ROUND ROCK, Texas (March 17, 2008) – With less than four months to go before third-year medical students start their clinical rotations at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine’s newest campus in Round Rock, Dr. Kathryn Kotrla and her team are on the fast track to meet the challenges of growing a medical school.

Appointed the Associate Dean for the campus last fall, Kotrla has the responsibility of building a campus from the ground up in addition to her roles as Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Associate Professor in the department. She has been working for the past several months on campus and program development, building a faculty base and procuring affiliation agreements with clinical facilities in Williamson County.

Kotrla says she’s excited not only about the College of Medicine’s commitment to train more physicians for Texas, but also about the opportunity to bring a new dimension of health care to Williamson County.

“I grew up in Taylor, so this is a great honor and opportunity for me as a hometown girl,” Kotrla says. “I’m looking forward to bringing medical education to Williamson County and meeting the health care needs of our citizens. Community leaders and elected officials have really embraced us and helped pave the road to success.”

With offices currently located at the Old Town Square complex, the college’s Round Rock campus will benefit from the recent Avery family land gift, which will eventually be the site of educational and administrative facilities.

Starting in June, College of Medicine students will be training with faculty physicians at Lone Star Circle of Care, Scott & White’s University Medical Center, Seton Medical Center Williamson, and St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. As a result, students will have the opportunity to gain varied experiences in both inpatient and outpatient settings with experienced faculty members from all over Williamson County.

“Our approach to medical education is to partner with local physicians and health systems to provide high quality student-centered education,” College of Medicine dean, Dr. Christopher C. Colenda says. “Training students in communities provides excellent opportunities in real-world-settings with hands-on mentorship by community faculty physicians and health professionals.  It also raises the quality of care for patients, as data has shown time and again that teaching environments have better overall health care outcomes.”

“The community faculty physician educators are the pillars of the health care community in Williamson County,” Dr. Kotrla adds. “They provide excellent care to their patients, and it is exciting that they have made the commitment to sharing their medical wisdom with our students.”

Clerkship coordinators have been appointed for the Family & Community Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Psychiatry and Surgery rotations, with Pediatrics and Internal Medicine soon to follow. Numerous physicians in the community have already agreed to join the faculty.

College leaders plan for 16-20 students to begin rotations in Round Rock during the 2008-2009 academic year, with numbers increasing as the programs grow.

“The opportunities for us to expand are boundless,” Dr. Kotrla says. “Our future will reflect the vision of our elected officials and community leaders. The sky’s the limit.”