Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) is a private medical school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 2012, WMed provides programs leading to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, an MD-MBA dual degree, an MD-PhD dual degree, and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. WMed is a partnership between Western Michigan University (WMU) and two teaching hospitals in Kalamazoo: Beacon Kalamazoo (formerly Ascension Borgess) and Bronson Healthcare.
Although WMed is connected to Western Michigan University, a public university, it operates as a private non-profit institution with its own separate legal structure. In 2018, WMed received full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The school performs research and has partnerships with multiple clinics and medical organizations for residency training. In recent years, WMed has reported a residency match rate of 99% or higher.
History
In October 2007, John M. Dunn, the new president of Western Michigan University, talked about creating a medical school during his first speech to the university community. His speech interested people in the area, and within six weeks, a group called the Medical School Feasibility Committee was formed. Experts were hired in 2008 to study whether a medical school could be built, and the local Kalamazoo Community Foundation provided money for these studies. By January 2009, the studies showed that Kalamazoo already had buildings and resources that could support a medical school.
With support from Western Michigan University, Ascension Borgess, and Bronson Healthcare, planning for the Western Michigan University School of Medicine (WMed) began. In November 2009, an anonymous person donated $1.8 million to help with planning. A group of leaders from Borgess Health, Bronson Healthcare, and Western Michigan University started meeting regularly to guide the development of the school.
In 2010, WMed received permission to apply for approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). A group was formed to find the school’s first leader, and Jack Luderer, M.D., became interim dean. A committee with leaders from the three organizations helped plan the school’s future. After a search, Hal B. Jenson, M.D., MBA, was chosen as founding dean in January 2011 and started his work on March 22, 2011.
In March 2011, WMed received a $100 million donation from an anonymous person. At that time, this was the largest gift ever given to a Michigan college or university and the 15th largest in American higher education history. Later that year, William U. Parfet, chairman of MPI Research and a descendant of W.E. Upjohn, donated a 330,000-square-foot building in downtown Kalamazoo to Western Michigan University. This building, known as Pfizer Building 267, is located on land originally used by W.E. Upjohn to start the Upjohn Company. It was the site where medicines like Motrin, Xanax, Halcion, Rogaine, and Zyvox were developed. The building is near Bronson Healthcare, three miles from Borgess, and two miles from Western Michigan University and the WMed Oakland Drive campus.
On October 12, 2012, a ceremony marked the start of building the new medical school on the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus. The building was completed in June 2014, two months before the first class of medical students began. During the ceremony, Dean Jenson announced that WMed had received preliminary approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, a key step for recruiting students.
On March 11, 2014, the university announced the school would be named in honor of Homer Stryker, a Kalamazoo orthopedic surgeon and medical device innovator who founded the Stryker Corporation. At the same time, it was revealed that the $100 million gift was donated by Ronda Stryker, Homer Stryker’s granddaughter, and her husband, William Johnston.
In 2021, WMed celebrated its 10th anniversary. At that time, the school had more than 240 resident physicians training in programs such as Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Psychiatry. Fellowships were also offered in areas like EMS, Forensic Pathology, Hospice and Palliative Care, Simulation, and Sports Medicine.
In 2021, Paula Termuhlen became the new dean, replacing Hal B. Jenson, who retired after 10 years. Later that year, WMed received a $300 million donation as part of the $550 million Empowering Futures Gift to Western Michigan University. This was reported as the largest donation ever given to a public university in the United States. The money was meant to help the medical school increase scholarships, improve access to education, promote diversity and inclusion, and support the community.
On February 19, 2024, WMed announced that Dean Paula Termuhlen and the university had ended their partnership. The board of directors named Robert G. Sawyer, the senior associate dean for research, as interim dean on February 20, 2024. The following month, WMed residents and fellows voted to form a union, with 152 voting in favor and 12 against.
In 1946, the Upjohn Company, the Kalamazoo Foundation, and the W.E. Upjohn Trustee Corporation helped create the first graduate medical education program in Kalamazoo: a residency in internal medicine at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Soon after, Borgess Medical Center also started internship and residency programs.
For many years, Borgess and Bronson ran their own internship and residency programs. In 1966, the first joint residency between the hospitals and the Orthopedic Surgery Program was created. After the orthopedic surgery residency and a shared interest in improving medical education, the hospitals formed a partnership in 1973: the Southwestern Michigan Area Health Education Center (SMAHEC). In 1989, SMAHEC was reorganized, and the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University became a partner. The center was then renamed the Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies (MSU/KCMS).
In 1994, clinics and offices were moved to one location.
The MSU/KCMS Board of Directors approved merging the institution with WMed on July 1, 2012. This merger included programs for medical education and patient care, administrative tasks, 223 staff members, 200 residents, and 61 full-time faculty. More than 420 community physicians also volunteered to teach medical students and residents in their private practices. In 2014, the school welcomed 54 students into its first class.
Campus and facilities
WMed has six main locations in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and nearby areas. These include buildings on Western Michigan University campuses and other medical institutions:
- W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus
- Oakland Drive Campus
- Parkview Campus
- Ascension Borgess Hospital Campus
- Crosstown Parkway Family Medicine Practice
- Family Medicine Residency at Bronson Battle Creek
A part of the Family Medicine Residency program is located at Grace Health and Bronson Battle Creek Hospital in Battle Creek. All other locations are within Kalamazoo city limits.
The W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus is the main place where medical students are taught. This eight-story building has classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, a library, offices for faculty and staff, a fitness center, a 22,000-square-foot Simulation Center, and an auditorium. The laboratories are specialized for anatomy, procedures, research, or general use. The building was donated to the school in 2011 and has been improved with renovations since then.
WMed locations on the Oakland Drive and Parkview campuses include clinics, residency programs, offices, and training spaces. The Oakland Drive campus has the Linda Richards Administration Building and attached WMed Health clinics. The Parkview Campus includes the Innovation Center, a space that supports new ideas in life science and engineering.
Ascension Borgess Hospital is one of two teaching hospitals linked to WMed residency programs. The other is Bronson Methodist Hospital. Ascension Borgess also houses the WMed Department of Psychiatry.
The Crosstown Parkway location includes a family medicine practice that is part of the WMed Department of Family and Community Medicine.
Most WMed locations and services are open to the public for appointments, except the main educational facility (W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus) and the Innovation Center on the Parkview Campus.
The educational building was donated to Western Michigan University in 2011. A $68 million renovation and expansion project began in 2012. The building opened in June 2014 and welcomed its first class in August 2014. A second renovation phase in 2016 added space for basic science research. In 2019, part of the seventh floor was renovated to allow the Department of Pathology to move its offices, labs, and resources together. This change helped improve efficiency and provided space for growth in anatomy education, training, and research.
Accreditation
In 2012, WMed received preliminary approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the national organization that checks if schools meet standards for medical education programs leading to the MD degree. The LCME found that the medical school followed the rules in its document called "Guidelines for New and Developing Medical Schools." This approval allowed the school to continue its plans, recruit students, and accept applications for its first class, which started in August 2014. In 2018, WMed received full approval from the LCME.
Residency programs at WMed are approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). WMed's Office of Continuing Education is approved by three organizations: the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). This approval allows the office to offer education for healthcare teams made up of different types of professionals.