EDUCATION

Colorado State University Health and Medical Center to house CU medical school branch

Kelly Ragan
The Coloradoan
Colorado State University's $59 million Health and Medical Center in Fort Collins will house a University of Colorado School of Medicine satellite campus beginning in 2021.

Colorado State University is joining forces with the University of Colorado School of Medicine to establish a medical school branch at the CSU Health and Medical Center in Fort Collins.

The $59 million, 113,000-square-foot facility opened at the corner of College Avenue and Prospect Road in 2017, consolidating student medical, counseling and health education and prevention services in one building. The center offers services to faculty, staff, students and community members on its first through third floors.

When the building opened in 2017, the fourth floor was left open. Now, construction is underway to build out classrooms and administrative offices for the medical branch, according to a CSU news release. The universities expect the first students to be able to enroll in the program in 2021.

The first class in the Fort Collins-based program would likely include about a dozen students who would go through all four years of study at the Fort Collins campus. Eventually, the Fort Collins branch could enroll as many as 48 students each year, according to the release.

When all is said and done, students will earn medical degrees from the CU School of Medicine.  

The partnership builds on the strengths of both universities, according to the release. CU School of Medicine is a strong leader in medical education and research programs, while CSU boasts expertise in human, animal and public health.

The CU School of Medicine is based out of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. It has a branch in Colorado Springs where about 24 students each year go through their third- and fourth-year rotations and education, according to the release. Each year, about 184 students graduate into the School of Medicine’s MD program.