How Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s Medical Education Building Will Impact Fort Worth

FORT WORTH – The Fort Worth community is rallying behind its M.D. school.

City of Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker says you can feel the support of the community for the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University all around the city.

“There’s not a day that goes by that someone is not talking about the importance of this medical school moving forward,” Parker said.

The Burnett School of Medicine’s new 100,000-square-foot medical education building is under construction at the corner of South Henderson and West Rosedale Streets in the center of the Medical Innovation District. The medical school will bring a significant economic impact, and an influx of new talent by the way of medical students and faculty physicians, Parker added.

TCU President Daniel Pullin said, “having a world-class medical school continues to allow us to advance the academic profile of TCU.”

He said most of the top colleges and universities in the nation have a medical school.

“The field of medicine is constantly changing and how we endeavor through services, pharmaceuticals and devices to care for our citizens is really a hallmark of American innovation and what that can mean for the whole world,” Pullin said. “Being on the frontline of that innovation gives us tremendous opportunity to partner with our community, to partner with our city and to work together to create the future.”

The medical school is also addressing the state’s growing physician shortage, according to Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., Founding Dean of the Burnett School of Medicine. More Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs must be created in Texas to attract residents to live and work in the state.

“That sometimes flies under the radar, but it doesn’t fly under our radar and it’s a big deal,” Flynn said.

The medical school has partnered with Baylor, Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth and Texas Health Resources to create more than 260 residency slots combined by 2027.

 “We’re doing our part to address the workforce issues in our state, in our community and we’re also doing that with our partners by growing medical education,” Dean Flynn said.

Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in May 2023.

As the city manages its growth in the next few years, partnerships such as the Burnett School of Medicine will go a long way, Parker said.

Consider, the philosophy the medical school has “about educating tomorrow’s medical leaders in a holistic way and really transforming medicine,” Parker said.

In 2023, the medical school’s inaugural class graduated with each student matching into residency programacross the nation. Burnett School of Medicine’s medical education building is scheduled to open in Summer 2024 and will be home to hundreds of faculty, staff and students.

Having a medical school to drive these types of innovative partnerships is what will help Fort Worth and TCU continue to excel, Pullin said.

The medical school “will drive our economy, increase the quality of life and really make us a beacon of talent in health care,” he said.