CCOE: THE UNIVERSITY DIFFERENCE

UMDNJ, the largest public health sciences university in the country, provides a resource-rich foundation for Continuing Education excellence. With eight schools and numerous institutes and centers located on five regional campuses throughout New Jersey, the University provides CCOE with a diversity of approach, culture and expertise that is unmatched in the CE field.

Looking within our own faculty, CCOE enjoys immediate access to scores of undisputed clinical and research leaders in a broad array of diseases states and scientific disciplines. Dozens of our full and part-time faculty are consistently ranked by well-respected organizations as being among the ‘Best Doctors in America’ and several more are among the most frequently cited researchers in the world. This elite UMDNJ brain trust provides CCOE with the opportunity to formulate, test and verify learning needs assessments that can withstand the most meticulous scrutiny.

Along with our roster of content area experts, CCOE also has immediate access to thousands of typical practicing providers through UMDNJ’s statewide network of owned and affiliated healthcare facilities. This ‘mega-focus group’ allows CCOE to assess the real-world applicability of learning objectives, content, and educational platforms before committing to time-consuming and expensive implementation activities.

While CCOE does enjoy an impressive network of experts through its UMDNJ affiliation, our relationship with first-class talent extends far beyond state lines. In fact, thanks to its University connections, CCOE has had the opportunity to work with the best and the brightest from throughout the world on a broad array of activities. Whatever the subject matter or learning need, CCOE can deliver the right type of expertise.

Ensuring Compliance & Ethical Behavior

Functioning in the post-OIG world is a challenge for all providers of continuing medical education and for those who support such efforts. The court of public opinion appears ready to find the CE field guilty of conflicts of interest, bias and the propagation of thinly disguised promotional activities.

CCOE has addressed these issues head-on, with a highly evolved conflict of interest policy that ensures the absence of real or perceived violations of all relevant codes and regulations. With the imprimatur of academic objectivity and independence, CCOE’s programming maintains an impenetrable firewall between outside interests and the establishment of advisory panels, the recruitment of faculty, the development and delivery of content, and the evaluation of outcomes. CCOE’s strict adherence to both the letter and the spirit of all ethics guidelines is well-recognized in the field and we are often called upon by other CME providers to provide a third-level review of their content to affirm its lack of bias or promotional messages.