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MU Names Department of Family and Community Medicine to Honor Dr. and Mrs. Curtis W. Long

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri School of Medicine has renamed its Department of Family and Community Medicine to honor Curtis W. Long and Ann H. Long for their commitment and generosity to MU. The Longs recently made a considerable donation to support the department's mission of enhancing health and primary care, especially for rural communities.

On June 20, 2008, the School of Medicine named the department the Curtis W. and Ann H. Long Department of Family and Community Medicine during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Longs' gift will endow the department and fund the Curtis W. and Ann H. Long Rural Medicine Training Program, which will help future family physicians learn how to bring comprehensive medical care to rural areas. The program was developed by Dr. Long, adjunct associate professor of family and community medicine at MU, in conjunction with other faculty members in the department.

“The Longs have a sincere desire to help people in rural communities throughout the state and across the country. These communities are in desperate need of more physicians, and the Department of Family and Community Medicine is intent on addressing this shortage. MU is grateful for the generous contributions Dr. and Mrs. Long have made to support these efforts at our University,” MU Chancellor Brady Deaton said.

Ongoing funding from the Longs' gifts will allow the department to continue its high level of excellence; ranking as one of the top three family medicine programs in the nation for the past 15 years. When the department was established in 1975, the department defined two main goals: to expand and enhance primary care services, especially for rural and underserved populations, and to increase the number of educators to train family physicians.

“The Longs embody the dedication to health care and service to community that are central to our mission at the University of Missouri School of Medicine,” said William Crist, Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson Dean of the MU School of Medicine. "The Longs' gift will improve many aspects of MU's already exceptional Department of Family and Community Medicine. Education, patient care and research — especially relating to rural medicine, chronic diseases and aging — will be transformed because of the Longs' generosity."

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from MU in 1956, Curtis Long married Ann Hammack on July 20, 1958. While earning his degree from MU's medical school in 1963, Dr. Long completed a year of intensive surgical training at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. He then completed an internship at General Hospital in Kansas City with an emphasis in obstetrics and surgery. Originally from Macon, Miss., Mrs. Long graduated in 1956 from Mississippi State College for Women. She supported Dr. Long’s education at MU by teaching physical education at Stephens College in Columbia.

In 1964, the Longs moved to Butler, where they have become pillars of their community. With the same practice operating from the same medical building for more than 40 years, Dr. Long has distinguished himself as a physician who has provided an array of essential services to rural patients. Dr. Long has performed more than 10,000 surgical procedures, delivered more than 4,000 babies and admitted more than 50,000 patients to hospitals.

In addition to his contributions to patient care and physician training, Dr. Long has been a leader for organized medicine groups, hospitals, banks and churches. Mrs. Long has been involved with organizations in their community while serving more than 40 years as business manager for the Longs’ ranch, Briarwood Farms. The Longs also are generous contributors to state and national angus association programs, and Dr. Long has been inducted into the Missouri Angus Breeders' Hall of Fame.

The Longs have two sons, Curtis W. Long Jr., a 1982 graduate of MU, and Kent Long, as well as two grandchildren. This summer the Longs will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

MU’s School of Medicine has raised more than $100 million in gifts and pledges as part of the For All We Call Mizzou campaign, which will celebrate raising $1 billion in the spring of 2009. The campaign has raised $932.81 million, 93.28 percent of goal. Private gifts to the campaign enhance MU’s ability to compete nationally and internationally for the best students and faculty and provide broad access for students of all economic backgrounds to Missouri’s flagship University.

The University of Missouri School of Medicine has improved health, education and research in Missouri for more than 160 years. MU physicians treat patients from every county in the state, and MU is a primary provider of training for all physicians in Missouri. The School of Medicine’s more than 650 faculty physicians and scientists educate approximately 1,000 medical students, residents, fellows and other students seeking advanced degrees. Their research is focused on potentially lifesaving discoveries that address the most prevalent health problems.