Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Campus
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Campus is a branch of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) in El Paso, Texas. It opened in 1969 as the Regional Academic Health Center and became affiliated with R.E. Thomason Hospital in 1973 as part of the TTUHSC.
The facility now has approximately to 1,200 faculty and staff members. Third and fourth year medical students currently train at the El Paso campus, along with residents in eight accredited programs. It operates eleven community clinics throughout the city and County of El Paso. In addition to its partnership with Thomason Hospital, it has partnerships with William Beaumont Army Medical Center located on Fort Bliss and Providence Hospital.
The facility is currently building three new buildings and has completed another building for the projected 2009 opening of the full 4-year medical school. This will be the first four-year medical school on the U.S./Mexico border and is expected to improve the local economy by US$1.31-billion by the year 2013. TTUHSC at El Paso will also fill a niche in border and Hispanic health by leading research that will have a huge impact on the nation by contributing to literature dealing with Hispanics and diseases that affect the El Paso area—diabetes, obesity, and depression.
In 2005 TTUHSC at El Paso launched the Infinity Campaign, seeking to raise $25-million of private funds towards the building of the four-year medical school in El Paso. On August 4, 2007, Paul Foster, President and CEO of Western Refining, made a $50-million donation to the school.[1] This is the largest donation in the history of the Texas Tech University System.[2]