Leila Navidi

Dr. Mark Doubrava speaks at an editorial board meeting at the Las Vegas Sun offices on Tuesday, March 26,2013.

By Paul Takahashi (contact)

Published Thursday, March 28, 2013 | 2 a.m.

Updated 4 hours, 39 minutes ago

Regent Mark Doubrava's proposal for a new medical school at UNLV likely will exacerbate longstanding north-south tensions in higher education amid a fierce debate over equitable funding for Nevada's seven colleges and universities.

Doubrava a local ophthalmologist who specializes in cornea transplants recently announced his plans for Nevada's higher education leaders to explore the possibility of a second state-funded medical school that would exclusively serve Southern Nevada.

Currently, four-year medical students at the University of Nevada School of Medicine located at UNR complete their classwork in Reno during their first two years of study. Some students then move to Las Vegas to complete their medical clerkship at University Medical Center during their final two years.

Despite recent efforts to increase the medical school's presence in Southern Nevada from purchasing a house in Las Vegas for Dean Tom Schwenk to proposing a $220 million academic center near UMC the Nevada System of Higher Education hasn't done enough for the medical and patient communities in Southern Nevada, Doubrava said.

A medical school at UNLV would help solve Las Vegas' doctor shortage and improve the quality of health care in the state's population center, Doubrava said. In a city marred by a hepatitis C scandal and substandard hospital care, a dedicated medical school also would help train and elevate the local physician community, he added.

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Regent's idea for Las Vegas-based medical school has merit and drawbacks, observers say