FIU medical school earns accreditation

[Xpedition]

www.miamiherald.com/459/story/407936.html

[mjgpanthers1]

Congrats to our wonderful university. GO FIU

[FIUFanatic]

Great thing for FIU. Congrats to everyone involved in bringing this to fruition....Thanks for the link and information....

[2006PA]

great news!

[kevinkagy]

WOOHOO! GO FIU!

[FIUBlue82]

AWESOME! Congratulations to everyone who has worked on the Medical School initiative, which goes back well over a decade. Not bad for a "joke university" huh?

[FIUBlue82]

I wanted to note these two points from the Herald story:

www.miamiherald.com/459/story/407936.html

''The preliminary accreditation of the medical school is certainly in the 22 years since I've been president the greatest moment in our history,'' Maidique said in an interview late Tuesday. ``We've become part of a very special group, one of 126 American universities that have medical schools. It is a fundamental piece of becoming a major urban public university.''

FIU's medical school is now among only two or three universities that have received accreditation in the United States in the past 20 years. FIU's medical school must still clear two more accreditation hurdles before they received final accreditation, but the preliminary accreditation is the most important, Maidique said.

[MaXx]

Great news for our university! We got the med school, now let's see what kind of football players we get.

[FIUFanatic]

Well noted, FIUBlue82....Only 126 Universities in the Nation with medical schools, of which FIU is the youngest in existence, since it opened its doors in 1972. Way to go FIU!!

[kevinkagy]

Definitely a great feat for FIU. Now there's nothing that FIU won't offer, we have it all now, law, architecture, engineering, medicine, education, nursing, etc. Anyone know if UCF received accreditation for their medical school?

[The OC Panther]

Fantastic! Great work by all in that department and FIU as a whole.

National Signing Day is already great because of this.

[gdiaz2087]

This is Awesome!

[FIUFanatic]

Revolutionizing Medical Education with NeighborhoodHELP. Great stuff!! This thing looks to be an awesome investment...

news.fiu.edu/releases/2008/02-06_COM(2).htm

FIU College of Medicine Receives Preliminary Accreditation
College’s NeighborhoodHELP to revolutionize medical education

MIAMI (Feb. 6, 2008) — Florida International University College of Medicine announced today that it has received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), which allows the school to accept the first class of future doctors in the fall of 2009.

“At last South Florida has a public medical school – one that will lead medical education in the 21st Century,” said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. “All the pieces are in place to open our doors to some of our brightest and most caring young people and help them become medical doctors right here in our community for our community.”

Addressing the doctor shortage

In the mid 1990s, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended that the number of medical school seats be expanded. The recommendation came as a response to a looming crisis provoked by a growing U.S. population at the same time that the physician population is aging and retiring.

The FIU College of Medicine was conceived in response to this crisis. While the College itself will ultimately graduate 120 doctors a year, it will be further leveraged to create new residency programs in South Florida. It is estimated that as many as 80 percent of doctors who do their residencies in Florida, practice in Florida.

First class starts in fall 2009

Aspiring doctors may begin the application process in June of 2008 through the American Medical Colleges Application Service. The founding class of 40 students is expected to graduate in 2013.

Among the first medical schools to be created in the past 25 years, the FIU College of Medicine promises to revolutionize medical education in America, help uplift some of the poorest neighborhoods in South Florida and help address the doctor shortage crisis.

Director of the Miami-Dade Health Department, Lillian Rivera said she believes the FIU College of Medicine will become a model for new medical schools around the country.

“FIU has taken the lead to establish a program that will not only educate new doctors but also answers the community’s call for better access to health care,” said Rivera. “FIU’s approach is tailored to allow medical students understand the realities faced in many of our South Florida neighborhoods, which are not unlike what we see in many urban centers throughout the nation.”

Revolutionizing medical education: NeighborhoodHELP

College of Medicine Dean Dr. John Rock explained that the FIU College of Medicine has been designed around an innovative approach to medical education that one day may become the standard throughout the nation and part of the answer to America’s health care crisis. At the heart of the College of Medicine’s curriculum is NeighborhoodHELP (Health Education Learning Program), an integrated inter-disciplinary approach to health care.

“Through meaningful involvement in South Florida’s poorest areas, our students will not only learn but contribute handsomely, alongside their counterparts in other health professions,” said Dean Rock.

Starting in their second year, medical students will team up with students in other disciplines including nursing, social work, public health, law and business to assess the needs of, and assist individual families in some of Miami’s poorest neighborhoods. In addition, students will participate in traditional rotations at affiliated local hospitals and clinics.

Partnering with the underserved community

The long-term involvement of medical students in low-income neighborhoods is expected to have a measurable economic benefit. The College of Medicine aims to demonstrate a return on investment of educational dollars by improving the health of communities and providing a signature program that promotes the development of socially responsible physicians."

FIU's College of Medicine is part of a larger legislative funded state initiative to expand medical education which also includes a new medical school at the University of Central Florida.

"The Board of Governors is delighted that the FIU College of Medicine will be taking state-of-the-art health care directly to our neediest communities,” said Chancellor of the State University System Mark Rosenberg. “Our eleven public universities are engaged in solving real problems for people throughout the state. We are looking forward to this new initiative and applaud FIU for its commitment to the community.”

For more information about the FIU College of Medicine visit medicine.fiu.edu/

[FIUBlue82]

It's tough to imagine that FIU only opened its doors in 1972. Congratulations again to all parties involved. I'm proud to be an alum of this great institution!

[kevinkagy]

Again, great news for the university. I really think that the FIU Med School is going to prove a huge success. It's going to stimulate economic development in Miami tenfold, and continue to reinforce Miami's presence as a medical/research-oriented city. Great news, can't wait to see the students and see it unfold.