This article is about the medical and graduate health science school. For the private liberal arts college in Painesville, Ohio, see Lake Erie College.
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]
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, via its teaching hospital in Milcreek 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.
