The Temple VA will serve as one of the training sites for Baylor College of Medicine students who begin studies at the new four-year Temple campus in summer 2023. Temple medical students also will rotate at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and McLane Children’s Hospital. David Stone photo

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

The Olin E. Teague VA Center will serve as a teaching hospital for medical students training at the Temple campus of Baylor College of Medicine beginning in 2023.

Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor Scott & White Health announced an academic affiliation in November 2020 that included the development of a four-year medical school regional campus in Temple.

Baylor College of Medicine will welcome its inaugural class of medical students in summer 2023. The campus will utilize space currently used by Texas A&M, which is leaving Temple in 2024 to increase its presence at facilities in Dallas, Round Rock and at Texas Medical Center in Houston.

The Temple VA will serve as one of the training sites for medical students who begin clinical rotations after 18 months of didactic training. Medical students at the regional campus also will rotate at Baylor Scott & White Health campuses, including the Temple medical center and McLane Children’s Hospital.

“The VA will serve a vital role in training future physicians at our regional campus,” said Dr. Alejandro “Alex” Arroliga, regional dean of Baylor College of Medicine’s campus in Temple and chief medical officer at Baylor Scott & White Health.

“Our students will have an opportunity to work with a diverse patient population as well as the honor of providing care for the men and women who served our country,” Arroliga said.

Dr. Christian Cable, associate dean of admissions and students at BCM’s Temple campus, said the VA is at the heart of the local community.

“The Temple VA’s experienced health-care team has a wealth of knowledge that will enrich our medical students,” Cable said.

The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System serves more than 252,000 veterans, covers 35,000 square miles and 39 counties. The Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Medical Center in Temple is a tertiary care facility as well as teaching medical center, providing a full range of patient care services. The hospital has been involved in medical education in the Temple community for decades.

“I am confident that trainees who are exposed to the health-specific needs of veterans are better equipped to meet the changing needs of the nation’s health care system; this collaboration is a win for the entire Central Texas community,” said Dr. Olawale O. Fashina, chief of staff of the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System.

The partnership is an extension of Baylor’s long-standing relationship with the VA. In 1949, the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston became the first affiliate teaching hospital for medical students at Baylor College of Medicine.

"We are so thrilled to partner with the VA and know that our students are going to get an outstanding education there,” said Dr. Jennifer Christner, senior dean of the School of Medicine and School of Health Professions at Baylor College of Medicine. “Rotating through our affiliate hospitals is an essential part of training our medical students, and we appreciate their support and commitment to helping us train future healthcare leaders.”

MONDAY | MAY 2, 2022