TYLER, Texas — The UT Tyler School of Medicine has reached another milestone in the accreditation process, allowing leaders to begin recruiting the school's first class of students for summer 2023.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education granted preliminary accreditation to the medical school, which will be the first for Northeast Texas and the seventh for the University of Texas System.
This comes after years of strategic planning, such as funding, partnerships and legislative and regents’ authorization, the university said in a statement Monday.
“Many individuals have worked for years with relentless determination to make this medical school a reality. We have celebrated milestones along the way, and this is another significant one, because it means we are now ready to open the doors to medical students in Tyler,” said Kevin P. Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents. “By extension, it means opening doors to individuals who seek greater access to health care. It means enhancing our region as a destination point to live, train, work, and contribute to our economic vitality.”
UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun said the most recent achievement is a result of the $80 million gift from the East Texas Medical Center Foundation in February 2020 as well as resources from the UT System Board of Regents.
“Additional support from elected leadership, donors and the community were essential to the medical school moving forward," Calhoun said. "I thank our vice provost, dean and faculty for their expertise in guiding us through this complex process and bringing us one step closer to enrolling our first class in July 2023."
The R.W. Fair Foundation also made a $4 million donation last year to cover tuition costs for the the school's first class of 40 medical students.
Dr. Brigham C. Willis, founding dean of the UT Tyler School of Medicine, is leading the student recruitment efforts and working to establish a curriculum.
“This notification allows us to launch the next phase of accepting student applications and conducting interviews,” Willis said. “I am very excited about the next phases in the process.”
According to UT Tyler, the vision for the School of Medicine is to train "committed, empathic, diverse and exceptional physician leaders to significantly reduce health disparities and enhance the quality of life in rural East Texas."
Full accreditation should come after the first class of students comes in and the LCME determines if the school has demonstrated the effectiveness of the education program and continued compliance, according to the announcement.
“From regents to elected officials, community leaders to philanthropists, and the UT Tyler leadership, everyone has shared in the equity in this effort, and I could not be happier for UT Tyler and East Texas,” Eltife said.
