Welcome to the Web Site of the Arizona Commission on Medical Education and Research (ACMER). Governor Janet Napolitano signed Executive Order 2004-25 to create a 10-member Arizona Commission on Medical Education and Research on October 19, 2004. The charge given the Commission is to develop a plan to implement the principles enumerated in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on August 4, 2004 by the Governor, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR), UA President Peter Likins, and ASU President Michael Crow.

The principles outlined in the MOU commit the ABOR to expand the capacity of the biomedical education and research programs of the Arizona university system. This would be accomplished by expanding the UA College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy programs to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, and relocating the ASU College of Nursing nearby. It also includes building additional programs and facilities on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in conjunction with ASU and one or more Phoenix area hospitals currently participating in the current College of Medicine teaching programs there.

“The absence of a fully developed College of Medicine in Phoenix disadvantages Phoenix and Arizona now and will adversely influence the quality of health care and the environment for continued development of Arizona’s biotechnology industry,” the MOU states. “ABOR does not wish to build a separately accredited or separately managed College of Medicine in Phoenix. It believes that a significantly expanded presence of the UA’s College of Medicine in Phoenix, with two synergistically related campuses, involving faculty from both the UA and ASU is the best strategic choice to advance Arizona’s healthcare needs.” The MOU also notes that ASU’s trajectory as a research-intensive university “makes it imperative that it participate in and benefit from the expansion of medical education and research in Arizona.”

The Commission meets monthly at the State Capitol. To maximize the collective assets of UA and ASU in downtown Phoenix, the Commission oversees the planning process, including the governance structure of the expansion; helping to devise a curriculum that is socially and culturally sensitive to the Phoenix metropolitan area’s health care needs; linking Phoenix-area teaching hospitals and research institutes to achieve optimum learning and collaboration opportunities; encouraging appropriate facility planning and design; and identifying the financial and other resources needed. The Governor requested a first-phase report by the second quarter of 2005.