UH College of Medicine receives TMC nod

The University of Houston College ofMedicine has become the Texas Medical Center’s 63rd member institution, according to a university release.

The new partnership is a gain for UH’s medical school, the first new medical institution in Houston in nearly 50 years.

The College of Medicine, which welcomed its inaugural class of 30 students in the fall, has emphasized its goal of aiding underserved communities and addressing a shortage of primary care physicians throughout Houston and greater Texas. TMC’s network, which sees more than 10 million patients a year, is home to MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Children’s Hospital, the largest children’s hospital in the world.

“We are elated to join the Texas Medical Center as a member institution and look forward to engaging with colleagues at other institutions to advance clinical issues and best practices, and further joint research endeavors,” said Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the medical school.

Spann, who also recently joined TMC’s advisory board, said the medical school can assist with the coronavirus pandemic.

“The tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic has paradoxically produced an opportunity to address larger issues facing our health care systems, such as health equity,” he said. “Together with our TMC partners, we can help be part of the solution.”

As a member institution, the medical school will also have the opportunity to collaborate with TMC’s University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Texas A&M College of Medicine.

The medical school continues to expand its services and initiatives.

Last semester, the college virtually launched a Household-Centered Care program, which teams social workers with healthcare professionals to create a network to aid communities in hopes of improving their health. And more recently the college announced its use of Unite Us, a newly launched electronic platform that provides a network of resources, partners and service providers for patients.

A new building for the college is under construction on the campus and is slated to open next summer. The three-story, 130,000 square-foot building will feature modern classrooms and meeting spaces and anatomy and simulation suites. brittany.britto@chron.com