UT Southwestern is an academic medical center, world renowned for its research, regarded among the best in the country for medical education and for clinical and scientific training, and nationally recognized for the quality of clinical care that its faculty provides to patients at UT Southwestern University Hospitals & Clinics and affiliated institutions.

The Medical Center has four degree-granting institutions: UT Southwestern Medical School, UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UT Southwestern School of Health Professions, and UT Southwestern School of Public Health.

• The schools train nearly 3,700 medical, graduate, and health profession students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows each year.
• Ongoing support from federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, along with foundations, individuals, and corporations, provides almost $554.4 million per year to fund faculty research.
• Faculty and residents provide care to more than 117,000 hospitalized patients, almost 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 3 million outpatient visits annually.
• UT Southwestern has approximately 18,800 employees and an operating budget of $4.1 billion.

Mission

UT Southwestern’s mission is promoting health and a healthy society that enables achievement of full human potential. We:

• EDUCATE
  Physicians, scientists, and caregivers optimally prepared to serve the needs of patients and society
• DISCOVER
  Research that solves for unmet needs by finding better treatments, cures, and prevention with a commitment to ensuring real world application
• HEAL
  Best care possible today, with continuous improvement and innovation for better care tomorrow

UT Southwestern Medical School

One of the largest medical schools in the country, UT Southwestern Medical School graduates about 230 students each year. Educating and training the next generation of physicians and biomedical scientists is a core mission. To ensure that UTSW students are fully prepared for the future they will encounter in the rapidly changing landscape of medicine, science, and health care delivery, a new curriculum was launched in 2015 for the initial graduating Class of 2019.

The curriculum is characterized by a focus on team-based learning, close contact with faculty, meaningful mentorship opportunities, and integrating basic science education with patient care training and experience.

The four years of medical school are now divided into three distinct periods for students – pre-clerkship, clerkship, and post-clerkship. The first 18 months in the pre-clerkship phase are focused on building knowledge in basic and clinical sciences through rich, team-based learning experiences. The ensuing 18-month clerkship phase is designed to provide the opportunity to explore clinical fields and includes 42 weeks of rotations in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, neurology, and outpatient care; a 12-week period for students to complete a Scholarly Activity in an area of their choice, including basic research, clinical and translational research, community health, global health, medical education, and quality improvement; six weeks of electives; and six weeks of Step 1 preparation time. Students also complete two required courses besides residency essentials – Frontiers in Medicine and Physicians in Society.

The post-clerkship fourth year includes sub-internships and acute care rotations, electives designed to build strengths in the student’s chosen field, as well as courses tailored to ensure each graduate is prepared for the transition to residency training and future practice as a physician.

The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) prepares exceptionally talented individuals to become physician-scientists who will conduct biomedical research and translate discoveries bidirectionally between the bench and the bedside. Graduates receive both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. With major financial support from the National Institutes of Health and other sources, the MSTP supports about 90-100 students annually.

Faculty members continue to educate physicians beyond medical school. UTSW has the largest graduate training program in Texas, with more than 1,400 clinical residents who are completing their medical education with postgraduate specialty and subspecialty training. Faculty members also provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) to practicing physicians. In the last reportable cycle, more than 44,000 learning encounters were provided in 149 CME activities certified by UTSW.

UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

The Graduate School, with an enrollment of more than 1,000 learners (549 predoctoral and 484 postdoctoral), educates biomedical scientists, engineers, clinical researchers, and counselors. Programs lead to Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees and some nondegree certificates

Most students train to become scientists who will investigate life processes from basic molecules to whole animals. Students pursue their chosen fields under the mentorship of outstanding faculty that include some of the world's most distinguished researchers.

The Graduate School has two Divisions: Basic Science and Clinical Science. These Divisions include 11 programs leading to the Ph.D. degree – Biological Chemistry; Biomedical Engineering; Cancer Biology; Cell and Molecular Biology; Clinical Psychology; Genetics, Development and Disease; Immunology; Molecular Biophysics; Molecular Microbiology; Neuroscience; and Organic Chemistry.

UT Southwestern School of Health Professions

About 370 students are enrolled in UT Southwestern’s School of Health Professions.

The school currently offers five nationally accredited degree programs; Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Clinical Research, professional doctoral degree in Physical Therapy, and master's degrees in Clinical Nutrition, Physician Assistant Studies and Prosthetics–Orthotics. Most of these master’s programs are two years in length while the Ph.D. program can last three to four years. All programs effectively blend classroom instruction with patient care experience or research resulting in high licensure pass rates and job placement. The school also offers four residency programs in physical therapy and one in prosthetics and orthotics.

UT Southwestern Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health

The UT Southwestern Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health is the fourth school to be created in the UT Southwestern Medical Center, and the first in the past half-century. The School is located within the 13-county Dallas-Fort Worth area that has a census of 7.8 million and is the fastest-growing region in the country, with a projected population of 9.3 million by 2030. The Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health has access to several very large health care systems across North Texas, including William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, Children's Health℠, Texas Health Resources, Parkland Health & Hospital System, Scottish Rite for Children, and the Veterans Administration North Texas Health System.

The School employs the public health methodologies of epidemiology, health policy, quantitative and data science, health systems science, health behavior, and dissemination and implementation science to identify and address the public health challenges of this diverse, majority-minority population (41% Hispanic, 16% African American). The O'Donnell School of Public Health upholds the wider UT Southwestern institutional mission of promoting health and a healthy society that enables achievement of full human potential, with a deep commitment to the core values of excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion.

Outstanding Faculty

The excellence of any educational institution is determined by the caliber of its faculty. UT Southwestern's faculty has many distinguished members, notably:

• Six Nobel Prize recipients since 1985.

In 1985, Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of the basic mechanism of cholesterol metabolism. Dr. Goldstein is Chairman of Molecular Genetics at UT Southwestern, and Dr. Brown directs the Erik Jonsson Center for Research in Molecular Genetics and Human Disease.

Dr. Johann Deisenhofer, Professor Emeritus of the Green Center for Systems Biology and Biophysics and a former Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at UT Southwestern, shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for using X-ray crystallography to describe the structure of a protein involved in photosynthesis.

The late Dr. Alfred Gilman shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of G proteins and the role they play in the complex processes by which cells communicate with each other. Dr. Gilman, a Regental Professor Emeritus who died in December 2015, served in numerous leadership roles at UT Southwestern during his illustrious career, including as Chairman of Pharmacology and subsequently as Provost and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School.

Dr. Bruce Beutler, Director of the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with two other scientists for their immune system investigations. Dr. Beutler was honored for the discovery of receptor proteins that recognize disease-causing agents and activate innate immunity, the first step in the body’s immune response.

Dr. Thomas C. Südhof, Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience and former Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience at UT Southwestern, shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with two other scientists for their discoveries about how cellular transport systems work. Dr. Südhof, now at Stanford University School of Medicine, was recognized for his pioneering work performed at UT Southwestern on synaptic transmission, the process by which brain cells communicate with each other via chemical signals passed through the spaces, or synapses, between them.

• 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors attainable by an American scientist.
• 19 members of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine).
• 14 investigators with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Almost 120 early-career researchers have come to UT Southwestern through the Medical Center’s acclaimed Endowed Scholars Program in Medical Science, and many have subsequently established themselves as leaders in their fields.

Research

Research is the cornerstone upon which world-class medical education and patient care are built. Investigations into cancer, neuroscience, heart disease and stroke, arthritis, diabetes, and many other fields keep UT Southwestern at the forefront of medical progress.

The Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center was designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2015 as a comprehensive center, an elite distinction held by only top-tier cancer centers nationwide. The Simmons Cancer Center is the only cancer center in North Texas to attain this prestigious status, which is bestowed by the NCI in recognition of innovative research and excellence in patient care.

The Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute has been launched at UT Southwestern, a recognized leader in neuroscience and behavioral health. A $36 million gift from the O’Donnell Foundation created this new Institute, where scientists are using the most sophisticated equipment and techniques available to advance knowledge about the fundamental mechanisms of brain function – and are providing the very best in innovative clinical care possible today to patients and families faced with devastating brain diseases.

The Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair, a component within the O’Donnell Brain Institute focuses the Medical Center’s strengths in basic and translational research on various types of brain injury and conditions, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. The Institute also promotes brain injury education and prevention.

UT Southwestern’s Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine is advancing human health through discoveries of the fundamental mechanisms of tissue formation and repair, and the use of this knowledge to develop transformative strategies and medications to enhance tissue regeneration.

The Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics is driving innovation in science and patient care by analyzing massive data sets and supporting the computational needs of researchers and clinicians on campus who are addressing scientific and medical challenges.

The Medical Center has 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators and four HHMI Faculty Scholars on campus. In 1986, the HHMI selected UT Southwestern to house one of its 12 principal laboratories nationwide. Counted among the nation’s largest philanthropies, HHMI has provided approximately $8 billion over the past decade alone to support research and science education by the country’s most creative and promising scientists and educators.

At UT Southwestern, research on basic life processes and specific diseases go hand in hand. Investigators’ discoveries form the foundation for new ways to prevent and treat disease.

More than 100 early career researchers have come to UT Southwestern through the Medical Center’s acclaimed Endowed Scholars Program in Medical Science, and many have subsequently established themselves as leaders in their fields.

Patient Care

UT Southwestern faculty physicians offer patient care at UT Southwestern University Hospitals & Clinics, Parkland Health & Hospital System, Children’s Medical Center, Scottish Rite for Children, VA North Texas Health Care System, and other affiliated hospitals and community clinics. UT Southwestern faculty physicians and health care professionals provide approximately $106.8 million in uncompensated clinical services annually.

UT Southwestern also is providing care through a clinically integrated health care network, Southwestern Health Resources. Its physician-driven strategies to optimize health care blend the strengths of UT Southwestern and Texas Health Resources to better serve North Texas residents, from preventive care to the most advanced interventions. The network, which includes 31 hospital locations and more than 3,000 physicians and caregivers, spans a 16-county service area with more than 7 million residents. With the support of leading edge population health technology and resources, Southwestern Health Resources provides broader access to high-quality, coordinated primary and specialty care available to communities throughout North Texas.

UT Southwestern also continues to respond to changing expectations in health care delivery by expanding the footprint of the UT Southwestern Health System. Community clinics in the Park Cities, Richardson, and Las Colinas are open, widening the access to UTSW primary care and specialty physicians. The two newest satellite locations are: The UT Southwestern Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth and UT Southwestern Family Medicine at Texas Health Dallas.

In addition, the UTSCAP (UT Southwestern Clinically Affiliated Physicians) program is growing rapidly. This network of primary care physicians is an important complement to the development of new UT Southwestern facilities, and there are now about 400 UTSCAP physicians practicing in approximately 55 sites throughout the Metroplex.

UT Southwestern’s University Hospital – William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and Zale Lipshy Pavilion – William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital – offers patients superior care and outstanding service provided by highly trained teams of health care professionals. The hospitals are a crucial component of UT Southwestern’s ongoing development as an academic medical center that delivers world-class patient care, while supporting clinical and translational research, as well as education and training, making the University Hospitals sites that both reflect and integrate the Medical Center’s three core missions.

Zale Lipshy Pavilion is one of the world’s premier neurological diagnostic and treatment centers. The Zale Lipshy Neuroangiography unit is a vitally important factor in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disease, and physicians based at Zale Lipshy Pavilion specialize in diagnosing and treating patients with neurovascular diseases, stroke, Parkinson’s, and other neurologic diseases, as well as neurologic malignancies. Other specialties at the 74-bed hospital include spine, orthopedics, neurosurgery, neurotology, psychiatry, and rehabilitation.

Clements University Hospital offers patients and medical personnel world-class facilities and technologies. The 751-bed hospital, which underwent an expansion in 2020 that provided more operating rooms, additional Emergency Medicine capacity, and 291 more beds, is named in honor of the legendary Texas governor in recognition of his 2009 gift of $100 million. The facility offers services in cancer care and transplantation services, cardiology, pulmonary, and internal medicine subspecialties, alongside surgery subspecialties including urology, vascular surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, and otorhinolaryngology. Clements University Hospital provides Emergency Medicine Services for both UTSW hospitals, as well as Neonatal Intensive Care.

On campus, the 2017 opening of a Radiation Oncology building was a milestone in the growth and development of UT Southwestern cancer programs. Beyond offering unsurpassed technology, it provides care in an environment designed to promote hope and comfort to those being treated for some of the most challenging illnesses.

In Frisco, a joint UTSW/Texas Health Resources facility has broken ground. The medical campus, which includes Texas Health Frisco hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center at Frisco, is scheduled to open in 2019. The new location is dedicated to meeting health care needs of the community ranging from primary care to neurological care, orthopaedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and other advanced specialized expertise. As appropriate, patients will have the opportunity to go beyond even state-of-the-art treatments to participate in innovative clinical trials.

Parkland Memorial Hospital is the primary teaching hospital for UT Southwestern. More than half of the doctors practicing in Dallas County received some or all of their training at Parkland and UT Southwestern. Parkland’s Level I Trauma Center and Burn Center are internationally recognized. The new Parkland, on the east side of Harry Hines Boulevard, opened in 2015 and is an 862-bed adult inpatient hospital.

Children’s Medical Center, part of Children’s Health System of Texas, is the primary pediatric teaching hospital for UT Southwestern, and UT Southwestern pediatric faculty comprise the hospital’s medical staff. Children’s has more than 50 pediatric specialty programs, and it is the only pediatric hospital in the Southwest with a designated Level I trauma center.

In Fort Worth, UT Southwestern provides care through the Moncrief Cancer Institute and a branch of the Simmons Cancer Center. In addition, UT Southwestern has established the UT Southwestern Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth, made possible by a $25 million commitment from W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr. The new ambulatory facility, in the heart of Fort Worth’s burgeoning medical district, will increase UT Southwestern’s capacity to serve residents of Fort Worth and surrounding areas, improving access to UT Southwestern’s medical care, research, and educational opportunities.

The Southwestern Health Resources Accountable Care Network is one of the nation’s most effective for Medicare beneficiaries, while maintaining a Quality Score over 95 percent. Physicians, hospitals, and health care providers participating in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) continue to make significant improvements in the quality of care while achieving cost savings. For 2016 – the latest reported year – Southwestern Health Resources’ ACN generated savings of nearly $37.3 million and earned shared savings of more than $17.4 million as a result, ranking its financial performance among the top 10 ACOs in the United States participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).

The Clinical Transformation Initiatives are enhancing health care at UT Southwestern through their emphasis on clinical excellence and patient-centered care. UT Southwestern patients have secure internet access to their health records, including radiology images, laboratory reports, clinic notes, medications, discharge papers, and summaries of previous visits to any physician in the UT Southwestern system. The University’s Quality Improvement Program includes Quality and Safety information that offers transparency about quality measures and clinical performance.

Clinical Expertise

Physicians and researchers at UT Southwestern are seamlessly integrating breakthroughs in basic science, advances in comprehensive clinical services, and the development of innovative education and prevention programs to propel overall excellence and set the Medical Center apart.

In 2018, the Medical Center opened the first of what will ultimately be a complex of five West Campus buildings. The first building, on the site of the former St. Paul University Hospital, provides additional multidisciplinary clinical space, faculty offices, and a state-of-the-art Simulation Center.

A few examples of the Medical Center’s encompassing care include:

The expertise of the physicians at the Simmons Cancer Center extends to every cancer, from breast, urologic, gynecologic, lung, gastrointestinal, head and neck, brain, and skin to lymphomas, leukemia, liver, and bone marrow transplantation.

UT Southwestern is an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, the highest level of certification for stroke care. UT Southwestern’s Robert D. Rogers Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center is a Joint Commission-certified Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, which also is certified by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.

Clinicians and researchers also work together to treat and to find the root causes of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, and peripheral nerve injuries. The Medical Center has been designated as a Neuroscience Clinical Trials Center Network of Excellence.

The Doris and Harry W. Bass Jr. Clinical Center for Heart, Lung and Vascular Disease is a collaborative effort among UT Southwestern faculty. Individualized care is available for adult congenital heart disease, cardiac imaging, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, electrophysiology, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac rehabilitation, general cardiology, heart failure, heart and lung transplant, interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, mechanical circulatory assistance, preventive cardiology, pulmonary hypertension, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, and vascular and endovascular surgery.

Transplantation programs for heart, lung, kidney, and liver have been certified by the federal government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This certification ensures broad access to the distinctive multidisciplinary approach provided by UT Southwestern’s experts in the full range of related fields, including surgery, infection control, immunity, and rejection. Surgeons from the Medical Center performed North Texas’ first kidney transplant in 1964 and are responsible for many innovations that have become the accepted practice throughout the nation.

UT Southwestern is committed to being at the frontiers of science through its faculty and activities in basic, translational, and clinical research; to promoting clinical transformation through a dedication to excellence and innovation in patient care; and to educating and training future physicians, scientists, and allied health care professionals in programs that optimally prepare them for the changing landscape in scientific research and health care delivery. In its mission, priorities, and programs, UT Southwestern represents the future of medicine, today.