Strengthening the University’s Academic Medical Enterprise

Dear Members of the George Washington University Community,

We are pleased to share with you an update today that further strengthens the university’s academic medical enterprise and our ability to deliver excellent patient care, education, research, and service to our community.

In recent months, our School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Medical Faculty Associates physician practice have worked closely with Universal Health Services to restructure our partnership. Under the restructured agreement, UHS becomes the sole owner of GW Hospital by purchasing the 20 percent minority interest from GW, and a new partnership affiliation is created based on the modern structures and shared programming widely practiced in premier academic health care systems across the nation. The GW MFA and the GW SMHS will continue to serve as the exclusive clinical and academic arms, positioning both GW and GW Hospital for clinical excellence, growth, and stability in the dynamic academic health care landscape.

This agreement will enhance a collaborative partnership that continues to allow the university to provide the highest quality care, education, and research in a high-performing, integrated health care system. Academic medical centers such as ours are critical to society and to fulfilling our mission of teaching, research, and patient care. With the strong foundation provided through the new arrangement, we look forward to a stable and exciting future in the next chapter of the academic medical enterprise.

We are very proud of the health care community at our university and the work done every day to develop and deliver life-saving care, advance innovations in research, and train the next generation of health care leaders. As we embark on our third century, the partnership among SMHS, MFA, and UHS will enable our renowned faculty physicians, researchers, and educators to serve our community and lead as one of the nation’s preeminent academic health care systems.

Sincerely yours,

Mark S. Wrighton
President

Barbara Lee Bass, MD
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences
CEO, The GW Medical Faculty Associates