Comments on: Parker Griffith wants med school in Huntsville http://www.flashpointblog.com/2008/05/13/parker-griffith-wants-med-school-in-huntsville/ The Unpredictable Union of Pragmatism, Idealism, and Cynicism Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:25:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: DB http://www.flashpointblog.com/2008/05/13/parker-griffith-wants-med-school-in-huntsville/#comment-27048 DB Fri, 16 May 2008 02:46:37 +0000 http://www.flashpointblog.com/?p=1555#comment-27048 Yes, Huntsville is growing and --some day- it may support some kind of Medical School. However, the best experience is in treating the largest variety of diseases, anomalies, and patients. You must have a very large patient base for a complete medical school experience. You also need a vigorous basic science curriculum, gross anatomy lab, etc. Perhaps UAH could help eventually there, but it is way too soon. Huntsville is large and growing , but does not yet have the large patient base as Birmingham, Atlanta, etc. Huntsville is best suited for what it is now--a rotation for family practice. Perhaps more specialties can be represented in the training program, but a complete medical school no, not yet, no way---too much investment too. It would take lots of money to do it right. Yes, Huntsville is growing and –some day- it may support some kind of Medical School. However, the best experience is in treating the largest variety of diseases, anomalies, and patients. You must have a very large patient base for a complete medical school experience. You also need a vigorous basic science curriculum, gross anatomy lab, etc. Perhaps UAH could help eventually there, but it is way too soon. Huntsville is large and growing , but does not yet have the large patient base as Birmingham, Atlanta, etc. Huntsville is best suited for what it is now–a rotation for family practice. Perhaps more specialties can be represented in the training program, but a complete medical school no, not yet, no way—too much investment too. It would take lots of money to do it right.

]]> By: Brian http://www.flashpointblog.com/2008/05/13/parker-griffith-wants-med-school-in-huntsville/#comment-26809 Brian Wed, 14 May 2008 02:28:21 +0000 http://www.flashpointblog.com/?p=1555#comment-26809 Far be it from me to put words in Griffith's mouth, but it seems that he is making the proposal with a long term perspective. Huntsville is growing steadily with a large number of BRAC transferees reportedly moving here. I do believe that by the time a med school could be stood up (five, ten years?) the city (and entire north Alabama region) could support it, regardless of the number of students <em>currently</em> in rotation here. Huntsville is also a high tech city, sporting one of the highest densities of technical professionals in the country. A med school that might be able to leverage existing skill sets in the specialties that it focused on would help diversify the employment infrastructure and make the area more resistant to economic hardships that can arise in a town that thrives on government contracts. Far be it from me to put words in Griffith’s mouth, but it seems that he is making the proposal with a long term perspective. Huntsville is growing steadily with a large number of BRAC transferees reportedly moving here. I do believe that by the time a med school could be stood up (five, ten years?) the city (and entire north Alabama region) could support it, regardless of the number of students currently in rotation here.

Huntsville is also a high tech city, sporting one of the highest densities of technical professionals in the country. A med school that might be able to leverage existing skill sets in the specialties that it focused on would help diversify the employment infrastructure and make the area more resistant to economic hardships that can arise in a town that thrives on government contracts.

]]> By: PK http://www.flashpointblog.com/2008/05/13/parker-griffith-wants-med-school-in-huntsville/#comment-26733 PK Tue, 13 May 2008 17:31:21 +0000 http://www.flashpointblog.com/?p=1555#comment-26733 It doesn't make a lot of sense to put a medical school in Huntsville. UASOM already puts 30 students a year in Huntsville for clinical rotations and that seems to be about the full capacity for the hospital up there. A more likely place for a third medical school would be to add one in Birmingham, probably in conjunction with Samford. That would take advantage of the hospitals with residency programs that are currently not a part of the UAB health system. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to put a medical school in Huntsville. UASOM already puts 30 students a year in Huntsville for clinical rotations and that seems to be about the full capacity for the hospital up there. A more likely place for a third medical school would be to add one in Birmingham, probably in conjunction with Samford. That would take advantage of the hospitals with residency programs that are currently not a part of the UAB health system.

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