Committee for the Advocacy of Professionalism and Ethics (CAPE)

The Committee for Advocacy in Professionalism and Ethics (CAPE) is a student-faculty committee of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine charged with enhancing and advancing the professional behavior and identity of medical students as they become physicians.

The specific duties of CAPE are as follows:

  • Address instances of unprofessional medical student behavior,
  • Regularly review the professionalism of the learning environment,
  • Assist the Office of Medical Education in programs to promote professionalism,
  • Make recommendations to the dean that would enhance the learning environment.

Membership

M4 Representatives

  • Lexington: Dylan Johnson + Grace Thomas
  • Bowling Green: Makeba Phillip
  • Northern Kentucky: Donald Williams-Stankewicz (chair)

M3 Representatives

  • Lexington: Dominic Armango + Evan Smith
  • Bowling Green: Mary Davis
  • Northern Kentucky: Cristofer Muench (vice-chair)

M2 Representatives

  • Lexington: Hanna Hedayati + Emma Neely
  • Northern Kentucky: Jonathan Ball + David Szczykutowicz

Faculty

  • Michelle Lineberry, EdD (Advisor)

Reports

CAPE meets regularly throughout each academic year to review the learning environment and address any lapses in professionalism brought to the committee. Any student, faculty, or staff member of the UK College of Medicine academic community may report lapses in medical student professional behavior to CAPE or complete a professional concern report at the Student Portal. Students, faculty, and staff are also encouraged to submit exemplary professionalism reports at the Student Portal when they see a student or colleague exhibit exemplary professionalism.

Professionalism concern reports may or may not include specifics about one or more named students.  CAPE will address concerns that are not specific to any individual(s) as general issues within the learning environment or some portion of that learning environment. 

Process

The faculty advisor will review each concern submitted to CAPE.  If the concern is appropriate to be addressed by a student CAPE member, the advisor will send the concern to the CAPE Chair who will determine which CAPE member will address the concern with the student.  At times, the committee administrator may determine that the concern should be addressed by the advisor or another faculty member.  Concerns are addressed with the involved student(s) in an informal coffee cup chat manner with the goal of assisting the student in recognizing their behaviors and promoting professional conduct in the future. Actions taken by CAPE are non-punitive and are not reported on the Medical Student Performance Evaluation. All CAPE members are bound by strict confidentiality regarding all professionalism reports. Identification of any individuals, discussions, or interventions to an individual not on CAPE is strictly prohibited.

Student Contact

The student contact for CAPE is Donald Williams-Stankewicz, Chair, Donald.Williams-Stankewicz@uky.edu.