Fitting form to function: reorganization of faculty roles for a new dental curriculum and its governance

The College of Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago has reorganized its predoctoral curriculum to better integrate biomedical, clinical, and behavioral sciences using a systems-based framework. The resulting D.M.D. curriculum features small-group discussions of patient scenarios that include orofacial, systemic, and professionalism learning objectives. Small-group learning is closely coordinated with laboratory, pre-patient care, and patient care experiences. Accordingly, the college has also reorganized its faculty roles to eliminate discipline-based silos and to better ensure program coherence. The new organizational structure is designed to improve coordination among faculty course teams that develop and administer individual courses, several units that provide curriculum resources and support services, and the curriculum committee, which is charged with governance of the curriculum as a whole. In addition, the new structure employs a system of reporting and planning relationships to ensure continuous monitoring and improvement of the curriculum. This article describes six principles that guide the new faculty roles structure, defines the various faculty roles and their coordinating relationships, presents diagrams depicting the organizational structures for curriculum governance, administration, and support, and discusses mechanisms for faculty support and continuous curriculum improvement.