1.8.B. The School of Medicine Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate of the School is composed of:

Departmental Senators: Ten Senators-at-Large

  • Departments containing one to twenty members elect one Senator
  • Departments containing twenty-one to forty members elect two Senators
  • Departments containing more than forty members elect three Senators.

Representatives of each of the Interdepartmental Degree Programs (IDP's) and the Stanford Institutes of Medicine

Ex-officio members:

  • Dean of the School of Medicine
  • Chairs of the Standing Committees
  • President of the Stanford Medical Student Association (SMSA)
  • President of the graduate student association (BIOMASS)
  • Chair of the Stanford University Postdoctoral Scholars Association
  • Chief of Staff of Stanford Health Care
  • Chief of Staff of the LPCH Hospital and Clinics
  • President of the Stanford Medical School Alumni Association or a designee
  • Representative of the Adjunct Clinical Faculty
  • Representative of the Housestaff
  • Immediate past-Chair of the Faculty Senate

The purpose of the Senate is to represent and serve as a voice for the faculty in the School of Medicine, and to provide a forum for discussion and communcation, and to collaborate with and advise the Dean on matters related to the Senate's responsibilities and on other matters related to the wellbeing and future of the School, as well as its faculty and students.

The Senate Executive Committee consists of:

  • Chair of the Faculty Senate, who also serves as Chair of the Senate Executive Committee and of the Senate Steering Committee
  • Chair Elect
  • Two elected Senators from the Basic Science Unit
  • Two elected Senators of the Clinical Unit

The Senate Steering Committee consists of:

  • Chair and members of the Senate Executive Committee (SEC)
  • Chair Elect
  • Dean of the School of Medicine
  • Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education (or designee)
  • Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education (or designee)
  • Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education (or designee)
  • Chairs of the Senate standing committees
  • Immediate past-Chair of the Faculty Senate

Responsibility for all aspects of medical student education is vested in the Senate through its four standing committees:

  • Committee on MD Admissions (CA) - recommends to the Senate policies governing the admission of medical students, and makes final decisions on the admission of applicants
  • Committee on MD Curriculum and Academic Policy (CCAP) - develops or recommends policies concerning the curriculum for the MD degree program
  • Committee on Medical Student Scholarship (CMSS) - oversees the performance and achievements of the Medical Student Scholarly Concentrations and Medical Student Research Fellowships, and makes final decisions on the approval and disapproval of research fellowships awards to students.
  • Committee on MD Performance, Professionalism, and Promotion (CPPP) - considers and takes action on academic performance, professionalism, and technical standards issues.

1. Bylaws of the Stanford University School of Medicine Faculty Senate

The powers and functions of the Faculty Senate of the School and its standing committees are detailed in the Bylaws of the Stanford University School of Medicine Faculty Senate. The bylaws of the Faculty Senate can be found here; other information is also available on the Faculty Senate website.