U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced the appointment of two new members and the reappointment of two others to the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA).

The new members of the 11-member committee are Drs. Dinesh Patel and David Raul Muñoz. NCFMEA is charged with reviewing the standards used by foreign countries to evaluate and accredit their medical schools and with determining whether they are comparable to the standards used to accredit medical schools in the United States. If a foreign country is found to have comparable standards, then a medical school accredited in that country may apply to participate in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program, and U.S. students studying at that school may apply for FFEL funds to help with their education expenses.

"Federal student aid gives millions of Americans the opportunity to attend postsecondary education and further their academic and career goals," Paige said. "This committee ensures that taxpayer dollars used to support American students pursuing a medical education in a foreign country are spent wisely and carefully. I welcome the insight and expertise that Dr. Patel and Dr. Muñoz will bring to this vital task."

Patel is chief of arthroscopic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and a member of its admissions committee. Among his many other accomplishments, Patel founded A Leg to Stand On, an organization that helps children who need artificial limbs. A recipient of numerous honors, Patel received a leadership award from the Federation of State Medical Boards in 2003.

Muñoz is a senior and managing member of Internal Medicine Northwest in Tacoma, Wash., a large clinical practice that specializes in managing the care of 5,000 complex and chronically disabled patients. He is also a senior consultant with Muñoz, Regimbal & Associates, which has provided consultation services to the Washington State Health Commission, as well as the governor's office and the Washington state legislature. In addition, Muñoz is on the faculty of the University of Washington's Department of Medicine in Seattle.

The term for both new members will expire Sept. 30, 2006.

Norman Maldonado, president emeritus of the University of Puerto Rico and currently in private practice as a hematologist; and John Maupin, Jr., president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., have both been reappointed to NCFMEA for an additional term, also ending Sept. 30, 2006.

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