TCU School of Medicine named for Anne Burnett Marion

Texas Christian University announced Monday that the School of Medicine will be named the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine, in honor of the late philanthropist and Fort Worth native who pledged to support the future of medical education.

“I couldn’t ask for a better individual to name our school, a very impressive woman indeed,” said Stuart D. Flynn, founding dean of the TCU School of Medicine.

In addition to the name of the school, the university announced a second $25 million gift from Marion and the Burnett Foundation to the Anne W. Marion Foundation in support of the operations of the TCU School of Medicine.

the first gift of $25 million in September 2020 through the Burnett Foundation was foundational to the TCU School of Medicine. He established the Anne W. Marion Endowment to permanently support the school’s students, faculty, and programming.

Marion was an honorary trustee of TCU. before her died in February 2020 she said, “I am inspired by the vision of the School of Medicine to transform medical education. This school is bringing considerable progress and innovations that are reshaping the curriculum and preparing its graduates to better serve the community. I am pleased to make this gift.”

The name of the school, to be known as the Burnett School of Medicine, will give the school an identity, Flynn said.

“Depending on the person that the school is named after, it sends a very strong and clear message to that community,” Flynn said. “So having Anne Marion’s name attached to this school, which is iconic in North Texas and definitely iconic in Fort Worth, is such a powerful connection and one that invokes immense pride.”

Jonah Schmitz, a freshman at Burnett School of Medicine, feels the sense of pride that comes with the name.

“It is very exciting that the school is named after someone who clearly understood the value of community and how organizations, both inside and outside of medicine, create happy and healthy communities,” Schmitz said.

First-year medical student Kailie McGee said naming the school after Marion is inspiring.

“Strong women like Miss Marion are strong girls,” said McGee.

“This leads to strong communities, leaders and solutions, and she [Marion] has proven time and time again that women can and are dynamic and powerful leaders,” said McGee. “The severity of its effect on Fort Worth is immeasurable, especially on the women of our school.”

The $50 million endowment is unrestricted and will fund a variety of efforts, from hiring staff and faculty to scholarships and curriculum design, Flynn said.

“During her lifetime, Anne Marion’s support of the university through her service as a trustee and her philanthropy played a vital role in strengthening TCU’s academic profile and reputation,” said TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini. Jr., in a press release. “Her investment of her $50 million in our School of Medicine enhances her legacy and will have a far-reaching influence on TCU for the next 150 years.”

Flynn said part of the medical school’s mission is to train the next generation of physicians to be “easy” with the changes that occur in medicine every day and to be leaders in some of those innovations.

“Medical knowledge now doubles every 70 days. If you don’t stay on top of that wave, training the next generation, you’re left out,” Flynn said. “Not only do we not want to get out of this, we want to make sure our students are aware. A gift like this allows us to continue to push that envelope.”

And the funds will make an impact in the Fort Worth community.

Part of the Burnett School of Medicine curriculum involves students using their skills in the Fort Worth community with clinical partners.

“So the funds that will come from this gift can be used in those communities, which are underserved communities where we provide care, teach and do other programs to help students who might not otherwise be able to do some of the things that we can do. with them,” Flynn said. He added, “It’s very linear to go from a gift like this to how it impacts the Fort Worth community.”

Burnett School of Medicine’s first class of medical students began in July 2019. The fourth class began in July 2022, bringing the school to a full enrollment of 240 students.

TCU is opening a new campus in the Fort Worth medical district for the Burnett School of Medicine. The school will soon be located in the city’s Near Southside neighborhood and will be home to 240 medical students, as well as hundreds of faculty and staff.

Officials expect the four-story, roughly 100,000-square-foot building to be completed in 2024.

“Ms. Marion’s legacy will always be tied to our school, which makes it even better that she is a woman and that trailblazing role model not only for the women of our school, but also for the women of our community and beyond. our community. McGee said.