River Plate University opens Medical School
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River Plate University opens Medical School - Video

By Gwendolyn Ng My Paper Tuesday, Mar 12, 2013

SINGAPORE - The dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine has a message for those who might perceive the new school as a second choice among potential students.

Professor Dermot Kelleher said: "We are looking to provide excellence in our own right, rather than looking over our shoulder at anybody else."

"It's (The school's) a new kid on the block."

When its first school term opens in August, the medical school - a partnership between the Imperial College London and the Nanyang Technological University - will be the third here.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Prof Kelleher said: "I think inevitably medical schools tend to be competitive.

"What we've really learnt both in Dublin and in London is that it's far more important to be collaborative," said Prof Kelleher, who is also the head of Imperial's medical faculty.

The Irishman formerly worked at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin, where he was head of its medical school and vice-provost for medical affairs.

Potential medical students have to sit the BioMedical Admissions Test, administered by international examinations group Cambridge Assessment in Britain.

Currently, 832 students here have taken the test for admission to Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, and about 400 will be selected for interviews next month. This will be further whittled down to 54 students for the first intake.

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New medical school out to make its mark

Want more than a sneak peek at the rankings of these schools and others? Visit usnews.com on March 12.

Thinking about applying to graduate school? Whether you're interested in pursuing an MBA, or attending law school or medical school, there are some big decisions to make. Each year, U.S. News & World Report surveys more than 1,200 graduate schools and programs and ranks them according to our methodology to help students decide what to study and find the right school for them.

Here, we offer a sneak peek of the 2014 Best Graduate Schools rankings.

U.S. News surveyed 149 fully accredited medical and osteopathic schools. In alphabetical order, here are the top 10 highest-ranked medical schools for research and the top 10 schools for primary care.

The actual ranking and score of these and other graduate schools will be available March 12, 2013, on usnews.com.

(Note: Due to ties, there are more than 10 schools listed among research schools.)

Access the U.S. News Medical School Compass for more in-depth rankings and searchable data, tools, and an expanded directory of programs.

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2014 Best Graduate Schools Preview: Top 10 Medical Schools

POSTED: Monday, March 11, 2013 - 1:14pm

UPDATED: Monday, March 11, 2013 - 1:20pm

EL PASO An El Paso medical school has been approved for full accreditation for the next eight years, officials announced Monday.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine received the approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for a period of eight years.

The LCME, sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association, is the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to a medical degree in the United States and Canada.

"It has been an arduous task moving the accreditation process to a successful outcome, but well worth it. The rewards can be seen everywhere," said Jose Manuel de la Rosa, M.D., Paul L. Foster School of Medicine founding dean and vice president for health affairs. "It is because of a team effort that our students, our city and the world now have the only fully accredited, four-year medical school on the U.S./Mexico border. We thank the El Paso community for helping make us what we are today - a symbol of their hope and pride in our community."

The accreditation approval process for the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine began in 2008 when the school received provisional accreditation that allowed it to begin recruiting students for its inaugural class of 40 students. That class, the Class of 2013, will graduate in May.

Students at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine are educated using an innovative approach that includes a clinical presentation curriculum with early clinical experiences.

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El Paso medical school receives full accreditation

$2.4M grant from Michigan Economic Development Corp. jumpstarts Michigan Translational Research & Commercialization for Life Sciences effort

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --A new $7.5 million fund will help University of Michigan medical discoveries make the leap from the laboratory to the market, accelerating their potential to help patients.

Funded in part by a new $2.4 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's 21st Century Jobs Fund, the new effort will help the U-M Medical School and U-M Tech Transfer identify, nurture and "fast forward" medical research projects with a high potential of commercial success.

The fund will officially be called the U-M M-TRAC for Life Sciences one of seven Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization efforts announced this week by MEDC.

Over the next three years, U-M medical researchers will be able to apply for translational research funds to help them pursue early-stage "proof of concept" projects with high commercial potential and value.

These projects may yield new treatments, medical devices, diagnostic tools and health care information technologies. An oversight committee that will be largely composed of experts skilled in product development, commercialization and tech transfer will review and select proposals for funding.

The other $5 million for the fund comes from commitments of budget funds from the Medical School, the U-M Vice President for Research office and the U-M Office of Technology Transfer. It's part of a broader strategic effort to give U-M medical researchers the support they need to create the future of health care through discovery.

"The Medical School's co-investment in this important new program will provide yet another resource to help our faculty prepare their research innovations for translation to the market, with the ultimate goal of impacting patient care," says James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., dean of the Medical School and Lyle C. Roll Professor of Medicine.

Grants awarded from the new fund will augment the Medical School's already very strong position as a biomedical research powerhouse. In U-M fiscal year 2012, total funding for the school's researchers was nearly $470 million including $45 million from industry. The school's $310 million in National Institutes of Health funding in federal fiscal year 2012 is the eighth-highest total in the nation.

"While new inventions, licenses to new and existing businesses, and increased follow on funding will be among the important milestones for this effort, the ultimate measure of success will be the positive impacts to human health as well as job creation that this funding will make possible," says Steven L. Kunkel, Ph.D., the Medical School's senior associate dean for research, Endowed Professor of Pathology, and co-principal investigator of the MEDC grant.

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Getting medical ideas to market: U-M Medical School and U-M Tech Transfer launch $7.5M fund for innovators

It's now questionable, whether the North Dakota House of Representatives will approve one of the largest building projects in U.N.D. history.

The State Senate has already passed a proposal for a new, 124-million dollar medical school, but now it needs the approval of the House.

If it's approved, UND's new medical school would be built next to the 125-million dollar Engelstad Arena, putting a quarter of a billion dollars worth of facilities next to each other.

The Medical School Dean says they need the room as they move from 1,000 to 1,200 health care students a year.

Dr. Joshua Wynne, Dean UND Medical School: "Add in the additional faculty that we'll need to teach those students and we physically don't have the space in our current building to accommodate all of those new trainees."

Dr. Wynne says building new is a better option, than remodeling the existing, 60-year old med school for 68-million dollars.

It's estimated a new med school will mean 57-million dollars in savings over the next 40-years, because of less up keep and more efficient energy use.

Plus, Dr. Wynne says training extra health care workers is critical to filling a growing shortage across the State.

However, House Majority Leader, Al Carlson says, he's not sure whether it's a proposal that can pass in the House.

Rep. Al Carlson, (R) Fargo: "We'll give it a good run and hear all the testimony and really can't tell you whether it will pass or not. But, I know it will get a good hearing over here."

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Fate of New UND Medical School Hangs with House

By Jocelyn Nederhoff Posted on February 28, 2013 | News | No comment

This semester 25 talented seniors will graduate and continue their education at medical schools across the state.

The time at ACU has been busy and challenging for these future physicians years full of job shadowing, rigorous class work, community involvement, passing the Medical College Admissions Test, medical school applications and interviewing at multiple institutions.

For these students, their hard work has finally paid off.

The program at ACU pushed me to achieve things I didnt know that I was capable of and made myself and my peers competitive medical school applicants, said Blaine Smith, senior biology major from Keller.

Smith will attend either the University of Texas Medical School at Houston or the Texas Tech School of Medicine. He will decide on his specialty once in medical school, but he is currently interested in being an orthopedic or opthalmic surgeon.

Luke Sorrell, senior biochemistry major from Coppell, and Heather Kregel, senior English major from Tyler, will attend UT at Houston as well. Both are interested in pediatrics.

I cannot imagine having a better experience anywhere else, Sorrell said. We are genuinely a family. Because the program is small and close-knit, we get opportunities for job shadowing and medical mission trips that you would not get at other schools.

Chloe French, senior biochemistry major from Palestine, will attend theUniversity of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine in San Antonio. She is interested in dermatology and emergency medicine.

I dont think I would have gotten such a well-rounded education at any other institution, French said. I feel very prepared mentally, academically and spiritually to enter medical school.

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Seniors’ hard work leads to medical school acceptance

Should students who want to attend medical school have to slog through a year of physics, memorize the structures of dozens of cellular chemicals or spend months studying for the MCAT? Not necessarily.

There are a few nontraditional paths into medical school. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, for example, has admitted a quarter of its incoming students for the last 25 years through a program that gave early admittance to humanities students who didn't have to take the full premed slate of science classes.

"It was designed to attract humanities majors to medicine who would bring a different perspective to education and medical practice," says Dr. Dennis Charney, dean of the school. And it worked so well, he says, that the school expanded the program on Wednesday.

By 2015, about half the incoming class will be admitted through the new FlexMed program, which will accept students of any educational background, including those in computer science and engineering.

"We're really looking for students that are innovative, that think out of the box," Charney says, "the [Mark] Zuckerbergs of the world that would go into medicine instead of [creating] Facebook."

Prospective students won't have to take the MCAT. But the program doesn't eliminate science entirely. Students, who will be admitted during their sophomore year, will have to take a year of biology or chemistry before applying, and then a few more science and math classes before graduation, as well as maintain a 3.5 GPA.

And students who didn't take enough advanced science as undergraduates will have to go to summer school to learn cell biology, biochemistry and genetics.

Charney says the students will be tracked through medical school and their careers to see if there are differences in the types of fields they go into, the research they perform or the leadership positions they attain.

"If we show that we attract a really innovative group of students," he says, "then I think [other medical schools] will follow our lead."

The traditional med school requirements have been in place for a century, but even when they were first instituted some objected, saying they excluded many excellent potential recruits to the medical profession.

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New York Medical School Widens Nontraditional Path For Admissions

By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff

Students at Brown Universitys Alpert Medical School are prohibited from accepting gifts or meals from pharmaceutical companies and drug salespeople. Yet, when she was training in a primary care clinic, student Reshma Ramachandran said drug salespeople stopped by often -- sometimes four times each week -- bringing lunch for the staff. The realities of practice clashed with her schools policy.

The preceptor would encourage us -- and it was kind of a weird pressure -- to go and sit with the sales rep or to sit with them as they talked to the sales reps, said Ramachandran, who is a fellow with the American Medical Student Association, partly focused on conflict of interest polices at medical schools.

Many schools have adopted policies restricting drug salespeople from working on campus and requiring professors to avoid or at least disclose their ties to industry. But even at institutions with the strictest rules, many doctors-to-be are exposed to pharmaceutical marketing throughout their training, according to study published this week by the Journal of General Internal Medicine and led by researchers at Harvard Medical School.

Researchers surveyed 1,610 first- and third-year medical students and 739 residents. Among first-year students, one-third reported receiving gifts from pharmaceutical companies and 17 percent said they had talked with a pharmaceutical representative in the prior six months.

Those percentages were significantly higher for third-year students. Nearly four in five reported receiving gifts, which could include food, trinkets such as pens and paper, drug samples, or financial support. Forty-four percent said they had interacted with drug reps. The rates for residents were somewhat similar.

Those students who attend schools with more comprehensive policies, measured on the medical student associations scorecard, were no less likely to have those contacts with salespeople, the study found.

Having the policy on the books is one thing, said senior author Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a Brigham and Womens physician and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Making sure that its implemented and isnt being skirted around with off-campus interactions and interactions at hospitals which the medical students might then go to is also important.

Blaming her schools policy, Ramachandran would politely decline the chats with drug salespeople. But, she said, it was difficult for some classmates to reject invitations, sometimes to fancy pharma-sponsored dinners, from supervisors who were responsible for grading their performance.

One-third of first-year and most third-year students reported observing physicians or residents interact with a sales representative. Kirsten Austad, a fourth-year medial student at Harvard and lead author on the paper said medical school is a process of socialization, and doctors learn what is ethical and appropriate not just from what they are taught but in how they see physicians behave.

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Study authors: On medical school conflict of interest policies, more enforcement needed

In a mobile, texting, socially engaged society, one would expect medical researchers to move beyond clipboards and phone surveys to make the most of technology. Harvard Medical School and Boston Childrens Hospital are starting to do that with a series of studies theyve done querying people with diabetes, a growing population with multiple, severe health needs. Elissa Weitzman, an assistant professor at HMS and Childrens Hospital, discusses a recent study that she and her team published, using a social network called TuDiabetes, the open source patient data repository Indivo (developed at HMS), and an app they developed called TuAnalyze.

The team succeeded in gathering a huge amount of information at a depth that researchers could not traditionally capture through standard research methods such as phone surveys and the examination of emergency room visits. What has been missing from organized research efforts in diabetes is the many small incidents that take place, where hypoglycemia hampers or disables the victim but does is not bad enough to send him to the doctor. Understanding these incidents is important to protect patients and improve their quality of life.

The TuAnalyze app collected reports of these adverse effects. It captured incidents of both severe and moderate hypoglycemia that had not been previously reported. Furthermore, patients volunteered in huge numbers for follow-up research.

Weitzmans research suggests the value of creating a two-way street between research participants and researchers, who usually have obtained their data by sucking it away from patients. Toward the end of our interview, Weitzman explores the importance of signing up large numbers of research subjects, which requires researchers to respect their concerns about being exploited and having commercial interests use their data in ways that make them unsafe or uncomfortable.

Major topics of the interview follow.

View the entire conversation in the following video:

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Harvard Medical School derives richer health research through patient app

SOUTH BEND -- Do cancer screenings hurt us or help us?

On March 13, an overview of the pros and cons of cancer screenings will begin the 17th annual Mini Medical School Lecture Series at Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend, 1234 N. Notre Dame Ave.

The lecture series, which is free and open to all, is designed to educate members of the general public about medical trends and enhance their ability to ask better questions of their doctors.

Five physicians will join a panel discussion at 7 p.m. March 13 in the auditorium at IU School of Medicine-South Bend. Free parking is just south of the building. A question-and-answer session will follow this and every lecture in the series.

Panelists for the March 13 event: urologist Can Talug, M.D., of the South Bend Clinic; gynecologist Etta Nevel, M.D., of Michiana Obstetrics & Gynecology; gastroenterologist Patrick O'Dea, M.D., of Michiana Gastroenterology; radiologist Samir Patel, M.D., of Radiology Inc.; and Rudolph M. Navari, M.D., associate dean and director of IU School of Medicine-South Bend and an oncologist with the South Bend Clinic.

Each Mini Medical School lecture will begin at 7 p.m. at the medical school. Here is the complete schedule:

-- March 20: "Surgical Oncology and Advanced Cancer Treatments." John Abad, M.D., of IU Health Goshen Hospital's Center for Cancer Care will review an array of treatments and novel advances such as those that change initially inoperable tumors to operable tumors for a number of cancers. He'll also highlight advances in oncology, including targeted therapies, immunotherapy, gene therapy and nano-oncology.

-- March 27: "Heart Disease: Avoiding or Overcoming the Symptoms." Cardiologist Donald Westerhausen, M.D., of North Central Cardiovascular Specialists, will review advances in treating heart diseases and steps one can take to manage the symptoms of heart disease.

-- April 3: "Mental Health Challenges and the Elderly." Psychiatrist Suhayl Nasr, medical director of psychiatry at Memorial Epworth Center, will review challenges associated with aging, steps family and caretakers can take to improve or manage age-related issues such as depression and dementia, plus health-promoting strategies.

-- April 10: "Childhood Obesity: A Critical Challenge to Child Wellness." Pediatrician Sandra Morgan, M.D., of Bristol Street Pediatric Associates, will discuss the epidemic-level growth of childhood obesity and steps parents and caretakers can take to address it.

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Mini Medical School lecture series starts March 13

Duluth Medical School Talent Show 2010
Yearly Talent Show- Some footage was lost/ currupted. Send me any additional videos you may have.

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Duluth Medical School Talent Show 2010 - Video

By McKenzie Womack

LSUs Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge is seeking to open a four-year medical school focused on research, and the idea has drawn tentative support from the LSU System Board of Supervisors.

The LSU medical education expansion, still in proposal stages, would be a branch of LSU Health New Orleans. Each of the four years of study would enroll about 25 students, said Pennington Executive Director Steve Heymsfield. There would be a total of 100 total students.

Initially, the school would add students a year at time.

Steve Nelson, dean of LSU Health New Orleans, said the medical school already has regional programs, but expanding to Pennington is one way to offer students more opportunities. He said the possibility of expanding the Lafayette branch at ULL, which is directed toward primary care, is another option.

There is nothing concrete, as yet, said Nelson. It is all dependent upon securing additional funding.

A Pennington medical training program has initial support on the LSU Board of Supervisors, said member Ronnie Anderson of Ethel, La.

There are more applicants than positions in Louisiana, said Anderson. This is a great opportunity for Baton Rouge and for opening up opportunities for med students. It can keep students and doctors in the state.

Board member Lee Mallett of Iowa, La., agrees. If thats what we decide to do, its a great thing. Anytime you can increase doctors and education, its great.

Opened in 1988, Pennington, which is located on Perkins Avenue in Baton Rouge, is one of the 10 campuses under the LSU System. It is a stand-alone unit whose focus is research. Its mission is to eliminate chronic disease, Heymsfield said. Its research has gained national recognition.

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LSU considering research focused medical school for Baton Rouge

Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center (CLAHEC) and Tulane Medical School recently presented the "Career MD" program for high school juniors and seniors living in CLAHEC's ten-parish region around the Baton Rouge area.

This unique program was a one-day interactive experience that provided students who are interested in medicine or a health career with an opportunity to observe a day's activities on a medical school campus.

Qualifying students totaling 28 traveled via coach bus to Tulane's medical school campus in New Orleans on Jan. 22. Students were given the opportunity to learn about heart and lung sounds, to measure respiratory rate and blood pressure, to learn basic life support practices working with simulators and to practice suturing and knot tying skills.

They visited the hospital to learn about the Child's Play Therapy Center and the Pediatric ICU. They were able to work with staff from the Standardized Patient Center and saw how medical students practice physical examinations on an actual person. Participants were also able to interact with current Tulane medical students and find out about the "life of a medical student."

Tulane faculty, students and staff were on hand to greet students on arrival in the morning. Dr. Ernest Sneed, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs talked with the students about the application process and specified requirements. He gave the students much encouragement and advice about choices they were going to face during their undergraduate and graduate studies.

Jameshaulyn Fernandez, a junior at Plaquemine HS, was selected as one of the participants for the day.

"The most valuable part of the day for me was when they said do what interests you and what you like," Fernandez said. "I will continue having a very positive attitude and stay dedicated. I dream of being a pediatric surgeon, so I know for a fact that I will pursue that dream. Today, I felt like I was with my loved ones."

CLAHEC is a non-profit, community-based agency dedicated to improving healthcare in Louisiana and addressing the problem of healthcare professional shortages in our state. A primary goal of CLAHEC is to identify local needs and develop programs that will encourage young people to consider a career in healthcare and to practice in rural and underserved communities where their services are urgently needed.

Nan Ewing, program coordinator, states that "the 'Career MD program is an excellent tool for students to learn about medical school and develop ideas for their own future careers through observation, hands-on experiences, and interaction with Tulane medical students and faculty."

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Iberville students explore Tulane Medical School

The 20 Amino Acids - One Minute Medical School
Every protein in your body is made from combinations of 20 amino acids. Poster: oneminutemedicalschool.com Dr Rob on: Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/oneminutemedicalschool Web - http://www.oneminutemedicalschool.com Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/1MinMedSchool

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The 20 Amino Acids - One Minute Medical School - Video

Harlem Shake - Medical School (UConn)
The University of Connecticut School of Medicine presents their edition of the Harlem Shake.

By: Owen Kahn

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Harlem Shake - Medical School (UConn) - Video

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Upstate Medical University's first year class of medical students has a higher percentage of New York residents than any medical school in the state.

Of the 156 students who started in the fall, 87.8 percent are from New York, Upstate announced today. Upstate's percentage was higher than other SUNY medical schools in Buffalo (82.6 percent), Brooklyn (80.5 percent) and Stony Brook (73.4 percent). Tha analysis is based on data from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Cornell's medical school in New York City had the lowest percentage of state residents, 23.8 percent.

Upstate said it has made a concerted effort to attract and enroll New Yorkers. Upstate received 4,730. Less than half of them were New Yorkers.

Dr. David Smith, Upstate's president, said he challenged the school's admissions committee to look closely at applications from state residents. "We have an excellent class and the state has a strong chance of retaining them," Smith said in a prepared statement.

The class contains 29 students from rural New York counties. Upstate said those students are being encouraged to seek careers working in rural settings. Upstate has a rural medical scholars program designed for those students.

Percentage of state residents enrolled in first year classes at N.Y. medical schools Upstate Medical: 87.8 percent SUNY Buffalo: 82.6 percent SUNY Downstate: 80.5 percent SUNY Stony Brook: 73.4 percent Hofstra-North Shore: 53.3 percent Albert Einstein: 44.3 percent Rochester: 37.3 percent Albany: 37 percent New York Medical: 34.9 percent New York University: 34.2 percent Mount Sinai: 30.9 percent Columbia: 30.7 percent Cornell: 23.8 percent

Source: Association of American Medical Colleges

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Upstate's medical school enrolls highest percentage of NY residents in the state

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has awarded a new five-year contract to UMass Medical School to continue coordinating health care services for inmates at the Federal Medical Center in Devens, UMass Medical School said Wednesday.

Joyce A. Murphy. Photo taken from UMass Medical School website.

The new contract is valued at $60 million over five years. UMass Medical School has assisted in managing medical care for 1,100 inmates at the facility since 2001.

With the Devens renewal, UMass Medical School said it has contracts with two of the six hospital prisons in the Federal Bureau of Prisons system nationally. The schools correctional health division also manages the medical care at all 17 state prisons in Massachusetts.

This new contract is an indication of our growing expertise at serving correctional populations at both the federal and the state levels, Joyce A. Murphy, executive vice chancellor for UMass Medical School/Commonwealth Medicine, said in a statement.

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Federal Bureau of Prisons signs new $60m contract with UMass Medical School

Feb. 21, 2013, 4 a.m.

Fourth-year Deakin University medical students Ben Fleming (left), Beatrice Sgro, Charlie Miller and Leah Watkins at the welcome ceremony.

A GROWING reputation for academic excellence, top practical skills and a good lifestyle are drawing more Deakin University Medical School students to choose Warrnambool for their final two years of study.

The Warrnambool clinical schools 2013 intake of 20 students was this week welcomed to the city by Warrnambool mayor Michael Neoh.

Among them was Tyson Moore, 28, from Brisbane, who said one of the reasons he chose the Warrnambool medical school ahead of Deakins Melbourne, Geelong or Ballarat schools was because of the top marks achieved by previous students at Warrnambool.

Mr Moore said he had heard the school had great teachers with lots of one-on-one tuition.

Bec Meltzer, 24, said a big attraction of the Warrnambool school was the large amount of time that students spent working on hospital wards.

Ive just started a rotation in the paediatric ward and Im loving that, she said.

Another member of this years intake, Maja Christensen, said she chose the Warrnambool school because the Warrnambool Base Hospital, where the clinical school was located, was very welcoming.

She said all the teachers seemed to love their role and Warrnambools seaside location was another plus.

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Deakin medical school has a healthy reputation

AUSTIN Lawmakers stepped closer to creating a major university and medical school in South Texas, with proponents saying the institutions would not take money from other Texas universities that might share a funding source.

The House Higher Education Committee held the first hearing on House Bill 1000, legislation that would create the school within the University of Texas system.

Were on the precipice of what could be one of the most significant developments in South Texas, said state Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, an author of the bill.

More than a dozen state representatives and senators have joined to author bills in the Texas House and Senate to make a new University of Texas System university with a medical school.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry called for a new university in South Texas that would have access to the Permanent University Fund, a source of money reserved only for University of Texas and Texas A&M systems.

The bill enjoys broad support from lawmakers both Democratic and Republican.

State Rep. Ren Oliveira, D-Brownsville, is the primary House author, and he said he expects the bill will sail through, but he noted the two-thirds vote necessary to approve Permanent University Fund money may not be an easy task.

The university would have campuses at UT-Pan American and UT-Brownsville, which havent been eligible for the university funds.

Brownsville is near the Rio Grande estuary in far south Texas, and UT-Pan American is in Edinburg, about 65 miles upriver from Brownsville and adjacent to McAllen.

Oliveira said the new university wouldnt take funds from the other schools benefiting from the PUF.

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South Texas medical school closer to possibility