Marshall's Med School campus keeps expanding

The school has seen $120 million in new buildings during the past 18 months alone.

Many thanks to Paul Darst (BA'93, MAJ'97) of The State Journal for permitting us to reprint this story

Through much of its history, the old C&O Railway Hospital building in Huntington served the medical needs of people around the region.

Built in the 1800s, the structure once was a popular destination for those seeking quality medical care, said Dr. Charles McKown, dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University.

"It was one of the first HMOs in the country," he said. "People would come here from all over. Two railroads crossed (in Huntington). They would come here to get medical care."

The facility later was renamed Doctors' Memorial Building and served as the first home of Marshall's medical school. The creaky, drafty building, which was demolished in 2001, was a far cry from the new, modern facilities that now house the medical school, McKown said.

"We've worked on improving our facilities for years with Joan C. Edwards," McKown said. "We've worked for over 10 years on our facilities projects."

Today, nearly every building housing the School of Medicine is new. The Marshall University Medical Center, Robert W. Coon Medical Education Building, the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Forensic Science Center and the Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center all have been completed within the past 10 years... more

Sowing the Seeds

Marshall's medical school was founded in 1977 with support from the U.S. Veterans Administration, McKown said.

"The VA said they would sponsor a ... medical school for four years if the state would assume responsibility thereafter," he said.

The idea for coordinating VA hospitals with universities originated in the 1960s, McKown said. It was then that the agency built a new hospital but could not staff it. In 1972, Congress passed the Teague-Cranston Act, which called for medical schools to be established at universities in areas underserved by health professionals.

The act included the University of South Carolina, East Tennessee State University, Texas A & M University, Wright State University and Marshall.

Bricks and Mortar

The medical school has grown steadily over the years, but most of the facilities' improvements have been made during the past decade, McKown said. The school has seen $120 million in new buildings during the past 18 months alone, he said.

And the school is not ready to slow down yet. The newest building opened June 4 at the old Fairfield Stadium site. The new Clinical Education and Outreach Center is an 80,000-square-foot, four-story building that cost $23.5 million. It will serve both medical students and residents, said James J. Schneider, associate dean for finance and administration. The funding included a $14.5 million federal economic development grant and other money secured by U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.

"The first floor will have educational space," he said. "... Our second-year medical students will be there. It (has) some small classes, study areas, clinical skills labs and exam rooms."

That layout will help students better prepare for their subsequent work at the medical school and for their National Board of Medical Examiners test, Schneider said.

The three upper floors of the new building will be for clinical space, including general internal medicine and various specialties. The Fairfield building also will be home to the medical school's rehabilitation center, which was in the medical center building. The space that is vacated in the medical center then will be used for the new neurosciences department, which should open this summer, Schneider said.

More Students

More buildings mean more room for students. In recent years, the School of Medicine has graduated about 50 new doctors each year. That soon will increase, said Dr. Aaron McGuffin, senior associate dean for medical student education.

"Our goal is 75 per year," he said. "We were graduating 48 a year 10 years ago. We should have about 70 this year. We think 75 is a good number for us. It's still easy to put them all in one classroom."

The Fairfield building has a tiered classroom that can seat up to 125 students.

And the area needs all the primary care physicians it can get, McKown said. West Virginians historically have had difficulties accessing the health care system.

"From the outset, we've had a very good family medicine program," he said.

"We've expanded our mission from primary care to sub-specialties and special interests," he added. "(Rural) areas have those needs, too."

Marshall is attracting plenty of medical school students interested in serving rural areas, said Dr. Robert B. Walker, executive vice dean and chairman of the Department of Family and Community Health.

"Family practice is very, very important to West Virginia," he said. "It's always been part of our main mission. We never have a shortage of students."

FAST FACTS

During its 30-year history, the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University has graduated nearly 1,150 doctors, 62 percent of whom now practice in West Virginia and contiguous areas. Marshall officials said the school is beneficial to the tri-state area in other ways, too. It provides:

• $250 million in annual economic activity;
• more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs;
• $25 million in enhanced Medicare and Medicaid payments to local hospitals;
• a revitalized Veterans Administration Medical Center in Spring Valley.
• The school is a major contributor to the area's economy and, although it is state-supported, is nearly self-reliant.
• The school has an annual operating budget in excess of $100 million, with $6 million coming from the state.
• During the past 18 months, the school has built $120 million in new facilities using no state construction dollars.
• The school has never used a state or higher education bond funding in its history.

Copyright 2007 West Virginia Media.