Duquesne’s College of Medicine Set to Launch Fall 2024

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In one of the boldest moves of its 145-year history, Duquesne University is on schedule to launch its College of Medicine (COM) in fall 2024.

The COM is recruiting students now and will enroll 85 students in 2024 with the plan to grow annual enrollment to 170 students beginning in 2026. The medical college anticipates enrolling 680 students over all four years by the 2029-2030 school year. It will be the second medical school in Pittsburgh and the first Catholic medical school in Pennsylvania.

“This new college is the ultimate expression of our commitment to promoting healthcare equity in the region and beyond,” said Duquesne President Ken Gormley. “It’s our boldest initiative to date and builds on our legacy of making a positive social impact by working with people and communities, including in underserved areas, to help meet critical needs.”

The new college will arrive at an important time. The U.S. will experience a shortage of more than 120,000 physicians - especially primary care doctors - by 2032, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The shortage is expected to be felt most acutely in urban and rural communities, which often lack access to health services.

“Communities with stronger primary care services have better health outcomes, improved quality of care, lower costs and higher patient satisfaction,” said COM Dean Dr. John Kauffman. “Our doctors will be trained to very high standards of medical excellence and will understand and meet the healthcare needs of their patients, including those living in underserved regions.”

The Right Place, The Right Time

With its expertise in nursing, pharmacy, allied health care and the sciences, Duquesne is perfectly positioned to launch a medical college with a focus on integrative health.

“We envision a college of medicine that ties together interprofessional opportunities across all of our health programs,” said Duquesne Provost and Executive Vice President David Dausey, who is also an epidemiologist. “Integrative medicine considers the medical practitioner and the patient as partners not only in healing but also in prevention and general wellness. Integrative health values what often is termed ‘western’ scientific approaches to medicine just as much as conceptions of health, wellness and other cultural approaches to healing.”

In addition to training physicians, nurses and other healthcare practitioners, Duquesne’s program will include work in the ethics of integrative medicine as well as a focus on serving marginalized populations, aligning integrative health practice with Spiritan values of service that have been a hallmark of Duquesne for more than 140 years.

“The new college of medicine will focus on excellence in medical training at its core,” Dausey said. “To achieve our bigger goals for the region, such excellence is foundational to serving our communities and most importantly, the students we will attract.”

Through its Center for Integrative Health, Duquesne has provided thousands of health screenings, flu shots, COVID vaccines and asthma clinics for vulnerable populations in the region.

State-of-the-Art Education with Community Support

The COM building will feature state-of-theart medical equipment, including advanced simulation technologies, maker spaces and virtual anatomy, using HoloLens technology. The first class of entering students will also be supplied with portable handheld ultrasound devices, which are an important tool for examining patients. The devices can be easily transported to a patient’s location, making them ideal for residents in communities that lack access to care.

The college has developed partnerships with health centers throughout Pennsylvania, ensuring third- and fourth-year students gain a comprehensive education during their residencies. A variety of hospital and health care systems throughout the region will partner with the COM by offering clinical positions and other learning opportunities to its students.

While exploring the potential for the medical college, Duquesne officials conferred with representatives from regional universities, medical professionals and a variety of individuals in city and state government. The University’s plans were met with enthusiasm, with regional hospitals noting that even with existing medical schools in the area, their needs for residents and interns remained high.

In turn, the COM has received generous financial support, with significant contributions from government agencies, foundations and University donors. This support has been vital to building the COM -- construction is well underway and building completion is scheduled for spring 2024, where it will stand across the street from the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Forbes Avenue.

This funding also aids COM programs, including contributions to support the college’s leadership; modern fertility awareness education; state-of-the-art medical education equipment; and programming focused on providing care to vulnerable populations.