Current SELECT Student and we got this email yesterday:
Dear Faculty, Staff, Residents, and Students,
Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing winter break with your family and friends. The past year was filled with successes, such as the re-accreditation of the medical school by the LCME, our highest-ever level of MCOM grant awards and the most substantial additional state funding ever received by the College of Nursing. But 2023 also brought challenges. Like academic medical centers across the country, our faculty practice faced escalating staff and supply costs and stagnant revenues.
Like 2023, the new year will present opportunities as well as challenges. In the latter category, a few weeks ago, Lehigh Valley Health Network announced a proposed merger with Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, home of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. While there are regulatory hurdles to be overcome, it is likely that this merger will occur sometime in 2024. It was prompted by mounting operating losses at both medical centers with the anticipation that by joining they can expand enrollment in the profitable Jefferson Health Plan. Since one of Jefferson Health’s requirements for the union was the elimination of our SELECT MD program, we have unfortunately begun to sunset this highly innovative and academically successful program.
We want to assure everyone that all students currently enrolled who meet graduation requirements will be able to participate in the National Resident Match Program and graduate from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. However, we have stopped accepting additional students into SELECT. We will, of course, honor offers of enrollment to those SELECT students already accepted for the Class of 2028.
When the SELECT program was established, the agreement included provisions to ensure continuity for students in the event of program closure. That means that the current SELECT medical curricula, clinical experiences and training will continue as planned through at least 2027. SELECT students will not have to compete with Jefferson students for any year-three clerkships. If any students face unique situations, such as taking a gap year for research or a medical leave, we will work with them to put them in the best position to succeed. We will be meeting with SELECT students via a Teams town hall to discuss any additional questions they may have.
Please also be assured that the sunsetting of the SELECT program will have minimal impact on other MCOM operations. Over time, we will evaluate whether to modestly increase the size of the Core program and how MCOM students may benefit if we incorporate some elements of SELECT into the Core curriculum.
We appreciate the collegiality and hard work of our Lehigh Valley partners in helping us to build SELECT into such an outstanding program. LVHN and Jefferson anticipate that they can meaningfully improve the health of their communities by creating an integrated health care delivery and health plan in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. They believe the merger will give them greater opportunities to improve patient care, attract and retain talent, and be better positioned to compete regionally. We wish them well in these endeavors.
If any of you have additional questions about these changes to the SELECT program, please reach out to one of us. We will continue to update you as more information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Charly and Bryan
Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM
Executive Vice President, USF Health
Dean, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Bryan A. Bognar, MD, MPH, FACP
Vice Dean for Educational Affairs, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Founding Chair, Department of Medical Education, Morsani College of Medicine
I feel like they made a decision for us already but isn’t announcing it yet
I really went thru the stages of grief this last week
