By Forrest Milburn, Staff Writer

Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

New UIW medical school in San Antonio celebrates opening

City leaders and health-care providers gathered Thursday morning for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the University of the Incarnate Words School of Osteopathic Medicine at Brooks City Base.

Later this month, the school will welcome its inaugural 150-member class, who will be taught by more than 45 faculty members. The campus includes four refurbished buildings on 16 acres.

San Antonio, our eagle has landed, said founding dean Robyn Phillips-Madson, referring to the late President John F. Kennedys 1963 space-age speech made at the same location.

Phillips-Madson frequently mentioned that more than 50 years ago, JFK gave a dedication speech at what was then called the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine to begin a new age of space exploration research for San Antonio and the rest of the country.

The UIW school is the states second to teach osteopathic medicine and its first private one. Both osteopathic and allopathic students can be certified to practice medicine in Texas, but the philosophy differs. For osteopathic doctors, designated by D.O., theres more of a focus on the person rather than their ailments, Phillips-Madson said.

The school, which was privately funded through donors, cost about $50 million to start, including renovation of the buildings.

It is the second medical school for San Antonio. The University of Texas medical school, known as the Health Science Center, offers doctor of medicine, or M.D., degrees.

When somebody comes to San Antonio and they ask, Where is the medical center? we will respond with which one? said UIW Board of Trustees Chairman Charlie Lutz.

Several of the speakers said the new school would fulfill the need for more primary-care doctors on San Antonios Southeast Side, as well as the state as a whole.

In 2016, there were 20,578 practicing primary-care physicians in Texas, about 73 for every 100,000 residents, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

fmilburn@express-news.net

The need is a little better in Bexar County, where there are 82.1 primary care physicians for every 100,000 residents, according to the same data.

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