Contact: Jeanne Antol Krull
UM School of Medicine
305 243-4853

UM, FAU and BRCH Team Up To Plan 21st Century Medical Education

BOCA RATON, Fl. -- (June 30, 2004) - Building on a unique educational partnership, officials of the University of Miami School of Medicine and Florida Atlantic University today announced a collaborative planning process with Boca Raton Community Hospital (BRCH). The parties will explore establishing BRCH as a community teaching hospital for the University of Miami, which is enrolling its first class of medical students at FAU's Boca Raton campus this summer.
In the fall, 16 students will begin attending the UM Medical School at FAU in an initiative prompted by the state's commitment to expand medical education without the expense of creating new medical schools. Establishing BRCH as a teaching hospital would allow the UM students to begin clinical training their first week. Additionally, the parties have begun planning to expand the current two-year UM/FAU medical school program to a full four-year program with clinical work taking place at BRCH.

"The affiliation among the School of Medicine, FAU, and Boca Raton Community Hospital would give our students invaluable patient care experience from the very beginning," said John G. Clarkson, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the University of Miami School of Medicine. "This is a win-win-win situation, not only for the three institutions but also for southern Palm Beach County."

The agreement to enter a planning process advances the goals of increasing the quality of medical care and providing continuing education for community physicians. The universities and the hospital will explore the possibility of establishing joint clinical programs in areas including aging, cancer, cardiology, cardiac surgery and the neurosciences. UM and FAU faculty members at the new Charles E. Schmidt Biomedical Science Center will instruct the new medical school students.
"This unprecedented partnership with the University of Miami and potentially with Boca Raton Community Hospital is a testament to what can be accomplished when public/private partners work together," said FAU President Frank T. Brogan. "It is our sincere belief that partnering with the hospital and exploring the option of expanding our existing program with UM can bring medical education to even more of tomorrow's physicians."

Boca Raton Community Hospital executives see a number of advantages for patients in these possible alliances. "As a community hospital, our mission of providing distinctive healthcare is constant but our patient care delivery model is continually evolving," said Gary Strack, president and CEO. "Broadening our perspective to incorporate university linkages is a way to give the community what it deserves - a teaching hospital that rivals the nation's best."

For more information about the UM/FAU Medical School program, contact UM at 305-243-6737 or FAU at 561-297-2219.

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Additional Media Contacts

Boca Raton Community Hospital
D.B. Wienke
Executive Director, Marketing & Communications
561-955-5083 dbwienke@brch.com

Florida Atlantic University
Aileen Izquierdo
Executive Director, FAU Office of Communications
561-297-2442 izquierd@fau.edu