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: Ellie Rogers (chair) + Nick Trosper
  • Bowling Green: Jonathan Smith
  • Northern Kentucky: Simon Gores
  • Morehead/RPLP: Lacy Allen

M3 Representatives

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

M2 Representatives

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

Faculty

  • Claire Frasier, MD + Alan Hall, MD (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 refer lapses in medical student professional behavior to CAPE or complete a professional concern report at the student sharepoint portal.  Students, faculty and staff can also submit exemplary professionalism reports at the student sharepoint 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 committee administrator is the assistant dean for student affairs, wellbeing and professionalism. They will review each concern submitted to CAPE.  If the concern is appropriate to be addressed by a student CAPE member, the administrator 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 administrator or 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. 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 Ellie Rogers, Chair, ellie.bernard@uky.edu