Boonshoft School of Medicine

The Science of Medicine. The Art of Healing.
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine is located in Dayton, Ohio, and serves the Miami Valley region of Southwest Ohio. Its educational programs include:

• medical education leading to the M.D., M.D./Ph.D., M.D./M.B.A., or M.D./M.P.H. degree for about 429 medical students;
• residency training in 13 medical specialties and fellowship training in 10 subspecialties for about 431 resident physicians and fellows;
• master's degree programs in aerospace medicine, pharmacology/toxicology and public health.
• continuing medical education programs for practicing physicians in the community.

Instead of operating a university-based hospital for clinical training, Wright State is affiliated with seven major teaching hospitals in the Greater Dayton area and has formal affiliation agreements with more than 25 other health care institutions in the Miami Valley. This model exposes medical students and resident physicians to a diverse range of patients and health care facilities. Medical educators believe that this "real world" experience is excellent preparation for medical careers in a rapidly changing health care system.

The school's academic departments include basic science departments located on the Wright State University campus and clinical departments based throughout the community. Wright State's clinical faculty teach and provide medical care for almost half a million patient visits annually. In addition to almost 400 full-time faculty, Wright State's voluntary faculty include more than 1,200 physicians in private practice and other health care professionals in the community. Voluntary faculty provide an invaluable service by donating their time and expertise to the training and development of both medical students and residents.

Our innovative educational programs have made the Boonshoft School of Medicine a national leader in generalist medicine, community service and the diversity of our student body. Our research programs are distinguished by interdisciplinary teamwork and community collaboration and include nationally recognized centers of excellence in genomics, toxicology, neuroscience, substance abuse and treatment, and human growth and development.

Administrative Offices & Support Units
Our mission is to educate culturally diverse students to become excellent physicians by focusing on generalist training that is integrated, supported, and strengthened by specialists and researchers, all of whom value patient-focused care, community service, and research, and have passion for improving health in their communities.

Distinguishing Characteristics

• The WSU Boonshoft School of Medicine ranks fourth in the nation for its high percentage of graduates who practice primary care, work in health professional shortage areas and are underrepresented minorities, according to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
• Boonshoft School of Medicine, its medical student education and research enterprise, its faculty practice plan (Wright State Physicians) and the resident training and research enterprise of its affiliated hospitals contributed $850.5 million to Ohio's economy in 2007, according to a study commissioned by the Ohio Council of Medical Deans. During the same period, they generated $24 million in state government revenue and were responsible for supporting 13,334 jobs. See: "The Economic Impact of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine."
• From their first week of classes, our students participate in clinical care. See: The Future of Medical Education Begins Here.
• Our school is a national leader in community-based education, providing clinical training at seven major teaching hospitals. Two of these institutions are premier federal hospitals and another one operates the busiest emergency department in the state of Ohio. See: Seven teaching hospitals prepare you for the real world of medicine.
• Over the past several years, 83 percent of our graduates who entered residencies were rated as "very good," "superior," or "among the best" by their residency program directors.
• Wright State has become a national leader in generalist education although our graduates enter the full spectrum of medical specialties. See: Our graduates get top residencies.
• Wright State has the longest running civilian training program for doctors specializing in medicine related to air and space travel. Since 1978, Wright State's Aerospace Medicine Program has provided NASA with a steady supply of flight surgeons and also has trained the medical leadership for start-up space programs in a dozen other nations.
• Boonshoft School of Medicine has undertaken several joint research initiatives and technology transfer agreements and shares faculty with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

A Brief History
The vision for a medical school at Wright State University originated with Dayton area physicians and community leaders who recognized that using existing hospitals and other clinical resources would be a cost-effective model for medical education. In return, the school's community involvement would strengthen the health care system throughout the region.

In 1970, just three years after the Ohio General Assembly officially chartered Wright State as an independent state university, university leaders asked for support for a new medical school. They presented a feasibility study based upon what they called the "concept of community" and outlined the broad base of support they had identified for developing such a school.

In 1972, Congress passed the Veterans Administration Medical School Assistance and Health Manpower Training Act, also known as the Teague Cranston Act, which provided financial support for establishing five new U.S. medical schools, including one at Wright State University. The VA awarded the school a $19.5 million, seven-year grant for faculty support and facilities. Other major founding donors included Mrs. Virginia Kettering, who contributed $1 million in unrestricted funds, and the Fordham Foundation, which provided $500,000 for a medical library.

The school was established by the Ohio General Assembly in 1973. A key to selecting the founding dean was finding a leader who could bring to life the community service vision of the school's founders. Many felt that objective was accomplished with the hiring of John R. Beljan, M.D., in 1974.

The school's charter class began studies in 1976 and graduated in 1980. Since then, 2,155 M.D.'s have graduated from Wright State. Wright State alumni are practicing in every state in the nation. (See: alumni map.)

The strong commitment to community became one of the school's hallmarks. That commitment was recognized nationally when the Association of American Medical Colleges granted the school the prestigious Outstanding Community Service Award in 1997.

In 2005, the school changed its name to the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in recognition of the Oscar Boonshoft family, which gave Wright State's largest philanthropic gift to the medical school.

In fall 2008, the medical school held a grand opening for a new Medical Education Center in White Hall (shown left). The new facility is the result of a three-year project to completely renovate the former Frederick A. White Health Center for Ambulatory Care and to expand the building with an 18,000-square-foot addition. In total, the facility now includes more than 84,000 square feet of lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, offices, study spaces.

Office of the Dean

Welcome
The Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio, offers academic excellence and diversity in a full range of educational programs. We have a balanced and comprehensive curriculum that provides excellent exposure to primary and specialty training and education. Our hallmarks include dynamic partnerships with our community and collaborative research initiatives. Please take a moment to explore our web site to learn more about our innovative teaching and learning environment where intellectual curiosity and personal growth are fostered.

Our Vision
To progress as a preeminent community-based medical school that advances new models of academic excellence and community health care.

Our Mission
To educate culturally diverse students to become excellent physicians by focusing on generalist training that is integrated, supported, and strengthened by specialists and researchers, all of whom value patient-focused care, community service, and research, and have passion for improving health in their communities.

Visiting Dayton & the Miami Valley
Situated in the Miami Valley region of Ohio just an hour north of Cincinnati, Dayton is a mid-sized Midwestern city with a history of innovation surrounded by a diverse metropolitan area of almost a million residents. Home to several international corporations, including NewPage Corp. and LexisNexis, as well as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the region is known for its strengths in information technology, aerospace research and development, advanced materials engineering and health and human services.

Modern architecture and historical landmarks mingle in the central city, while surrounding communities offer comfortable and affordable suburban and rural lifestyles. Miami Valley leaders recently launched a Creative Region Initiative to foster a "more authentic, sustainable and prosperous region rich with talent, tolerance, technology and territorial assets" so as to attract and retain the creative workforce key to the future of any region hoping to thrive in a global economy. Some of the region's assets are noted below:

Performing Arts - Dayton offers a rich blend of dance, vocal, theatrical and instrumental arts. The new Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center is a world-class facility offering the best in local, national and international performing artists. Dayton Opera and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra call the Schuster Center home, and it showcases the latest Broadway shows. Local performing arts treasures, like the Dayton Ballet, also make use of the facilities. The city's cultural flavor also includes the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, CityFolk and the Human Race Theatre Company. The beautiful, historical Victoria Theatre is stage for many of these performers, and five other major-event venues also host shows and concerts.

Boonshoft School of Medicine Degree Programs :

Medicine

Public Health

Video Presentation

Applying to Boonshoft School of Medicine

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine offers admission to qualified students from inside and outside of Ohio based on evidence of strong intellectual ability, dedication to human concerns, communication skills, maturity, motivation and potential for medical service in an under-served area of Ohio. Areas assessed by the Admissions Committee include academic load in college, GPA, MCAT scores, extracurricular activities and work experiences. Almost 3,000 applicants seek admission to each class of 100 medical students.