COURSES

Advanced Course in Improvement Science (ACIS):

Leading a Culture of Improvers

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

This seven-month course is for individuals who have been trained in improvement science and are interested in becoming improvement leaders capable of driving change in complex healthcare systems.

Our advanced course focuses on improving knowledge of improvement science and its practical application. This program is structured around W. Edwards Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge, and the areas of focus include:

Appreciation of systems and managing complex systems
Developing and applying theoretical models for problem-solving
Understanding variation and using data to drive improvement
Understanding the psychology/human side of change, interpersonal leadership, and team development

All participants should view their improvement work as an integral part of their role and career development. The course is intensive and will require a significant amount of work outside of classes before, during, and after the course.

You are able to apply for this course at any time, but the application window ends on August 31st for each cohort.
Advanced.
Leaders, champions and improvement professionals who are leading improvement efforts across programs and systems.
$7,000 for Stanford Medicine participants or $10,000 for external participants
The course traditionally starts with an in-person week in September or October, followed by a virtual week in November. We traditionally hold the next two, in-person sessions in January/February and March/April. We also require that each student present a poster of their work at our annual improvement symposium in May.
Hybrid.
3 weeks in-person in Palo Alto, CA, and 1 week virtual.
Nomination and sponsorship by an executive leader.
Completion of an intermediate-level improvement course (Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, RITE, QuILT, etc.) and/or an advanced-level improvement course, like the Stanford Medicine Specialist Course in Improvement Science (Lean Six Sigma Black Belt).
Click here to view our 2026-2027 Cohort 7 Syllabus
This course starts in September, and requires three weeks of in-person attendance and one week of virtual attendance. This amounts to 128 hours of class time over 8 months. An additional 50-65 hours is required for homework, workgroup discussions, and pre-reads. Participants should anticipate approximately 4 hours of pre-reading before each week of class and 2-3 hours of a combination of readings, work group discussion and other studies each week throughout the course.
Click here to check out our distinguished alumni