Medical School Profile

History and Purpose
On June 13, 1969, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston was created by an act of the Legislature and an appropriation for its initial cost was made to be effective September 1, 1969. The mission of the Medical School is to provide the highest quality education and training of future physicians for the State of Texas, in harmony with the state’s diverse population; to conduct the highest caliber of research in the biomedical and health sciences; and to provide exemplary clinical services.

Instructional Programs/Joint Programs
Doctor of Medicine
The Medical School program leading to a medical doctor degree has two primary components: two years of basic science study and two years of clinical experience. The basic science years, with the second year designed as a bridging year, are devoted to preparing the student for the clerkship experiences of the third and fourth years. Each student has a faculty advisor who helps devise the student’s educational sequence and set career goals and postgraduate educational plans. An alternate pathway program, entered during the first year, allows a student to complete the first year of basic science courses in two years.

Doctor of Medicine/Doctor of Philosophy
The Medical School and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences participate in a combined program leading to the MD and PhD degrees. This program is sponsored and supported by the health science center and UT M D Anderson Cancer Center, is administered by an MD/PhD committee and involves faculty from both institutions. The requirements for the program meet the general requirements of both degrees in a flexible six-year program.

Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health
The Medical School and the School of Public Health participate in a combined program leading to the MD and the MPH degrees. The program is integrated throughout a five-year period so that continuity of the dual objective is maintained while periods of concentration alternate between the medical and public health curricula. The requirements established for the program meet the general requirements for both degrees.

Master of Science in Clinical Research
In August 2002, the Medical School began offering a master’s degree in clinical research. This degree program is designed as a focused, flexible, and affordable program to train clinical investigators in designing and conducting patient-oriented research that is of exemplary quality. The curriculum accommodates clinicians’ busy schedules; the courses are held one afternoon a week. The degree can be completed in two to four years depending on the amount of time a student devotes to the program. The curriculum for the master’s program consists of two tracks – a patient-based clinical research track and a translational research track.

Reciprocal Agreements
Through reciprocal agreements, students at other UT System components, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Women’s University, and the University of Houston may take graduate courses for credit at the health science center. In addition, health science center graduate students may take courses for credit at any of the above institutions. Mechanisms for payment of tuition or registration fees vary according to the individual institution.

Facilities
The nine-story Medical School Building is connected to the Memorial Hermann Hospital. The building bridges Ross Sterling Avenue to form one continuous structure with Memorial Hermann Hospital’s Cullen, Jones, Robertson, and Hermann pavilions. A sky bridge provides a link with The University of Texas Health Science Center Professional Building, where the faculty conduct their clinical practices, and adjacent garages.

The Medical School Building contains offices, teaching and research laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, study areas, animal facilities, educational and biomedical communications support areas, student lounges, and administrative suites. In early 2005, the John Freeman Building (the original Medical School building), was demolished to make room for a new six-story 208,500 gross square-foot research building. The top two floors will be devoted to a state-of-the-art vivarium, and the first four floors will be dedicated to research. This new building will be connected to the Medical School building at several levels and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2007.

Affiliated Hospitals
Primary affiliations are with Memorial Hermann Hospital and the Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital of the Harris County Hospital District. Other major affiliates include UT M D Anderson Cancer Center, UT Harris County Psychiatric Center, and the Texas Heart Institute/St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.

Group Practice
The Patient Care section includes information on the Faculty Practice Plan (MSRDP), UT Physicians, and Affiliated Medical Services.

Organization Chart

Note:
a Medical School Finance & Administration reports directly to the Executive Vice President for Finance & Administration and have a secondary reporting relationship to the Medical School Dean.

See larger image.