Proposal supported by OHSU would provide a training ground for aspiring doctors complete with a cadaver lab

By Damian Mann for the Rogue Valley Times

A proposed Medford medical school associated with Oregon Health & Science University has sparked interest among Medford City Council members.

At a Thursday study session, councilors voiced support for developing a memorandum of understanding with OHSU to create a local campus and to develop a residency program for doctors at local hospitals.

“Why shouldn’t we do this?” Councilor Mike Kerlinger asked. “The community really wins the most.”

The medical school proposal, which is supported by OHSU, would provide a training ground for aspiring doctors complete with a cadaver lab.

If the idea is realized, Medford would be the only medical school between OHSU in Portland and UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, although there is a fledgling proposal by Oregon Institute of Technology to build a medical school in Klamath Falls.

“This is a really big part of the country that doesn’t have a medical school,” said Paul Umbach, founder and president of the consulting firm Tripp Umbach. “You can train them here and keep them here.”

Previously, the council approved a $100,000 study with Tripp Umbach to develop the proposal and work with OHSU and other stakeholders.

Umbach said his firm has helped start 45 new medical schools across the country.

One of them is in Great Falls, Montana, which has a smaller population than Medford. The 100,000 square-foot medical school is affiliated with Touro University and opened in 2023. The school has nearby housing for the students.

According to the Great Falls Tribune, other Touro schools of osteopathic medicine are located in New York City and Middletown, New York.

In addition to the medical school, it will be important to have a residency program at the local hospitals, Umbach said.

“Once they go away for residency someplace else, they have a connection to someplace else,” Umbach said.

Umbach said that typically 75% of the students who go through a medical school and residency program stay in the area. The Medford campus would need an approximately 60,000-square-foot building, he said.

Councilor Kevin Stine wanted to know if OHSU is really interested in setting up a campus in Medford.

“What does OHSU get out of the deal?” he asked.

Julie Chmiel, executive vice president and managing senior principal for Tripp Umbach, said OHSU’s mission is to train doctors who will work in the state, but OHSU doesn’t have any satellite medical school locations outside of Portland. It does offer nursing programs in Klamath and Ashland.

“It’s a big opportunity for them,” Chmiel said. “There is a need for physicians and surgeons in the state, particularly rural regions.”

Umbach said, “There’s a lot of pressure because they haven’t been serving the whole state and they get state funds.”

Councilor Kevin Keating said, “I’m pretty supportive of this. I don’t see any real downside.”

But he wondered what kind of a financial hit it would require.

Umbach said the city could provide a piece of land for the medical school, and he thought philanthropic efforts, naming rights, participation by existing medical facilities and potential support from the Legislature are avenues to explore to fund the project.

Councilor Jessica Ayres said she wondered if OHSU has the capacity to expand its operations.

Umbach said OHSU receives thousands of applicants for every one seat available at its medical campus.

Medical doctors typically go through a four-year medical school followed by three years of residency at a hospital.

Umbach said a Medford medical school could start out as a two-year school, followed by residency programs at Asante hospitals or at Providence.

He recommended designing a four-year campus to allow for expansion in the future. The school would start out training third and fourth year medical students and could be operational in a few years if the city, OHSU and community partners work together.

Southern Oregon has seen a number of medical clinics closing down and doctors leaving the area in recent years.

In response, the Medford City Council in 2024 approved a $23,000 grant to the Southern Oregon Alliance of Physicians & Providers (SOAPP) to recruit primary care providers, specifically helping with lodging, meals and transportation.

Rob Field, Medford city manager, told the council that meetings have already been set up with stakeholders in the community that have an interest in seeing a medical school in Medford.

He said that more work will be undertaken in the coming weeks before coming back to the council.

“We’ll recommend a path forward,” he said.

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.