Renown Health and UNR Med Mark Five Years of Historic Affiliation, Advancing Academic Medicine in Nevada

RENO, Nev. (Oct. 21, 2026) — Renown Health and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) are marking five years since formalizing their historic 50-year affiliation agreement, a partnership that established Nevada’s first and only integrated academic health system and brought patient care, medical education and research together under a shared vision for a healthier Nevada. While the organizations’ long-standing relationship spans decades, their formal affiliation in 2021 created a framework to strengthen Nevada’s physician workforce, expand clinical training opportunities and advance healthcare throughout the region.

“Five years into this partnership, we are seeing the power of what happens when education, research and patient care come together with a shared purpose,” said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Renown Health. “This collaboration is helping us train and retain the next generation of healthcare providers, expand access to advanced care and bring innovation from the laboratory to the bedside. Most importantly, it is creating new opportunities to improve the health of Nevadans for generations to come. Together with UNR Med, we are building more than an academic health system — we are building a healthier future for our state.”

Today, Renown serves as UNR Med’s primary teaching hospital, supporting residency programs in Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Fellowship programs provide additional training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Sports Medicine and Wilderness Medicine. The partnership continues to expand those opportunities: an Obstetrics and Gynecology residency program and a Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship are expected to welcome their first cohorts in 2027, and UNR Med is developing a Surgery Residency program based at Renown.

Expanding graduate medical education is particularly important in Nevada, where more than 60% of residents and fellows who train in the state remain in Nevada to practice. That figure rises to almost 80% among physicians who complete both medical school and residency training in Nevada.

“In just five years, UNR Med and Renown Health have made remarkable progress in the expansion of education, clinical and translational research, access and care, and we continue to build upon our shared vision,” said Paul J. Hauptman, MD, Dean of UNR Med and Chief Academic Officer at Renown Health. “Our integrated academic health system has garnered national attention as it expands opportunities for learners, attracts talented faculty and clinicians, and creates new pathways to improve health outcomes for Nevadans statewide.”

The affiliation has also strengthened the organizations’ ability to coordinate and expand patient care. The integration of UNR Med’s clinical practice into Renown Medical Group supports the development of new and expanded services across oncology, cardiology, neurosciences, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, speech pathology and audiology, and other areas of advanced care.

The partnership extends beyond hospitals and classrooms into communities throughout northern Nevada. UNR Med maintains student-run rural outreach clinics in Yerington, Lovelock and Silver Springs, delivering free care to uninsured and under-insured patients, while Renown provides care through clinics in Carson City, Fallon, Fernley and Silver Springs. Together, the organizations are working to create a more connected system of care and strengthen access across urban and rural communities.

“For more than 150 years, the University of Nevada, Reno has grown alongside our state, preparing generations of leaders and advancing knowledge that improves the lives of Nevadans," said Brian Sandoval, President of the University of Nevada, Reno. "UNR Med's affiliation with Renown builds upon our legacy by aligning education, research and patient care together to strengthen our communities and create new possibilities for Nevada’s future.”

Research is another central component of the affiliation. Through collaboration between Renown and UNR Med, physicians and researchers have opportunities to advance biomedical and translational research, explore new treatments and expand clinical trials. The goal is to build an environment where research and clinical care strengthen one another and discoveries can translate into new possibilities for patients. UNR Med faculty research is supporting work in areas including muscular dystrophy, infectious disease diagnostics, cardiac arrhythmias and cancer while creating opportunities to expand clinical research and clinical trials.

Five years into the affiliation, both organizations are looking toward its next chapter, including continued growth of residency and fellowship programs, recruitment of physicians and researchers, expansion of clinical trials and research programs, and development and enhancement of clinical services.