Excerpt from the Dayton Business Journal
The Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University is preparing to meet the growing need for physicians in the country by modifying the facilities to its existing medical education building at White Hall. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $2.5 million.
There is a current and projected physician workforce shortage. By 2034, projections indicate that the United States will be somewhere between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians short of what is needed.
To try to meet this need for more physicians, the Boonshoft School of Medicine has increased the class size for the 2023-24 academic year to 132 entering students, but further expansions is limited by the building and interactive classroom size. The Boonshoft School of Medicine has preferential admission for students from Ohio and the Miami Valley, with 2021’s entering class consisting of 85% Ohioans. Of that 85%, 32% of entering students were from the Miami Valley. Part of that strategy makes it more likely that those physicians will remain in the region long-term, impacting the healthcare and well-being of the region.
To assist with the facilities modifications, Wright State University is seeking $1.25 million in funding through an application submitted to the Dayton Regional Priority Development and Advocacy Committee (PDAC). The Boonshoft School of Medicine plans to provide matching funds from donors and foundation funds, which is half the cost of the project.
The project would also help meet a tremendous healthcare need in the Miami Valley. The average life expectancy in the region lags behind the national average by as much as two years, and the rate of chronic diseases and maternal infant mortality are higher than the national average. By creating physicians to serve the region, the impact on the health of the community will be long-lasting.
