University of North Carolina at Wilmington Chancellor Aswani Volety told members of the UNC System’s Board of Governors last week that the time is right for his university to add an accredited four-year medical school with a three-year accelerated track.
The southeastern region of the state faces a significant shortage of physicians, and that leads to patients facing longer wait times for care, an overreliance on emergency departments and higher levels of hospitalizations, Volety told the board’s planning committee April 15.
“By 2030, North Carolina is projected to have a deficit of over 7,700 physician positions. This is on top of a growing state and aging demographics,” he said. “And despite being a fast-growing state, North Carolina ranks 40 out of 50th in medical students per capita.”…