About Us
Office of CME
The Charles R. Drew University Office of CME is dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and strategies in the medical and health sciences through education, research, and services to the public. We are committed to providing our students and faculty with the highest quality accredited continuing education (CE). Our academic instruction is distinguished by high-quality, innovative, patient-centered care.
Our CME Mission
Our mission is to provide excellent accredited CE. At CDU, we place particular emphasis on primary care, specialty care and research clusters focused on high-impact problems in underserved and minority communities, including factors and conditions that influence health care disparities. The CDU CE Program is geared to improve physicians’ abilities to become a leader within the health care team, implementing evidence-based medicine. Our accredited CE employs ACGME/ABMS core competencies as a basis for the content developed to ensure we are meeting the needs of our learners.
Background
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) states “Continuing medical education consists of educational activities which serve to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide for patients, the public or the profession. The content of CME is that body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine and the provision of health care to the public.” Continuing education of health professionals was stated in the first section of senate bill 1026 (1973) in the state of California authorization for the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School, Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School, now Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, now Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
The accredited CE program at CDU is nationally Accredited with a Commendation by the ACCME. Our current accreditation term runs through November 2025. The College of Medicine (COM), Dean’s Office and the CME Advisory Committee are committed to expanding CME offerings with new programs developed by our clinical and research faculty, through collaboration with academic community partners.
CE Staff
Ronald Edelstein, EdD
Senior Associate Dean- Academic Affairs
College of Medicine
Ronald Edelstein, EdD is the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU). Dr. Edelstein previously has served as CDU Associate Provost, Dean of Academic Affairs, Acting Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Medicine. Dr. Edelstein is Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Charles Drew University of Medicine. Dr. Edelstein holds a dual appointment in the UCLA School of Medicine in conjunction with the joint Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program.
Dr. Edelstein has served at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science since 1978. He is an educational psychologist and clinical psychologist and received his doctorate in educational psychology at UCLA. As the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Edelstein is responsible for academic planning and implementation, academic administration (Faculty Affairs and Advancement, CME accreditation (ACCME) and CDU-UCLA Medical Program Accreditation (LCME), and Curriculum.
Dr. Edelstein’s research interests include medical education, memory and learning theory; instructional design and evaluation; and behavioral science in medical education. His research includes work with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) evaluating their pilot computerized clinical simulation examination and the PEW Foundation Health of the Public Program developing new models of medical education.
Dr. Edelstein has served on national committees for organizations including the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) as the Western Regional Representative for the Continuing Medical Education Committee. He has also participated in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) invited conference, “Health Professions Education Summit”, held to “discuss and help the committee develop strategies for restructuring clinical education to be consistent with the principles of the 21st-century health system”.
Dr. Edelstein was part of a CDU research team that published the finding of a multi-year assessment of the CDU /UCLA Medical Education Program in the research journal, Academic Medicine. The manuscript was titled “Impact of the University of California, Los Angeles/Charles R. Drew University Medical Education Program on Medical Students' Intentions to Practice in Underserved Areas.”
Dr. Edelstein was selected as one of the recipients of the 2006 David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Award for Excellence in Education.
Alexis LaCount
CE Director
Alexis oversees the CE Provider Unit and CE Program at Charles R. Drew University, including the development of new initiatives both directly and jointly provided by CDU. Alexis has over four years of compliance management expertise in accredited CE. She is well-versed in accreditation compliance, including the implementation of compliant processes, performance-in-practice documentation, and management of relevant financial relationships. Alexis earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wyoming.
Lyndsay Cole
CE Coordinator
Lyndsay coordinates and assists with compliance management and live streaming across CDU’s accredited CE offerings, in particular, CDU’s Friday Noon Lecture Series. She has extensive project coordination experience and is skilled in the implementation of CE compliance and management of IT logistics. Lyndsay graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia.
CME Advisory Committee
The CME Advisory Committee of the CDU Office of CME is composed of the Dean of the College of Medicine, the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, the CE Director, the CE Coordinators, and stakeholders representing CDU’s departments, collaborative partners and the community. The Committee serves an advisory role, making recommendations to the Office of CME regarding policies and issues affecting the general operation of the overall CE program, based on an assessment of the overall CE program.
Contact Us
For more information on accredited CE offered by Charles R. Drew University, or to inquire about partnership, please email Alexis LaCount at alexislacount@cdrewu.edu.
Questions Regarding Your CE Certificate
Please contact Alexis LaCount at alexislacount@cdrewu.edu. In order to continually improve the Charles R. Drew University accredited CE program, the Office of CME kindly requests that all learners participating in accredited CE activities provided by Charles R. Drew University, complete the activity evaluation, regardless of whether or not you intend to request CE credit. Completed evaluations are used to evaluate the impact of accredited CE initiatives and to facilitate improvements, if applicable. We thank you for keeping this in mind, as you participate in our accredited CE activities.
Current/Ongoing CME Initiatives
Friday Noon Lecture Series in the College of Medicine
- This series targets both clinical and non-clinical topics relevant to improving upon measured health disparities. CDU’s faculty, staff, students and community healthcare professionals comprise the target audience.
- Conferences occur the second, third and fourth Fridays of each month from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Please contact Lyndsay Cole at lyndsaycole@cdrewu.edu or for details.
Multidisciplinary Journal Club at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center
- This series targets physicians and other healthcare professionals with medical literature, which serves as a basis for discussion regarding its application to practice improvement and patient care.
- Conferences occur the first Thursday of each month from 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Please contact Theresa Calhoun at tcalhoun@dhs.lacounty.gov or (424) 338-1501 for details.
Tumor Board at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center
- This series targets a multidisciplinary audience and features complex patient cases across various tumor types.
- Conferences occur the third Thursday of each month from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Please contact Theresa Calhoun at tcalhoun@dhs.lacounty.gov or (424) 338-1501 for details.
Primary Care Conference at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center
- This series aims to enhance the fund of knowledge of primary care providers, contributing to their ability to provide excellent care to patients and their communities.
- Conferences occur the second Thursday of each month from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Please contact Tanji M. C. Woods at tjclark-woods@dhs.lacounty.gov or (424) 338-2236 for details.
For MLK-OPC activities, please call in advance to check on room capacity and attendance policy.
Medical Grand Rounds at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
- This series is targeted at clinicians and covers a variety of interdisciplinary topics specific to patient management and care.
- Conferences occur the fourth Thursday of each month from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Please contact Kristine Cooper at kcooper2@dhs.lacounty.gov or (562) 385-8795 for details.
Grand Rounds at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital
- The goal of this initiative is to enhance the quality of care that encompasses a compassionate and collaborative approach to improve patient health at a community hospital practice setting within Los Angeles.
- Conferences occur on the fourth Thursday of each month from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Annual/Special Initiatives
- Conferences: The Office of CME accredits half-day and full-day conferences throughout the year.