VIDEO: UND’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences shares updates
President Armacost and Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, dean of School of Medicine & Health Sciences, discuss latest and greatest at SMHS
Marking the end of this academic year’s series of biweekly videos, President Andrew Armacost sits with Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, dean of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences and vice president for Health Affairs, to talk about the latest happening at the School.
Dr. Jenkins provides updates on the “ND85” effort that is vying for 85% North Dakota resident enrollment in the School’s M.D. and P.A. programs; the addition of the Department of Dermatology; and the recent hosting of the National Institutes of Health on campus.
On ND85, Dr. Jenkins says the initiative is off to a great start on the North Dakota Legislature’s request to reach 85% in-state enrollment by 2030. This year, UND is admitting an M.D. class with 83% of students from North Dakota and a P.A. cohort with 82%.
And announced in early May, the SMHS will now host a Department of Dermatology following a “generous and transformational” $5 million gift commitment from the family of Drs. Mohiba and Basir Tareen.
Basir grew up in Cavalier, N.D., where his father was a surgeon for many years, Dr. Jenkins says, and their gift to set up the department, as well as an endowed chair, addresses a significant need in the state.
North Dakota currently has one dermatologist for every 28,000 residents in the state, Dr. Jenkins says, which creates long delays for those seeking specialists.
Also in early May, UND hosted the NIH’s National Institute on Aging at SMHS for a two-day meeting. Dr. Jenkins remarks that national health leaders visiting Grand Forks were impressed by the interconnection of North Dakota’s health systems and the role UND plays in training future medical professionals.
“We don’t brag about ourselves very much in North Dakota, but we hit it out of the park,” Dr. Jenkins says.
President Armacost also helps Dr. Jenkins bid farewell to Ken Ruit, longtime associate dean for Academic Affairs at SMHS, who will retire in June.
