The Location of New Medical Schools: National Design or Local Initiative?

Given the social ambience and economic structure of the United States now and for the coming decades, it appears most likely that the location of new medical schools will be decided through a combination of local initiative and national design, but with increasing emphasis on national design. Before this general statement can be meaningfully discussed, however, it is necessary to consider the definitions of the three key elements: medical schools, local initiative, and national design. Medical Schools The answer to "What is a medical school?" like the answer to "What is beauty?" seems to lie in the eye of the beholder, and different beholders have widely varying and vigorously espoused opinions. At one end of the spectrum, a medical school is defined as a constellation of teachers and undergraduate MD candidates, supported by classrooms, teaching laboratories, and hospital beds. The function of such a school is largely and, in the