Philadelphia, PA and Moon Township, PA, (October 18, 2012) Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is working with Heritage Valley Health System to create housing and classroom space for PCOM medical students who choose to complete their third- and fourth-year core rotations in Western Pennsylvania. The facility will be located in the former Sewickley Valley School of Nursing building located behind Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital in Sewickley, PA.

“PCOM is a Pennsylvania school,” says Ken Veit, DO, MBA, provost, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean, PCOM.  “Well over 50 percent of our medical students are from the state, and we have PCOM alumni practicing in 64 of the state’s 67 counties. Many students who come to PCOM from Western Pennsylvania want to return to the region for their clerkships and residencies with the goal of practicing medicine in the region.”

To accommodate these students, PCOM created core rotations that allow students to spend their first two years of education in Philadelphia and return to the region for their final two years of clinical training. “Now, thanks to Heritage Valley, the students have a facility to call their own,” added Dr. Veit.

The PCOM Pittsburgh facility will include a ten-bed living space and a classroom equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Students using this space are not limited to Heritage Valley Health System for their clerkships, but can participate in all the Western PA sites. The facility is slated for occupancy by spring of 2013.

“The partnership with PCOM represents an exciting opportunity for Heritage Valley to host medical students that are interested in completing core rotation in Southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Norm Mitry, president and CEO at Heritage Valley Health System.  “We believe this will encourage young physicians to remain in the region through their residencies and establish medical practices after graduation.”