Medical School set for 2007 start

Nov 09, 2004

The University of Wollongong has moved the planned starting date for its Graduate Medical School to February 2007.

The Graduate Medical School's Foundation Dean Professor John Hogg said the decision to move the starting date back one year from 2006 was made after consultation with the Australian Medical Council (AMC).

Professor Hogg welcomed the decision, which he said would allow the University more time to prepare for its first students.

"This is a very positive development which will allow additional time to prepare our curriculum, design and construct our teaching and laboratory facilities in Wollongong and Nowra, recruit the best staff, formalise critical alliances with other medical schools in Australia and overseas and establish strategies for recruiting the right students to help us achieve our aim of training doctors who want to work in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia," Professor Hogg said.

"It will also allow us more time to complete a thorough consultation process with the medical fraternity of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven who will make such a vital contribution to the school through providing clinical placements for students, teaching and other forms of involvement."

The AMC is overseeing the accreditation process for the Graduate Medical School, after Federal Education Minister Dr Brendan Nelson announced Federal Government support in August and committed $10 million in capital funding.

After receiving the first stage of the submission process in October, the AMC suggested that the timetable for a 2006 start was too tight and that the University would be better served targeting a February 2007 commencement date.

"Nothing has changed, apart from the starting date," Professor Hogg said. "We are totally committed to making the Graduate Medical School a ground-breaking facility that will draw on the latest advances in medical education from around the world as we focus on training doctors to work in regional, rural and remote areas."

For more information contact Media Manager Bernie Goldie on (02) 4221 5942.

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128