The College of Medicine currently evolving at Florida International University (FIU) is a new and exciting development for the healthcare community, and for South Florida, in more ways than one. When it admits its inaugural class in 2009, the nascent college will be the fourth allopathic medical school in the state and one of just 127 in the United States. As a public school with state financial support, it will make medical school affordable for qualified prospective students from every segment of the community, and will have a significant positive impact on access to healthcare for the regions underserved populations. By boosting biomedical industries, it will eventually generate thousands of new jobs for the region and is expected to add $78 million to state assets.
Perhaps most significantly, the FIU College of Medicine represents a dramatic and visionary departure from traditional medical schools in its curriculum, philosophy and relationship to the community.
John Rock, M.D., founding dean of the College of Medicine, says that the conceptual foundation of the new medical school is an innovative program called Medicine and Society that will serve as a model for 21st century medical education. “We have a special curriculum that we are very excited about,” he says. “Medicine and Society means that we place enormous emphasis on the community. Right from the beginning of their medical education, and throughout the four year program, students will serve on interdisciplinary teams. These teams of medical, nursing, social work and public health students will adopt households in selected neighborhoods and address all the health needs of those families. When appropriate, most topics we teach will be in reference to the neighborhoods; clinical and classroom experiences will integrate that experience. Students will learn team building and those skills will carry over into the clinical settings.”
Rock says that the goal of the groundbreaking program is ultimately to improve quality of life in the neighborhoods. “We will bring the resources and power of the entire university to the targeted neighborhoods. While many medical schools have community health experiences, none have the scope or depth of this program.” The emphasis on community is not restricted to the medical school curriculum. FIU is a public university and the College of Medicine will reflect the mission, engaging the community in multiple ways, including recruitment of students from the region, partnerships with existing community institutions and a focus on the cultural diversity of the region.
“Recruitment of students from South Florida is essential to solving the physician shortage,” says Rock. “We need medical students to be invested in staying here. We hope that our strong emphasis on community health and cultural diversity, and training in primary care, will encourage our graduates to remain here. Right now, only one quarter of medical students trained in South Florida practice here.”
Appreciation of the South Florida cultural climate is another distinctive aspect of the College of Medicine approach. Rock says the school will produce culturally competent physicians who will demonstrate sensitivity to the complexity of the regions diverse groups and an awareness of the health issues particular to each. He speaks of this as a “celebration” of the regions multicultural landscape.
Efforts to establish the new medical school began at FIU in 2004. The Florida legislature and Board of Governors granted approval for the school in 2006, and Rock was brought on board as dean earlier this year. He has been busy recruiting the faculty, developing the curriculum and research programs and preparing for accreditation. Rock has a stellar background in both medical education and public health and most recently served as chancellor and chief executive officer for Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center, where he established the School of Public Health. Rock also oversaw the statewide Charity Hospital System in Louisiana. He is board certified in reproductive endocrinology and is the author of over 250 publications and 83 chapter and textbooks.
Pending approval from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), the College of Medicine will begin accepting applications next year for its inaugural class of 40 students. LCME made a site visit in November and it is anticipated that provisional accreditation will be granted soon. The College of Medicine will be based within the FIU Life Sciences Complex at University Park.
FIU has signed an operating agreement with Jackson Health System that will make Jackson North the regions newest teaching hospital. According to Rock, “Jackson North will be our medical home. Part of our mission is to help hospitals advance their own missions, through residency programs. We look forward to partnering with the communitys hospitals, building bridges that will enable us to provide quality public medical education and improved health care for South Florida.”
