Fort Worth’s richest resident started her own medical school — but it’s not here
Alice Walton, the world’s richest woman — who also happens to live in Fort Worth — just started the Alice Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) in Bentonville, Arkansas.
The school’s first-ever incoming class of medical students were welcomed in July, dawned by a white coat ceremony. Walton plans to pay tuition for the first five graduating classes.
Walton is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. She has accumulated her $105 billion net worth from Walmart, although she focuses her time on curating art rather than working for the family business.
She opened Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville in 2011, which has a bridge that connects to the roof of the medical school. This supports the AWSOM’s grander mission to combine art and humanities based approaches to medicine.
Here’s a little more about the Fort Worth philanthropist and her new mission in the medical field.
What is the Alice Walton School of Medicine?
The Alice Walton School of Medicine is a non-profit, four-year MD program. Students will graduate with a doctorate of medicine which preps them to become physicians. The school is in the process of becoming accredited and has been granted preliminary accreditation status by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
AWSOM’s mission is to train students through whole health principles. Whole health means considering not just a patient’s physical wellbeing, but also their spiritual, social and mental wellbeing. The integrated values focus on self care, empathy, humanism and community– values Walton says is lacking from the U.S.’s current healthcare system.
The 14-acre campus is located in Northwest Arkansas, next to Walton’s museum. It hosts a 154,000-square-foot building for learning with a public gallery, library, wellness studio and gym, rooftop park and healing gardens for students to grow healthy foods. A path from the rooftop park leads directly to Crystal Bridges with views of the Ozark forest.
Why is Alice Walton starting a medical school?
Walton experienced serious injuries from a car accident in the 1980s. She realized America’s healthcare system “is broken” after she suffered from multiple surgeries, bone infection and other health issues for about 10 years following the accident.
A part of the curriculum will be an emphasis on the combination of arts and humanities with science by partnering with Walton’s Crystal Bridges Museum. A large aspect will be art therapy, a practice that helped Walton through her health difficulties.
“Students will explore the importance of effective advanced communication, observational and listening skills, ethics, professionalism, professional identity, and cultural aspects of healing,” according to AWSOM’s website.
What kind of students are eligible for AWSOM?
Students who want to apply to AWSOM must meet the following requirements:
- A minimum MCAT score of 500.
- A PREview score.
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.4.
- Applicants should complete a minimum of 24 credit hours in Biology-Chemistry-Physics-Math (BCPM) courses (must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 for baccalaureate or graduate BCPM credits).
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Three to five letters of recommendation.
The school also expects students to have “a strong commitment to serving others and the community, meaningful exposure to and understanding of the medical profession, team and leadership skills and a demonstrated ability to perform well in an academic setting.”