EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State University Board of Trustees has approved a resolution endorsing the expansion of the College of Osteopathic Medicine to two sites in southeast Michigan, a move board members and college officials say will not only improve medical education in the state, but also address a projected physician shortage.
With the vote at its May 18 meeting, the board confirmed the administration’s selection of the sites, which were visited by the board on May 1.
Under the plan, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) will expand its class by 50 students each at the Detroit Medical Center’s (DMC) old Hutzel Hospital and at Macomb Community College’s (MCC) University Center in Clinton Township.
These two sites were selected from a pool of 18 that submitted proposals.
“Having a presence at both locations in southeastern Michigan has many benefits,” said William D. Strampel, dean of the college. “In Macomb County, we will be located at an innovative, state-of-the-art educational institution situated among a high concentration of osteopathic physicians and partner hospitals. At the DMC, in Wayne County, we will be teaching our students in an environment that will help them to learn how to meet the needs of an urban population.
“In addition,” he said, “we will continue our strong relationship with the many Oakland County hospitals and physicians who have provided excellent clinical education for us for many years.”
The college has been teaching students, interns and residents in southeast Michigan for nearly 40 years, Strampel said, relying on a large volunteer clinical faculty in the region.
Among the draws of MCC was its abundance of quality space, which includes operating rooms with surgical simulators, a surgical technology laboratory, a simulated hospital room and an anatomy lab. The facility also includes high-quality space such as computer labs, study areas and general-purpose classrooms.
In addition to its long and distinguished history of participating in medical education, the DMC offers the potential for collaborative research involving a diverse population, easy access to a number of Detroit-area clinical and hospital facilities, and quality facilities.
“As Michigan begins to experience a shortage of doctors, it is urgent that MSU increase enrollment in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, which is recognized as among the very best in the country for primary care education,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “By expanding to two sites in southeast Michigan, we can significantly enhance the educational mission, while simultaneously serving the area of the state with the greatest population and some of the greatest need."
Producing more doctors from the MSUCOM will help combat a projected physician shortage. According to the Blue Ribbon Committee on Physician Workforce – a group composed of representatives from the state of Michigan, the state’s four human medical colleges, and other health-related agencies – Michigan will be 900 physicians short by 2010, 2,400 short by 2015, and 4,500 short by 2020.
The osteopathic college will conduct classes for first- and second-year medical students at the leased sites. The students will complete their education, as do all students currently enrolled at the East Lansing campus, by taking two years of clinical rotations at one of MSUCOM’s 19 community base hospitals, part of the 26 hospitals affiliated with the college in its Statewide Campus System (SCS).
The MSUCOM, which consistently ranks in the top 5 percent of all medical schools for its primary care education, also has a long-standing tradition of retaining its alumni in Michigan to practice – more than two-thirds of the college’s graduates remain to practice in Michigan.
In addition, approximately 90 percent of the college’s graduates take internships and residencies in Michigan as part of the college’s SCS.
Two years ago, the college increased its East Lansing entering class size from 147 to 205.
For additional information, visit the Web at www.com.msu.edu/pub-rel/SE-Expansion_may2007.html.
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