New med school planned at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — Medical school applications are surging as young people reconsider the health care profession following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The change comes as rural communities across North Carolina face a shortage of doctors. Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and Methodist University are working to answer the call in the Sandhills.

Methodist University leaders announced on Monday, they are working with Cape Fear Valley Medical Center to build a new medical school. The med school will be built on the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Campus in Fayetteville.

Leaders said the Methodist University medical school will be a huge economic engine for the area and help with the need for more doctors in rural areas.

“Communities around us, such as Bladen, such as Hoke, Harnett, and others I think will see the impact once the students graduate from the medical school,” said Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Chair of Methodist University Board of Trustees.

According to a recent student, Black doctors only comprise about 6 percent of physicians in the United States. Leaders said they want to use Fayetteville State University, a historically Black university, as a source to increase diversity.

“We will be able to use that school as a feeder for this medical school so that more of our minorities communities have a fair shot at not just getting into medical school, but successfully completing medical school,” said Mike Nagowski, CEO of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

Methodist University will lease the building from Cape Fear Valley and operate the med school. The location of the new facility on the medical campus has not been determined.

The medical school will start with enrolling 80 students a year and gradually increase to 120 a year. Construction is expected to be completed for start classes to start by July 2026.

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