UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
Transforming Good Intentions into
Good Medicine
University of Houston was founded in 1927 in response to a call from Houston’s business leaders for accessible higher education. The UH College of Medicine is answering another urgent call — graduate medical education to train physicians to treat the underserved.
The College of Medicine completes the UH offering of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. UH now has the stature of a true national institution.
Houston has grown by four million people since the last medical school was founded in 1972. Large areas of Metro Houston—and the entire state of Texas, particularly in rural areas—are suffering from an insufficient number of primary care physicians. We will strengthen the front lines of outcome-based health care with highly-trained physicians for community care.
The College of Medicine is the University’s 15th academic college and will admit its inaugural class in July 2020. These doctors will champion primary care and fulfill our state’s and nation’s most pressing needs. UHMed’s partnership with HCA Gulf Coast will provide 250 residencies in Texas so our graduates can continue to work in Texas’s “medical deserts”—urban and rural communities where lack of health care takes a heavy toll.
UH is taking all the right steps—receiving academic authorizations, seeking legislative approval, creating cutting-edge curriculum and completing funding requirements.
Why Primary Care? Prevention is the Cure
While life-saving medical specialists are a vital part of health care, all too often, patients do not seek medical attention until their symptoms are critical. In the best scenario, a patient’s symptoms can be monitored, managed and—optimally—resolved by a primary care physician before specialized treatment is required.
With UH’s proximity to Houston’s most underserved residents, the College of Medicine is strongly positioned to serve the populations most affected by lack of primary care.
Featured Links
It’s Official! The College of Medicine’s inaugural class begins in July. – UH News
The UH College of Medicine Revealed, the University Moves Forward on the Road to Accreditation – UH News
Humana Institute Director Leads Effort to Improve Value of Health Care – UH News
State Funding Approved for UH College of Medicine, New Law Center Building – UH News
UH College of Medicine Formally Recognized in State Statute – UH News
HCA Houston Healthcare Donates $3.5 Million to UH College of Nursing – UH News
UH to open safety-net health clinic Monday – Houston Chronicle
Paule Anne Lewis brings business acumen to new UH medical school focused on primary care – TMC News
How Humana and the University of Houston Are Teaming Up To Make a Difference in Health – UH News
H-E-B Donates $250,000 to UH College of Medicine – UH News
UHS Board of Regents Approves College of Medicine Building Location On Campus – UH News
Major Milestone: UH College of Medicine Approved by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board – UH News
“A first class of medical students in 2020—new doctors who would mirror the population that they will seek to serve—represents one more step in UH’s bold vision to serve our community.”
— Houston Chronicle
“Your life expectancy here, and in other parts of the country, is dependent, among other things, on your zip code. There are geographic communities in Greater Houston that have major health disparities and they need a different approach to health care.”
— STEPHEN J. SPANN, M.D.
Vice President for Medical Affairs and Founding Dean of the College of Medicine
“Our medical system hasn’t changed in 100 years. That’s the advantage in Houston. It’s brand new; they have a clean slate. The question is not, ‘Does Houston need another med school?’ It’s, ‘Does Houston need one like this? Of course it does.”
— PEDRO GREER, M.D. Associate Dean, Professor; Chair of the Department of Humanities, Health and Society; Florida International University Medical School
“The Texas Legislature asked us to conduct a study on the need for an additional medical school in Houston, a school that prepares students for primary care, including mental health care, in urban and rural communities. The UH College of Medicine is not a pipe dream or wishful thinking: it champions a model of health care that is imperative to the evolution of wellness in the U.S. and beyond.”
— President Renu Khator
33%
Lower health costs for U.S. adults who have a primary care physician
$67 Billion
Annual national savings if everyone used a primary care provider as their usual source of care
127,619
Deaths per year in the U.S. that could be prevented through an increase in primary care physicians
47
Texas’ ranking, out of 50 states, for number of primary care physicians per 100,000 people
6,400
Projected number of additional primary care physicians needed in Texas by 2030
4 Million
New residents in the Houston metropolitan area since that last medical school was established in 1972

Featured News
The Power Issue: Renu Khator Is Working Nonstop to Turn a Commuter School Into a World-class University – Texas Monthly
UH to build medical school on campus – Houston Chronicle
University of Houston board picks site for new med school, sets tuition and fee rates – Houston Business Journal
Texas higher education board approves medical schools for University of Houston and UNT Health Science Center – Texas Tribune
University of Houston’s proposed medical school gets state approval today – Houston Chronicle
UH College of Medicine receives degree approval from Texas board – Houston Business Journal
Khator lauds UH growth, gives update on medical school – Houston Chronicle
A New Take on Fighting Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria – UH News
New Texas Medical School Set to Emphasize Primary Care – aafp.org
U. of Houston Gets $3 Million – The Chronicle of Philanthropy
$3.5 Million from The John M. O’Quinn Foundation Funds UH Medical School Tuition – UH News
Humana gives University of Houston $15M for new med school, related colleges – Houston Business Journal
University of Houston and Humana Announce Long-term Strategic Partnership – UH News
Anonymous Gift Pays Tuition for Entire First Class at UH College of Medicine – UH News
UH hires three deans for planned med school – Houston Chronicle
Dr. Stephen Spann Named Founding Dean of UH College of Medicine – UH News
UH Creates College of Medicine to Address Shortage of Primary Care Physicians – UH News
University Of Houston To Create New Medical School – Houston Public Media
UH medical school gets initial OK from regents – Houston Chronicle
University of Houston approves medical school – Houston Business Journal
United Health Foundation, UH Expand Obesity and Diabetes Program – UH News
Anonymous Donor Pays Tuition For Medical School’s Entire Inaugural Class – Huffington Post
Anonymous $3 Million Gift to University of Houston Will Pay Med Students’ Tuition – Inside Edition
Anonymous $3 million gift to fund tuition for UH med school’s first class – Houston Chronicle
UH med school gets $3M to fund inaugural class’s tuition – Houston Business Journal
PAID IN FULL: Anonymous gift pays tuition for entire UH College of Medicine first class – ABC 13
$3M gift pays tuition for first class at UH College of Medicine – KPRC 2
UH med students have tuition paid in full – KHOU 11
UH Ranks among Top 100 Global Universities for Patents – UH News
HCA Gulf Coast Division hires exec to oversee partnership with new UH medical school – Houston Business Journal
UH College of Nursing Ranked #1 in Texas – UH News
UH College of Pharmacy No. 1 in Texas for National Licensure Test – UH News
U of Houston appoints Dr. Stephen Spann founding dean of medical school – Becker’s Hospital Review
University of Houston names founding dean for College of Medicine – Houston Business Journal
The Heart Issue – TMC | The Pulse
The University of Houston board should rally around a proposal for a medical school. – Houston Chronicle
UH to establish a medical school – KHOU
UH System Regents approve creation of the College of Medicine – KTRK-TV
Why the University of Houston?
The UH College of Medicine is taking a different approach—creating a medical school that doesn’t focus on elite specialties and instead develops physicians focused on primary care.
Close attention to wellness mirrors the shift from the historic “fee-for-service” model based on volume of treatment to a “value-based-care” in which providers are paid based on health outcomes. UH College of Medicine will also continue to develop world-class resources including:
- Nationally recognized programs in Pharmacy, Optometry, Nursing, Social Work, Clinical Psychology, and Communication Disorders.
- Nationally acclaimed programs in basic sciences, engineering, health law, health policy, and education. UH also has 19 faculty members elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.
- A diverse student body and Pre-Med Honors program that creates a natural pipeline of students from underrepresented minorities in medicine.
Competitive awards to ensure the most talented physicians stay in Texas
UH has worked with, and successfully graduated, financially challenged students since its inception. It’s part of our DNA.
The UH College of Medicine will make every effort to offer scholarships and other financial aid to as many students as possible. Financial assistance for graduates who pledge to provide care in underserved areas throughout Texas may also be available from the state.
Furthermore, the College will use a holistic admissions process that will carefully consider predictors for those most likely to pursue primary care. These predictors include individuals who: have family members in service-oriented careers; are pursuing medicine as a second career; are African-American, Hispanic or from rural areas; and have previous experience in primary care in another capacity.
We invite you to become a transformational partner with the University of Houston College of Medicine.
Donors have the unique opportunity to build, with a clean sheet, a revolutionary health care model, and the second new medical school at a Tier One research university in over 50 years. By endorsing this innovative medical education model, your generosity will allow the University of Houston to decisively address one of the most intractable issues of our times: the urgent, critical need for innovative health care for the underserved — in Houston, in Texas, and nationwide.
Funding opportunities include:
- College of Medicine Naming Rights
- UH Health Gateway Naming Rights
- College of Medicine Laboratories, Clinics and Medical Education Classrooms in Health 2
- Endowed Scholarships for Students enrolled in the College of Medicine
- College of Medicine Endowed Deanship
College of Medicine Departments (4)
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
- Dept. of Clinical Sciences
- Dept. of Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Dept. of Health System & Population Health Sciences
College of Medicine Endowed Chairs (4)
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
- Dept. of Clinical Sciences
- Dept. of Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Dept. of Health System & Population Health Sciences
College of Medicine Endowed Professorships
For more information, contact:
Eloise Dunn Brice
Vice President, University Advancement
Phone: 713-743-8695
Email: uavc@central.uh.edu
Anticipated Timeline
Board of Regents Approval for establishment of College of Medicine
November 16, 2017
Graduate & Professional Studies Approval for Medical Degree
February, 2018
Board of Regents Approval for Medical Degree
March 8, 2018
Texas Higher Education Board Approval for Medical Degree
October 2018
Texas Legislature & Governor Approval for Funding
May 2019
LCME-Preliminary Accreditation Awarded
February 2020