Dear Colleagues,

Since the first of this month, I have received many questions about the status of the School of Medicine 's negotiations with the Detroit Medical Center. I am writing to provide you with a brief update on our continued talks, and to invite you to join me for a session on Tues., Oct. 17 at 5:00 p.m. in Scott Hall's Blue Auditorium to answer your questions, face to face.

As you are aware, the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) will be conducting an on-site institutional review of our GME programs on Nov. 14. The ACGME knows that the contract supporting the joint graduate medical education programs expires on Dec. 31, 2006, and has not yet been renewed. The immediate and rightful concerns of the ACGME are the stability of our training programs and the well being of the residents and fellows for whom we share responsibility.

On Oct. 1, the School of Medicine and the DMC notified the ACGME that good faith negotiations were underway and would continue until an agreement was reached. Wayne State University and the School of Medicine remain committed to continuing good faith negotiations to ensure the continuity of programs sited at our downtown home, and within the scope of our longstanding affiliation with the DMC.

As I have affirmed on many occasions, the School's commitment to the city of Detroit and its partnership with the DMC are central to our mission, and will remain so. Although the School of Medicine relies upon longstanding and essential partnerships with numerous healthcare institutions to train one of the nation's largest medical school classes, our education, research, and clinical care programs are inextricably linked to the city of Detroit and its unique demographics.

WSU's more than 700 faculty physicians are responsible for approximately 65 percent of DMC's revenues, and deliver about 80 percent of all care delivered to the DMC's uninsured and underinsured patients. About 30 percent of all practicing physicians in Michigan received all or part of their medical training at WSU/DMC. Of the city of Detroit 's 690 primary care physicians, 350, or 40 percent, are WSU/DMC resident physicians-in-training.

Detroit is the School of Medicine 's home: WSU has committed to capital investment of $200 million over the next five years in two new facilities on its downtown campus — the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D. Medical Education Commons and a new state-of-the-science multidisciplinary research building that will house the University's evolving Center for Clinical and Translational Science. In fact, these facilities will be catalysts for centering regional education; and clinical translational research activities at our downtown site.

As you may know, the School's student body is the most diverse in the nation; we graduate more African-American and Arab-American physicians than any of our 125 peer United States medical schools, and rank among the top five for training African-American physicians who go on to become university faculty. Our interdisciplinary research programs are targeted to the diverse metropolitan population that we serve and are recognized as national models of excellence. These programs include cancer, maternal and child health, and healthcare disparities, and are the foundation of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the WSU Center for African-American Urban Health. The School and the DMC collaborate on these and many other programs.

In summary, I assure you that Wayne State University and its School of Medicine are steadfastly committed to each of the following:

• Continuing our valued relationship with the DMC;
• Expanding our presence in the city of Detroit;
• Upholding our mission of delivering the highest quality patient care supported by education and research;
• Educating our students and training our residents and fellows in the best possible teaching environments;
• Recruiting and retaining leading physicians to teach our students and serve our community;
• Providing care to the region's uninsured and underinsured

As talks with the DMC continue to evolve, it is important that you are updated with accurate information. To that end, I will be hosting a forum on Tues., Oct. 17 at 5:00 p.m. in Scott Hall's Blue Auditorium. Please join me then for a briefing, followed by a question and answer session.

I look forward to seeing you on Oct. 17.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., MD
Dean, School of Medicine
Senior Advisor to the President for Medical Affairs
Wayne State University