stanford center for continuing medical education, the stanford university school of medicine is a premier research-intensive institution improving health through collaborative discoveries and innovation in patient care, education and research. the school fosters two-way transfer of knowledge between research laboratories and patient-care settings. faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, students, and physicians in the broader medical community engage in interdisciplinary efforts to translate this knowledge into clinical practice. purpose the stanford university school of medicine continuing medical education (cme) program promotes continuous improvement in patient health care by providing physicians and other health care professionals with high quality, evidence-based educational activities focusing on advances in medicine, new medical technology, biomedical research, and changes in the health care environment. the overall goal of the program is to augment physician knowledge, enhance competence and performance in practice, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. content stanford's cme program includes a broad range of primary care, specialty and subspecialty topics chosen through a comprehensive needs assessment process, which identifies "gaps" between current and best practice. content is chosen for its relevance to the target audience's scope of professional practice and is planned to enhance core competencies, promote evidence-based care and serve the interests of the public. target audience physicians and other health professionals in the fields of medicine, teaching and research, both local and global. activity types in addition to traditional cme offerings such as regularly scheduled series and conferences, stanford offers immersive and simulation-based learning, hands-on workshops, maintenance of certification activities, and dynamic online education. expected results as a result of their participation in the stanford cme program, learners will demonstra