1970:
Three years after the Ohio General Assembly officially charters Wright State University as an independent state university, university leaders ask for support for a new medical school. They present a feasibility study based upon what they call the "concept of community" and outline the broad base of support they have identified for developing such a school.
1972:
Congress passes the Veterans Administration Medical School Assistance and Health Manpower Training Act, also known as the Teague Cranston Act, providing financial support for establishing five new U.S. medical schools, including one at Wright State University. The Veterans Administration awards the school a $19.5 million, seven-year grant for faculty support and facilities. Other major founding donors include Mrs. Virginia Kettering, who contributes $1 million in unrestricted funds, and the Fordham Foundation, which provides $500,000 for a medical library.
1973:
The Wright State University School of Medicine is established by the Ohio General Assembly.
1974:
John R. Beljan, M.D., is hired as the founding dean of the Wright State University School of Medicine. He is considered a leader who can bring to life the community service vision of the school's founders. Beljan holds this position until 1980.
1975:
The pediatric residency program begins at Wright State University School of Medicine. In the early 1980s, the program would partner with Dayton Children’s Hospital and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center’s pediatric clinic to form the nation’s only civilian-military integrated pediatric residency program. To date, over 350 residents have graduated from the pediatric residency program.
The Department of Psychiatry, one of the school’s firsts, is formed at Wright State University School of Medicine.
1976:
The Wright State University School of Medicine charter class begins studies.
1977:
The Fels Research Institute and the Fels Longitudinal Study becomes part of the Wright State University School of Medicine, and data from the Fels Study is published in the nation’s pediatric growth charts from 1978 to 2000 for children from birth to 3 years of age. The Fels Study was originally designed to study child growth and development. Later, the Fels Longitudinal Study focuses on physical growth, skeletal maturation, body composition, risk factors for cardiovascular disease and obesity, skeletal and dental biology, longitudinal biostatistical analyses and aging.
The Wright State University School of Medicine Academy of Medicine is founded. The academy is a community-based service organization dedicated to supporting excellence in medicine. The organization supports medical education at the School of Medicine by providing low-interest loans to students and awarding students and faculty achievement. To date, more than $4.3 million in simple, low-interest loans have been provided to students.
1979:
Horizons in Medicine is established at Wright State University School of Medicine to provide under-represented minority high school students exposure to science and careers in medicine.
1980:
William Sawyer, M.D., is selected as Dean of the Wright State University School of Medicine, a position he holds until 1987. Under his leadership, the School of Medicine builds a reputation for diversity of its student body and dedication to community service.
Wright State University School of Medicine graduates its charter class. Since then, more than 3,500 M.D.’s have graduated from the school.
Wright State University School of Medicine Donated Body Program holds its first internment ceremony, the first school in Ohio to hold a memorial service for donors. The Donated Body Program supports donation of remains to the Wright State University School of Medicine for educational purposes. To date, the program has registered 25,933 donors.
The first emergency medicine residency class graduates from the Wright State University School of Medicine. The department is only the fourth full academic Department of Emergency Medicine in the United States, and one of the first 10 Emergency Medicine Residency programs in the nation. To date, over 400 residents have graduated from the program.
The Wright State University School of Medicine Center for Interventions, Treatment and Addictions Research (CITAR) is founded by faculty member Harvey A. Siegal, Ph.D. CITAR is involved with substance abuse services, and academic and services research. The goals of CITAR are understanding substance abuse, intervention, and management.
1981:
The Frederick A. White Center for Ambulatory Care is dedicated. The center, named for Frederick A. White, provides Wright State University School of Medicine students and faculty with a facility where they engage in office practice. White, an engineer, was a close follower of the development of Wright State as a university. He was appointed business manager of the university development process, and was referred to as Wright State’s “first employee.”
1982:
Otolaryngologist, and Wright State University School of Medicine faculty member, Robert Goldenberg, M.D., develops the first adult cochlear implant in Dayton. Six years later, he would develop the first pediatric cochlear implant in the area.
1987:
The Student to Student Program at Wright State University School of Medicine begins providing health education to Greater Dayton Area schools. Student to Student is a community education program run by Wright State University School of Medicine students. Medical students visit area schools to communicate about medicine and health.
1988:
William Kaplan, M.D., begins his tenure as dean of the Wright State University School of Medicine. Kaplan would be dean through 1990. Kaplan’s vision for the medical school was one of identifying and meeting community needs, and being an active partner in the community.
Wright State University School of Medicine Department of Dermatology organizes the first annual community-wide skin cancer screening.
1990:
Kim Goldenberg, M.D., is selected as dean of Wright State University School of Medicine, a position he holds until 1998. Dr. Goldenberg makes significant contributions to the medical school, even receiving the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Appreciation Award in 2007 for his contributions and outstanding leadership.
Otolaryngologist, and Wright State University School of Medicine faculty member, Robert Goldenberg, M.D., develops a middle ear implant system for hearing reconstruction.
1991:
The Partnership for Community Health Development, later called the Center for Healthy Communities, is founded, and is part of the Wright State University School of Medicine office of the dean. In 1994, it becomes part of the Department of Community Health, known today as the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences. The organization is a community-academic partnership committed to improving the health and well-being of the community, educating its health professionals and serving as a force for change.
1992:
The University Medical Services Association (known today as Wright State Physicians) Psychotherapy Clinic is formed. This clinic is a nationally recognized Wright State University School of Medicine resident physician training site focused on providing psychotherapy treatment to the community in the areas of anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and traumatic life events.
1993:
The Mall at Fairfield Commons opens 2 miles away from Wright State University, providing students a new place for entertainment and shopping.
1994:
Substance Abuse Resources and Disability Issues (SARDI) program begins to examine the correlation between substance abuse and disability conditions. The SARDI Program at Wright State University School of Medicine seeks to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities, including those who are also affected by behavioral health issues.
The Wright State University School of Medicine Department of Surgery initiates the Greater Dayton Area Injury Prevention Center.
The Wright State University School of Medicine Donated Body Program is renamed the Anatomical Gift Program.
1995:
Al Batata, M.D., faculty member, begins work on cancer genetics.
The Wright State University School of Medicine Emergency Medicine department provides toxicology consultation service to the community.
1996:
Student Affairs organizes the West Dayton Area Health and Wellness Project, to provide free health screenings in local African-American churches.
The Greater Dayton Area Injury Prevention Center, initiated by the Wright State University School of Medicine Department of Surgery, wins the national award for community service from the American Hospital Association.
1997:
Faculty from the Center for Healthy Communities begin a statewide training program to better integrate student learning and community service.
Commitment to community is a hallmark of the Wright State University School of Medicine. That commitment is recognized nationally when the Association of American Medical Colleges grants the school the prestigious Outstanding Community Service Award.
1998:
Howard Part, M.D., is selected as dean of the Wright State University School of Medicine. Part would hold the position until 2011. Part is significant in fundraising and forging partnerships with donors, making possible the opening of the Gandhi Medical Education Center at Wright State University. He is also instrumental in the creation of the Department of Geriatrics, Center for Global Health Systems, and the Wright State University and Premier Health Partners Neuroscience Institute.
2000:
Students initiate the Wright State University School of Medicine International Education Program. This leads to the forming of the Global Health Initiative, the student-run service organization that assists with fund-raising and coordinating student travel.
2001:
Dean X. Parmelee, M.D., joins the Wright State University School of Medicine as associate dean for academic affairs, where he partners with colleagues to transform the curriculum into one that engages medical learners. He is instrumental in the design and implementation of many team-based learning modules incorporated throughout the medical school’s curriculum. Wright State University School of Medicine is one of the first medical schools to utilize a team-based learning approach. Wright State University School of Medicine faculty experts have provided training in Team-Based Learning™ and curriculum development to medical and health profession schools throughout the United States and worldwide.
2005:
The Wright State University School of Medicine changes its name to the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, in recognition of the Oscar Boonshoft family, which gives the Wright State University School of Medicine its largest philanthropic gift. Oscar Boonshoft was an engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base who, after retiring, dealt in trading of commodity futures exchanges.
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Anatomical Gift Program celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Restaurant and popular student hangout Tuty’s, only 2 miles from the Wright State University campus, burns to the ground. Tuty’s would later rebuild and today is still a favorite destination for Wright State students.
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine celebrates its 25th anniversary.
2006:
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Department of Geriatrics is created, a result of a community collaboration that included Premier Health Partners, the Dayton Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center and the Oscar Boonshoft family. The creation of this department helps solidify a vision for care of the older adult and has been part of the Boonshoft School of Medicine’s mission since its inception.
University Medical Services Association (UMSA) changes its name to Wright State Physicians. Originally formed in 1977, the name change is intended to better reflect the organization’s role as the faculty practice plan for Wright State University.
2007:
The Matthew O. Diggs III Laboratory for Life Science Research opens on the Wright State University campus. The 45,000-square-foot building houses highly productive research labs for the Environmental and Biomedical Sciences Programs and Molecular Genetics as well as the medical school’s Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Center for Genomics Research.
2008:
Wright State University Boonshoft School of medicine opens the new Medical Education Center in White Hall. The new facility is the result of a three-year project to completely renovate the former Frederick A. White Health Center for Ambulatory Care and to expand the building with an 18,000-square-foot addition. In total, the facility now includes more than 84,000 square feet of lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, offices, study spaces, computer labs, and common areas, all devoted to the specialized training of tomorrow's finest medical professionals.
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine offers the first annual Medical-Spirituality Conference. The conference brings together practicing physicians, nurses, health care providers, religious leaders and the public to discuss topics and learn additional ways to offer healing and hope.
2009:
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine creates the Division of Tactical Emergency Medicine, which is part of the school’s Department of Emergency Medicine. The division focuses on providing care for public safety personnel, and on developing and teaching best practices for personnel and the medical providers who serve them and work alongside them.
2010:
The Neuroscience Institute is founded by Wright State University and Premier Health. Designated as a University System of Ohio Center of Excellence, the Wright State University and Premier Health Neuroscience Institute represents a groundbreaking public-private partnership that unites the Dayton region’s most advanced biomedical research institution with the clinical resources of its largest hospital system.
The Neuroscience Institute develops a Neurology department and Neurology Residency Program, created in partnership by the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and Premier Health. The department attracts top clinical neurologists to the region to improve patient care in the community.
The Annals of Internal Medicine ranks the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine fourth in the nation for its social mission. The study, entitled “The Social Mission of Medical Education: Ranking the Schools,” measures the percentage of graduates who practice primary care, work in health professional shortage areas and are underrepresented minorities, and combines the data into a composite social mission score.
2012:
Wright State Physicians (WSP) opens its state-of-the-art facility on the campus of Wright State University. The new facility helps further WSP’s mission to retain outstanding medical faculty and staff in support of the clinical, research, and community service activities of the medical school. The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and Wright State Physicians are partners in providing training to medical students and delivering health care to the region.
Marjorie Bowman, M.D. is appointed dean for the Boonshoft School of Medicine, and remained in the position until 2015. One of Bowman’s contributions to the Boonshoft School of Medicine was the partnership with Premier Health, culminating in the Neuroscience Engineering Collaborative.
Clinical Trials Research Alliance (CTRA) is founded. This public-private health care clinical trials initiative was formed by a partnership between the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and Premier Health. CTRA provides cutting-edge scientific study into new medicines and better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, control and treat illnesses.
2013:
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine receives an American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Top 10 Award for its consistent contributions to building the family physician workforce. Each year, the AAFP presents its Family Medicine Top 10 Awards to honor medical schools that, during a three-year period, graduated the greatest percentage of students who chose first-year family medicine residency positions.
2014:
Wright Rural Health Initiative is created at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. This initiative is in place to improve rural health care access by increasing the number of medical students and residents who train and practice in rural communities. The Boonshoft School of Medicine’s collaboration with Wright State University-Lake Campus allows medical students who wish to pursue a career in a rural area to complete clerkships while living on the Lake Campus on Grand Lake St. Marys between Celina, Ohio and St. Marys, Ohio.
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and Premier Health Neuroscience Institute, together with Dayton Children’s Hospital, announce the affiliation of Dayton Children’s with the institute to boost pediatric neuroscience research in the region and enhance pediatric care.
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine receives, for a second consecutive year, an American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Top 10 Award, for its consistent contributions to building the family physician workforce.
2015:
Margaret M. Dunn, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, is appointed dean of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. In her more than 30 years at Wright State, she has made significant contributions to the growth and operation of the school’s clinical, educational, and research programs. She is responsible for the construction of the Wright State Physicians Health Center. Dunn is the first woman to practice general surgery in the Dayton region.
The $37 million Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration (NEC) Building opens on the Wright State campus, spawning pioneering research and medical breakthroughs by housing the collective brainpower of top neuroscientists, engineers, and their teams.
2016:
The Center for Healthy Communities, part of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Department of Community Health, celebrates its 25th anniversary.
The nationally known Institute for the Study of Health and Illness, founded and directed by author Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., joins in partnership with the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, to expand its reach and ensure its future. In recognition of Remen’s unique and invaluable contribution to medical education, Wright State renamed the institute the Remen Institute for the Study of Health and Illness (RISHI) in Remen’s honor.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) honors Dean X. Parmelee, M.D., professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and associate dean for medical education at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, with the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award. Dr. Parmelee is an early pioneer of team-based learning and medical education innovation for more than three decades.
The Wonka Golden Ticket Scholarship Fund is created at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. This fund supports the unique orientation tradition “golden ticket program.” The golden ticket program involves candy bars distributed to all first-year medical students during orientation. Five contain a winning golden ticket worth $500. This program is developed by retired Boonshoft School of Medicine Admissions Officer Debbie McNeely.
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Department of Community Health changes its name to the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences.
2017:
38 Wright State physicians and faculty of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and Wright State Physicians are named to the 2017-2018 Best Doctors in America® List. They represent 88 percent of the 43 Dayton-area doctors named. Five of the 43 physicians are Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine alumni, and nine are alumni of the medical school’s residency programs.
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine launches WrightCurriculum, a lecture-free education style that focuses on collaborative, team-based learning and fosters students’ personal and professional growth. It is built on three phases: Foundations, Doctoring, and Advanced Doctoring.
2019:
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Horizons in Medicine program celebrates its 40th anniversary. This program has given more than 600 high school students in the Dayton Area the opportunity to prepare for careers in science and health care.
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine medical students, residents and the School of Professional Psychology collaborate with Verily Life Sciences in the launch of a new full-service addiction treatment center in west Dayton, Ohio. The center could serve as a prototype for similar efforts in other cities nationwide.
The 14th annual Global Health Initiative Symposium is held at Wright State University. This event helps raise funds for medical students participating in the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine International Education Program.
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine rural health initiative expands to become the Wright Rural Medical Scholars Program. The expansion means a permanent rural program is created that can continue the effort to increase the number of physicians in rural Ohio.
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Dean Margaret Dunn, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, announces retirement.
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine’s Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology offers the Wright Start Bridge Program. This program offers Wright State students a graduate certificate in anatomy with an emphasis on preparation for medical education.
2020:
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine begins a three-year track to the M.D. degree. This program allows a select number of students at the Boonshoft School of Medicine to complete their Doctor of Medicine degrees in three years. Students selected to participate in the program are given conditional acceptance to residencies in family medicine or pediatrics.
-- Lisa Coffey
