Standing in front of the soon-to-be completed, state-of-the-art Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine building on Friday, Methodist University President Stanley T. Wearden, Ph.D., shared that the proposed new school of medicine has received the official accreditation approval necessary to begin its recruitment of its inaugural class of students for the summer of 2026.
Standing in front of the soon-to-be completed, state-of-the-art Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine building on Friday, Methodist University President Stanley T. Wearden, Ph.D., shared that the proposed new school of medicine has received the official accreditation approval necessary to begin its recruitment of its inaugural class of students for the summer of 2026.
“Today marks a truly transformational milestone,” Wearden said to a crowd of medical professionals, key partners, media from around the state, and SOM faculty and staff. “This accomplishment is the result of years of dedication, planning, and collaboration… With preliminary accreditation in hand, we now begin the exciting work of recruiting our charter class – students who will one day transform healthcare throughout Southeastern North Carolina.”
The accreditation designation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) – the accrediting body for all U.S. and Canadian MD-granting medical schools – represents a significant achievement for Methodist University, in partnership with Cape Fear Valley Health, and positions the school as only the fifth MD medical school in North Carolina and the first new MD school in N.C. in four decades that isn’t tied to an existing institution.
“None of this happens in isolation,” said Dr. Hershey Bell, the founding dean of the SOM. “It takes the full partnership of our University, our health system, our faculty and staff, and the extraordinary people of this community who share a belief in what’s possible when vision meets purpose.”
The new school will provide a very unique, mission-driven MD education with world-class clinical experiences in underserved areas where students (who become physicians) can make a difference – right away and for generations to come. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has reported that when students go to medical school and complete their residency in one area, there’s a 70% chance they stay in that area to practice.
“This partnership is not just historic – it is profoundly practical,” said Michael Nagowski, CEO of Cape Fear Valley Health System. “For years, our region has faced physician shortages, particularly in primary care and key specialties. By training medical students right here in Fayetteville, we will dramatically increase the likelihood that these future doctors stay and serve the communities that need them most.”
This moment is truly a celebration as a win for the city, region, state and nation, as it is the “greenlight” to recruit students for a medical school that brings new opportunities for aspiring physicians, innovative academic research, and a long-term pipeline of doctors trained to serve.
“This achievement is about transformation,” Bell said. “The transformation of students’ lives who dream of becoming physicians; the transformation of healthcare access across our region; the transformation of opportunities for research, innovation, and economic growth right here at home.”
An Economic Impact Study – by Michael Walden from N.C. State University – shows the SOM will increase annual spending in the area by $72M and create nearly 850 news jobs (not including those from expected new industries and employers).
The SOM has already hired more than 50 faculty and staff, and will utilize more than 200 clinical faculty (Cape Fear Valley Health physicians with faculty) with additional physician appointments to come.
“Our students will learn in an innovative, community-centered curriculum, training directly within Cape Fear Valley Health System’s hospitals and clinics,” Bell said. “They will become not only exceptional clinicians, but compassionate community leaders – doctors who know their patients, their neighborhoods, and their purpose.”
The next significant milestone for the SOM is substantive change new program approval in December. This is pending the approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges board. For several years, Methodist University has had some of the region’s top academic programs in Health Sciences & Human Services and maintains departments that include: Health Care Administration, Kinesiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies; the School of Nursing; Social Work and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
“For decades, our University has been deeply committed to preparing professionals who make a difference in the lives of others,” Wearden said. “Now, with this medical school, that mission reaches an even higher calling.”
More information about the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine, which has received tremendous support from the Golden LEAF Foundation and other corporate and individual donors, can be found at methodist.edu/medicine.