2010: an odyssey of discovery
Background
The mission of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine is dictated by the accomplishment of daily activities in the areas of education, clinical care, and research. This is common to every medical school, but the vision of the TTUHSC School of Medicine makes it unique and establishes a universal direction for the pursuit of excellence and achievement, both regionally and nationally. Since its foundation in 1969, the School of Medicine has operated four campuses across the region; however, the establishment of the TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at El Paso in 2007 creates a new future as a three-campus school teaching medical students and training residents in Amarillo, Lubbock, and the Permian Basin. The dynamics in which the school has accomplished its mission have changed, and moving forward with a new vision requires careful and thoughtful planning.
Although planning for this transition has been ongoing for nearly a decade, minimal time has been available to consider the final impact of this restructuring on the School of Medicine. Primary efforts have focused on a major curriculum reform and the successful full reaccreditation of the M.D. educational program in 2009 by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. An important planning event, 2010: an odyssey of discovery, held May 20-21, 2010, and referred to as the Odyssey, brought together SOM leadership and interested faculty to examine and clarify an essential vision for a three-campus school that is based upon areas of strength within the School of Medicine, the intended legislative purpose for the school to educate and train physicians, and the ongoing needs of the geographically expansive West Texas region.
Faculty and staff are invited to comment on planning documents are they are developed. These documents are available on the Odyssey SharePoint page.
Any questions regarding the Odyssey can be referred to Tim Hayes, Senior Director of Leadership Initiatives, at 806-743-2834 or tim.hayes@ttuhsc.edu.