Drexel University College of Medicine

About The College
Queen Lane CampusDrexel University College of Medicine, a new name just a few years ago, is the consolidation of two venerable medical schools with rich and intertwined histories: Hahnemann Medical College and Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Established in 1848 and 1850, respectively, they were two of the earliest medical colleges in the United States, and Woman's was the very first medical school for women in the world.

Today, with over 1,000 medical students, Drexel University College of Medicine has the largest medical student enrollment of any private medical school in the nation. Graduate students number more than 500, and the College is the academic partner in the education of some 550 medical residents. There are more than 700 clinical and basic science faculty, and more than 1,700 affiliate and volunteer faculty.

The College of Medicine's main campus, Queen Lane, is in a suburban-like setting in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Additional facilities are located at the Center City campus, which includes Hahnemann University Hospital. Our Pediatrics Department is at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, and Psychiatry is based at Friends Hospital. Students can receive clinical education at 25 affiliated hospitals and ambulatory sites chosen for commitment to teaching as well as medical excellence.

Our clinical practice, Drexel Medicine@, is a patient-focused practice emphasizing quality, innovation and community service, and enhanced by physician involvement in the research and educational programs.

The College has established one of the largest centers for spinal cord research in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and founded one of the leading centers for malaria study in the nation. Collaborative projects leveraging Drexel University's technological expertise push the frontiers of nanomedicine and neuroengineering.

Drexel University College of Medicine houses one of just 21 National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health designated by the Department of Health & Human Services. Drexel Medicine's HIV/AIDS primary care practice is the largest in the Greater Philadelphia region. Faculty physicians are highly respected in numerous other specialties, including cardiology, pain management, sports medicine and toxicology.

We invite you to browse the website to learn more about the College of Medicine, and to contact us if you need assistance in any matter.

Message from the Dean
These are the core missions of any medical school. At Drexel University College of Medicine, they are at the heart of our unique heritage and the foundation upon which we seek to build a dynamic future.

The College of Medicine has a rich history, but it has never been content to live in the past. We are at the forefront of significant research in areas such as Alzheimer's disease, HIV/AIDS, malaria, spinal cord injury, and many other fields in science and medicine. In addition, our clinical practices lead the way in pioneering treatments and providing exceptional care in areas of specialty including women's health, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, and pain management.

Ask anyone what they know about Drexel University, and you will undoubtedly hear about its exceptional reputation in engineering and technology. We at the College of Medicine are fortunate to be able to tap into those areas of expertise for collaborative research projects that push the frontiers of nanomedicine and neuroscience.

We are also leaders in innovative curriculum development. From the beginning, our medical students are immersed in clinical reasoning. Training in doctor-patient communications skills was emphasized here long before it became the latest trend. Learning is enhanced by the most advanced technology - including a state-of-the-art simulation center. Professionalism, lifelong learning and self-care skills are also taught throughout all four years.

The College has always been interested in the care of medically underserved communities. It is crucial that we not only continue to explore and apply the growing number of technological advances in medicine, but that we also remember that behind each disease is a person who deserves compassion and respect.

Research. Education. Patient Care. Three areas that independently carry exceptional challenges. Put them together and the challenges grow, but so does the potential for making significant contributions to improve the lives of people in our community, nation and beyond.

It is an exciting time in the medical field here at Drexel University College of Medicine. I invite you to browse our website and learn more about our programs, our affiliated hospitals, and the talented faculty, staff, and students who make up our caring community.

Diversity at Drexel University College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine recruits and supports a diverse medical school faculty, professional staff, and student body. A diverse student body, faculty, and staff are an essential foundation for fulfilling the College of Medicine's mission and goals. Additionally, the College of Medicine believes that diversity enhances the academic experience beyond the classroom, creating better doctors and health care professionals.
Diversity Statement

• Drexel University College of Medicine, in the tradition of our predecessor schools, Woman's Medical College and Hahnemann Medical College, recruits and supports a diverse medical school faculty, professional staff, and student body.
• It is only with a commitment to diversity that the mission and vision of the College can be realized.
• Each individual and her/his ideas have value and contribute positively to the mission and vision of the College.
• Learning with a diverse faculty and student body enhances critical thinking and the educational experience.
• Students who learn in a diverse environment are better prepared to provide the highest level of professionalism, innovation and creativity to all aspects of patient care, education and research.
• Our definition of diversity comprises characteristics that include but are not limited to race; color; religion; gender; sexual orientation, identity and expression; national origin; age; disability; veteran status; and education or economic disadvantage.

Drexel University College of Medicine is firmly committed to producing a diverse population of physicians. Supported by the Mission and Vision Statements of the College of Medicine, the Office of Diversity in Medicine provides support to all students and student groups regardless of:

• Race or national origin
• Color
• Religion
• Gender
• Sexual orientation, identity, and expression
• Age
• Disability
• Veteran status
• Education or economic disadvantage

Learn more about the Office of Diversity in Medicine's initiatives, including:

• Medical student recruitment
• Student support and counseling services
• Student groups
• Diversity events and programs

A Strong History of Diversity
The College of Medicine has a rich tradition of diversity. Our history includes our heritage as the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, the first medical school in the world for women. Hahnemann University, our other legacy institution, has been graduating an ethnically and racially diverse population since the 19th century.

Learn more about Drexel University College of Medicine's diverse history.

Why Diversity Matters
Increasing diversity among the nation's physician workforce:

• Improves the education of all physicians
• Improves the health of all residents of the U.S.

Studies show that minority physicians are more likely to treat minority patients and indigent patients and practice in underserved communities. When minority patients have the opportunity to select a health care professional they are more likely to choose someone of their own racial and ethnic background and generally are more satisfied with the care they receive from minority health care professionals.

Learn more about:
Promoting Diversity
Members of the Office of Diversity in Medicine not only address specific diversity issues and provide support for students, faculty, and staff at the College of Medicine, they work in other departments at Drexel University and the College of Medicine, furthering the overall goals of the entire University. Access throughout the University provides the members of the Office of Diversity in Medicine opportunities to promote diversity work within the College of Medicine's human resources and faculty affairs offices and at staff functions.

Drexel University College of Medicine History

1848 - 2002
In 1848, the Homeopathic College of Pennsylvania was established by Constantine Hering, Jacob Jeanes and Walter Williamson to provide training in what was then an emerging system of medicine called homeopathy. In 1869, the Homeopathic College was renamed in honor of Samuel Hahnemann, one of the pioneers of homeopathic medicine, as Hahnemann Medical College. In 1982, Hahnemann Medical College gained university status as Hahnemann University.

In 1850, the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (1850-1867), which later became the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1867-1970) and then the Medical College of Pennsylvania (1970-1995), was established by Quaker businessmen, clergy and physicians. Headed by philanthropist William J. Mullen, the school became the world's first medical school for women.

The two medical schools continued their parallel histories of innovation and excellence for nearly a century and a half. In 1987, MCP and its affiliate hospitals were acquired by Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation (AHERF). In 1993, AHERF acquired Hahneman Medical College and its affiliated hospital. Eventually, the two medical schools were merged to form the MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine of Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, the largest private medical school in the country. Just a few years after this historic merger, the parent corporation of the medical school, AHERF, declared bankruptcy in 1998.

Following the AHERF bankruptcy, the California-based Tenet Healthcare Corporation acquired Allegheny University's facilities as part of a larger acquisition of Philadelphia-area hospitals, clinics and other properties belonging to AHERF, but Tenet required an academic partner to run the university's medical college and other schools. The assets of Allegheny University were transferred to a newly created nonprofit entity doing business as MCP Hahnemann University, and Drexel University agreed to assume operation of the new university.

Archive photo of the Hering Clinical Laboratory. Archive photo of a women's anatomy class, 1903.

One of the early benefits of MCP Hahnemann's affiliation with Drexel was the upgrade to the computing environments on both campuses. Drexel was soon rated by Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine as the 16th most wired university in the United States. By the Fall 2001 term, all Drexel academic buildings were fully "wireless-networked" as well, and MCP Hahnemann became the first medical school in the U.S. to have a fully wireless campus.

In 2002, the Drexel University board of trustees voted unanimously in favor of merging MCP Hahnemann University into Drexel. The official date of the merger was July 1, 2002; Drexel had added the nation's largest private medical school, an outstanding college of nursing and health professions and one of only two schools of public health in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The medical school became Drexel University College of Medicine. The trustees also approved an agreement between Drexel and Tenet Healthcare Corporation for a 20-year affiliation that continued the partnership between the College of Medicine and Tenet's teaching hospitals in the Philadelphia area.

The post-merger Drexel would qualify to join the 51 private universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation as Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive, including Carnegie-Mellon, MIT, Caltech and Penn. Drexel also became one of the top 100 U.S. universities in federal research expenditures and market value of endowment.

Drexel University College of Medicine Degree Programs :

Medicine

Video Presentation

Drexel University College of Medicine Celebrates Match Day 2012

234 Drexel University College of Medicine fourth-year medical students discovered where they will begin their residency programs during National Match Day 2012 on Friday, March 16th. Coverage courtesy of ABC 6.