Mary Washington Healthcare, UMW plan to launch medical school

Mary Washington Healthcare is planning to partner with the University of Mary Washington to launch a new medical school — a move designed to address the shortage of physicians in the Fredericksburg region.

Dr. Christopher Newman, who became president and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare in March and also serves on the university’s board of visitors, confirmed to Virginia Business that the university and health system are in “serious planning stages” for launching a medical school, which would be the first in Northern Virginia.

Newman pitched to UMW President Troy D. Paino the idea of the two entities collaborating on the creation of a medical school after a feasibility study conducted by national consulting firm Tripp Umbach had recently wrapped up, finding the proposed school viable. Numerous discussions about the proposed medical school also were held this summer with state representatives, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration and community stakeholders, Newman added.

“We’re really starting to push things forward,” Newman said. “And the university has put it in their six-year strategic plan, which they are presenting to the state.”

The boards for the health system and the university plan to take up the matter this fall and will likely vote in 2026 to officially move forward with the project. The medical school would also require approval from the State Council of Higher Education and the Virginia General Assembly.

Starting a new medical school typically costs around $200 million, Newman said, but a significant portion of that funding has already been invested through completed or in-progress facilities. For example, the health system broke ground in June on a $40 million, 39,000-square-foot building, located across from its Mary Washington Hospital, that will house a conference center and education facility, featuring a training space, classrooms, office space and simulation spaces. Construction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Initially, the Mary Washington Healthcare Conference Center will serve as home to a graduate program the health system launched in 2023, which includes physician residencies and fellowships. However, Newman said, the building could also be used in the future to house the medical school’s programs.

In addition to the center, medical school courses could also take place in various training clinics in the region, as well as UMW facilities like the hospital.

If approvals line up and “everything goes perfectly,” Newman said, the first class of about 100 medical students would be able to start learning at the medical school in 2029.

Shortages driving medical school

One of the main drivers for launching a medical school is what Newman describes as an “extreme physician shortage” in the Fredericksburg region.

“You would have an easier time finding a primary care doc in rural Wyoming or South Dakota than you would in the Fredericksburg region,” he said. “And folks that are moving into this area are definitely feeling that. And we’re also one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, particularly [in] the state of Virginia, and that’s only compounding the issue.”

Mary Washington Healthcare has approximately 1,000 credentialed health care providers, of which the health system employs 600, and the remainder are either private practice physicians or contracted physicians. And that’s “nowhere near the need,” Newman said. “So, we probably need twice that right now to be able to provide adequate access to the community.”

The health system has discussed investing millions into subsidizing tuition for medical students, he said, “because … on average, it’s about $100,000 a year a cost to train a medical student, and we want to keep the tuition reasonable so that we can attract local Virginia students into the medical school that would have a commitment of staying in the region.”

Newman noted that only about 25% of medical school graduates in Virginia remain in the state, and he hopes to change that, with Mary Washington offering a “community-focused” medical school.

While there are regulatory hurdles and details that need to be ironed out before the project can get underway, the health system and university feel “very optimistic” about bringing a medical school to the Fredericksburg region, Newman said.

Level 2 trauma center

In other news regarding the health system, Mary Washington Hospital announced on Wednesday that it had successfully been redesignated as a Level 2 trauma center by the Virginia Department of Health.

The hospital says the redesignation recognizes Mary Washington Healthcare’s ongoing investment in advanced trauma care, medical staff expertise and specialized facilities designed to handle complex and life-threatening injuries.

“Our trauma center has always stood as a beacon of hope in moments of crisis,” Newman said in a statement. “This redesignation reflects our relentless pursuit of excellence and our dedication to ensuring patients receive the best possible care — right here at home. It means fewer transfers and faster access to life-saving treatment for our community.”

One level below the top Level 1 designation, Level 2 trauma centers include “24-hour immediate coverage by general surgeons, as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care,” according to the Falls Church-based American Trauma Society. However, it may need to transfer a patient to a Level 1 center to address more complex cases. Specialty requirements may be fulfilled by on call staff.

The designation makes Mary Washington Hospital the ninth Level 2 trauma center in the state, according to the state health department.

Mary Washington Healthcare is a nonprofit health care system that provides inpatient and outpatient care at over 80 facilities, including Mary Washington Hospital, a 471-bed tertiary hospital; Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital; four emergency departments; and a multispecialty graduate medical education program.