The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is a private medical school in Erie, Pennsylvania,

Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the Laurel Highlands and the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau. The city is ...

, Bradenton, Florida, DeFuniak Springs, Florida and Elmira, New York. Founded in 1992, LECOM confers

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

( D.O.), dental ( DMD), pharmacy (

PharmD A Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD; New Latin: ''Pharmaciae Doctor'') is a professional doctorate in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a doctoral degree to practice the profession of pharmacy or to become a clinical pharmacist. In many countries th ...

), as well as master's degrees in the health sciences. LECOM operates one of the few accelerated three-year pharmacy programs in the country, and is one of 2 pharmacy schools in the country with a distance education program. With over 2,200 enrolled medical students, the College of Osteopathic Medicine at LECOM is the largest medical school in the United States. LECOM is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the American Osteopathic Association's

Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation The American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) accredits medical schools granting the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree in the United States. The US Department of Education lists the Co ...

, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and the

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is a non-profit accreditation national agency recognized by Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the US Department of Education. It was established in 1932 as the American Council on Pha ...

History

In the late 1980s, the growing need for new physicians especially in the local area was becoming increasingly evident and as a result, the leaders of Millcreek Community Hospital in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania founded the health system's now namesake, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, in December 1992. The institution's first courses began in 1993, and the inaugural class of students graduated on May 24 1997. In 2002, the LECOM School of Pharmacy opened. In 2004, LECOM opened a branch campus in

Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries A settlement established by Maroons or escaped sl ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. In 2007, Lake Erie COM was the first US medical school to re-introduce a three-year medical school program, after the other 3 year programs in the nation had closed. In 2008, LECOM received approval to open an additional branch campus in Greensburg, Pennsylvania at the site of Seton Hill University, wchich opened in 2009. The branch campus included two additional buildings, with an overall projected cost of $4 million. In 2012, the Bradenton campus opened a new dental school. In 2020, LECOM opened a new medical school campus in Elmira, New York. In 2022, they announced the opening of their fifth campus to be located at Jacksonville University in Florida. It is expected to start operations in 2026. The medical school at LECOM is the largest in the United States. LECOM announced it will open a new school of podiatric medicine in the fall of 2023 after they received approval from the Council on Podiatric Medical Education. It will become the eleventh

podiatric Podiatry () or podiatric medicine () is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and leg. A Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), or a podiatrist, is a healthcare ...

medical school in the United States. As of 2022, the college claims a total enrollment of over 4100 students and 16,000 alumni. LECOM is a member of the LECOM Health system, an academic health center with two hospitals, physician practices, two skilled nursing centers and three independent living centers for older adults.

Academics

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

The medical school offers three primary

learning pathway Learning pathway is described as the chosen route taken by a learner through a range of (commonly) e-learning activities, which allows them to build knowledge progressively. With learning pathways, the control of choice moves away from the tutor to ...

s: a traditional lecture discussion Program, a

problem-based learning Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in trigger material. The PBL process does not focus on problem solving with a defi ...

program, and a directed study program, as well as two, three-year programs, all leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. The Erie campus offers all three primary pathways, while the Bradenton and Greensburg campuses offer curriculum based solely on problem-based learning. Post-graduate residence and fellowship training is managed by the

Lake Erie Consortium for Osteopathic Medical Training A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

Doctor of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy offers three pathways for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. One is a year-round, three-year curriculum based on the Erie campus, while another is a four-year traditional curriculum offered at the Bradenton campus. In 2014, the School of Pharmacy added a four-year distance education pathway for students across the United States. LECOM and Creighton University offer the only two distance education pathways for the primary PharmD degree in the nation.

Doctor of Dental Medicine

The School of Dental Medicine (SDM) prepares students for the practice of general dentistry. First-year dental students participate in problem-based learning as they prepare for clinical training. The SDM operates full-service dental practice offices in Bradenton where third-year students treat patients under the supervision of licensed dentists. In May 2015, the School opened outreach training sites in Erie, PA and DeFuniak Springs, FL. Fourth-year dental students complete their clinical training at these offices.

Campuses

Erie

The main campus is located on West Grandview Boulevard in Erie, Pennsylvania, and overlooks

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

. In 2002, the College expanded the main building with a three-story addition which included classroom, laboratory and office space for the School of Pharmacy. In 2011, the college purchased the

LORD Corporation LORD Corporation is a diversified technology and manufacturing company that develops adhesives, coatings, motion management devices, and sensing technologies for industries such as aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, and industrial. With world he ...

Technology Center on adjoining property. The purchase allowed LORD Corporation to keep its Erie operations by moving to a new location just south of the city. LECOM uses what is now the west campus for the LECOM Erie Dental Offices, research labs, and additional classroom space.

Bradenton

LECOM Bradenton is located in the managed community of Lakewood Ranch near Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida. The original campus building, containing two large lecture halls and 24 smaller classrooms, houses the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the School of Pharmacy. The School of Dental Medicine (SDM) is located just north of the original building. Half of the building houses the classrooms, laboratories and offices for the SDM and the SHSA. The other side of the building has dental offices where third-year dental students begin clinical training treating patients from the surrounding communities.

Seton Hill

LECOM at Seton Hill is an extension of the LECOM Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine classes. Classrooms, laboratories and offices are housed in two buildings on the Seton Hill University campus in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Elmira

LECOM has sent third- and fourth-year medical students to Arnot Health in Elmira and other nearby hospitals for clinical education since 2012. In September 2018, LECOM received accreditation for a second extension in Elmira, NY for the LECOM at Elmira. Construction on a new $20 million, 49,000 square-foot facility began in January 2019. The first 120 students are expected to begin classes in July 2020.

Professional sports partnerships

LECOM officially partnered with the new former Erie BayHawks of the NBA G (Development) League in 2008. As part of those respective deals, LECOM provided medical coverage to both teams. Additionally, the LECOM's name was featured on the BayHawks' jerseys and court design at

Erie Insurance Arena Erie Insurance Arena (originally known as Erie Civic Center and later, Louis J. Tullio Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the downtown area of Erie, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and was the forme ...

. The BayHawks conducted workouts and practices at the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center. LECOM maintains a similar partnership with the Erie Commodores soccer team. In February 2017, LECOM purchased the naming rights to

LECOM Park LECOM Park is a baseball field located in Bradenton, Florida. It is the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and is named after a 15-year naming rights deal was signed with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has its m ...

(formerly called McKechnie Field), the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and their Single-A affiliate, the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

. The deal will span a period of fifteen years.Pirates and LECOM announce Bradenton ballpark naming-rights agreement
/ref> The college also has educational partnership agreements with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

and

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

. As part of the Buffalo Sabres deal LECOM and

Pegula Sports and Entertainment Pegula Sports & Entertainment (PSE) is an American sports and entertainment company based in Buffalo, New York. The company was established after multi-billionaire Terry Pegula and his family combined their sports, property and entertainment ass ...

reached a 10-year deal for naming rights to

LECOM Harborcenter LECOM Harborcenter is an American mixed-use development in Buffalo, New York developed by Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The building occupies a full 1.7 acre city block formerly known as the Webster Block, directly across from and connected ...

in September 2019. It also has sponsorship agreements with the New York Jets,

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

Ed Smith Stadium Ed Smith Stadium is a baseball field located in Sarasota, Florida. Since 2010, it has been the spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles. History Ed Smith Stadium was built in 1989 to replace Payne Park as a Spring Training and Minor Leagu ...

in Sarasota, Fla., and the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine Medical schools in Pennsylvania Medical schools in Florida Pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania Pharmacy schools in Florida Osteopathic medical schools in the United States Private universities and colleges in Florida Education in Erie, Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1992 Universities and colleges in Erie County, Pennsylvania Universities using Problem-based learning Education in Manatee County, Florida 1992 establishments in Pennsylvania Private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania