Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is a private medical school and academic health center in Erie, Pennsylvania. LECOM has a Branch Campus in Bradenton, Florida[2] and additional locations in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and Elmira, New York.[2] Founded in 1992, LECOM confers medical (D.O.), dental (DMD), podiatry (DPM), pharmacy (PharmD) degrees, as well as masters and doctoral degrees in the health sciences.
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Motto | Totam Personam Curamus |
---|---|
Motto in English | We Care for the Whole Person |
Type | Private medical school |
Established | 1992 |
President | John M. Ferretti, D.O. |
Students | 4,223[1] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Suburban |
Website | lecom |
With over 2,200 enrolled medical students, the College of Osteopathic Medicine at LECOM is the largest and most applied to medical school in the United States.[1][3][4][5][6][7] In addition to traditional acceptance, the medical school offers early acceptance to qualified high school seniors and college underclassmen contingent upon pursuing BS/DO or BA/DO with affiliate universities.[8]
LECOM also operates one of the few accelerated three-year pharmacy programs in the country, and is one of 2 pharmacy schools in the country with a distance education program.[9]
LECOM is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education,[10] the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, Council on Podiatric Medical Education, and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
History
In the late 1980s, the growing need for new physicians, especially in the Erie area, was becoming increasingly evident and as a result the leaders of Millcreek Community Hospital in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania founded the health system's now namesake, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, in December 1992.[11][12][13] The institution's first courses began in 1993, and the inaugural class of students graduated on May 24, 1997.[13] In 2002, the LECOM School of Pharmacy opened.[14]
In 2004, LECOM opened a branch campus in Bradenton, Florida.[15] In 2007, after other three-year programs in the nation had closed, LECOM was the first US medical school to re-introduce a three-year medical school program.[16] In 2008, LECOM received approval to open an additional branch campus in Greensburg, Pennsylvania at the site of Seton Hill University,[17] which opened in 2009.[18] The branch campus included two additional buildings, with an overall projected cost of $4 million.[17]
In 2012, the Bradenton campus opened a new dental school. In 2020, LECOM opened a new medical school campus in Elmira, New York.[19][20] In 2022, they announced the opening of their fifth campus to be located at Jacksonville University in Florida. It is expected to start operations in 2026.[21]
The medical school at LECOM is the largest in the United States.[3][4][5]
LECOM announced it will open a new school of podiatric medicine in the fall of 2023 after they received approval from the Council on Podiatric Medical Education. It will become the eleventh podiatric medical school in the United States.[22]
As of 2022, the college claims a total enrollment of over 4100 students and 16,000 alumni.[23] LECOM is a member of the LECOM Health system.[24]
Academics
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
The medical school offers three primary learning pathways: a traditional lecture discussion Program (LDP), a problem-based learning (PBL) program, and a directed study program (DSP), as well as two, three-year programs,[25] all leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine medical degree. The Erie campus offers LDP and DSP pathways, while the Bradenton, Greensburg, and Elmira campuses offer curriculum based solely on PBL. Students of the medical degree program apply to and train in residency and fellowship programs of their choice accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to acquire medical licensure.
LECOM Health, the academic health system of the medical school, offers ACGME-accredited residencies in family medicine, orthopedic surgery, psychiatry, and transitional year, open to medical graduates from all medical schools in the United States and ECFMG-certified international medical graduates.[26] Furthermore, LECOM Health offers ACGME-accredited fellowships on child and adolescent psychiatry and sports medicine for eligible physicians.
Doctor of Pharmacy
The School of Pharmacy offers three pathways for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. One is a year-round, three-year curriculum based on the Erie campus, while another is a four-year traditional curriculum offered at the Bradenton campus. In 2014, the School of Pharmacy added a four-year distance education pathway for students across the United States. LECOM and Creighton University offer the only two distance education pathways for the primary Pharma degree in the nation.
Doctor of Dental Medicine
The School of Dental Medicine (SDM) prepares students for the practice of general dentistry. First-year dental students participate in problem-based learning as they prepare for clinical training. The SDM operates full-service dental practice offices in Bradenton where third-year students treat patients under the supervision of licensed dentists. In May 2015, the School opened outreach training sites in Erie, PA and DeFuniak Springs, FL. Fourth-year dental students complete their clinical training at these offices.[27]
Campuses
Erie
The main campus is located on West Grandview Boulevard in Erie, Pennsylvania, and overlooks Lake Erie.[28] In 2002, the college expanded the main building with a three-story addition which included classroom, laboratory and office space for the School of Pharmacy. In 2011, the college purchased the LORD Corporation Technology Center on adjoining property. The purchase allowed LORD Corporation to keep its Erie operations by moving to a new location just south of the city. LECOM uses what is now the west campus for the LECOM Erie Dental Offices, research labs, and additional classroom space.
Bradenton
LECOM Bradenton is located in the managed community of Lakewood Ranch near Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida. The original campus building, containing two large lecture halls and 24 smaller classrooms, houses the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the School of Pharmacy. The School of Dental Medicine (SDM) is located just north of the original building. Half of the building houses the classrooms, laboratories and offices for the SDM and the SHSA. The other side of the building has dental offices where third-year dental students begin clinical training treating patients from the surrounding communities.[29]
Seton Hill
LECOM at Seton Hill is an extension of the LECOM Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine classes. Classrooms, laboratories and offices are housed in two buildings on the Seton Hill University campus in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.[30]
Elmira
LECOM has sent third- and fourth-year medical students to Arnot Health in Elmira and other nearby hospitals for clinical education since 2012. In September 2018, LECOM received accreditation for a second extension in Elmira, NY for the LECOM at Elmira. Construction on a new $20 million, 49,000 square-foot facility began in January 2019. The first 120 students began classes in July 2020.[31][32]
Professional sports partnerships
LECOM officially partnered with the new former Erie BayHawks of the NBA G (Development) League in 2008. As part of those respective deals, LECOM provided medical coverage to both teams. Additionally, the LECOM's name was featured on the BayHawks' jerseys and court design at Erie Insurance Arena.[33] The BayHawks conducted workouts and practices at the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center.[34][35] LECOM maintains a similar partnership with the Erie Commodores soccer team.
In February 2017, LECOM purchased the naming rights to LECOM Park (formerly called McKechnie Field), the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and their Single-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders. The deal will span a period of fifteen years.[36] The college also has educational partnership agreements with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Sabres. As part of the Buffalo Sabres deal LECOM and Pegula Sports and Entertainment reached a 10-year deal for naming rights to LECOM Harborcenter in September 2019.[37] It also has sponsorship agreements with the New York Jets, Baltimore Orioles Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., and the New York Yankees Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.
Radio stations
LECOM owns these broadcast radio stations:
References
- "Quick Facts". Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- "Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation". American Osteopathic Association. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- "Enrollment booming with new, returning students". Bradenton Herald. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- "Nation's largest medical school to open new $4M location at Seton Hill University". Popcitymedia.com. 2008-06-25. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- Bruce, David (2008-08-17). "How LECOM grew so quickly (AUDIO) | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News". Goerie.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- "Preliminary Enrollment Report Fall 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- "Biggest Medical Schools". Kansas City Star.
- "Early Acceptance Program". Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- St. Martin, Tiffany (2008-07-31). "LECOM now the largest medical school in nation". Lakewood Ranch Herald. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- "LAKE ERIE COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE". The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- "Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine" (PDF). AACOM. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Our History". LECOM Health. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- "LECOM History". LECOM. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- "School of Pharmacy". LECOM. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- "Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus" (PDF). AACOM. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- Raymond, Rose (Sep 4, 2015). "The fast track: Pros & cons of finishing medical school in 3 years". American Osteopathic Association. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- Myers, Dev (June 17, 2008). "Osteopathic school to open branch on Seton Hill campus". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Bruce, David (2008-04-29). "LECOM to open campus in Greensburg". Erie Times-News. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- "LECOM Commemorates Elmira Campus Anniversary". 19 July 2021.
- "Designs unveiled shows what new LECOM school could look like". My Twin Tiers. September 28, 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- "Erie medical school to open 5th campus: LECOM at Jacksonville University".
- "LECOM Opens New School of Podiatric Medicine".
- "LECOM Facts".
- "Welcome to Wellness". LECOM Health. LECOM. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- "Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine". The Princeton Review. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
- "Residency Training Programs". LECOM Health. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- "LECOM dental students arrive in erie". Erie Times News. May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- "LECOM History". Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine.
- "Bradenton, Florida". LECOM. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- "Greensburg, PA". LECOM. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- "New York Greenlights LECOM at Elmira". LECOM. 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- "Elmira, NY". LECOM. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- "Erie BayHawks Announce Partnership With LECOM". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- "BayHawks sign 5-year extension with LECOM". Erie Times-News. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
- "LECOM becomes official medical provider..." Otters Hockey.com. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
- Pirates and LECOM announce Bradenton ballpark naming-rights agreement
- "Call it LECOM Harborcenter, after naming rights deal". The Buffalo News. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
Further reading
- Raymond, Richard; Madden, Michael; Ferretti, Silvia; Ferretti, John; Ortoski, Richard (April 2014). "Preliminary Outcomes of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine's 3-Year Primary Care Scholar Pathway in Osteopathic Predoctoral Education". The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 114 (4): 238–241. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2014.048. PMID 24677462.