UNC Wilmington wants to open a medical school as part of its efforts to address a shortage of health-care professionals in southeastern North Carolina, campus and UNC System officials said Wednesday.
UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety made the case for the program before a Board of Governors committee. He noted that the population in the southeastern portion of the state is growing rapidly—the Wilmington metro was one of the fastest-growing in the country, according to Census data—but access to health care in the largely rural region has not grown at the same rate.
A separate report that UNC System officials presented to the board Wednesday said state schools need to produce thousands more graduates each year in several industries, including the health sector.
“These shortages result in delays in health care,” Volety said.
He said the university envisions the new medical school offering the usual four-year doctor of medicine degree, as well as an accelerated, three-year program. He said the school would not use a typical teaching-hospital model, but would rely on “collaborative training placements” at hospitals, clinics, and other medical practices.
UNC System chief academic officer David English said the presentation was intended to familiarize the board with the proposal before it takes a vote next month on whether the university should be “authorized to begin the planning process” for the school. The board’s approval would also be required later to actually establish the program.
Should the school gain approval, it would mark the latest boon for health education in the region. Methodist University, a private college in Fayetteville, is set to welcome the first class of students at its new medical school this summer. A new medical education building is currently under construction at the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine; the $265 million project is intended to help address a state- and nationwide shortage of primary care physicians.
The proposed school at UNCW “is not meant to compete, but complement the existing, excellent programs at other state institutions,” Volety said.
Though approval is still needed for the program, Volety said the university already has commitments from health care organizations in the area to assist with clinical placements. Volety said he plans to seek a nine-figure philanthropic gift to support the school, as well as funds from the state and federal governments. State Rep. John Bell, chair of the House’s rules committee, threw his support behind the proposal at Wednesday’s meeting.
“UNC Wilmington has approached this effort in a thoughtful and a deliberate way, with careful attention to workforce needs, institutional capacity, and regional and system partnership,” English said.
Volety said it is likely to take at least seven years after the board grants approval for the school to get off the ground, a process that will include working with accreditors and recruiting students.