[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 14, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S10035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 
                          AND HEALTH SCIENCES

 Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
outstanding achievements of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences 
at the University of North Dakota, UND, as it celebrates 100 years of 
excellence, innovation and service. On September 30 through October 1, 
the students, faculty, and alumni of the UND School of Medicine and 
Health Sciences will gather to celebrate their institution's history 
and founding.
  As the only medical school in the State of North Dakota, the School 
of Medicine and Health Sciences has played a key role in ensuring 
access to quality health care in our region. When the School was 
established by the North Dakota State Legislature in 1905, most of the 
State's citizens were farmers living in areas with little or no medical 
care. Throughout the past 100 years, the UND School of Medicine and 
Health Sciences has maintained its focus on training health 
professionals that seek to practice in rural areas. The school has 
educated nearly half of all practicing doctors in North Dakota and 
almost 80 percent of the physician assistants and physical and 
occupational therapists. The school has also trained medical doctors 
and other health professionals for service on reservations through its 
Indians Into Medicine program.
  One of the most notable offices within the School of Medicine and 
Health Sciences is the Center for Rural Health. As one of the Nation's 
top resources for rural health research and policy, the Center for 
Rural Health has been recognized again and again for its work in 
studying and improving rural health. The center is home to the Nation's 
only Rural Assistance Center, a clearinghouse for rural health 
providers and communities to access the full range of funding and 
research opportunities.
  The School of Medicine and Health Sciences has also focused resources 
on medical research. As one of eleven nationwide sites with the 
advanced technology to study neurodegenerative diseases, the school has 
utilized its scientists and resources to study diseases and conditions 
that affect people in the Midwest region, including diabetes, cancer, 
fetal alcohol syndrome, and Parkinson's. Over the past 10 years, the 
school has attracted nearly $30 million in Federal grant funding.
  The UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences has provided a century 
of excellence, innovation, and service to not only its students and 
faculty, but to the entire State of North Dakota. The school has grown 
and expanded over the past 100 years, but has remained committed to 
educating future health care providers. I ask the Senate to join me in 
congratulating the School of Medicine and Health Sciences on its first 
100 years of service to North Dakota and in wishing it well as it 
embarks on the next century. By honoring the UND School of Medicine and 
Health Sciences, we recognize the unique contributions that smaller, 
community-based medical schools have made to our Nation's health care 
system, particularly in rural areas.

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