School of Medicine & Public Health – Student Mistreatment

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Policy Number:
SMPH-8005
Old Policy Number:
80.05
Responsible Office:
SMPH Office of Academic Affairs

School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

To articulate the School of Medicine and Public Health’s (SMPH) zero-tolerance stance on the mistreatment of students, to delineate reporting procedures, to articulate the institutional response to reports of mistreatment, and to ensure that mistreatment reporters experience no retaliation.

Definitions:
Mistreatment
In accordance with the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), SMPH defines mistreatment as:
  • Public belittlement or humiliation.
  • Threats of physical harm or actual physical punishment.
  • Requirements to perform personal services (e.g., shopping).
  • Being subjected to unwanted sexual advances.
  • Being asked for sexual favors in exchange for desired grades.
  • Being denied opportunities for training because of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, or age.
  • Being subjected to offensive remarks based on gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
  • Receiving low grades or negative evaluations because of gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
Retaliation
Adverse action taken against an individual in response to, motivated by, or in connection with an individual’s complaint of mistreatment, participation in an investigation of such complaint, and/or opposition of mistreatment in the educational or workplace setting.
Student Mistreatment Triage Committee
A committee comprised of four dean-appointed members holding senior leadership positions in SMPH; this committee triages reports of student mistreatment and ensures that reports are thoroughly investigated and resolved in a fair and timely fashion by the appropriate party; this committee also documents incident resolution information and informs the incident reporters of outcomes when appropriate.
Policy:
  1. SMPH prioritizes a safe, supportive, and professional learning environment, and as a result does not tolerate mistreatment of its students, by any individual, at any SMPH educational or training site.
  2. Anyone who witnesses or experiences student mistreatment at an SMPH educational or training site is strongly encouraged to report it.
  3. All SMPH faculty and staff who witness student mistreatment at SMPH educational or training sites are required to report it.
  4. No individual who in good faith reports or complains of mistreatment, or who provides information relevant to a mistreatment investigation or proceeding, may be subjected to retaliation.
  5. False claims of mistreatment or unprofessionalism will not be tolerated.
    1. A person will be held accountable for making a frivolous or malicious complaint of harassment.
    2. Colleagues who in good faith assist others in raising a complaint of harassment by offering advice or moral support, or by giving testimony or documentary evidence in support of a complaint of harassment, will be protected.
  6. To report a mistreatment incident, individuals may use any of the following resources:
    1. The SMPH Student Mistreatment or Unprofessional Behavior Reporting Form, which allows the reporter to remain anonymous if desired
    2. Any of the following SMPH personnel:
      • Dean of students
      • Human resources staff
      • Program director for the appropriate health professional program
      • Student Services professionals
      • Office of Multicultural Affairs staff members
      • Course directors
      • Course instructors
      • Course administrators
      • Members of the Student Mistreatment Triage Committee
    3. Any of the following UW–Madison resources:
    4. In addition to the reporting resources above, a mistreatment incident concerning an SMPH Doctor of Medicine program student may also be reported using the following resources:
      • Director of student services
      • Any member of the Office of Medical Education
      • Any of the M.D. house mentors
      • Medical Student Ombudsperson
  7. Upon receiving a report of student mistreatment, the above SMPH personnel are required to complete the SMPH Student Mistreatment or Unprofessional Behavior Reporting Form if a report has not yet been submitted. Personnel submitting a report via the online form will respect the wishes of any student to remain anonymous.
  8. Reports entered into the online reporting form will be automatically uploaded into a database that the Student Mistreatment Triage Committee will use for tracking and quality improvement.
  9. The Student Mistreatment Triage Committee will review and forward reports of student mistreatment for investigation to ensure that incidents of mistreatment are addressed in a manner that is timely and fair to the concerned parties.
  10. The Student Mistreatment Triage Committee will document incident resolution information and inform incident reporters of outcomes, when appropriate.
  11. All students (new and continuing), resident teachers, faculty teachers, and SMPH administrative staff will receive annual training on identifying and reporting student mistreatment.
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:
External References:

UW System Board of Regents Policies - Section 14: Discrimination Prohibited

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Dean, School of Medicine and Public Health
Policy Manager:
SMPH Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Contact:
Director of Education Accreditation and Compliance -- Megan Heneke, megan.heneke@wisc.edu, (608) 265-4811
Effective Date:
07-19-2017
Date Issued:
07-19-2017
Revised Dates:

SMPH MD Student Handbook – 2005, 09/5/2023

Retrieved:
01-25-2025 00:13:49