An innovative university and one of the nation’s top hospitals intend to accelerate change in medical student education

TAMPA, FL (Oct. 25, 2010) — The University of South Florida College of Medicine (USF) has begun accepting applications from prospective medical students for a program jointly created by USF and Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) – a partnership announced in March 2009 that will cross state boundaries to prepare physician leaders committed to accelerating change in health care. The Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, Collaborative Training program, or SELECT, a four-year program in medical education leading to the MD degree, will start its inaugural class in fall 2011.

Students will spend their first two years taking classes at the USF College of Medicine in Tampa, FL, and then go to LVHN in Allentown, PA, for two years to focus on clinical education.

Students in the SELECT program will spend their first two years taking classes at the USF College of Medicine in Tampa, FL, known for its student-centered, innovative curriculum.

USF is nationally recognized for its student-centered medical school curriculum, which encompasses the full spectrum of health. LVHN, known for its quality, safety and modern team care, was this year ranked number one in Pennsylvania and number two nationally for heart attack results by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

“We’re looking for students with a passion for change. We’ll find them mentorship for life,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO of USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine. “Together USF and Lehigh Valley Health Network will create the health care of the future.”

Across all four years of the SELECT program, students will be mentored by top medical faculty from both USF and LVHN and have the opportunity to build the professional networks needed to drive reform in medicine and health care. The distinctive curriculum will emphasize physician leadership development, cost management, inter-professional collaboration, high quality, and safe care for patients.

Medical students will spend their final two years focusing on clinical education at the Lehigh Valley Health Network campus in Allentown, PA

The first medical students from USF Health will begin the SELECT program at USF in Tampa, Fla. in fall 2011 and matriculate to the LVHN campus in Allentown, Pa., by summer 2013.

“The SELECT program is designed to train doctors to be able to adapt in what is anticipated to be a very different health care environment in the future,” said Elliot J. Sussman, MD, president and CEO, LVHN. “Tomorrow’s doctors must know how to be transformative to adjust to the health care delivery system they’ll be working in. And those physicians must have the knowledge and background to be able to modify the systems in which they’ll be working to provide quality and safe care for their patients while ensuring efficient operations.”

“The physician leaders coming out of the SELECT program will work with other members of the healthcare team to deliver high-quality, integrated patient care while managing costs, reducing medical errors and addressing disparities in care,” Dr. Klasko said.

The deadline for applying to the new program through the American Medical College Application Service is Nov. 15, 2010.

For more information about the SELECT program, please call the USF College of Medicine Admissions Office at (813) 974-2229, option 1.

– USF Health –

USF Health (www.health.usf.edu) is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health; as well as the schools of biomedical sciences and physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $394.1 million in research grants and contracts in FY2009/2010, the University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of only 25 public research universities nationwide with very high research activity that is designated as community-engaged by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

– Lehigh Valley Health Network –

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes three hospital facilities – two in Allentown and one in Bethlehem, Pa.; nine health centers caring for communities in four counties; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the region; pharmacy, imaging and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes trauma care at the region’s busiest, most-experienced trauma center treating adults and children, burn care at the regional Burn Center, kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Primary Stroke Center. Lehigh Valley Health Network has been recognized by US News & World Report for 15 consecutive years as one of America’s Best Hospitals and is a national Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing. Lehigh Valley Hospital has been selected as a National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Centers Program. Additional information is available at lvhn.org and by following us on facebook.com/LVHealthNetwork and twitter.com/LVHNnews.