Message from the Vice Provost of Medical Affairs and
Dean, College of Medicine
Keith A. Joiner, MD, MPH
Vice Provost, Medical Affairs
Dean, College of Medicine
The practice of medicine has never been more exciting. Sequencing of the human genome has created the prospects for fundamentally changing the way medicine is practiced. The linkages between public health, prevention, and the incipient era of personalized medicine are viewed as a way to practice “wellness” care, and a re-focusing on the individual patient. Increases in life span are changing the demographics of the population in dramatic fashion, and encourage us to channel much more of our energy and resources toward chronic diseases and care of the elderly. Attention to best practices, quality of care, evidence-based medicine, and informatics is more central than ever. Diagnostic tests and therapeutic interventions that were unimaginable ten years ago are now readily available. New advances in biomedical imaging and in minimally-invasive surgical techniques are revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of conditions previously requiring major surgery. In combination, today’s physician is simultaneously presented with more opportunities and more challenges for delivering excellent care than ever before.
The College of Medicine is known for the humanistic and caring environment in which training takes place, and for the commitment to and involvement with care for the underserved and those in rural communities. We are revising our curriculum to focus more than ever on new mandates for medical education – a focus on the patient, with an emphasis on quality, and the use of medical evidence to guide all activities. At the same time, we are substantially expanding our research enterprise, linking our investigative efforts to improving the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human disease.
The number of training sites for our students and residents is increasing. We have an additional hospital training site (University Physicians Hospital), a new Cancer Center addition under construction, strong clinical affiliates in Phoenix, and a rich array of clinical experiences for students located at sites throughout the state. Currently, approximately 40% of our students spend their first two years in Tucson followed by their last two years in Phoenix for their clinical education. We are planning to expand to a four year college of medicine program in Phoenix. We are the medical school for the state in the truest sense of the word.
Recognizing that there is a nationwide shortage of physicians, this is a particularly acute issue for Arizona. We need more physicians in all disciplines, from primary care to specialists in medical and surgical fields. We need providers in urban areas and rural areas. We need providers from all ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. We are the medical school for the state and we have a mandate to provide physicians for the whole state. We take that mandate seriously and are creating and expanding our training opportunities to meet all of these needs. As a medical school that is only 38 years old, we have the nimbleness to make changes to respond to the rapidly evolving environment in which health care and wellness care are occurring.
We invite you to explore the wonderful world of medicine through the lens of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. This is a college that strikes an ideal balance among research, clinical care, education and outreach, and as such educates physicians for practice in the 21st century.
Keith A. Joiner, MD, MPH
Vice Provost, Medical Affairs
Dean, College of Medicine
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