Texas Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, presented Senate Bill 1563 to the Higher Education subcommittee March 23. If passed, the bill would provide funding to Sam Houston State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Conroe.
According to an update by Creighton's office March 27, the bill would provide necessary funding for the school to expand and train the next generation of in-demand physicians that "Texas desperately needs."
Thomas Mohr, dean and professor of internal medicine at SHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, said students at the college pay almost twice as much in fees compared to other state medical schools leaving them with higher debt loads. According to the SHSU website, the average first-year osteopathic medical student pays an average $85,408 a year. The Education Data Initiative, an organization that gathers statistics about the U.S. education system, reported that the average yearly cost to attend a public medical school in 2022 was $57,574. Texas' two other colleges that offer a doctorate degree in osteopathic medicine include the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Forth Worth and the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Tuition at both campuses averages approximately $60,000-$65,000 a year.
"If passed, SB 1563 will ensure the affordability of the education we provide to our student doctors is on par with other medical schools in the state and advance our mission of providing primary care physicians, enhancing health care access in Texas and beyond," he said in an email.
