TYLER, Texas (KETK) – The University of Texas System on Thursday announced its intention to launch a medical school in Tyler, which would be the first ever in East Texas.
Leaders from the UT system and the two UT institutions in Tyler – UT Health East Texas and the University of Texas at Tyler – announced the plan at Plaza Tower in downtown Tyler. It will be on the UT System Board of Regents agenda at a meeting on February 26 in Austin.
Under the new plan, with established medical residencies already in place, future physicians could complete their entire education and training in Tyler, ultimately providing more top health care professions who will live and serve in the region.
Moody Chisholm, president and CEO of UT Health East Texas, issued a statement saying a new medical school “will help East Texas attract and retain high quality providers to serve the growing healthcare needs of our community.”
“Part of the UT Health East Texas mission is to educate and develop the caregivers of our future, and this will allow us to expand those efforts. Our hospitals, clinics and The University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler currently provide a home for residency programs in family medicine, rural family medicine, psychiatry, psychology, occupational medicine, and beginning next summer, internal medicine and surgery. Physicians who have completed medical school, and have obtained their medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy degree, are eligible to enter a residency training program. Licensure in the state of Texas requires physicians successfully complete an approved residency program. A new medical school, similar to our residency programs, brings new clinical talent and economic opportunity to our region. A new medical school will help us to increase the number of physicians who train in our hospitals. Because physicians often put down roots where they train, we’re confident a medical school will help East Texas attract and retain high quality providers to serve the growing healthcare needs of our community.”
Moody Chisholm, president and CEO of UT Health East Texas
UT Tyler Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife emphasized in a statement that the school will allow East Texans to ” pursue their career aspirations without having to leave the region to do so.”
“A medical school in Tyler will give East Texans the chance to pursue their career aspirations without having to leave the region to do so. More importantly, it will increase the number of physicians and critical specialty areas to serve the region, which ultimately will enhance health outcomes and benefit all East Texans. And having more health care professionals in the area will have a positive impact on hospitals and hospital systems in the region including UT Health East Texas, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances and Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine & Joint.”
Kevin Eltife
The plan has received wide support from multiple politicians, including:
- State Rep. Matt Schaefer
- State Rep. Travis Clardy
- State Rep. Dan Flynn
- State Rep. Cole Hefner
- State Rep. Jay Dean
- State Rep. Chriss Paddie
- State Rep. Gary VanDeaver
- Tyler Mayor Martin Heines
- Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran
- State Sen. Robert Nichols
- State Sen. Bryan Hughes
According to the Board of Regents, if it is approved the medical school would be the seventh in the UT system.
The economic impact of a medical school is projected to be significant. The Perryman Group, a Texas economic research and analysis firm with ties to the region for more than 40 years, credited existing UT facilities in Tyler with providing an annual economic impact of $1.7 billion, including $80.1 million in tax receipts and the creation of 21,529 jobs.
“According to The Perryman Group’s analysis, we can anticipate that a new medical school would produce an additional $1.9 billion annually, as well as the creation of 18,145 new jobs. These developments are unlike anything Tyler has ever seen,” said Tom Mullins, president and CEO of the Tyler Economic Development Council.
“A medical school in Tyler will have a cascade of positive multiplier effects,” said Calhoun, the president of UT Health Science Center Tyler. “There’s a growing awareness about both the challenges and the potential of East Texas, and it’s exciting to see momentum build to support and invest in our region.”
“We are profoundly grateful to the UT System for its investment in the future healthcare in East Texas,” said Michael Tidwell, UT Tyler President. “These programmatic and facilities investments will improve healthcare education, research, and clinical services for generations to come.”
UT Health East Texas provides care to thousands of patients each year through an extensive regional network that includes 10 hospitals, more than 50 clinics, the Olympic Plaza Tower, 13 regional rehabilitation facilities, two freestanding emergency centers, regional home health services covering 41 counties, an EMS fleet of more than 50 ambulances and four helicopters, and a comprehensive seven-trauma center care network, including the region’s only Level 1 trauma facility.
Thursday’s news was preceded by two major announcements recently made by the UT System Board of Regents. In November the Board of Regents allocated $95 million in Permanent University Fund proceeds for UT Tyler and UT Health Science Center Tyler to construct two facilities to accelerate high-quality health education and health care in East Texas. Regents earmarked $60 million for a graduate medical education and resident teaching facility at UT Health Science Center and $35 million for an advanced nursing and health sciences complex at UT Tyler.
And in December, Regents authorized the integration of talent and assets at UT Tyler and UT Health Science Center at Tyler to create a unified institution to enhance education, research and clinical delivery for the region.
About The University of Texas System For more than 130 years, The University of Texas System has been committed to improving the lives of Texans and people all over the world through education, research and health care. With 14 institutions, an enrollment of nearly 240,000 students and an operating budget of $21.1 billion (FY 2020), the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions produce more than 60,000 graduates annually and award more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and more than half of its health professional degrees.
Collectively, UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics accounted for more than 8.2 million outpatient visits and 1.6 million hospital days last year. Across UT institutions, research and development expenditures total $2.9 billion – the second highest among U.S. public higher education systems – and the UT System is regularly ranked among the top 10 most innovative universities in the world. The UT System also is one of the largest employers in Texas, with more than 21,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates and members of the National Academies – and more than 83,000 health care professionals, researchers and support staff.
