The TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine hopes to level up Texas healthcare by mentoring empathetic students to build solid foundations in their relationships with patients.

The school of medicine announced Friday that it had received accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

Accreditation allows the school to begin taking applications. The first class is expected to enroll next summer.

Dr. Stuart Flynn, the dean of the new school of medicine, said the institution is looking for young people with humility and a certain kind of leadership that puts the patient above all else.

The school has built a distinctive curriculum meant to cultivate physicians who understand the importance of the doctor/patient relationship, said Michael Williams, the UNTHSC president.

He noted that there are “177 medical schools in the U.S. and they’ve all been training the same way since 1910.”

Michael Harbin, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a UNT medical science graduate student said the patient centered approach to medicine is one of the main reasons he really wants to be a part of the program.

“They’re focused on collaborative and compassionate care with empathy focus on the patient,” Harbin said.

With students having access to the latest technology, Flynn said he hopes an attraction of Biotech Pharmaceuticals and an emphasis on allopathic medicine will improve healthcare.

“We will be a major economic driver for Fort Worth and the community,” said Mayor Betsy Price. “That will change the face of Fort Worth.”

Paul Dorman, the pharmaceutical executive, business investor and entrepreneur donated at least $3 million dollars to provide a full first-year tuition to the inaugural class of M.D. students.

The program will accept 60 students per class, with 20 slots set aside for TCU graduates. The school expects to begin accepting applications in November.

“The admissions process is very stressful and its a very long process,” said Andrew Wilson a graduate student at UNT’s Master of Science program in Medical Sciences. “As a TCU graduate I’m very proud and excited that TCU and UNT are bringing another medical school to Fort Worth as another avenue for potential medical students.”

Flynn said the goal behind partnering the two institutions was to create more positions in Tarrant County and they’ve received a lot of support from the community the past two and half years.