BIMS Incident Reporting System (BIRS)

The BIMS Incident Reporting System (BIRS) is primarily for comments concerning mistreatment. If you have comments about the academic aspects of your courses, please use the course evaluations to convey your thoughts or reach out to the course instructor.

(For definitions of what constitutes mistreatment, please see SOM policy on Student Mistreatment.)

If you have been subjected to or have witnessed mistreatment or disrespectful behavior:

• Write your comment concerning the mistreatment in the space provided.
• Your comments are anonymous unless you type your name in the space provided for that purpose.
• Reports are sent automatically to the Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation, who will share them with relevant individuals, as depicted in the mistreatment reporting flow chart to the right.  Complete details about the procedures for handling these reports can be found below.
• You may also ask to discuss your thoughts with the Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation, Lesley Thomas, available at (434) 924-1864 or llt6p@virginia.edu or to the Associate Dean for Graduate and Medical Scientist Programs, Janet V. Cross, available at (434) 243-9401 or cross@virginia.edu
• Both constructive criticism and praise are welcome.

The Office of Educational Affairs hears, evaluates, and responds to reports of mistreatment or unacceptable behaviors directed at or witnessed by graduate students, in cooperation with the Associate Dean for Graduate and Medical Scientist Programs.

Students can make reports to the Office of Educational Affairs using the BIMS Incident Reporting System (BIRS). Students can choose whether or not to include their name on reports made through BIRS. While anonymous reports limit the type of investigation and response available since the source of the information is unavailable, this type of reporting provides a view of the learning environment and allows monitoring for early trends of potential problems. Students also can make reports about mistreatment or unacceptable behaviors in person or by phone or email to the Office of Educational Affairs, through the Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation, Lesley Thomas, available at (434) 924-1864 or llt6p@virginia.edu, or to the Associate Dean for Graduate and Medical Scientist Programs, Janet V. Cross, available at (434) 243-9401 or cross@virginia.edu.

The University also has a web site for all students for reporting bias complaints: Just Report It.  Reports made through University are handled by the University. They are not reviewed by the Office of Educational Affairs unless the report also comes to that office separately, or is referred to the office by the University per their policies and procedures.

Additionally, the University Ombuds, Amanda Monaco, is available for consultation. The services of the Ombuds are independent of the University administration and confidential to the extent permitted by law. For more information, visit the Ombuds website.

Reports of mistreatment or unacceptable behavior are handled confidentially to the extent possible given the office’s obligation to review the report and send it to the appropriate body for investigation, as described in more detail below. However, there are exceptions, e.g., if the alleged offense falls under the University Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence or if the alleged offense falls under the University’s Preventing and Addressing Discrimination and Harassment (PADH) policy or if the alleged offense would require reporting based on legal or ethical responsibilities.

Reports of mistreatment or unacceptable behavior submitted via BIRS will be sent automatically to the Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation. By design, reports from BIRS do not contain the name of the student making the report unless the student self-identifies in the report. When reporting to other groups is required (e.g., the Title IX Office, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR), the University Office of the Dean of Students), students will be informed of these automatic follow-up reporting requirements if they have made their identity known to the Office of Educational Affairs.

BIRS reports first will be reviewed by the Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation to determine whether the report falls within the purview of the Office for Educational Affairs. If not, the Assistant Dean will assure that the report has been sent to the appropriate unit. For example, BIRS reports dealing with curricular issues may be forwarded to the appropriate Course Instructor and/or may be forwarded to the BIMS Curriculum Committee for consideration. Reports also will be reviewed to determine whether they fall under the purview of University policies. If so, the policy and procedures specified for those types of reports will be followed. If the student has self-identified, they also will be referred to additional resources for any support needed.

The Office of Educational Affairs forwards reports to the appropriate persons for investigation and remedy. In general, reports are sent to departments, units or instructors for investigation after the time period for grade submission has ended. However, the decision to take immediate action in response to a report is the responsibility of the Office of Educational Affairs which may use discretion in deciding the timing of releasing a report to a department or unit for investigation and in deciding how to respond to a report. Depending on the nature of the complaint, the reported allegation will be forwarded for further investigation to any of the following: course directors, department chairs, the Associate Dean for Graduate and Medical Scientist Programs, or (in the case of intra-lab issues unrelated to the PI) to an individual PI,  per the flow chart below. These reports will be forwarded without redaction. The Office of Educational Affairs and/or the Associate Dean for Graduate and Medical Scientist Program will follow up with units regarding the findings of the unit’s investigation, how the allegation was handled by the unit, and results. Data regarding departments or units receiving multiple or trending allegations of misconduct will be sent to the School of Medicine Dean and the Dean’s Cabinet for immediate intervention. All reports will be reviewed by the Dean with department chairs at the Department Annual Reviews, where remedial actions and improvement metrics will be set, if warranted.

The School of Medicine and the University have non-retaliation policies. Any reports of actual or perceived retaliation will be handled according to the institution’s non-retaliation policies.

The Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation will maintain all reports, including but not limited to those received via BIRS, as well as all documentation pertaining to actions taken and outcomes. The Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation will keep the Associate Dean for Graduate and Medical Scientist Programs and the Senior Associate Dean for Education regularly apprised of pertinent incidents.