New Mexico’s Burrell Family Funds $85M Private Medical School

By Anca Gagiuc, Associate Editor

February 2015 will be the start month for the construction of an $85 million private medical school backed by Santa Fe real estate and mining mogul Dan Burrell and his family. Over the course of 60 years the Burrells will make a $30 million donation to the New Mexico State University Foundation.

“This is an outstanding day for New Mexico,” said NMSU President Garrey Carruthers. “This public-private partnership will benefit the health and well-being of people across our state, and the region, by addressing our severe shortage of primary care physicians, especially among New Mexico’s underserved, rural populations.”

The private funding and separate licensing will enable the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at NMSU to be one of the freestanding and independently operated entities, with no taxpayer money allocated for its operation. The pre-accreditation application to the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation has already been submitted by BCOM, and one to New Mexico’s Higher Education Department private schools division will follow shortly. The goal is for the first class to be admitted in August 2016.

“This also serves as a major economic driver for the region and the state through job creation and spending on goods and services that are produced in New Mexico,” Burrell said. “A project of this magnitude and importance to New Mexico’s economy and long-term health care needs could not have been possible without the strong leadership of President Carruthers and his team, as well as our local and regional hospital and physician partners.”

Photo courtesy of NMSU.