New Quinnipiac Medical School Partners with St. Vincent's

The Quinnipiac University School of Medicine has selected St. Vincent’s Medical Center of Bridgeport as its principal clinical partner, according to a joint announcement by Dr. Bruce Koeppen, founding dean of the School of Medicine, and Susan Davis, RN, EdD, president and CEO of St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

“St. Vincent’s Medical Center submitted a very impressive vision document detailing what a principal clinical partnership with Quinnipiac would mean from its perspective,” Koeppen said. “St. Vincent’s commitment to education, its emphasis on quality and patient safety, its support of our mission of primary care and interprofessional education and its enthusiasm to partner made St. Vincent’s the best choice for Quinnipiac.” 

Susan Davis, president and CEO of St. Vincent’s Health Services, said on Monday the Medical Center embraces the opportunity to partner with Quinnipiac to create a world class School of Medicine. 

“The new School of Medicine’s focus on primary care and educating physicians as members of the patient’s health care team puts this program on the cutting edge in preparing the physician of the future,” she said. “The team of leaders in the School of Medicine is visionary and committed to excellence in medical education.”

Under the five-year agreement, St. Vincent’s medical staff will work with the leadership of the School of Medicine to design the clinical components of the curriculum and academic policies and procedures; recruit physicians to teach students; and ensure the high quality of the educational experience.

In addition, the chairmen of service at St. Vincent's will become the chairs of the corresponding clinical departments in the School of Medicine. St. Vincent’s has chiefs of service in the following medical specialties: anesthesiology, cardiovascular medicine, emergency medicine, medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology and surgery.

“This major development for the School of Medicine is another example of Quinnipiac’s emergence as a major national university," said Quinnipiac University President John L. Lahey. "When the School of Medicine begins classes in the fall of 2013, Quinnipiac will be among approximately 100 of the nearly 4,500 public and private universities in the United States to have both accredited medical and law schools.”

Koeppen said St. Vincent’s affiliation with Ascension Health, a nonprofit health system that operates a network of Catholic hospitals and related health facilities in the United States, also makes it an attractive organization with which to partner. 

“St. Vincent’s affiliation with Ascension Health will give Quinnipiac medical students access to a network of hospitals where they can complete electives, seek residency placements and explore possible employment opportunities once they complete their training,” Koeppen said.

In January 2010, Quinnipiac announced plans to seek approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, an accrediting agency, to open a School of Medicine with an emphasis on primary care on its North Haven Campus, where its Schools of Health Sciences and Nursing are now located. Pending LCME accreditation, the School of Medicine is scheduled to start offering classes in the fall of 2013.

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