Stritch School of Medicine

Message from the Dean
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) is committed to scholarship and the education of medical professionals and biomedical scientists. Our school, including its faculty, trainees and staff are called to go beyond facts, experimentation, and treatment of disease to prepare people to lead extraordinary lives and treat the human spirit in an environment that encourages innovation, embraces diversity, respects life, and values human dignity.

We believe that thoughtful scholarly excellence, service, stewardship and continuing reflection advance our ability to contribute high-impact research and provide the highest-quality education.

Our Catholic heritage and Jesuit traditions of ethical behavior and scholarly distinction in research and education lead to new knowledge that advances our mission, globally and in the communities we serve.

Stritch students enjoy an opportunity to personalize their own education experience in order to meet their individual professional goals. Students often personalize their education with a focus on research, public or global health and/or bioethics.

Stritch graduates are prepared for a well-rounded approach to their professional careers. We are proud of our students and graduates who strive for excellent, in the spirit of compassion, discernment and service.

History
Maywood 1997-2009
In 1997, the Stritch School of Medicine became a leader in innovative medical education with the opening of the new $43 million medical education building. The building could not have become a reality without the vision, support, and determination of John J. Piderit, SJ, president, Loyola University Chicago; Dr. Anthony L. Barbato, MD, president and chief executive officer, LUHS; Daniel H. Winship, MD, dean; Ralph P. Leischner, Jr., MD, senior associate dean; and Loyola University Chicago trustees.

Stritch administrators took great pride in obtaining a building design to match the interactive, innovative curriculum plan. "Form follows function" is a principle associated with modern architecture stating that shape and interior design should be predicated on its intended purpose. For this unique and innovative design, Stritch received a prestigious award from the Boston Society of Architects. The building's design includes dedicated space for learning clusters, areas that comprise classrooms of many sizes to facilitate different educational formats.

Each cluster contains four sit-down laboratory areas, four seminar rooms for 12 students each that allows for small-group interaction and case-based learning, and one classroom for 45 students. Other teaching spaces include two 78-seat case method rooms designed to promote academic discussion about specific cases; 14 patient examination rooms where students can refine their clinical skills, and 150- and 200-seat lecture halls.

Computers are located throughout classrooms and common areas, thereby allowing students to take advantage of the Loyola Medical Education Network (LUMEN) and internet access. The building's aesthetic centerpiece is a second-floor atrium, around which three student communities and a mall of student activities and services are grouped, including offices for student organizations, university ministry, admissions, student affairs, bursar, registration and records, financial aid, and the Teaching and Learning Center. In 1998, a fitness center adjacent to Stritch, opened for students, faculty, and employees.

Inspired by its Catholic heritage and Jesuit mission, Stritch integrates three deeply held values in working with students and patients: commitment to excellence, care for the individual, and community service. The new medical education center, named the John & Herta Cuneo Center in 2000, provides the impetus for a number of curricular innovations.

These values have created a unique ethical, scholarly, and professional atmosphere for faculty, staff, and students of all faiths. Among these are the integrated four-year patient-centered medicine curriculum; Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics & Health Policy with online educational bioethics opportunities; Leischner Institute for Medical Education for enhancing teaching excellence; integrated curriculum in spirituality and medicine; international opportunities to serve the underprivileged in foreign countries; advanced computer technology through the Loyola University Medical Education Network (LUMEN); active interdisciplinary research opportunities; and an MD/PhD dual-degree program.

Education and clinical programs at Stritch continued to be broadened and improved over the next several years. Garnering additional student scholarships and developing additional use of the clinical skills assessment center were focuses of the school's administration under the leadership of Stephen Slogoff, MD, dean, 1999-2006. Students were encouraged to participate in regular student forums and to seek advice and direction from the dean and faculty. With the increasing integration of teaching and patient care, the relationship between Stritch and the healthcare enterprise at Loyola flourished.

In 2006, John Lee, MD, PhD, dean, 2005-2009, embarked on a strategic planning process designed to further promote innovation and effectiveness in education. Recognizing that the genomic/molecular revolution allows greater targeting of specific diseases on an individual basis causing medicine to become more personalized, emphasis was placed on producing outstanding physicians who would be prepared for the promises and changes of the 21st century, whether pursuing careers in clinical medicine, teaching, or research.

Loyola's academic tradition continues to inspire going beyond imparting medical knowledge and developing clinical skills, and delves into the social, ethical, financial, and spiritual aspects of medicine. The goal is to prepare tomorrow's healthcare leaders to work together with integrity, compassion, and a thorough understanding of a diverse society in order to serve the needs of all patients in a complex and dynamic healthcare system.

The Catholic Jesuit heritage and a visionary approach to medical education nurtures further compassionate outreach efforts as evidenced through the continuing International Service Immersion missions to developing nations and local programs to help the less fortunate members of our neighborhood. The faculty's commitment to students, patients, and the surrounding community is recognized both locally and nationally. Under the leadership of Myles Sheehan, SJ, MD, senior associate dean and professor and director of the Leischner Institute for Medical Education, 2000-2009, Stritch continues its strong commitment to the Catholic Jesuit ideals of excellence, leadership, and compassion for those they serve.

In 2009, Richard L. Gamelli, MD, chair, Department of Surgery, and the Robert J. Freeark, MD Professor of Trauma Surgery, became dean of Stritch. Dr. Gamelli also is founder and director of the Burn and Shock Trauma Institute, and chief of the Burn Center. A world authority on the care of burn wounds and burn research, a skilled surgeon, and award-winning teacher, Dr. Gamelli embodies the ideal of the multi-dimensional medical professional that Stritch educators have always striven to cultivate.

Commitment to patient centered care, educating morally and ethically grounded leaders in healthcare, and seeking new knowledge in the service of humanity remain the essence of the Stritch School of Medicine as we enter our next 100 years.

EDUCATION at STRITCH
The Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago provides outstanding clinical education to its students with the opportunity to participate in research, global health and service. Our cutting edge facilities are also used to educate multidisciplinary, collaborative health care teams in quality and safety. We hope you find that your needs are met by our website. More importantly, we hope that our professional paths cross in the service of others.

LEISCHNER INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION
The Ralph P. Leischner Jr., MD, Institute for Medical Education was created to incorporate lessons regarding medical ethics, professionalism and spirituality into our teaching, in and out of the classroom. The institute promotes faculty development and mentorship for all students. The curriculum is designed to better shape medical students into competent, compassionate and socially responsible physicians.

DIVISION OF CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION
The Continuing Medical Education program sees its purpose as providing high-quality, evidence-based educational opportunities that are designed to advance physician competence, enhance practice performance, promote patient safety, and where possible, improve patient outcomes in the populations served by the healthcare providers we educate.

GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION
Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine partners with Loyola University Health System in its educational mission. Sponsorship of post-graduate healthcare education programs trains the future generation of health professionals necessary to provide healthcare and education for the communities we serve.

RESEARCH at STRITCH
As Loyola University Chicago seeks to achieve national and international recognition for our health sciences research capabilities, we are renewing our focus on research and reaching across organizational boundaries to integrate our research teams and optimize the impact of their efforts.

Through increased research funding, improving patient access to clinical trials and public-health-based research relationships, Loyola's Stritch School of Medicine will create a more robust and impactful research organization to better meet the needs of individuals in our local communities and the global community.

Stritch School of Medicine Degree Programs :

Medicine

Video Presentation

Simulation Learning at the Stritch School of Medicine

Trent Reed, DO, director of Simulation Learning at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and Robin Braun, a 4th-year med student, talk about the Simulation Lab and how it helps medical students to learn the process of diagnosing a patient.