Medical Education
When you decide to bring a medical school to your community, the price tag can be hefty.
Especially when construction of the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine behind Cape Fear Valley Medical Center is coming in at, according to the university, an anticipated cost of between $50 and $60 million.
Every dollar counts, and Dr. Hershey Bell will be the first to tell us so.
“The Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine is tremendously grateful to the Golden LEAF Foundation and its leadership in recognizing the importance of the development of a new medical school in Southeastern North Carolina,” says Bell, 66, founding dean of the school. “Their commitment of a grant award of $8 million will make a significant difference in supporting the development of our technologically advanced, state-of-the-art medical school curriculum. We are excited to help the Golden LEAF Foundation in advancing their mission of increasing economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural, tobacco-dependent and economically distressed communities.”
We first learned about this medical school on Feb. 27, 2023, when Methodist University President Stanley Wearden, Cape Fear Valley Health Chief Executive Officer Mike Nagowski and Dr. Rakesh Gupta, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, held a news conference at the university campus’ McLean Health Sciences Building to announce the partnership between the university and the health system.
“This is a historic day,” Wearden said. “…While we have many excellent health care professionals in this community, we nonetheless have a shortage, which is a microcosm of a national shortage. We are perfectly located to meet this need. We’ll improve the quality of health care.”
Nagowski, 58, would underscore Wearden’s words.
“This will go a long way,” Nagowski said, “in solving our doctor deserts” to include Cumberland, Bladen, Columbus, Harnett, Hoke, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland counties.
Gupta is the retired gastroenterologist and former chief of medicine from 1996 to 1998 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, and the vision behind the medical school. When it comes to health care for all in this community, you will not find a more dedicated or compassionate man than Dr. Rakesh Gupta.
“I look to the day when students of the first class walk in with their white coats,” Gupta said.
First class to arrive in 2026
The school is coming, although still awaiting accreditation.
The medical school, according to Bell, has submitted documents for consideration in October by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education based in Chicago and Washington, D.C. A decision, Bell says, will be determined by the LCME for “Candidate Status,” and if favorable, a site visit will ensue in early 2025. The LCME represents the Association of American Medical and the American Medical Association.
Meanwhile, property along Village Drive behind the medical center is being cleared, and Bell already has assembled the leadership with a cast of medical and academic professionals in anticipation of the first class of students in 2026. All will be training in a myriad of health care specialties.
“I would put this team against any team in the nation,” Bell was saying in March about the leadership team that is made up of Dr. Stephanie Mann, senior associate dean of academic affairs; Kimberly Vess, senior associate dean of student experience; John Worth, senior associate dean of administration and finance; Mostafa Hosseinzadeh, assistant dean for assessment; Yen-Ping Kuo, associate dean for curriculum & student success; Rebecca Wise, associate dean of admissions & recruitment; Carol Nichols, associate dean and chairperson for foundational sciences; Scott Bullard, chief of staff; and Carol Gage, executive administrative assistant.
Health care doesn’t come cheap.
Neither does a medical school, but every dollar toward this Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine matters. CFVH will cover the $50-$60 million construction cost of the building, according to the university, and Methodist will lease the building over 20 years.
“Research has shown that resident doctors trained in rural areas are more likely to practice in rural areas,” Ralph Strayhorn, chairperson of the Golden LEAF (Long-Term Economic Advancement Foundation) board of directors, says in a news release. “The funding to Methodist University will not only help build hundreds of jobs throughout southeastern North Carolina, but also increase the number of physicians serving the region. This project will substantially move the needle for rural health care in North Carolina.”
Scott T. Hamilton is president and chief executive officer for Golden LEAF. He says, according to the release, that the partnership between the university and the health system will make a difference in health care for generations to come.
Epilogue
Strayhorn’s and Hamilton’s words are not lost on Dr. Hershey Bell.
“The mission of our medical school includes our commitment to be community engaged and socially accountable to the needs of the people of our region,” Bell tells CityView. “By producing the region’s next generation of physicians who will improve access to health care and continue to improve health outcomes, and by fostering significant job growth and economic development in our region, I can proudly say that Methodist University, Cape Fear Valley Health System and the Golden LEAF Foundation will positively transform Southeastern North Carolina for generations to come.”
The medical school is coming. You can be assured. This medical school is coming.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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