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Dunn takes an optimistic view of the future, saying that the current funding situation is challenging, but that WMU and other universities will persevere and thrive. PHOTO: BRIAN BANKSTON

By Nathan Peck | MiBiz
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KALAMAZOO — Perhaps the biggest indicator of being ahead of the curve is how quickly naysayers quiet down.

When John Dunn interviewed for the president position at Western Michigan University, forming a medical school at the university was near the top of his list of opportunities for the institution. At the time, few in the Kalamazoo region considered it a viable possibility for WMU — a lofty, laudable goal, yes, but not something that was attainable. Four years and the announcement of an anonymous $100 million founding gift later, those plans seem to be on the fast track to bring the first four-year WMU medical school students to Kalamazoo in 2014 or 2015. Dunn spoke with MiBiz for an exclusive interview about the med school, how the university looks to thrive in the midst of proposed cuts to state education funding, and the role of the university in the region.

Building on community assets

The February announcement of the $100 million gift to fund the program marked a significant step toward moving the medical school from a concept to reality. Dunn is quick to point out that the gift is only the first step in establishing an endowment to help fund the medical school’s operation. He anticipates raising another $75-$200 million to put the school on solid financial footing as founding dean Dr. Hal Jensen begins attracting faculty and works with committees developing the curriculum and finding interim facilities for the first classes of students. From its onset, the medical school will draw on the assets within the region.

“If you look at the legacy of the community, the pharmaceutical industry — this is its home in Kalamazoo. We have these other great entities such as Stryker, and our life sciences and biosciences work here is well known,” Dunn said. “It seemed to me we already had so many of the assets in place, that we could be very successful.”

Making the case

Realizing that engaging the stakeholders within the university was as important as forging strong bonds in the Southwest Michigan life sciences sector, Dunn said that making the case meant appealing to the boards of area hospitals as well as faculty and staff groups.

“The challenge was trying to help the wider and broader community understand that first of all, Western has successes and really and truly is a great university. (We were) trying to get people to understand the assets, making sure our hospitals, Bronson and Borgess and their boards were supportive, and we wanted to make sure that Battle Creek Health System was on board as well.”

Within the university, Dunn focused on making the case that the new school would not be drawing resources away from existing programs in a tight funding environment.

“We’re too thin, we can’t do that. Nor do we expect the state to be a funder in the development of the school or even later when it is up and running. We created a business model that does not rely on state funding,” he said.

Changing models

Medical education is in the midst of a sea change. The Carnegie Foundation recently updated the Flexner Report, a book-size report on the state of the physician education published in 1910. The recommendations of the report guided medical education for the next 100 years, and prompted reforms such as requiring physicians to receive 6-8 years of post-secondary education and insisting that schools be licensed by the states. Today, those reforms include incorporating empowered teams of healthcare professionals into the decision-making process.

“The current model, where you do two years of science and two years of clinical (work), I don’t think that is sustainable in the future. These young men and young women, they need to have patient interaction in year 1. They also need to have science in year 4. That is the model we need to have in place,” Dunn said. Current education is “focused on case studies, clinical studies where individuals group around and look at an individual disease entity. It is a very different model of how we reach today’s learner and how we best equip them, not only to be great providers and to be constantly asking themselves questions and not be hesitant to acknowledge what we know and what we don’t know.”

The Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, a collaboration between Bronson Methodist Hospital and Borgess Medical Center, will transition from a partnership with Michigan State University to one with WMU’s medical school — ending a 40-year relationship with MSU. New models for medical education will focus on patient care and bring in all members of the care team. Dunn envisions bringing the nursing, occupational and physical therapy, and physician assistant programs into the physician education fold.

“If we were to do this right, these folks should not be meeting one another after they’re through with their education. They should be understanding and valuing one another much more at these (early) stages of their professional development,” Dunn said. “I think the captain of the team will always be the physician. I do not think that is an argument. There is a recognition of these other healthcare providers and how important that they are to the treatment and the care of the patient.”

Funding questions

The good news about the anonymous gift was tempered by discussions of significant cuts to higher education in the state. The governor’s cuts to higher education will be at least 15 percent and come amid rising enrollment at WMU. Dunn takes a long view when addressing the current funding challenges.

“It is sort of the best of times, with the school of medicine, and there are the challenges of the worst of times. We will get through it; we will manage,” Dunn said. “When things are very, very difficult and times are tough, you can walk in circles and kick the dirt and say, ‘Woe is us.’ Have we done some of that? Sure. But it is equally important that we keep our eyes up, for sharpening our vision, expanding our horizons a bit. That is exactly what we’re doing.”

He faults higher education’s inability to articulate its value to legislators and the public. Dunn turns to business leaders to help make the case that the higher education system is vital to a strong future for the state, while administrators’ complaints have faded to the background.

“In higher education, we have not done a very good job, necessarily, of articulating our situation or finding champions. … I am a little intrigued by our business leaders — they have had an opportunity to speak and provide some balance. We have many people who down deep do not believe that we are these endlessly wasteful spending machines,” he said. “We can articulate and speak to that, but it will have to come from sources outside the university to provide some balance.”

Still, he is optimistic about the future.

“The university is going to be here 100 years from now. The university is going to be a great place 25 years from now, 50 years from now. We have these cyclical things that we have to work through. We’ve got to keep our eyes up and keep our view forward.”