In 1957, New Mexico faced a growing shortage of physicians and no medical school to train them. To fill that need, The University of New Mexico’s president,Tom Popejoy, began the process of establishing a medical school at UNM.
The School of Medicine’s first class of 24 students began in 1964 and in 1966, the four-year MD curriculum was launched. The first class of UNM MDs graduated in 1968.
By 2006, the Doctor of Medicine program’s class size had increased to 76. That year, UNM’s Combined BA/MD Degree Program was launched and the School of Medicine once more increased its entering MD class size to 103. The first cohort of BA/MD students matriculated in 2010.
Over the years and true to its beginnings, the UNM School of Medicine has remained focused on expanding New Mexico’s health care workforce.
UNM School of Medicine’s 1,116 clinical faculty include the 880 providers for the UNM Health System.
Our physicians practice at UNM Hospital, Sandoval Regional Medical Center and in the UNM Medical Group Clinics providing primary to tertiary and quarternary care.
The Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center has been a long time partner to the School of Medicine and a number of faculty are shared between the two facilities. These shared appointments provide our faculty with a robust environment for research. We currently have ~100 FTE residency slots filled at the Va with the potential for 15 more.
Another partner of the School of Medicine is the Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital (LUNMRH). This partnership is critical in both providing care for our patients who need to be discharged to rehabilitation and in education, as our newly established Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency is anchored at LUNMRH.
Designed to help address the state’s physician shortage by assembling a class of diverse students who are committed to serving New Mexico communities, UNM’s Combined BA/MD Program is a collaboration between the Health Sciences Center and the UNM College of Arts & Sciences.
The program is open to students graduating from a New Mexico high school and members of a Native American nation, tribe or pueblo located wholly or partially in NM and graduating from a local school. Students in the program receive undergraduate scholarship support and are provisionally admitted to UNM School of Medicine.
As of January 2020, 119 students were enrolled in the undergraduate phase and 111 were medical students at UNM.
Of BA/MD alumni practicing medicine, 73% have returned to New Mexico and 94% practice primary care medicine.
Many New Mexico communities lack access to health professionals, including physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, dental hygienists, emergency medicine technicians and radiologic and medical laboratory scientists.
UNM School of Medicine delivers these important providers through health professional training and educational programs ranging from certifications to doctorate degree.
UNM School of Medicine’s health professional students comprise approximately 20% of the entire UNM Health Sciences Center student body.
The spectrum of services they deliver covers the entire lifespan – from prenatal testing, to childhood immunizations and checkups, to primary care, disease management, lifesaving emergency treatment and end-of-life care.
With constant focus on its mission of service to New Mexico, UNM School of Medicine makes it a top priority to seek out students who are committed to staying and practicing in New Mexico.
