VCU news

By Cynthia Schmidt and Lisa Wolfington

RICHMOND, Va. – The State Council for Higher Education for Virginia has given approval to what will become the first medical school campus in Northern Virginia. The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine—Inova Division, will be located on the grounds of Inova Fairfax Hospital, offering an M.D. degree program, residency training program, continuing medical education initiatives, clinical outcomes research and biotechnology collaboration.

Under the plan, which still needs approval and funding from the Virginia General Assembly, 50 students from VCU’s School of Medicine will spend the third and fourth year of their medical school education at Inova, after spending the first two years at VCU’s Richmond campus. The first 25 students will begin study at the VCU—Inova campus in the fall of 2005, and a second group of 25 future doctors will take up residence there in 2006.

"We are delighted that the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia has approved VCU’s proposal for a Northern Virginia campus for our School of Medicine," said Dr. Eugene P. Trani, president of VCU. "This will add a unique dimension to VCU’s School of Medicine, creating a rich clinical experience for students and residents, and will help attract researchers to the area, especially in the growing biotechnology fields."

The plan is patterned after one in Arizona in which the University of Arizona medical school in Tucson established a geographically-separate campus in Phoenix. Similar programs also exist in Indiana, Kansas and Texas.

"As the leading health care provider in Northern Virginia, Inova welcomes this partnership with a top academic medical center to bring a major new health care resource to our community," said Knox Singleton, president and CEO of Inova Health System. "Along with enhancing opportunities for collaborative research, the school will increase the supply of locally-trained physicians, particularly in specialties that are in short supply."

VCU will create a new administrative position, Associate Dean for Medical Education – Inova Division, to lead the undergraduate medical education program at the Northern Virginia campus. This position will report to the Dean of the VCU School of Medicine. Several other positions are envisioned including an assistant dean, a business manager, and a student affairs/financial aid counselor.

The three existing medical schools in the region—at Georgetown, George Washington and Howard universities—are located in the District. Maryland’s two medical schools, at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, are both in Baltimore.

VCU will send its recommendation to the Governor and General Assembly for consideration during the 2002 legislative session. Approval by the legislature and the Governor would provide funding to establish the Northern Virginia campus effective July 1, 2002.

VCU plans to lease needed educational and administrative space from Inova to support the undergraduate medical education program.