Simplified: South Dakota's only medical school is relocating to the state's largest city. Here's what you need to know about the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine's future in Sioux Falls.

Why it matters

  • Sioux Falls is home to three of the four largest health care systems in the state – Sanford Health, Avera Health and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center – which means many aspiring medical professionals were already trekking up from Vermillion for hands-on learning.
  • On Thursday, USD President Sheila Gestring announced the first 18 months of the medical school program will move to Sioux Falls and be housed within Sanford Health facilities until a new, permanent building can be erected within the next decade.
    • In addition, USD is also moving its Division of Biomedical and Translational Science to Sioux Falls – which will mean more opportunities for collaborative research and more interaction between researchers and the patients they aim to help.
  • Despite the move to a more urban environment, the medical school will continue its longstanding emphasis on making sure rural communities have enough doctors.
"Please, make no mistake," Dean Dr. Tim Ridgway said. "This move to Sioux Falls does nothing to diminish our commitment to rural healthcare across South Dakota."

Tell me more

As it stands now, med students spend the first 18 months of their education in Vermillion and the remaining 30 months of school at other locations – though most end up in Sioux Falls.

Starting in 2027, those first 18 months of the Doctor of Medicine program will happen in Sioux Falls.

  • That relocation will mean more opportunities for students to work with and learn from clinical faculty, as well as more opportunities for clinicians to collaborate with faculty.

Additionally, the move will mean the university's research infrastructure will also be in Sioux Falls, providing even more opportunities for collaboration.

"My hope is that 50 years from now, people look back on this day and say, 'wow, health care took a giant step forward,'" Ridgway said.

What happens next?

There's still no set location for a future, permanent facility, and Ridgway noted there will likely be some "bumps in the road" along the transition from Vermillion to Sioux Falls.

But, as several speakers Thursday – including Gov. Larry Rhoden, Mayor Paul TenHaken and Board of Regents President Tim Rave – noted, the future is bright.

"This is not a school that stays still," Rave said. "It's a community that moves forward and steps up. Today, we celebrate the continuation of a strong legacy and the beginning of a new transformative chapter."