Gov. Janet Napolitano signed an executive order yesterday to create a 10-member Arizona Commission on Medical Education and Research, whose mission is to develop a plan to implement the expansion of the University of Arizona College of Medicine at the future Phoenix Biomedical Campus in partnership with Arizona State University.
The Commission was formed as a result of a memorandum of understanding signed in August by the Governor, the Arizona Board of Regents, UA President Peter Likins, and ASU President Michael Crow.
The appointed commissioners include:
- Gov. Napolitano (chair)
- Phil Gordon, Mayor, City of Phoenix
- Gary Stuart, President, Arizona Board of Regents
- Peter Likins, President, University of Arizona
- Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University
- Peter Fine, President and CEO, Banner Health
- Linda Hunt, CEO, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
- James Kennedy, Chief Medical Officer, Maricopa County Hospital
- Jeffrey Trent, President and Scientific Director, Translational Genomics Research Institute
- John Murphy, President and CEO, The Flinn Foundation
The Commission, which will meet monthly at the Capitol, will draft a plan and action steps for the extension of the medical school, including organizing governance; devising a curriculum that is socially and culturally sensitive to the Phoenix metropolitan area’s health care needs; linking regional teaching hospitals and research institutes to achieve optimum learning and collaboration opportunities; assessing financial needs and operational costs; and conducting facility planning and design. The Governor has requested a report by March 30, 2005.
Gov. Napolitano has asked the Flinn Foundation to staff the commission. The private, nonprofit philanthropy has commissioned studies of Arizona medical education issues and physician supply for two decades, including analyses specific to the expansion of the College of Medicine into Phoenix. The Foundation also staffs Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, the state’s long-term, collaborative strategy to bring its biosciences sector to national competitiveness.
The proposed expansion will also include the UA colleges of medicine and pharmacy as well as ASU health programs, including its College of Nursing and a new program in bioinformatics. The expansion would enable UA medical students to complete all four years of their studies in Phoenix. At present, their first two years are spent in Tucson, and about 40 percent complete part of their third- and fourth-year clinical work at Phoenix-area teaching hospitals.
For more information:
“Panel to plan medical education, research,” Arizona Daily Star, 10/21/2004
“UA, ASU announce joint biomedical campus in downtown Phoenix,” 08/10/2004