Osteopathic community generally opposes plans to add MD degree at Texas med school

More than 250 people attended a public hearing to voice their views on a proposal to add an MD degree to the University of North Texas Health Science Center's popular osteopathic medicine program. Alumni and current students at UNT's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine told the UNT board of regents that adding an MD degree would undermine the success of the osteopathic college, which focuses on producing primary care and family physicians, particularly for rural areas. A lineup of business and civic leaders and hospital executives told the board that the addition of a medical doctor degree would expand opportunities for MD and DO students, open doors for additional local residency programs, and produce additional doctors for North Texas.