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| Beaumont President and CEO Kenneth Matzick (left) and OU President Gary Russi (right) stand with newly appointed OUWBSM Dean Robert Folberg, M.D. |
“This is a watershed moment in Oakland University’s history,” said Oakland President Gary D. Russi. “Today, with our nationally recognized partner, Beaumont Hospitals, we have taken several momentous steps toward creating exciting opportunities in top-quality medical education for the next generation of doctors, and, at the same time, bringing to the region a much-needed economic and job-creation boost, and exciting new opportunities for a top-quality medical education for the next generation of doctors.”
Beaumont Hospitals President and CEO Kenneth J. Matzick said, “This new medical school will help solve the predicted shortage of physicians in Michigan and attract renowned educators and researchers to the region.”
Dr. Robert Folberg has served as chairman of the department of pathology at University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago since 2000. He is an esteemed professor of ophthalmology and pathology, with a national and international reputation in the field of opthalmic pathology, hospital administration, education and research. In addition to his role as dean of the OUWBSM, Dr. Folberg will also serve as professor of biomedical sciences, pathology and ophthalmology, with tenure, and as Beaumont Hospitals’ chief academic officer. Click here for a complete listing of Dr. Folberg’s accomplishments.
“I’m tremendously honored to be chosen as the founding dean of a medical school that has the force of two outstanding institutions behind it,” Folberg said. “Oakland University and Beaumont Hospitals are recognized leaders in higher education and medicine, and the combination of these two organizations will create a medical school that will blaze new and exciting trails in medical education in Michigan and throughout the country. To be named the founding dean of the new medical school is humbling indeed.”
Oakland University Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Virinder Moudgil said, “The new medical school will promote applied research ‘from the bench to the bedside,’ assuring that scientific discoveries and new technologies are able to directly benefit patients in the most rapid timeframe possible. It’s clear that Dr. Folberg shares our vision for the medical school and will help us reach new heights in medical training, innovation and instruction.”
Instruction and research in the basic sciences will be provided on Oakland University’s campus in Rochester, with clinical instruction and advanced research provided at Beaumont. The school will train physicians to practice 21st century medicine with an emphasis on lifelong learning, technology, research, preventive and pre-symptom medicine, treatment and management of chronic disease, and teamwork. Click here for more on the vision of the OUWBSM.
Beaumont Hospitals will be the exclusive clinical partner, responsible for providing clinical training to an estimated 125 OUWBSM students by the fourth year of operation. An OUWBSM advisory committee composed of Beaumont and OU executives will provide guidance on the direction of the school.
“Beaumont has the largest, non–university affiliated, post-graduate teaching program in the country,” said Ananias Diokno, M.D., Beaumont executive vice president and chief medical officer. “This medical school affiliation will bolster our already strong programs for medical education and research.”
Building on a solid foundation of the nearly $25 million in gifts announced today, revenue for the OUWBSM will come from tuition and fees, commercialization of intellectual property, partner contributions (e.g., clinical training, scholarships), extramural research and philanthropy. Administrators and faculty will be hired to support the new school consistent with accreditation standards set by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), which will also be reviewing the OUWBSM application materials and facilitating a site visit. Following receipt of accreditation from the LCME, students will be actively recruited beginning in 2009 for a fall 2010 start.
The OUWBSM will create hundreds of new jobs and is expected to generate a regional economic impact of up to $1 billion annually, once the school is fully operational. As it grows, the school will help combat the physician shortage predicted for Michigan and graduates will fill residencies at local hospitals, contributing to the care of Michigan residents. The school will also attract top-level medical, business and academic leaders, helping to keep our “best and brightest” from leaving the state to pursue educational opportunities elsewhere.
For more information, visit the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Web site, or view the online press kit.
Oakland University’s Board of Trustees today approved the appointment of Robert Folberg, M.D., as the founding dean of theallopathic medical school Oakland will open with Beaumont Hospitals in 2010 with a charter class of 50 students. Oakland and Beaumont also announced the official name of the school — Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWBSM) — and that philanthropic support is approaching $25 million. They describe their vision for the school as “a partnership to lead innovation in patient-centered medical education and research.”