The Beginning
In, 1997, the Chancellor of the Florida State University System convened a meeting of representatives of the University of Miami (UM) School of Medicine and Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to discuss the development of a potential partnership between UM and FAU to expand access to medical education in Southeast Florida. This initial meeting lead to an agreement by UM and FAU to develop plans for the creation of a regional medical campus of UM located on the main campus of FAU in Boca Raton. Students would be able to complete the first two years of medical school on the FAU regional campus prior to transferring back to UM medical school's main campus in Miami for years three and four. The plans for the regional medical campus developed by UM and FAU made a compelling case that a regional medical campus at FAU's Boca Raton campus in Palm Beach County, was an efficient and cost effective way for the State of Florida to expand access to medical education in Southeast Florida, the most densely populated state. The Florida Legislature made its first appropriation to support planning and development of the regional medical campus program in 1998.
Schmidt Family Donation
In 1998, the Schmidt Family Foundation committed $15 million, which was matched by the State of Florida, to construct the Charles E. Schmidt Biomedical Science Center and to establish a $10 million endowment to support research for the newly established Department of Biomedical Science within the Schmidt College of Science. It was agreed that when the UM regional medical program was established at FAU, it would be administratively housed within the Department of Biomedical Science.
In 1999, Dr. Dwight Warren, previously Associate Dean for Medical Curriculum at the University of Southern California, joined the FAU faculty as Associate Dean for Biomedical Programs and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Science. Under Dr. Warren's leadership, the new Charles E. Schmidt Biomedical Science Center was completed in 2002. The 90,000 square foot Schmidt Biomedical Science Center, which was completed in 2002 is a state-of-the-art facility, equipped with the most advanced information technology for teaching and research purposes. Since completion of the Schmidt Biomedical Science Center, the number of full-time basic science faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Biomedical Science has steadily expanded. Research is being conducted in a diverse basic science disciplines including biochemistry/molecular biology, cardiovascular research, developmental biology, eye research, immunology/microbiology/infectious diseases and neuroscience.
UMMSM at FAU Regional Medical Campus Expansion
In 2004, Dr. Michael Friedland, previously Dean and Associate Vice President at West
Virginia University Health Science Center, and a recognized national expert in
regional medical campuses, joined FAU as Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical
Programs and Vice President for Medical Programs. The charter class began the
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine two year regional medical campus
program at FAU (UMMSM at FAU) in 2004. 
Students admitted to UMMSM at FAU in 2004,
2005 and 2006 complete the first two years of medical studies on the FAU regional
medical campus in Boca Raton Campus before transferring back to the UM Miami campus
for the last two years of medical studies. Under Dr. Friedland's leadership, FAU
and UM developed plans to expand the two year regional medical campus program at
FAU to a full four year medical program that could be entirely completed on the FAU
regional medical campus. In 2006, the Florida Legislature authorized expansion of
the FAU regional medical campus. The charter class will be admitted to the four year
regional medical program in 2007. The four year program will be distinguished from
the program offered on the Miami campus by an emphasis on (a) case-based and
patient-centered education through collaborative, small group student learning
communities; (b) an integrated curriculum that breaks down traditional barriers
between the basic, clinical and social sciences and between the academic medical center
and the community; (c) core competencies and critical curricular content in areas
including comprehensive chronic disease management, geriatrics, population-based medicine,
inter-professional training and care delivery, and the "physicianship" skill set of
leadership, professionalism, quality assessment and improvement, evidence-based practice
and decision-making and medical informatics and information management
New College of Biomedical Science
In August, 2006, the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees approved the creation of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science as the university's ninth college in recognition of the fact that the departmental status was no longer adequate to accommodate the burgeoning volume and diversity of educational and research activities housed within the department. The new College of Biomedical Science is comprised of two departments. The Department of Clinical Science and Medical Education has become the administrative home for UMMSM at FAU. The Department of Basic Science offers the Master's Degree in Biomedical Science. The Ph.D. Degree in Integrative Biology, which allows students to pursue interests across a number of fields including marine science, biomedical science, biotechnology and biology, is offered by the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science as a collaborative effort of faculty with appointments in both the College of Science and College of Biomedical Science. As clinical faculty are hired to teach in the four year regional medical program, new opportunities are emerging to expand the College's strong foundation of basic science research into the clinical research arena. Establishment of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science has also positioned FAU to more effectively partner with entities such as the Scripps Florida Research Institute, located on the FAU Jupiter campus, for collaborative biomedical research initiatives.
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