It was big news a year ago when two local universities announced they were collaborating to open an MD school here in town.
Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas Health Science Center announced the historic collaboration in a room full of local luminaries, big wigs, fat cats, TV cameras and humble, local scribes. Tuition is likely to be in the $50,000 per year range and the first class will begin in 2018.
But now it’s time for brass to get down with the tacks.
The big first tack was the hiring of Stuart D. Flynn as the founding dean of the new school. He comes with plenty of credentials. He was the founding dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, so really, what better qualifications could one ask?
Flynn is busy learning about the community and – conversely – the community has been learning about him.
He spoke recently at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s Leaders in Business Luncheon.
Some of his observations:
• “Everything they [medical teams] do is about the patient,” he said. They must have strong communication skills and show empathy. “Bedside manner will be very important,” he said.
• The school will graduate its first class in May 2022 and graduates will begin their practice in 2025, following their residencies. “Someday they will be your doctors,” he said.
• The new doctors will need to be “comfortable with very rapidly evolving technology” occurring in medicine.
• The iPhone is “an unbelievable medical tool,” he said. “We can use it to measure heart rhythm” and more applications are coming, he said.
• Biosensors will be big, he said. Your medical team will have access to vast amounts of data about their patients. “This is the world these young people will step into,” he said.
• How important is the cap on your prescription bottle? It could soon be very important as it measures how well you are taking your prescriptions according to a physician’s recommendations.
• Why is that important? One-third of patients don’t fill their prescriptions and one-third of those that do, take their medication incorrectly. A smart cap could help patients take medications effectively, Flynn said.
• One key to the school will be having medical personnel who will work together. “Medicine has become a team sport,” he said.
It’s going to be a brave new world of medicine. And it’s going to be right here – soon.
Want to learn more about the MD school? Dr. Flynn will be speaking at Fort Worth Business’ Business for Breakfast series on Aug. 17. Contact Lauren Vay for more information: lvay@bizpress.net