call to train more physicians in the state of Florida will be answered in part this fall as 16 students begin attending the University of Miami School of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University (UMSM@FAU).

The 16 students are part of the School of Medicine’s largest-ever freshman class. They will complete the first two years of their medical curriculum at FAU’s Boca Raton campus before transferring to Miami to complete years three and four at the UM/Jackson Memorial Medical Center campus.

Ainel Boonprakong is looking forward to being part of that first class. “Students are going to have so many more opportunities to interact with the faculty because it’s such a small class size,” says Boonprakong. “What I like about it is that you feel you have your own piece of the medical school. Medical school is very rigorous—having the feeling that you belong is going to make it go smoother.”

The UMSM@FAU program was created as state lawmakers became aware of a developing shortage of locally trained physicians. By combining forces, FAU, a public university with more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled, and the School of Medicine enabled the state to fulfill its commitment to expand medical education without the expense of creating new medical schools.

Building on that unique educational partnership, the School of Medicine and FAU also recently announced that they are talking with Boca Raton Community Hospital about becoming a community teaching hospital for the School of Medicine.