By Caitlin Dolan
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When Clark arrived at Maryland in the fall of 1954, he was dismayed by the absence of a formal doctrine that would hold students and faculty to high ethical and professional standards. He felt this created a “great deficit in training,” and he decided to take action.
Clark drafted a document suggesting “an unswerving allegiance to the highest principles of personal honor,” adding that there was unanimous agreement of what honorable conduct excluded: cheating, lying, bearing false witness, and unbecoming conduct. His proposal called for the creation of an honor council that would investigate claims of misconduct.
He took his proposal to the dean’s office. “There was tremendous faculty support,” recalls Clark. “Dean H. Boyd Wylie wanted an honor code, but there was the matter of introducing it to the students and getting their approval on it.”
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Undaunted, Clark persisted. A fourth draft during the 1957-1958 school year won approval of students and faculty alike, behind the encouragement of Dean William S. Stone. And the first judicial council, elected by the student body, installed Clark as chairman.
Today a judicial board continues to meet regularly to investigate incidents of student misconduct, but the school has become more pro-active in its efforts to ensure professionalism and high ethical standards.
“We instituted significant curricular reforms in 1994,” recalls John A. Talbott, MD, professor in the department of psychiatry. “But by the late 1990s, there was growing concern that something was missing, and it became evident that a comprehensive code was necessary. One that covered everyone and every situation. Everything from research fraud to cheating had to be covered to make professionalism succeed,” he says.
Dean Donald E. Wilson and Vice Dean Frank M. Calia approached Talbott—who was on the verge of retirement—and asked him to investigate the matter. Over the next nine months, Talbott observed and critiqued the admissions process, attended curriculum meetings, and immersed himself in the four-year experience of a medical student. “I interviewed all of the course directors and listened to their views on what more could be done,” Talbott says.
As a result, there are now bi-annual reviews to help identify students in distress or engaging in inappropriate behavior, and there are symbolic events to remind them of the profession’s high ethical standards. Included are the white coat ceremony when first-year students sign an honor registry, a student clinician ceremony for the third-year class about to begin rotations, as well as a humanism awards ceremony at the conclusion of each academic year. Faculty and house staff are held to the same standards, but complaints of misconduct for those with hospital appointments are adjudicated by a separate committee.
It is clear that the medical school has worked diligently in recent years to advance the work begun by Clark 50 years ago. And although there exists no hard data to confirm it, Talbott believes significant progress has been made. “But this is an on-going process,” he concludes.
Class of 2012 Checks In
The incoming class of 2012 is following recent trends: it was selected from one of the largest applicant pools in the school’s history, has a female majority, and 75% are from Maryland. The class of 160 reported for orientation on August 7 with classes formally beginning six days later. Students range in age from 21 to 37.
Class of 2012 at a Glance
Total Number of Applicants: 4584
Class Size: 160
Percentage of Resident/Non-
Resident Matriculants: 75/25
Percentage of Male/Female: 43/57
Percentage of Under-represented Minorities: 13
Age Range in Years: 21-37
Number of Colleges/Universities Represented: 71
Number of Different Undergraduate Majors: 37
Average GPA: 3.69
Average MCAT Score: 31