Academic health systems don’t just care for patients; instead, they play a much larger role by educating future healthcare professionals, advancing research and helping address healthcare challenges facing our community.
As Nevada’s only integrated academic healthcare system, Renown Health and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) are demonstrating how bringing care, education and research together can strengthen health outcomes across an entire state.
Together, Renown and UNR Med are built on three interconnected missions:
People First Patient Care
Providing high-quality, compassionate care to patients and families.
Education and Training
Preparing the next generation of physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals through hands-on clinical experience.
Research and Innovation
Advancing discoveries that lead to new treatments, improved outcomes and a deeper understanding of disease.
When these missions work together, patients gain access to leading-edge care, learners train alongside experienced clinicians and research findings can move more quickly from the laboratory to the bedside.
In 2021, Renown Health and UNR Med formalized a historic 50-year affiliation agreement, creating a framework to strengthen Nevada's healthcare workforce, expand medical education and training opportunities, and advance research across the 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 advanced training in specialties including Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Sports Medicine and Wilderness Medicine.
The partnership continues to grow. A new Obstetrics and Gynecology residency and Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship programs are expected to welcome their first trainees in 2027, while a Surgery Residency program is also under development.
Learn more about Renown and UNR Med marking a historic five-year milestone.
One of the most important benefits of an academic health system is its ability to grow the local healthcare workforce.
Research consistently shows that physicians often choose to practice where they train. In Nevada, more than 60% of residents and fellows who complete graduate medical education remain in the state. That number rises to nearly 80% for physicians who complete both medical school and residency training in Nevada.
For patients, that means more doctors, expanded access to specialty care and stronger healthcare services in communities across the state.
Academic health systems like Renown help patients access advanced care without leaving their communities.
The integration of UNR Med's clinical practice with Renown Medical Group has supported the growth and expansion of services in oncology, cardiology, neurosciences, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, speech pathology, audiology and other specialty areas.
By attracting physician experts, expanding training programs and growing clinical services, the academic health system model helps ensure patients can access the care they need closer to home.
The impact of an academic health system extends beyond hospitals and classrooms.
UNR Med's outreach clinics in Yerington, Lovelock and Silver Springs, combined with Renown's presence in Carson City, Fallon, Fernley and Silver Springs, create opportunities to improve access to care in both urban and rural communities.
Together, the organizations are working toward a more connected healthcare system that serves patients where they live and helps address Nevada's unique healthcare needs.
Academic health systems also create opportunities to turn scientific discovery into better patient care.
Through Renown’s collaboration with UNR Med, physicians and researchers are advancing studies in areas such as muscular dystrophy, infectious disease diagnostics, cardiac arrhythmias and cancer. These efforts help expand clinical trials, explore new treatments and improve understanding of complex health conditions. Patients also gain greater access to emerging therapies and innovations that may not otherwise be available locally.
Learn more about clinical trials and research at Renown here.
Five years after formalizing the affiliation, we continue to build on a shared vision: improving health through exceptional patient care, world-class education and innovative research.
An academic health system is more than an organizational structure — It's a commitment to investing in people, advancing knowledge and strengthening communities. It represents an opportunity to train more healthcare professionals in our region, expand access to specialized care, accelerate medical discoveries and improve health outcomes for generations to come.
Together, Renown Health and UNR Med are helping shape a healthier future for Nevada. Learn more at renown.org/together.
