The Health Science Center at the University of Texas at Tyler
History
The site where the Health Science Center stands today, 614 acres located northeast of Tyler, Texas, is rich in history. Activated in 1943 as Camp Fannin, it began as a World War II infantry-training base where more than 100,000 men were prepared for combat.
The genesis of Health Science Center was established in 1947, when the 50th Texas Legislature chartered it as the East Texas Tuberculosis Sanatorium. It was later designated the East Texas Tuberculosis Hospital and in 1971 renamed the East Texas Chest Hospital by the 62nd Texas Legislature, making it a primary referral facility in Texas for treatment of pulmonary and heart disease. In 1977, the institution joined The University of Texas System, becoming The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler. The primary mission of this academic medical center, governed by the UT System Board of Regents, was three-fold: patient care, research and education in the treatment of pulmonary and heart disease.
In 2020, the UT System Board of Regents announced the consolidation of UT Tyler and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (HSC) into one institution operating as UT Tyler and announced plans to establish the East Texas School of Medicine. The Southern Association of Schools and Colleges – Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees approved the proposal for the merger in December 2020. The UT System Board of Regents named Kirk A. Calhoun, MD, FACP as the fifth President of the new unified UT Tyler in January 2021.
Health Affairs Division
UT Tyler has four outstanding health-related academic schools and colleges in Health Affairs - School of Nursing; Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy; School of Health Professions; and the School of Medicine.