MOSCOW, ID— The Idaho State Board of Education has approved a collaborative agreement between the University of Idaho and Idaho State University aimed at expanding medical education opportunities in the state.

Under the agreement, the University of Idaho will lease space in Idaho State University’s Treasure Valley Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory as part of a broader effort to expand undergraduate medical education in Idaho.

The arrangement is tied to the University of Idaho’s proposed partnership with the University of Utah’s Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. If approved by the Idaho Legislature and the State Board of Education, that partnership would expand medical training opportunities in the Treasure Valley.

University of Idaho medical students would be based at the university’s Water Center in Boise and travel with faculty to Idaho State University’s Meridian Health Sciences Campus for anatomy instruction.

University of Idaho President Scott Green said the agreement allows the state’s universities to build medical education capacity while making use of existing facilities.

“This joint venture represents a thoughtful, fiscally responsible approach to MD undergraduate medical education in Idaho,” Green said in a statement.

State officials say the collaboration is part of ongoing efforts to address physician shortages in Idaho by increasing training opportunities for future doctors.

Dr. Rayme Geidl, interim co-director of the University of Idaho’s School of Health and Medical Professions, said the Meridian anatomy lab will provide students access to a high-quality facility without requiring the construction of a new lab.

Idaho State University President Robert W. Wagner said the agreement reflects continued cooperation among Idaho’s public universities to support health sciences education and workforce development.

State Board of Education Executive Director Jennifer White said the approval demonstrates the value of coordination between institutions as the state works to prepare the next generation of health professionals.

If the broader partnership with the University of Utah moves forward, the institutions say the collaboration could expand access to medical training while helping prepare physicians to serve communities across Idaho.