New dean good for Fort Worth M.D. school

TCU and UNT Health Science Center continue to build their joint medical school in Fort Worth, but their endeavor has become easier now that they have lured their founding dean.

Stuart D. Flynn is no stranger to founding a medical school. He was founding dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix in 2008.

Flynn will help create the curriculum and hire staff when he starts in April. The school hopes to begin in fall 2018 with an expected 60 students.

Flynn has excelled in Arizona, growing the school from a class size of 24 to 80. He helped the school through the accreditation process and secured a mid-tier accreditation after some hiccups. The medical school had four noncompliance issues last year, but Flynn and his staff school were able to address the problems and create solutions.

The best news about the Arizona school under Flynn’s care is the 100 percent match rate for residencies. In-state residency matching has been a struggle for Texas schools in recent years.

Flynn is a step in the right direction for the new M.D. program and solid start for its staffing.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "New dean good for Fort Worth M.D. school."