Affiliation

The Faculty Development Center (FDC) is a division of the McLennan County Medical Education and Research Foundation (MCMERF).  MCMERF was formed in 1970 by the county medical society to operate a family practice residency program and to provide access to quality health care for the poor and medically underserved citizens of McLennan County.  MCMERF is incorporated and operates as a Texas not-for-profit corporation, and maintains an Internal Revenue Service 501C(3) tax exemption.

As MCMERF developed over time, it has come to consist of three distinct but affiliated divisions:  1) the McLennan Country Family Medicine Residency Program, 2) the Brazos Area Health Education Center (AHEC), and 3) The Faculty Development Center.  The FDC enjoys frequent collaboration with both the MCMERF residency program and the AHEC.  Professional staff members of the FDC have faculty appointments with the MCMERF residency program, and many residency faculty teach in various FDC programs. 

In 1999 MCMERF established a new entity, the Heart of Texas Community Health Center (HOT-CHC), a designated Section 330 Community Health Center.  HOT-CHC is responsible for delivering health care to indigent and medically underserved patients in the McLennan County area, is governed by a community board, and has established contractual relationships with MCMERF which provides medical services.

A separate sister corporation, the Waco Family Medicine Foundation (WFPF), supports MCMERF through development, fund-raising, asset preservation and community input.  WFPF holds the assets of the Residency Program, The Brazos AHEC, the HOT-CHC, and the Faculty Development Center.

The MCMERF residency program and the Faculty Development Center also have an academic affiliation with the University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas (UTSW), Department of Family and Community Medicine. MCMERF residency faculty, including most of the FDC professional staff, have faculty appointments in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UTSW.

Funding 

The Faculty Development Center receives funding from two sources: 1) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Family Practice Advisory Committee and 2) Other sources.

• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Family Practice Advisory Committee - FDC receives approximately 45% of all funds from this state funding source.  Funding from this source is tied directly to a Texas state statute -- Texas House Bill 282.  This bill, passed in 1978, provides a base of funding for Texas Family Practice residency programs, the Texas Statewide Family Practice Preceptorship Program, and the Faculty Development Center. The Family Practice Advisory Committee oversees the administration of these funds, and is comprised of twelve members, three of whom are appointed by the governor.  The remaining nine members of the committee represent various organizations such as the Texas Academy of Family Practice, The Texas Osteopathic Medical Organization, the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Organization of Family Practice Program Directors, the Texas Hospital Association, and others.  This funding base allows the FDC to offer most of its programs to Texas Family Medicine faculty for no charge.
• Federal Title VII Faculty Development Grants - FDC currently receives approximately 40% of its funding from competive grants under the Federal Title VII program.  Since its inception, FDC has never failed to secure Federal grant funding when it has been offered competitively under the Title VII program.
• Other - FDC receives approximately 15% of its funds from other sources including
  • Tuition for a few select programs, such as the annual Chief Residents' Conference
  • Consultant contracts
  • Subcontracts
  • A small amount of work outside of Family Medicine.