MDNews - Cleveland-Akron-Canton

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHEAST OHIO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY + Medical in recognition of its educa- tion, research and service mission and health professions education programs in medicine, pharmacy, and graduate studies + University in recognition of its sta- tus as one of the 14 public four-year universities serving Ohio citizens. "We are a university and one of 130 academic health centers in the United States," says Dr. Gershen, who points out that an academic health center is defined as a college of medicine and at least one other health profession college plus at least one major hospital affiliation. NEOMED's educational consortium for medicine includes The University of Akron, Kent State University, Youngstown State University and Cleveland State University (CSU). CSU officially joined the group in June when state legislation approved funding to add 35 students from CSU, the same as the other three partner universities, to NEOMED's College of Medicine and provided for the establishment of the Northeast Ohio Medical University Academic Campus at Cleveland State University. This will enable 50 percent or more of the medical curriculum of the NEOMED/ CSU program to be based in Cleveland at CSU, local hospitals, and commu- nity- and neighborhood-based primary care clinics. "This is an urban primary care program," says Dr. Gershen. "Our goal is to encourage homegrown students from the Cleveland area to come into healthcare education programs through CSU, matriculate through NEOMED and then go on to the hospitals and ambulatory teaching sites in Cleveland. We've been working with some of the larger Cleveland hospital systems, and we are hopeful that several of these institutions will partner with us on this program." Programmatic efforts are now being put in place to support the recruitment of MDNEWS.COM SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 MD NEWS Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 9 CSU-based students. With the approval of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the national authority which accredits MD-granting educational programs, baccalaureate and post baccalaureate studies related to the medical education program are expected to begin in fall 2012; medical school courses, in 2013. Additional new programs are also in the pipeline. New and Expanded Programs NEOMED's first class of pharmacy students graduated in the spring. The first class of graduate students entered this fall. "In the past, we've been part of a consortium of several universities in Ohio which offered a masters degree in public health, but we never granted the degree. Now we will admit our own MPH students," Dr. Gershen explains. "We also offer a masters, as well as a PhD, in integrated pharmaceutical medicine and a graduate certificate in bioethics, and we're considering adding more programs and combining some programs." For example, one of NEOMED's current students is working towards a combined MD/PhD degree. Also, graduate students from the Kent State University School of Biomedical Sciences graduate programs are completing the research component of their training at NEOMED. "During the past academic year, we've had 25 biomedical graduate students — MS and PhD students — from Kent State train with faculty on our campus. This is a win-win situation for both institutions," says Dr. Gershen. "NEOMED has amazing partnerships with other higher education institutions, as well, and with area health care providers, businesses, funders, legislators and business entities. We're now looking at ways to enhance these relationships and to also broaden our partnership base." Two new enhancements being considered involve the Youngstown and Canton communities, where NEOMED has a history of sustained and vigorous outreach. In Youngstown, NEOMED is currently working with the university, the mayor, the business community and the local hospitals to develop an Education for Service program to aid recruitment of physicians in Youngstown. In Canton, NEOMED will work with the chamber of commerce and the hospitals to develop the same program.

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