Jefferson Medical College (JMC) will begin an affiliation with The Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh effective July 1, Joseph F. Rodgers, MD, Associate Dean, Residency and Affiliated Hospital Programs, JMC, has announced.
The affiliation will provide Jefferson a presence in western Pennsylvania that could have many benefits, says Dr. Rodgers.
It will permit about 132 third-year students to complete six-week clinical rotations in internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics at the tertiary care hospital in Pittsburgh.
"Mercy is a very good place and I'm optimistic about the educational experiences that can be afforded to our students," Dr. Rodgers says. "Many of our students are from that part of the state, so they would have an opportunity to learn closer to home."
Dr. Rodgers notes that Thomas J. Nasca, MD, Vice Chairman for Education, Department of Medicine, JMC, and Associate Dean for Education and Research, Jefferson Health System, was instrumental in negotiating the new affiliation. Dr. Nasca is a former chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh.
The Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, a Catholic-sponsored teaching and general referral hospital with 506 licensed beds, is located in the Uptown section of Pittsburgh. Mercy has been caring for the holistic health needs of the community for more than 150 years. Mercy Hospital previously had an affiliation agreement with the University of Pittsburgh.
"Due to the significant changes which are occurring in our region's healthcare community, Mercy Hospital has decided to pursue an academic affiliation which is unencumbered by the pressures of local competitive relationships," says JoAnn V. Narduzzi, MD, Vice President of Academic Affairs at The Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh.
"We believe this collaboration between Mercy and Jefferson will be a positive move for both institutions, who, together, share a mutual vision in educating medical students. We are equally confident our affiliation will be of enormous benefit to the physicians of tomorrow," Dr. Narduzzi adds.