By Paul Takahashi (contact)

Friday, May 9, 2014 | 2 a.m.

Barbara Atkinson

Barbara Atkinson has a bold vision for the first public, M.D.-granting medical school in Southern Nevada.

The new dean for the proposed UNLV School of Medicine comes to Las Vegas with a wealth of experience in the fields of medicine and medical education. Between 2002 and 2012, Atkinson, 71, was the executive vice chancellor and dean of the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Like Nevada, Kansas faced a physician shortage. Under Atkinsons leadership, the University of Kansas Medical Center expanded campuses in Salina and Wichita, recruited renowned faculty and built new academic buildings at its main campus in Kansas City.

As UNLVs planning dean, Atkinson will be charged with bringing to life the communitys vision for a top-notch medical school that produces doctors who stay in Nevada and helps in Southern Nevadas economic diversification efforts. Atkinson says shes excited for the challenge.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Nevada ranks 46th nationally in the number of doctors per capita (71.2 primary care physicians per 100,000 Nevadans). Some see a UNLV medical school as a solution. What do you think?

We realized early on when I was in Kansas that there was a major physician shortage, although not as major as in Las Vegas. Primary care in rural areas and sub-specialty programs were lacking. We decided to expand the number of medical students, not just in Kansas City, where we already had a major medical school, but to put more in Wichita and start a small campus in Salina. We increased the number of medical students statewide from about 175 per class to 220 per class. It clearly made a big impact in keeping physicians in Kansas.

Read the original post:

New dean calls med school a matter of priorities and return on investment