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Andrew EvansPhoto provided by UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
Andrew Evans

Photo provided by UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

MU taps local Mercy doc to lead clinical campus

Posted online
The University of Missouri School of Medicine’s Springfield clinical campus is one step closer to reality.

The Columbia-based school appointed Dr. Andrew Evans as associate dean and chief academic officer for the campus, as well as associate professor of clinical medicine, effective Feb. 15.

A hospitalist at Mercy Clinic Springfield since 2003, Evans is tasked with engaging Columbia and Springfield leaders to provide strategic direction and vision, and align educational programs in Springfield align with the patient-centered care model, according to a news release.

Announced as fully funded last June, the medical school is the product of eight years of advocacy by MU, Mercy, CoxHealth, Missouri State University and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. MU is expanding its medical school class size from 96 to 128 students to address a critical shortage of physicians in Missouri and the nation. As part of the expansion, the school also will open a new medical education building in 2017 in Columbia.

In conjunction, MSU launched its master of science in occupational therapy program with 24 students in fall 2015. In all, the two programs bring $11.3 million in medical education expansion to the Queen City, according to Springfield Business Journal reporting. MU’s funding was supported a year ago by a $21.5 million settlement with Standard and Poor’s Financial Services LLC.

Evans has been an active member of the medical staff and held administrative positions in all three health systems and is involved with the MU medical school expansion. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a senior fellow of the Society of Hospital Medicine. Evans’ education extends cross-country with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and philosophy and an MBA from Drury University, as well as a doctorate in medicine from University of Washington in Seattle. He also completed a residency in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, according to the release.

The expansion project is estimated to produce over 300 additional physicians in Missouri, add more than $390 million annually to the state’s economy and create 3,500 new jobs, according to information released by the chamber.

Starting in June, up to a dozen MU medical students will complete their last two years of training in Springfield.

“I believe this is a great opportunity for the future of medical education in the state of Missouri,” Evans said in the release.

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