Medical college earns seven-year accreditation

Monday, March 18, 2002 | 8:45 a.m.

The University of Nevada Medical School has received a full seven-year accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education following a survey team report from a visit last October.

The committee praised the school's "supportive and loyal" medical students and said that staff was "knowledgeable, helpful and committed to student support."

The committee also said that the school's rural outreach services provided excellent educational experience for medical students.

"To receive full accreditation sends a very strong message that we're doing an excellent job educating physicians for the state," Stephen McFarlane, the school's dean, said.

The University of Nevada School of Medicine was established in 1969 by the Nevada Legislature. Unlike most medical schools, it is community based, using community faculty and placements instead of owning and operating a hospital.

The first two years of instruction in basic sciences occur on the Reno campus. Clinical training takes place in both Reno and Las Vegas, as well as other locations throughout the state.

The school also has an active research program, which last year received more than $40 million in grants and other awards. The school operates the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence under a five-year, $9.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The center is studying heart disease and working to develop new therapeutic drugs.