Mayo Clinic School of Medicine has been chosen to be part of the newly formed Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education (Kern Institute), a national initiative to transform medical education across the continuum from premedical school to physician practice.

The Kern Institute’s National Transformation Network, a collaborative of medical schools from across the country, includes Mayo Clinic School of Medicine and other founding schools: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The Kern Institute is located at, and led by, the Medical College of Wisconsin.

“We must redefine medical education and advance innovative medical education models if we are to meet the needs of patients and society in the 21st century,” says Fredric Meyer, MD, Juanita Kious Waugh Executive Dean for Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. The Kern Institute and the National Transformation Network demonstrate the transformative impact that strategic philanthropy, dedicated leadership and aligned infrastructure can make in advancing innovation in medical education.”

The Triple Aim for Health Care ? enhancing patient experience, improving population health, and reducing cost ? is widely accepted as the key to optimizing health system performance and reducing the burden of suffering from illness and disease. The Kern Institute will drive a national movement to transform medical education by proposing an equally important Triple Aim for Medical Education: character, competence and caring. The collaborating schools say they believe these elements of physician development are critical to partnering with patients, families, and communities for compassionate, evidence–based care that is delivered with integrity.

“We are delighted to be working with our colleagues at the Kern Institute and the Network schools,” says Stephanie Starr, MD, physician lead on the collaboration for Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. “Together, and with the support of the Kern Family Foundation, we have a unique opportunity to ensure all graduates from our seven schools possess the character, competence and caring approach that every patient can and should expect. This initiative expands on our core Mayo Clinic value: The needs of the patient come first.”

The total initial investment in the Kern Institute is $52.5 million, which includes the gift from the Kern Family and Kern Family Foundation, as well as contributions from the Medical College of Wisconsin, National Transformation Network collaborating medical schools and other philanthropic support.