The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents officially approved the establishment of The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center in September 1997. The formal reorganization of existing components into a health science center was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on January 23, 1998, and the A&M Health Science Center officially began operation on January 1, 1999. The health science center reaches across Texas through its five components and two regional centers.

In many ways, the A&M Health Science Center's work to "build healthy traditions" involved literal brick-and-mortar building in fiscal year 2003. The 45,000-square-foot College of Medicine Education Center at Scott & White was dedicated in Temple in early 2003. Baylor College of Dentistry's preclinical laboratory was renovated in time for the 2003-04 academic year. And in June 2003, the College of Medicine's Cardiovascular Research Institute took occupancy in a new research building on the grounds of the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, also in Temple.

Traditions in service are being built and nurtured as well. The Health Circus Program, created and executed by first- and second-year College of Medicine students, with assistance from students at the School of Rural Public Health, brought fun as well as needed health services to underserved people in three Brazos Valley communities. Dental and dental hygiene students at Baylor College of Dentistry worked with the Special Olympics Special Smiles event for the fourth year. Meanwhile, students at the School of Rural Public Health assisted Habitat for Humanity, and the Institute of Biosciences and Technology hosted student participants in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine, which introduces outstanding high school students to the fields of medicine, research and public health.

With these and many other initiatives in education, research and outreach, the A&M System's health sciences university made great strides in its quest to build healthy traditions in fiscal year 2003.

Baylor College of Dentistry

Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD) in Dallas is an internationally recognized center for oral health sciences education, research, specialized patient care and continuing dental education. As the largest single provider of oral health care services in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the college has combined higher education and research with community service for nearly a century. More than one-third of all dentists in Texas are graduates of the college, and Baylor College of Dentistry graduates the state's largest number of dental hygienists with bachelor's degrees. Planning is under way as the college nears its 100th anniversary celebration in 2005.

College of Medicine

Established in 1973, the College of Medicine (COM) has widespread affiliations with several well-established clinical facilities, including Scott & White and Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple, Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood and Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi. The mission of the college is to educate caring and highly skilled physicians, as well as scientists, to advance knowledge in the biomedical and clinical sciences. Research in basic science and clinical areas expands the pool of knowledge for physicians, while the innovations and breakthroughs developed through research lead to better care of the world's population. Closer to home, the community outreach programs at the college ensure that assistance is provided to those in need.

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

The goal of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) is to produce the future faculty and researchers who will improve the health of Texans through scientific investigation and education. The graduate school offers master's and doctoral programs in the medical, dental and public health sciences. These programs use an interdisciplinary approach to provide educators and biomedical researchers for the future.

Institute of Biosciences and Technology

The Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT) provides a bridge between A&M Health Science Center scientists and their peers at Texas Medical Center institutions in Houston. Participating in the growth of biotech-nology research in Texas' largest city, IBT emphasizes practical applications of technologies to improve human health. IBT's faculty transfers scientific discoveries made in their laboratories to the marketplace so this research can be used to help people. Recent discoveries made by IBT scientists have stimulated not only new avenues for collaborative research but also the hiring of new faculty members.

School of Rural Public Health

The School of Rural Public Health (SRPH) focuses on the unique health needs of rural and underserved populations through education, research, outreach and creative partnerships. Students choose a concentration in one of six areas: epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy and management, social and behavioral health, environmental and occupational health, or community public health and management--and spend a semester of educational experience in a rural public health setting. The school celebrated its fifth year in 2003. Its next goal is to become a national resource on health issues, particularly those affecting rural populations.

Coastal Bend Health Education Center

The Coastal Bend Health Education Center (CBHEC) was established in 1999 to develop community-based sites for educating health care professionals in the Coastal Bend. Through key partnerships with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville and other educational and health care insti-tutions, CBHEC epitomizes the health science center's commitment to the renowned Texas A&M land-grant model for education. The center's partnerships allow it to identify important health care and education needs in the Coastal Bend region. CBHEC's innovative programs train students and practitioners in the health professions, provide health education to the public and promote health career recruitment in the region.

South Texas Center

The South Texas Center (STC) is located in McAllen. Its purposes include providing support for health professions education; recruiting students into the health professions; providing health outreach programs to dis-advantaged populations in the region; and conducting research on health issues specific to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The School of Rural Public Health currently offers a Master of Public Health degree program at the South Texas Center via distance education. Faculty members at the center work with local city and county governments and officials in Mexico to address health issues in the border population. Construction on a new building for the center was completed in December 2003.

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