October 26, 2010

Saint Peter’s University Hospital, in New Brunswick, will now serve as a Regional Medical Campus for Drexel University College of Medicine, based in Philadelphia, Pa. This designation expands on an already existing academic partnership between both institutions.

Regional Medical Campus designations are given by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and offer an alternative venue for third- and fourth-year medical students to gain clinical education, providing students a greater variety of experiences. Under the new agreement, Drexel medical students are able to complete all of their required clinical rotations at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. Saint Peter’s will provide two years of training in core clinical areas such as surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine, neurology, and psychiatry.

“We are thrilled to build on our partnership with Saint Peter’s University Hospital,” said Richard V. Homan, MD, president and Annenberg dean of Drexel University College of Medicine. “Through its superb specialists, impressive technologies, and dedication to serving the community, Saint Peter’s is the kind of institution we aim to partner with when looking to provide our students with exemplary health care education.”

“The Saint Peter’s-Drexel University College of Medicine partnership helps add resources of one of the largest medical schools in the country to the central New Jersey area,” said Ronald C. Rak, Esq., president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “Working with all of the outstanding institutions in our area, Saint Peter’s goal is to create partnerships that will allow further development of the clinical and research services available to the communities we serve in New Jersey. Creation of a Drexel clinical academic campus at Saint Peter’s is a prominent step in achieving that goal.”

Saint Peter’s University Hospital also continues to enjoy significant relationships with the following medical institutions: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway in the areas of orthopedics and radiology residencies; Rutgers University in New Brunswick through its mini-MBA, leadership and geriatrics certification programs, and Kean University in Union through its BA/MD program. By partnering with all four of these high-quality institutions, Saint Peters University Hospital continues to serve the patients of New Jersey by bringing the most up-to-date research and medical care to the Garden State.

''This academic partnership is exciting because it allows New Jersey to nurture and cultivate its aspiring physicians," said Health and Senior Services Commissioner Dr. Poonam Alaigh. "Saint Peter's University Hospital is ensuring that New Jersey medical students complete their academic and clinical training here and then can go on to practice in this state because of our thriving and exciting research, academic and patient care opportunities."

Nearly one in five students who enroll at Drexel University College of Medicine is a New Jersey resident – a significant representation from the Garden State. Now, through these expanded partnerships, it is anticipated that many of those students will remain in New Jersey to practice medicine upon their graduation, fulfilling the state’s need to further strengthen and grow its broad array of health care services.