Rendering of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. (Courtesy photo)
This story is the second in a three-part series about new higher education institutions in Arkansas that are welcoming their first class of students or breaking ground on their schools in 2025. The first story can be read here . The governor has said higher education will be a focus of the upcoming legislative session that begins Jan. 13.
Training physicians to treat patients in a more holistic manner is the goal of a new medical school set to open its doors in July in Northwest Arkansas.
The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) secured preliminary accreditation status from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in October, which allowed the school to begin recruiting students to its new Bentonvillle campus. The institution plans to welcome 48 students to its Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program this summer, and tuition will be waived for its first five cohorts.
Dr. Yogi Hernandez Suarez, who became AWSOM’s executive vice dean in October, said waiving tuition is “a really big deal” because medical debt is an issue everywhere, and this could create the opportunity for some students to consider medical school who otherwise could not take on the financial risk.