MEMBERS ABSENT: Drs. Cheryl Alexander, Laura Morlock and Jonathan Samet.

GUESTS: Drs. Benjamin Caballero, Sharon Krag, Robert Lawrence, Noel Rose, and Jonathan Weiner; and Ms. Diane Glover.

Approval of the Minutes: Minutes of the 785th meeting on December 19, 1995 were approved.

Remarks by the Acting Provost: Dr. Steven Knapp expressed his admiration for and appreciation of the School of Public Health. He looks forward to increasing interactions between the School of Public Health and of Arts and Sciences, one example being a new introductory epidemiology course now taught at Arts and Sciences by Public Health faculty.

He commented on the status of the University and its divisions, and remarked that a great deal of thought is being given to resolving the current issues in the School of Medicine and Hospital in the wake of Dr. Johns's resignation. Much progress is being made due to the goodwill of the trustees and faculty.

Dr. Knapp will chair the search committee for the dean of the School of Medicine, which hopes to identify candidates so that the dean can be appointed soon after the a new University president is named. Dean Sommer will also serve on the School of Medicine search committee. Dr. Knapp requested that names of possible candidates be forwarded to him or to Dean Sommer.

Remarks by the Dean: Dr. Sommer noted that the School's homepage has been further developed and that all department are now included. It will continue to be enhanced and expanded to reach a wide audience. He and Dr. Lawrence attended a meeting of the Pew Foundation about the interaction of public health and managed care, one of a number of such activities in this area. He requested suggestions about how to handle accommodating classes that are canceled due to snow days. While a policy for the current year would be difficult to implement, a policy should be developed for future years.

Report of the Faculty Senate: There were no items to report.

Other items: New PPM on Committee on Information Technology Dr. Caballero described the process of revitalizing and redesigning the School's information systems. A series of recommendation developed by faculty included establishing a faculty committee to oversee the School's information systems and develop a strategic plan to improve the information systems environment throughout the School. The Committee developed the strategic plan now being implemented which includes the School's role in related changes throughout East Baltimore and the University. He reviewed the Committee's current activities and noted that keeping faculty informed of changes is one priority of the Committee, as are the School's new distance education efforts. The I/T Committee replaces the former Committees on Academic Computing, Library Services and Archives.

Dr. Zeger then reviewed recent changes among a number of other committees related to the School's information systems. He will convene a regular discussion among persons involved in academic administration throughout the School to increase communication and coordination of ongoing activities and new initiatives. He thanked Dr. Caballero for his leadership of the Committee on Information Technology and for drawing together diverse groups to develop a coordinated strategic plan for the School's information systems.

The Advisory Board approved the proposed PPM for the new Committee on Information Technology.

Pew Health Professions Commission Report and Managed Care Opportunities Dr. Jonathan Weiner joined the group. Dean Sommer commented that the Pew report recognizes the key role of public health as a basic science of health care delivery which can provide a number of opportunities for Public Health faculty and students. Such opportunities may include assurance of the well-being of a community through assessment, evaluation and research. Dr. Steinwachs commented broadly on some of the research initiatives undertaken by faculty in the Department of Health Policy and Management, particularly around managed care issues from an academic and scientific base.

Dr. Weiner remarked that the medical care system is undergoing profound changes and is shifting away from high technology and specialized services to more of a population-based orientation. He reviewed several discussion points from the Pew Report and commented that poor and needy populations are being moved into managed care, but that it is not clear how managed care organizations will handle them. The new "medical marketplace" is shifting toward capitation and careful budgeting with increased examination of utilization patterns and disease management, and competition among many providers is to be expected. He then reviewed the Pew Report's recommendations for public health.

Dean Sommer commented that there presently is a great deal of activity around the interface between public health and managed care and that the School's opportunities may include provision of new educational programs to train people to work in these new systems and to strengthen public health's role as a basic science in providing the population-based perspective. He noted that the School has a number of active and fruitful collaborations with the Schools of Medicine and Nursing in outcomes research and that interdisciplinary approaches will provide the most successful strategies for the new health care delivery system. The School needs to carefully plan its initiatives and invest its resources efficiently. The School's increased emphasis on professional practice also lead to new opportunities which will be entered into carefully and with concern for efficiency of resources. After further discussion, Dean Sommer thanked Dr. Weiner and the group. He plans to continue this discussion by drawing together a number of interested faculty and institutions.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m..

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