New Medical Education Partnership Enhances Healthcare in Fort Bend County and Texas Gulf Coast Region
In a remarkable development to augment medical education and primary healthcare services in Fort Bend County and the Texas Gulf Coast Region, three renowned institutions have come together to announce a Regional Medical Education Expansion Partnership.
Starting August 2024, the Ibn Sina Foundation, OakBend Medical Center, and Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSU-COM) will collaborate to train 3rd and 4th-year medical students and develop new graduate medical education programs in primary care medicine.
For nearly a quarter-century, the Ibn Sina Foundation, named after the 11th-century pioneering Persian physician, has served over 1.2 million low-income, uninsured families with integrated preventive and primary care. Founder and Chairman of the Ibn Sina Foundation, Mr. Nasruddin Rupani, emphasized the urgent need for "a pipeline of local students who want to remain in Fort Bend County and the larger region to practice medicine", highlighting the foundation's mission of providing affordable care to every person, irrespective of their ability to pay.
OakBend Medical Center, tirelessly serving the Fort Bend County community since 1950, continues its commitment to the provision of exceptional, compassionate healthcare. CEO Joe Freudenberg views the partnership as a vital part of their enduring commitment to the county, emphasizing that "our mission hinges on having the medical staff to provide care for our growing community."
SHSU-COM, known for training students in rural and community-based settings with dire need for primary care physicians, views clinical partnerships as integral to osteopathic medical education. Dean of SHSU-COM, Thomas J. Mohr, DO, envisions this collaboration as a means to expand access to high-quality healthcare for those in need.
Previously considering the establishment of a new osteopathic medical school, the Ibn Sina Foundation instead decided to collaborate with SHSU-COM. Opened in 2020, SHSU-COM will graduate its inaugural batch of physicians in May 2024. The foundation's main focus through this partnership is to set up a clinical training region for medical students while simultaneously serving areas critically in need of healthcare professionals.
Expressing optimism about the partnership, Mohr explained, "OakBend Medical Center and Ibn Sina Clinics provide a range of excellent healthcare services and will provide medical education opportunities under the guidance of clinical preceptors. Our student doctors assigned to the Ibn Sina/OakBend clinical training region will move to Fort Bend County for their final two years of medical school and become embedded in the community. We hope they will set down roots and decide to stay when their training is complete, thus providing a pipeline for future healthcare providers.”
The convergence of these three powerhouses aims to provide a significant boost to both medical education and healthcare provisions in Fort Bend County and the Texas Gulf Coast Region.
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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