UMDNJ - School of Osteopathic Medicine

Fast Facts

• Established in 1976 as the only four-year medical school in Southern New Jersey, the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM) is the state's only college of osteopathic medicine.
• UMDNJ-SOM is dedicated to providing excellence in medical education, research and health care for New Jersey and the nation. An emphasis on primary health care and community health services reflects the School's osteopathic philosophy, with specialty care and centers of excellence demonstrating our commitment to innovation and quality in all endeavors. The School seeks to develop clinically skillful, compassionate and culturally competent physicians from diverse backgrounds, who are prepared to become leaders in their communities.
• UMDNJ-SOM is a leader in providing opportunities for medical education to New Jersey students. For the 162 students selected from over 4,000 applicants for admission in August 2012, 81% are New Jersey residents, with 17% from South Jersey. As well as the D.O. degree, the school offers a range of dual and joint-degree options to students with interests in law, management, public health or research.
• UMDNJ-SOM is ranked #1 of all U.S. osteopathic medical schools in the percentage of underrepresented minority student enrollment (18%) and total minority student enrollment (56%). Pipeline and articulation programs support the school's diversity commitment.
• UMDNJ-SOM is at the forefront of addressing the need for more physicians; it has expanded class size by 50% over the past two years.
• UMDNJ-SOM is a major source of primary care physicians for the State and South Jersey. Of the more than 2,000 graduates of UMDNJ-SOM, half practice in the State, of whom about 50 percent deliver primary care. For 11 percent of UMDNJ-SOM alumni, at least half of their practice hours are in medically underserved communities. More than half of 2012 graduates entered primary care residencies.
• UMDNJ-SOM has one of the largest Graduate Medical Education Programs (350+ interns, residents and fellows) of all U.S. osteopathic medical schools. The UMDNJ-SOM Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institution (OPTI) includes seven hospital systems - Kennedy University Hospital (three acute care divisions), Lourdes Health System (two acute care divisions), Christ Hospital, Meridian Health System-K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, Cooper University Hospital, Atlantic Health (two acute care divisions), and South Jersey Healthcare (two acute care divisions) - and dozens of affiliated training sites across the Delaware Valley region.
• UMDNJ-SOM has among the largest number of faculty as compared to all U.S. osteopathic medical schools, with 182 full-time faculty, 46 part-time faculty, and over 440 volunteer faculty.
• UMDNJ-SOM has a large network of clinical affiliates in South Jersey. UMDNJ-SOM's principal hospital system, Kennedy University Hospital (Cherry Hill, Stratford and Washington Township), and major teaching affiliates, Lourdes Health System (Camden and Willingboro) and South Jersey Healthcare (Bridgeton, Elmer and Vineland) represent eight inpatient sites in five counties, handle about 80,000 admissions per year and a diverse and growing population of about 1.5 million.
• UMDNJ-SOM is a leader in patient care - 250,000 patients per year to The University Doctors, UMDNJ-SOM's faculty practice plan.
• Bringing approximately $13 million in research and extramural funding, including funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), into the state, UMDNJ-SOM is a leader as compared to all U.S. osteopathic medical schools.
• UMDNJ-SOM has a strong community service mission, sponsoring the three Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) - the only programs of their type in the state - in Bridgeton/Vineland, Camden City, and Atlantic City for over 30 years, and serving Camden City through the Camden Free Clinic and St. Luke's-Latino Health Center.
• UMDNJ-SOM promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in education, service and research with five other schools of UMDNJ that offer programs on the 32-acre Stratford campus: the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; the School of Nursing; the School of Health Related Professions; the School of Public Health; and the New Jersey Dental School.
• The economic impact of the UMDNJ Stratford campus continues to grow, as it provides almost 2,000 jobs. At the same time, the housing and living needs of approximately 1,200 students attending the six schools on the campus are a significant generator of economic activity for Stratford and the region.
• The NJ Institute for Successful Aging at UMDNJ-SOM , currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, has been ranked among the best U.S. medical schools for geriatric medical education by U.S. News and World Report - and has been among the top 20 schools for 11 years.
• The Child Abuse Research Education and Service (CARES) Institute at UMDNJ-SOM , also celebrating its 25th anniversary, is a national leader in the development of comprehensive diagnostic and treatment programs to address both the medical and mental health needs of children experiencing abuse. The federal government has recognized the CARES treatment program as the national model for detecting and treating child victims of sexual abuse and their families.
• The NeuroMusculoskeletal Institute (NMI) uses a unique multi-disciplinary approach that includes physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, interventional procedures, osteopathic manipulation, headache specialists, orthopedic surgery, a medically-supervised gym, and a specialized program for pain management in patients infected with HIV.
• The vision of UMDNJ-SOM is to be the best osteopathic medical school in the nation.

Dean's Page

Welcome to the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary, our School has successfully weathered challenging times and renewed our enthusiasm for and shared commitment to our mission, essential values and guiding principles. I am honored to serve as Dean and pleased to introduce you to our School.

Our website is designed to be a dynamic, user-friendly resource that can answer your questions about our efforts in education, research, clinical care and community service.

Our students are the heart of our school. With a long-standing tradition of diversity and devotion to community service, our students constantly impress me with their determination to become the best physicians possible. Doctors educated at our school stay focused on what it means to be a great physician consistent with the osteopathic tradition - to cure, to heal, to comfort, to console, to learn, to discover, to honor and respect human life, to improve the human condition and to care.

Our faculty is the soul of our school. Year after year, the faculty's incredible passion both supports and energizes all we do. Thanks to their professionalism and commitment to excellence, our clinical and research professors keep us moving forward - steadfast in our mission and inspiring generations of physicians.

Our patients - over 260,000 annually - seek out our physicians for their exceptional clinical skills and their abiding respect for our tradition of treating not just the illness, but the whole patient. We provide primary care and specialized services that address patient needs through the continuum of life - with nationally renowned centers of excellence focusing their expertise on the special needs of children and seniors.

Our partners are on an exciting journey with us as we strengthen clinical programs for a growing number of hospitals - particularly with our principal hospital partner, the 600-bed Kennedy Health System in Stratford, Washington Township and Cherry Hill - and build on an extensive and growing network of collaborations with other institutions, including Lourdes Health System in Camden City and Burlington County.

Our vision is to be the best osteopathic medical school in the nation. To educate the physicians needed in the future, we have increased enrollment by 50 percent over the past several years. At the same time, we infused a bold new curriculum with the latest developments in medicine. New Jersey and the nation will depend on how successful we are in achieving our vision and how effectively we collaborate - across departments, with the five sister schools of UMDNJ on our campus, and with other academic, healthcare and community partners. Together, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of all who depend on us.

Our thanks for exploring (and, hopefully, bookmarking!) the website for our UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine.

History
In 1976, the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine was founded by legislation authorizing funding for a new osteopathic medical school in southern New Jersey. Gaining approval for the legislation was not easy. It was fought by many who opposed creating a third medical school in New Jersey. Thanks to the persistence and energy of those who fought for the legislation, namely Senator Joseph Maressa, Dr. Howard Levine and Dr. Joseph Riley, the legislation was approved and a "school without walls" was created. Since then, there have been countless milestones, accolades and remarkable growth in new programs, faculty, staff and students. The campus has also experienced tremendous growth, expanding from one building in 1977 to four dynamic centers dedicated to teaching, healing and discovering.

To initiate the educational program, a plan was developed to use the basic science facilities at UMDNJ Rutgers Medical School (now Robert Wood Johnson Medical School) in Piscataway for the first two years of the curriculum, and affiliated community hospitals in southern New Jersey for the last two years. Shortly thereafter, on September 7, 1977, the first class with 24 students began its osteopathic medical training.

UMDNJ-SOM's first affiliate and its current principal teaching hospital is Kennedy Health System/University Medical Center, with divisions in Stratford, Cherry Hill and Washington Township. Other hospital affiliates include: Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro, Christ Hospital in Jersey City and South Jersey Healthcare in Elmer and Vineland.

Over the years, UMDNJ-SOM has greatly expanded. In 1987, the School opened the Specialty Care Center. In 1989, the adjoining Primary Care Center building was purchased. In July of 1990, UMDNJ-SOM completed the first phase of the Science Center and became a unified four-year campus in Stratford, two full years ahead of schedule. In the fall of 1993, the Academic Center was opened and completed the campus by providing students with state-of-the-art teaching facilities.

UMDNJ - School of Osteopathic Medicine Degree Programs :

Medicine

Video Presentation

Match Day -- UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine

Students at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine learn where they will continue their careers as medical residents, on national Match Day -- March 18, 2010.