UT Tyler, UT System Host Grand Opening of UT Tyler School of Medicine Building

April 24, 2026 | Elizabeth Wingfield

Facility houses East Texas’ first medical school

The University of Texas at Tyler and UT System leadership hosted the grand opening for the new School of Medicine Building, the physical home of East Texas’ first medical school.

“Years from now, we will look back on this moment when a university, its partners and its community stepped forward together to create something that will leave a lasting impact,” said President Julie V. Philley, MD.

Construction on the $308 million nearly 250,000-square-foot building began in 2023. The building is constructed on nearly five acres in Tyler’s medical district with a skybridge connecting to UT Health East Texas’ Tyler hospital, serving as the intersection of clinical care and medical education.

“This building directly addresses the physician shortages facing our nation and especially our region,” said UT System Chairman Kevin P. Eltife. “By training physicians locally and expanding residency programs, we are creating a pipeline of specialists who will strengthen UT Health East Texas, CHRISTUS Health and hospitals across this entire region.”

UT Tyler is the seventh medical school in the UT System, which is the nation’s fifth-largest health system by number of physicians. UT System institutions train more than half of Texas’ health professionals with a four-year degree or higher and award 56% of the state’s medical degrees.

“This building reflects not only the continued growth of UT Tyler, but also the shared mission that guides our work across the entire University of Texas System,” said UT System Chancellor John M. Zerwas. “At its core, the system’s mission is to improve the lives of Texans through world-class education, research and clinical care across the UT System.”

The five-story facility is LEED-certified, a globally recognized rating system for green buildings. The building includes 16 clinical skills rooms, a student lounge and four simulation labs. In addition to medical education, the building will provide clinical services by UT Health East Texas clinicians ranging from imaging and women’s health to pulmonary, orthopedic and sports medicine care as well as eight fully equipped surgical suites.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.