The Florida State University (FSU) College of Medicine is prepared to work collaboratively with a future FAMU College of Dental Medicine. FSU Medical School Dean John P. Fogarty says his college is interested in sharing facilities such as its anatomy dissection laboratory and Clinical Skills and Simulation Center with the FAMU dental school. He added that FSU medical faculty could also participate in the College of Dental Medicine’s early basic science curriculum. Both of those collaborative efforts would reduce FAMU’s overhead costs.
“I believe that we share a common vision to produce clinicians for the underserved here in Florida, particularly in the panhandle,” Fogarty wrote in a letter of support for FAMU’s dental school proposal.
Fogarty also said that FSU could pipeline undergraduate minority baccalaureate recipients into FAMU’s dental program, which would pump tuition dollars into the new college.
FSU is not the only state university that submitted a supportive letter for inclusion in FAMU’s dental school proposal. University of Florida (UF) Provost Joseph Glover also offered some favorable comments.
“We do not believe that establishment of this new College would impinge on the educational programs currently in place at the UF College of Dentistry (although we are concerned about potential dilution of state funding for dental education),” Glover wrote. “Its establishment would increase the pool of trained dentists in the state.”
View Dean Fogarty and Provost Glover’s letters after the jump.
