calculation then the Family Practice disposition becomes a dismal ~ 12%. By no means is the State of South Dakota or the Citizens of South Dakota being effectively served by this medical school.
.
The faculty do not meet the mandate of excellence in the basic sciences nor do they approach the mandate of excellence in research. In short, this faculty is UNQUALIFIED to make the decisions they are charged with!
It is time for the Citizens of South Dakota to contact their State Legislators and DEMAND that oversight is implemented into the USD School of Medicine. South Dakota is in a HEALTH CARE CRISIS ... As bad as it gets ... And it is time that WE hold the administration of this university responsible to the principles that WE AS SOUTH DAKOTANS commanded our State Legislature to enact and our Governor to UPHOLD. The abhorred state of our State's medical crisis lies directly on the shoulders of this medical school and those administrators charged with the responsibilities of safe-guarding our medical care. STAND UP South Dakota and lets TAKE BACK OUR Medical School!
The Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota is to provide to its students and to the people of South Dakota excellence in education, research and service. To these ends, the School is to provide educational pathways leading to both the Doctor of Medicine and the Doctor of Philosophy Degrees; and Quality health care for the people of South Dakota is addressed by undergraduate, graduate and continuing educational programs as well as by basic and applied medical research. The School of Medicine should serve as a technical resource in the development of health care policy in the state and provide extension and research initiatives to improve the health care of the citizens of the state.
And I have become amazed at the levels of deviation that have occurred in the completion of the education mission mandated to this school. As we have already discussed in earlier posts the qualifications of the School of Medicine faculty are dismal. In fact, I would go as far as saying that a majority of the School of Medicine (PhD) faculty are UNQUALIFIED to sit in their academic positions (Prof. Schlenker is excluded).
This faculty has FAILED in its primary mission to educate and guarantee that Family Practice physicians are educated and return to South Dakota, especially areas of SD that are medically under-served. Analysis of the residency positions of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine graduates confirms that ONLY 24% of total graduates (years 2000-2009) have placed into Family Practice/Pediatrics residencies (121/500 students). If the analysis excludes Pediatrics from the calculation then the Family Practice disposition becomes a dismal ~ 12%. By no means is the State of South Dakota or the Citizens of South Dakota being effectively served by this medical school.
.
The faculty do not meet the mandate of excellence in the basic sciences nor do they approach the mandate of excellence in research. In short, this faculty is UNQUALIFIED to make the decisions they are charged with!
It is time for the Citizens of South Dakota to contact their State Legislators and DEMAND that oversight is implemented into the USD School of Medicine. South Dakota is in a HEALTH CARE CRISIS ... As bad as it gets ... And it is time that WE hold the administration of this university responsible to the principles that WE AS SOUTH DAKOTANS commanded our State Legislature to enact and our Governor to UPHOLD. The abhorred state of our State's medical crisis lies directly on the shoulders of this medical school and those administrators charged with the responsibilities of safe-guarding our medical care. STAND UP South Dakota and lets TAKE BACK OUR Medical School!
The Administration of the University of South Dakota is getting Irritated with this Blog!
It would seem that the Administration of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine has become irritated with this fact-telling and exposing blog. Recently, we received an e-mail from the South Dakota Medical Association (Ms. Barb Smith) claiming Trademark infringement for the title of the blog and the URL. It is clear that the USD Medical School is trying to do everything possible to pull-down this blog-site. The amazing thing, the blog has not infringed on any Trademark of the SDMA and it is possible that the registered Trademark of the SDMA might possibly infringe on the URL owners of http://www.southdakotamedicine.com, which is a database listing of South Dakota medical services.
It seems odd that the Administration would go to such a length to try and find a non-existant infringement to remove the contents of this blog. Anyone is welcome to comment on the issues and commentary of this blog ... I have given exclusive priority to any USD School of Medicine Faculty Member to comment or justify their positions (or any USD faculty member for this matter). Also, all students are welcome to post relevant comments. Of course, all comments (faculty or otherwise) will be first moderated before being posted and any obscene comments will be removed.
Why is it that this blog is catching so much attention, but no one from the USD School of Medicine cares to comment? Could it be that this blog is hitting-the-nail-on-the-head and the Administration is embarassed by the sham "they" are running?
The comment lines are open ... care to respond?
It seems odd that the Administration would go to such a length to try and find a non-existant infringement to remove the contents of this blog. Anyone is welcome to comment on the issues and commentary of this blog ... I have given exclusive priority to any USD School of Medicine Faculty Member to comment or justify their positions (or any USD faculty member for this matter). Also, all students are welcome to post relevant comments. Of course, all comments (faculty or otherwise) will be first moderated before being posted and any obscene comments will be removed.
Why is it that this blog is catching so much attention, but no one from the USD School of Medicine cares to comment? Could it be that this blog is hitting-the-nail-on-the-head and the Administration is embarassed by the sham "they" are running?
The comment lines are open ... care to respond?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
MD/PhD Program and not a Qualified Soul to be Found
As I am digging deeper and deeper into the procedures of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and the lack of qualifications for the Admissions Committee, I am beginning to wonder how these people are qualified to admit students into the USD SSOM MD/PhD program.
For those not familiar with the MD/PhD program this is a combined degree that has the intentions of training individuals in both medical sciences and basic sciences, with the ultimate hope that an MD/PhD will concentrate his/her career not necessarily in the physical practice of medicine, but the research and application of medical techniques and development. Typically, the MD/PhD is an eight year adventure where the admitted student complete his/her first two years of medical school then focuses on the PhD aspects, and then completes years seven and eight of his/her studies completing years three and four of the MD program. In the end, the MD/PhD student is required to assemble and defend a PhD thesis based on novel hypothesis driven research.
As we have seen, a MAJORITY of the PhD members of the USD Basic/Biomedical Sciences departments have MINIMAL (at best) publications and relatively ZERO levels of funding. My questions become, again, how on earth are these faculty members qualified to mentor a student in such a program? To the best of our knowledge not one member of the USD SSOM has an earned MD/PhD and is licensed to practice medicine.
This University has SERIOUS issues and is fraudulently displaying its so-called credentials to the people, the citizens, of South Dakota. How are these faculty qualified ... what a question!
For those not familiar with the MD/PhD program this is a combined degree that has the intentions of training individuals in both medical sciences and basic sciences, with the ultimate hope that an MD/PhD will concentrate his/her career not necessarily in the physical practice of medicine, but the research and application of medical techniques and development. Typically, the MD/PhD is an eight year adventure where the admitted student complete his/her first two years of medical school then focuses on the PhD aspects, and then completes years seven and eight of his/her studies completing years three and four of the MD program. In the end, the MD/PhD student is required to assemble and defend a PhD thesis based on novel hypothesis driven research.
As we have seen, a MAJORITY of the PhD members of the USD Basic/Biomedical Sciences departments have MINIMAL (at best) publications and relatively ZERO levels of funding. My questions become, again, how on earth are these faculty members qualified to mentor a student in such a program? To the best of our knowledge not one member of the USD SSOM has an earned MD/PhD and is licensed to practice medicine.
This University has SERIOUS issues and is fraudulently displaying its so-called credentials to the people, the citizens, of South Dakota. How are these faculty qualified ... what a question!
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