BYU is going to build a medical school.
The announcement was made Monday morning by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which sponsors BYU.
“The First Presidency is pleased to announce the decision now to create a medical school at BYU,” the church statement said. “A major focus will be on international health issues affecting members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the church’s worldwide humanitarian efforts.”
The announcement did not say where the school would be located, when it might open or how large its first class will be. Church leaders did say the BYU medical school would be focused on teaching, that it would draw students from around the world and that research would emphasize areas of strategic importance to the global church.
BYU President Shane Reese, charged by church leaders at his inauguration last year with maintaining and elevating BYU’s core mission as an undergraduate teaching institution, said the university is creating a planning team to work on creating the medical school and would share more information as plans develop, according to an email he sent to the campus community.
“This is an exciting day for the BYU community,” Reese wrote.
Intermountain Health, University of Utah response
The medical school will not be a hospital, according to the church statement. Instead, it will seek to partner with the state’s other medical school at the University of Utah and with the state’s largest hospital system.
“BYU and Intermountain Health are discussing a mutually beneficial clinical relationship,” the church statement said. “Also, it is anticipated that the medical school will seek collaborative relationships with various entities in Utah, including the University of Utah.”
University of Utah President Taylor Randall welcomed the announcement and said the University of Utah plans to actively pursue collaboration opportunities with the church and BYU in medical education and clinical care.
“In conversations with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’ve expressed the U’s support for this additional investment in medical education and have committed to work together to serve our unique communities,” Randall said. “We will work with BYU and church leadership to lay the groundwork for a model collaboration that serves the needs of this state and provides critical health services to countries around the world.”
Intermountain Health also responded to Monday’s announcement.
“Intermountain Health will engage with BYU in exploring and defining what a future relationship might be,” the statement said. “Intermountain Health also anticipates continuing its clinical relationship with the University of Utah.”
Utah’s population nearly doubled from 1.72 million in 1990 to an estimated 3.41 million in 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, creating more need for health care professionals.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox reaction
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noted the need for more educational opportunities in the state in a congratulatory social media message.
“Congratulations to BYU on the announcement of a medical school being added to campus,” Cox wrote. “This is great news not only for BYU but for all Utahns as we seek to increase educational opportunities for those looking to enter the medical profession and increase access to healthcare worldwide.”
In 2023, 360 BYU graduates applied to medical schools. Over 51% were accepted, well above the national average of 41.9%. The University of Utah medical school was the No. 1 school accepting BYU graduates, receiving 17, followed by the University of Texas-San Antonio with 10.
“Current enrollment numbers at the U highlight the high demand for medical education in our region,” said Sam Finlayson, interim dean of the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. “The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine receives well over 2,000 applications for just 125 positions in each medical school class, highlighting the high demand for medical education in our region and the need to expand the state’s educational infrastructure.”
Speculation that BYU might build a medical school existed long before Cecil Samuelson, former dean of the Utah medical school, served as BYU’s president from 2003-14, but he tempered such talk in an address to campus faculty when he arrived. “I think it highly unlikely that we will be adding a medical or dental school or other professional schools anytime soon,” he said at the time.
BYU medical school location not yet announced
A site for the new medical school was not released. During the past decade BYU has purchased land both directly east and west of the BYU campus.
In 2016 the university paid $25 million to purchase the old Provo High School campus west of University Avenue near Intermountain Health’s Utah Valley Hospital.
In 2021, BYU obtained the Wasatch Elementary School property just east of 900 East. In the land swap, BYU gave the Provo School District 12 acres of land farther east and added a payment of $1.65 million.
BYU also owns land in Salt Lake City near the Triad Center, site of the BYU Salt Lake Center.
This isn’t the first foray into medicine by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church first established a hospital in Utah in 1882 and the Presiding Bishopric eventually operated 15 hospitals in the intermountain area.
Those hospitals became Intermountain Health when the church donated them in 1975 to a nonprofit organization because church leaders determined its 15 hospitals were not “central to the mission of the church.” Since then, Intermountain Health has expanded to 33 hospitals in seven states with $13.9 billion in total revenue in 2022.
The full statement released by the church on Monday reads:
“Brigham Young University is committed to academic excellence in targeted graduate disciplines, traditionally focused on business and law. The First Presidency is pleased to announce the decision now to create a medical school at BYU. A major focus will be on international health issues affecting members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the church’s worldwide humanitarian efforts.
“Plans for this medical school are underway, and specific target dates will be announced as they are set. It is envisioned that unlike many medical schools, the BYU medical school will be focused on teaching with research in areas of strategic importance to the Church. In time the school will draw students from within and outside the United States.
“The BYU medical school will not create its own hospital or hospital system. BYU and Intermountain Health are discussing a mutually beneficial clinical relationship. Also, it is anticipated that the medical school will seek collaborative relationships with various entities in Utah, including the University of Utah.”