Doctors Working to Open Scranton Medical School
Pennsylvania’s medical schools are evenly distributed geographically with one exception: the northeast part of the commonwealth.
But that may be changing.
In the Scranton area, a team is hard at work opening a new medical school dubbed Commonwealth Medical College.
"We’re not getting many residents staying in the area after they are through with their residency. A medical school would create a more favorable atmosphere for attracting and retaining physicians," said Gerald Tracy, MD, one of the originators of the idea for a medical school and a former member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Board of Trustees.
The proposed school was the brainchild of a small group that began meeting for Tuesday morning coffee three years ago.
The group included four physicians—Tracy, Robert Wright, MD, Rick English, MD, and Charles Bannon, MD—and called itself the "Radisson Insomniacs."
"Initially, it started as a pipe dream," added Dr. Bannon. "But as we got deeper into it and more people got involved, we saw that there was a lot of interest."
The idea is now speeding toward reality. The school’s board has begun hiring and found a temporary site at Lackawanna College. Funding has been secured, including multi-million dollar grants from the state and Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The proposed school is seeking accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the national accrediting body for medical schools. It also needs accreditation from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Middle States Commission on Higher Education before it can begin accepting students.
"It’s the biggest thing probably that’s happened in Scranton since we were the coal capitol of the world," Dr. Bannon said.
"In the next 10 to 20 years, we’ll be able to take care of patients who now leave the area to get care elsewhere," Dr. English added.
If everything stays on schedule, the first class will be accepted in 2009 and graduate in 2013.
"It’s off the ground. This thing is flying right now, and we’re in orbit," Dr. Tracy said.
"It is just the most fulfilling thing I can imagine in terms of a career—to feel that you were part of something like this," Dr. Wright said.
Want to read more? Visit our home page story archive.
Last Updated: 8/27/2008