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Officials representing the University of North Carolina and Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) formally designated Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) as the Charlotte Campus of the UNC School of Medicine.
CHS officials noted that CMC has played an active role in providing clinical education for third and fourth year UNC medical students for more than 40 years. Those students have completed rotations at CMC in a wide variety of medical specialties as part of their overall training. In addition, 10 third year and 12 fourth year students are currently in training at CMC full-time.
CMC plans to ramp up student enrollment over the next few years to the point where there will be several dozen available slots at the third and fourth year levels at the CMC campus. The long-term transition to a larger number will occur in collaboration with adequate state funding.
Michael C. Tarwater, Chief Executive Officer of CHS, noted that the partnership "has helped us to advance our mission, which is not only to provide comprehensive healthcare services, but to serve the people of North Carolina through leadership in medical education and research."
"The establishment of a medical school campus here in Charlotte recognizes the importance of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and surrounding regions to the University of North Carolina and the state," said Dr. William Roper, Dean, School of Medicine, Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and Chief Executive Officer of the UNC Health Care System. "This city has experienced vibrant growth recently and includes a strong community of support, which features many health care providers, a growing patient population and a strong interest in local health education."
The expansion of the UNC School of Medicine is intended to help combat the expected shortage of physicians in coming years. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the estimated shortages beginning in 2015 may be 50 percent worse than originally anticipated prior to health care reform. Projections before health care reform showed a shortage of around 40,000 doctors in 2015; however, current estimates bring that number to more than 60,000, with worsening shortages foreseen through 2025.
"Expanding the medical school role of regional campuses is part of a strategy to not only increase the number of physicians overall, but to encourage graduates to practice in small towns and rural areas," Roper said. "The exposure opportunities provided by CHS's network of more than 33 affiliated hospitals, located throughout the Carolinas, will hopefully lead to more graduates pursuing career opportunities in under-served communities."
The expansion plan will also include a regional campus in Asheville, NC at Mission Health System.
The original projected cost of the expansion was $450 million, with $62 million going towards a new building in Charlotte. No new buildings for the medical school are planned for now; however, CMC will spend $4 million to renovate its Medical Education Building. That building, adjacent to the CMC Emergency Department, will house administrative space, as well as a lounge and expanded library facilities for the medical school.
"While we wish the economy was such that we could be implementing a much more substantial expansion at this time, we are excited about the growth of this program, hoping one day to host a full complement of 100 third and fourth year students," said Jim McDeavitt, MD, Senior Vice President, Medical Education and Research at CHS. "We are dedicated to providing UNC medical students with educational opportunities that are second to none, and we appreciate the trust that the UNC School of Medicine has placed in our physicians and facilities."
Those participating in Saturday's ceremony at CMC included: Dr. Joan Lorden, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and Dr. Marschall Runge, Executive Dean of the UNC School of Medicine. Mr. Tarwater, Dr. Roper and Dr. McDeavitt offered remarks on behalf of their organizations. In addition, Dr. Roper read a statement on behalf of University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles, who had planned to attend the ceremony but was called away on short notice.
In that statement, Bowles acknowledged CHS for "its ongoing support of medical education in so many forms; for its past support of the UNC School of Medicine in particular; and for the resources that it has committed to the regional campus here in Charlotte."
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From left to right: Michael Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System; Dr. Bill Roper, Dean UNC School of Medicine; Jim Hynes, Chairman, Board of Commissioners of Carolinas HealthCare; Dr. Jim McDeavitt, SVP Medical Education and Research, Carolinas HealthCare; Joe Piemont, President and COO of Carolinas HealthCare; Dr. Bryant Galusha, creator of the residency program at CMC.
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Michael Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas
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Dr. Bill Roper, Dean UNC School of Medicine |
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