University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, commonly known as the UNT Health Science Center and abbreviated UNTHSC, is a graduate-level institution of the University of North Texas System

University of North Texas System

The University of North Texas System consists of four educational institutions in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area...

. The 1,760-student, 33-acre campus opened in 1970 and is located in the Cultural District of Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

.

UNT Health at UNTHSC is the TCOM faculty practice program providing direct patient care. UNT Health handles over 600,000 patient visits annually. The group's 170 physicians practice in 40 medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties, including allergy

Allergy

An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...

/immunology

Immunology

Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...

, family practice, cardiology

Cardiology

Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...

, neurology

Neurology

Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...

, obstetrics

Obstetrics

Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...

& gynecology, oncology

Oncology

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...

, orthopedics

Orthopedics

Orthopedics is the study of the musculoskeletal system. The Greek word 'ortho' means straight or correct and 'pedics' comes from the Greek 'pais' meaning children. For many centuries, orthopedists have been involved in the treatment of crippled children...

, psychiatry

Psychiatry

Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...

, sports medicine

Sports medicine

Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...

and neurosurgery

Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...

.

Research centers and institutes at UNTSHC include the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CRI), the Center for Commercialization of Fluorescence Technologies (CCFT), the Focused on Resources for her Health Education and Research (FOR HER), the Institute for Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Research (IAADR), the Institute for Cancer Research (ICR), the Institute of Applied Genetics (IAG), the North Texas Eye Research Institute (NTERI), the Osteopathic Research Center (ORC), the Texas Prevention Institute (TPI), the Center For Community Health (CCH), the Primary Care Research Center (PCRC), and The Texas Center for Health Disparities (TCHD).
The UNT Center for Human Identification, which is housed at UNTHSC, analyzes DNA

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

samples from both unidentified remains as well as reference samples submitted by family members of missing persons to law enforcement agencies nationwide. It also conducts all DNA analysis for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress.-Establishment and overview:...

. The Center is the only academic center in the U.S. with access to the FBI’s next-generation CODIS 6.0 DNA Software. UNTHSC also manages the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) for the U.S. Department of Justice.

UNTHSC serves as home to several National Institutes of Health

National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...

-funded research programs and currently leads all Texas health science centers in research growth. The Health Science Center also houses laboratories for TECH Fort Worth, a non-profit business incubator for biotechnology

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...

.

Community and school outreach programs include Fort Worth’s annual Hispanic Wellness Fair and the annual Cowtown Marathon, which were founded by UNTHSC. The Health Science Center participates in 10 state and federally funded programs that bring students and teachers onto campus each summer.

Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM)

Founded in 1970, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) is a state-supported medical school that serves as the cornerstone of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. It currently has 685 D.O.

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a professional doctoral degree for physicians in the United States. Holders of the MD degree, Doctor of Medicine, have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as osteopathic physicians in the United States.The American Osteopathic Association’s Commission...

students and over 300 full-time basic science and clinical faculty members. The full-time faculty is augmented by over 400 part-time faculty members. TCOM is ranked as the number 19 medical school for primary care

Primary care

Primary care is the term for the health services by providers who act as the principal point of consultation for patients within a health care system...

by U.S. News and World Report. Approximately 55 percent of TCOM's graduates practice primary care medicine (family practice, internal medicine

Internal medicine

Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...

, pediatrics

Pediatrics

Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...

, obstetrics and gynecology), while the remainder are in specialties ranging from aerospace medicine to vascular medicine.

Clinical rotation sites include Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, John Peter Smith (JPS) Hospital in Fort Worth, Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth, Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Dallas, Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in Baytown, Conroe Regional Medical Center in Conroe, Bay Area Medical Center in Corpus Christi, and Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. Residency programs include dermatology

Dermatology

Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....

, family practice, general surgery, internal medicine, neuromusculoskeletal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology

Radiology

Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...

. Fellowship programs include cardiology, gastroenterology

Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...

, geriatrics

Geriatrics

Geriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...

-internal medicine, interventional cardiology, neuromusculoskeletal medicine, palliative medicine, and rheumatology

Rheumatology

Rheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists...

.

TCOM also offers dual degree programs (D.O./M.P.H., D.O./M.S., D.O./Ph.D.

Ph.D.

A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

) with the School of Public Health and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and an early admission program is available for qualified undergraduates from UNT and UT Dallas

University of Texas at Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas, also referred to as UT Dallas or UTD, is a public research university in the University of Texas System. The main campus is in the heart of the Richardson, Texas, Telecom Corridor, north of downtown Dallas...

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences was established in 1993 when the Department of Biomedical Sciences at UNT was transferred to the Health Science Center.

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical sciences as well as dual degrees (DO/MS and DO/PhD), with options to specialize in biochemistry

Biochemistry

Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...

and molecular biology

Molecular biology

Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...

, cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

biology

Biology

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

, cardiovascular science, cell biology

Cell biology

Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...

, integrative physiology

Physiology

Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...

, microbiology

Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...

and immunology

Immunology

, neurobiology of aging, pharmacology

Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...

and neuroscience

Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...

, physical medicine, structural anatomy

Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...

, visual sciences, and integrative biomedical science. Specialized master's programs are available in biotechnology

Biotechnology

, clinical research management, forensic genetics

Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....

, lab animal science

Animal science

Animal Science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind". Historically, the animals studied were farm animals, including livestock and horses, but courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals, for example dogs, cats and...

, and medical sciences.

School of Public Health

The School of Public Health (SPH) was founded in 1999. Degree programs in SPH include Master of Health Administration (MHA), Master of Public Health

Master of Public Health

The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....

(MPH), Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), and PhD in public health sciences.

SPH also offers dual degree programs with TCOM, the UNT Anthropology Department and the University of Texas at Arlington

University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...

School of Nursing.

School of Health Professions

The School of Health Professions at UNTHSC started with the Physician Assistant

Physician assistant

A physician assistant/associate ' is a healthcare professional trained and licensed to practice medicine with limited supervision by a physician.-General description:...

program in 1997. The Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program is ranked in the top 35 graduate-level physician assistant programs by U.S. News and World Report..

The School also offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy

Doctor of Physical Therapy

The Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Physiotherapy is a post-baccalaureate three-year degree conferred upon successful completion of a professional clinical doctoral level professional or post-professional physical therapist education program for the licensed physical therapist...

(DPT) degree.

UNT System College of Pharmacy

In 2011 the Texas Legislature

Texas Legislature

The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...

authorized the establishment of a college of pharmacy

Pharmacy

Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...

at UNTHSC. The UNT System Board of Regents has approved a Doctor of Pharmacy

Doctor of Pharmacy

A Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional doctorate degree in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a first professional degree, and a prerequisite for licensing to exercise the profession of pharmacist.-Kenya :...

(PharmD

Doctor of Pharmacy

) degree program and the inaugural class is expected to begin in 2013.

UNT Health

UNT Health is the physician entity of UNTHSC. It includes 170 physicians (99 DOs and 71 MDs) from nearly every medical specialty who practice in over 30 offices across Tarrant County as well as area hospitals. UNT Health handles over half a million patient visits every year.

Library

The Gibson D. Lewis Health Science Library's collections, including more than 20,000 journal titles and 67,000 books, provide UNTHSC students and faculty with access to the latest basic science and clinical research. The Lewis Library provides access to virtually 100 percent of the world's current medical information, including a wide variety of research databases.

Centers and institutes

External links