The purpose of this policy is to establish guidance to ensure that Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs) are prepared with institutional oversight, adhere to national standards, and provide students with the opportunity to review.

This policy applies to staff and students of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (the “Medical School”).

The Medical School shall produce an MSPE for each student applying to postgraduate (residency) training. If a student is not applying to residency, an MSPE will be produced prior to their graduation. Designated Medical School staff are responsible for compiling the content and aligning it closely with the guidance established by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The Associate Dean for Student Affairs or their designee is responsible for:

• reviewing each MSPE draft in its entirety;
• preparing the final summary paragraph;
• collaborating with each student to compose the noteworthy characteristics; and
• finalizing and submitting the MSPEs to the electronic residency application platform.

A student may request an alternative MSPE author. In such cases, the Associate Dean for Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion shall serve as the designated author and reviewer.

Students are permitted to review their own MSPE for accuracy before it is submitted for residency application. Narrative comments from clerkship, elective, and sub-internship evaluations may be edited for length, grammar, and redundancy. While students may challenge the accuracy of narrative comments on performance, changes to MSPE content are prohibited unless expressly approved by the appropriate course director and in compliance with the Medical School’s Grade and Evaluation Appeal Policy. Any other changes to MSPEs are neither permitted nor subject to appeal. Administrative access to MSPE data is subject to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).

For the purpose of this policy, the terms below have the following definitions:

All individuals to whom this policy applies are responsible for becoming familiar with and following this policy. University supervisors and employees with student oversight duties are responsible for promoting the understanding of this policy and for taking appropriate steps to help ensure and enforce compliance with it.

Associate Dean for Student Affairs: Reviews, and timely uploads the MSPEs to the appropriate residency platform.

Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Alternate author and reviewer of MSPEs.

Failure to comply with this and related policies is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension without pay, or termination of employment or association with the University, in accordance with applicable (e.g., staff, faculty, student) disciplinary procedures.

Brown University is a community in which individuals are encouraged to share concerns with University leadership. Additionally, Brown’s Anonymous Reporting Hotline allows anonymous and confidential reporting on matters of concern online or by phone (877-318-9184).

The following information complements and supplements this document. The information is intended to help explain this policy and is not an all-inclusive list of policies, procedures, laws and requirements.