Dr. Prem Reddy, the world-renowned Cardiologist, based in California, has never been short of visions for the betterment of the community. Since the establishment of the Desert Valley Hospital in 1994, he has orchestrated many noteworthy achievements that have cemented his reputation forever in the minds of the people of California.
His latest achievement in the pursuit of excellence in medical education revolves around the steadfast growth of the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM).
The Groundwork.
The Inland Empire region of Southern California ranks significantly lower than the rest of the state's healthcare benchmarks. The incidence of disease was high and the number of physicians operating in the region was low. To operate under such a grim equation and turn the tide to deliver great results in care delivery requires fresh talent. A new generation of medical professionals trained with best practices extricated from years of experience would help deliver high-quality care outcomes. These were the thoughts behind the inception of CUSM, which were driven by the emphasis on community.
The founder of the Desert Valley Hospital, Dr. Prem Reddy, was also the man behind Prime Healthcare and the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a chain of hospitals and its charitable wing. Dr. Reddy has been a man on a mission since 1986 when he decided to explore medical entrepreneurship. His vision is centered between establishing world-class care facilities to treat patients for lesser costs and fostering educational institutes that create medical professionals of the ‘digital age.’
CUSM is one such medical institute that resonates with Dr. Reddy’s vision and since it is a ‘not for profit’ organization, it also encompasses his personal philosophy. It was founded in 2012 to positively impact healthcare by developing and operating a medical school to educate future clinicians and paramedic personnel and conduct medical research to boost the advancement of medical science. Through the Prime Healthcare Foundation and the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation, the California-based Cardiologist mobilized $60 million towards the establishment and development of CUSM.
Launch and Subsequent Journey
In the spring of 2015, CUSM developed an innovative curriculum and standards for admitting students, recruiting faculty, and evaluating its M.D program. In five years, it has experienced prolific growth. It has a student body of over 164 Doctors of Medicine (MD) candidates and 48 master of Biomedical Science candidates.
In Late 2019, the medical school celebrated the completion of its foundation with a beam signing event where the guests included nearly 100 dignitaries from across the state. They were invited to enter the construction zone and leave their mark on the university building’s core to recognize the medical institute’s progress.
The medical school spearheads the degree program and the ‘Office of Research’, aiming to advance clinical research. CUSM is located beside the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in Colton and is well equipped with modernized facilities such as laboratories (anatomy, pathology, and research), a digital library, lecture halls, classrooms, study lounges, and more. The digital library collection comprises over 6000 scientific journals, 4360 e-books, and an evolving database of other medical publications.
CUSM’s approach to teaching core medical subjects such as anatomy, pathology, immunology, and microbiology is unique. It allows students to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to multiple disciplines. CUSM’s emphasis on technology-facilitated teaching and learning has already garnered recognition from the Inland Empire community, showing that Dr. Prem Reddy’s Vision is once again orchestrating success.
Powering Through
CUSM’s curriculum for its Doctor of Medicine program engages progressive thinking and drives seamless collaboration. It is designed to inform students from a practical perspective, preparing them for real-world scenarios as the course progresses towards completion. The curriculum has been extensively designed by medical science educators with MD and PhDs to their name. These thought leaders synergize with technology to incorporate modern-day subjects such as immunotherapy, bio robotics, biotechnology, and genomic medicine into the learning process.
The Office of Research is the medical’s school effort to explore breakthroughs in biomedical sciences. It encourages ideation and its effectual development through collaboration among peers and faculty members to nurture innovation. Its closely-knit relationship with the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) vastly improves CUSM’s ability to support academic medicine and enrich students’ understanding of diagnosis and prognosis.
Parting Words
CUSM is currently in its fledging stage and is destined for exponential growth and recognition as the years go passing by. This is because Dr. Prem Reddy and his team of like-minded thinkers have a phenomenal track record of working with faltering medical facilities and turning them into successful hospitals. Under their expert tutelage, CUSM is bound to transform into one of California’s finest medical schools.
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