UH board OKs medical degree

Doctoral progam in medical field could be added by 2020

The University of Houston inches closer to offering a medical degree as regents approve a proposal for a doctoral program focusing on preparing doctors who practice in underserved urban and rural areas.

The University of Houston inched closer to offering a medical degree on Thursday as regents approved a proposal for a doctoral program in the field.

Now, the university needs outside approval for the degree — from accreditors, Texas’ higher education coordinating board and state lawmakers wary of doling out cash.

“We’re hopeful and optimistic, but it’s not a slam dunk,” said Stephen Spann, a longtime health-care educator and administrator tapped as the medical school’s founding dean. He called the proposal “sound.”

UH’s proposal indicates that the college would focus on preparing primary-care doctors who practice in underserved urban and rural areas.

In the three-year, nine-month degree program approved by regents Thursday, students would learn about social explanations of health disparities and would participate in a primary care rotation one half day per week starting in the program’s first year.

The school would seek to educate diverse future doctors who would work in regions of Texas with low access to health care. UH hopes to enroll students by August 2020.

UH President and Chancellor Renu Khator said the university would submit a full proposal to the state’s coordinating board on Friday or Monday, and she said she hoped for that group’s approval by the end of 2018.

Other outside approval is also needed.

UH hopes to submit an application for accreditation to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education by December 2018 for preliminary accreditation by October 2019, administrators said.

In addition to internal funding, the state and donors also must support the project financially with $40 million each. UH has raised about $7.5 million for

the medical school so far, said Eloise Dunn Brice, vice president for university advancement.

The proposal comes as state lawmakers are reconsidering how to fund colleges and universities. Texas’ higher education coordinating board has previously expressed concern that the state’s universities are spreading resources too thin by offering too many degree programs.

“We’re expanding higher education and higher education programs more quickly than the legislature is raising appropriations for higher education,” said Raymund Paredes, the board’s commissioner, when asked about a possible UH medical school in January. “We can expand these programs with lesser lower levels of state appropriations, but if we’re going to make solid institutions, the money is going to have to come from somewhere,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the state coordinating board did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Khator told the Chronicle that she has had “great reception” from coordinating board members when she has talked to them about the proposal and its goals.

“We’ll answer whatever more questions they have,” she said, adding that she was optimistic because of the necessity of the school’s mission.

Also on Thursday, regents approved a 3.5-percent tuition increase for undergraduates for UH’s 2019 and 2020 fiscal years. The figure, UH said, was in line with proposed increases from Texas Tech University and Texas State University.

UH administrators said Thursday that the tuition increase would keep faculty pay competitive, increase financial aid and update facilities to give students a better shot to succeed in college. The state has given less money per student credit hour to universities since 2011, UH said.

Also, UH will use grants to cover tuition and fees next year for in-state students whose parents’ incomes total $50,000 or less, up from the current $45,000, administrators said.

Richard Walker, UH's vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment, told the Chronicle that would likely impact about 1,000 students next year. The current program covers 832 students. At least 200 new students could be covered with the higher income cap, he said.

“Affordability has always been a very good part of our mission,” Khator said. “We’ll try to help students out in affordability as much as we can.”