The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) is proposing a standalone medical school. 

UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety spoke at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs today about the region’s need for health care infrastructure and requested the board's authorization to begin planning an accredited four-year doctor of medicine degree with a three-year accelerated track.

If approved, the medical school will be North Carolina's first public medical school established in 50 years, Volety said.

The committee will vote on the project's approval during its May 21 meeting.

“What UNCW is proposing is not a traditional model,” he said during his presentation at the meeting. “We are not proposing a traditional teaching hospital model that is very common in many medical schools. We are proposing a medical school that relies on collaborative training placements with federally qualified health centers, existing and future hospitals, clinics, medical practices across the region, including rural areas.”

“The proposed expansion is not meant to compete but complement the existing excellent programs and other state institutions," he added. 

The project will involve substantial philanthropic funding, Volety said, including support from Yousry Sayed, founder of Quality Chemical Laboratories, who donated $25 million to UNCW last year -- the largest donation it has ever received. 

Additionally, the project has received strong regional foundation and donor interest in workforce development and community-focused physician training, according to Volety, who also suggested that the New Hanover County Endowment may be a potential funding partner.  

According to Volety, it will likely be seven to eight years before the first medical students graduate from the proposed medical school if it is approved in May. 

Volety pointed to North Carolina's physician workforce shortages, particularly in rural and southeastern regions.

"The bottom line is, if you want to recruit students and retain them in North Carolina," Volety said, "we do have to take these opportunities to make sure they stay in North Carolina."

“The best time to tackle any problem like this is yesterday," he said. " The second-best time to do it is today."