COMMUNIQUé - College of Medicine - University of Saskatchewan

social ACCOUNtability
The Social Accountability committee
has met with departments throughout
the College of Medicine to gain an
understanding of existing activities that
could be described as socially accountable.
Reflection on these discussions led the
committee to describe four key areas
of activity within a medical school:
summarized by the acronym CARE.
• Clinical activity: addressing priority
problems, being responsive to changing
community needs, including overcoming
barriers to access
• Advocacy: speaking out on behalf of
underserved populations or neglected
conditions and working with partners
and policy-makers to translate a vision of
a socially accountable patient-centered
health care system
• Research: conducting curiosity-based
research that is responsive to perceived
needs and translated into evidencebased
practice and quality care
• Education and training: on-going
modeling and teaching professionalism
and community-responsiveness,
providing opportunities for servicelearning
and seeking to incorporate
social accountability into practical
training and continuing education
throughout practice life
Beyond clever wordplay, the CARE model
is a useful tool, helping to guide social
accountability initiatives towards the
priority health concerns of local, regional,
national and international communities
while working towards a health system
that is more responsive and socially
accountable.
Student initiative has driven the
development of numerous social
accountability subcommittees in our
College. These subcommittees work
to address key issues relevant to the
communities served by the College of
Medicine and have had far-reaching
impacts on the College and the local
and global community, from changes in
curricula and admissions to community
programming and international
educational experiences. Some of
the current groups include:
Aboriginal Health Committee: recognizes
the significant health disparities faced
by the First Nations and Métis people of
Saskatchewan, and attempts to better
coordinate ongoing activities in the College
of Medicine
Aboriginal, Rural and Remote Health
Group: hosts speakers and carries out
community tours to deepen student
understanding of health in Aboriginal and
rural communities
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University of Saskatchewan • College of Medicine C O M M U N I Q U É 3