40. Community Need According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, there is a current and projected physician workforce shortage. By 2034, projections indicate that the United States will be somewhere between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians short of what is needed; because medical training can take up to a decade, the time to act is now. Boonshoft School of Medicine has increased the class size this year to 132 entering students, but further expansion is limited by building and interactive classroom size. BSOM preferentially admits students from Ohio and the Miami Valley--in 2021, our entering class consisted of 85% Ohioans and 32% from the Miami Valley. This makes it more likely that these physicians will remain here long-term, impacting the health care and well-being of our communities. Indeed, a high percentage of practicing physicians in Dayton and its surrounding regions are Wright State-Boonshoft graduates.

The health care needs in the Miami Valley are tremendous. The average life expectancy in our region lags behind national indices by as much as 2 years, and the rate of chronic diseases and maternal infant mortality are higher than the national average in our region. By creating physicians to serve our region, the impact on the health of our community will be long-lasting.