This year marks a major milestone for UNT Health Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, as UNT Health celebrates 50 years of membership. During those five decades, the university has experienced significant growth and achieved notable accomplishments.

“We have accomplished so much during these past 50 years as members of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce,” said Dr. Kirk Calhoun, president of UNT Health. “The Chamber is an incredible partner to have as we strive to train the future of healthcare, research, and public health. We are looking forward to the next 50 years and what we can accomplish together.”

Prior to joining the chamber in 1976, UNT Health started as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and accepted its first class of 20 students in 1970. The college merged with North Texas State University, now called the University of North Texas, in 1971.

The university, now known as UNT Health Fort Worth, continued to expand with the establishment of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 1993, the School of Public Health in 1999, the School of Health Professions in 2004, and the UNT System College of Pharmacy in 2013. In 2023, UNT Health’s newest college, the College of Nursing, was started to help address Texas’ growing nursing shortage.

In 2010, UNT Health’s new Medical Education and Training Building opened its doors, welcoming TCOM’s “Mechanisms of Disease” course as the first class held in the facility.

A decade later, UNT Health celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university’s anniversary celebration was postponed until 2022.

In 2021, Dr. Jamboor Vishwanatha and UNT Health’s Institute for Health Disparities received a $100 million grant for its AIM-AHEAD program. This program focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

In 2022, the Regional Simulation Center celebrated its grand opening. UNT Health’s first undergraduate degree—a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences—was rolled out to students. TCOM’s Institute for Translational Research, led by Dr. Sid O’Bryant, also received a $150 million grant for Alzheimer’s disease research. To this day, it is the largest grant in UNT System history.

The School of Biomedical Sciences became the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences in 2024. UNT Health also clarified the difference between colleges, which offer degrees, and schools, which provide administration support. The School of Health Professions became the College of Health Professions. The School of Public Health was renamed the College of Public Health.

In 2026, a strategic reorganization led UNT Health’s six colleges to become four. The change was designed to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, improve operational efficiency, and support long-term, mission-driven growth. UNT Health’s colleges now are the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Professions, and College of Nursing. No degrees were eliminated because of the reorganization.

Since the start of its Chamber membership, UNT Health has had seven presidents, raised more than $3 million in student scholarships through the Legends Concert Series, graduated more than 14,520 students, and opened UNT Health Clinical Practice Group—formerly HSC Health—home to 13 primary and specialty clinics focused on providing patient-centered care and training the next generation of healthcare leaders.

For 50 years, UNT Health’s membership in the Fort Worth Chamber has coincided with a period of extraordinary growth—from its early days as a single osteopathic medical college to its role today as a comprehensive academic health science center that educates thousands of health professionals, advances groundbreaking research, and provides care to the Fort Worth community.

As UNT Health and the Fort Worth Chamber celebrate this milestone, the university’s evolution reflects not only how far UNT Health has come but also its deepening role in the growth and health of the city it calls home.

To learn more about UNT Health, please visit unthealth.edu.