Officials at Providence-Providence Park Hospital (PPPH), part of St. John Providence, and Michigan State University (MSU) have announced an agreement to establish a new medical school campus in Southeast Michigan. The new partnership creates the college’s seventh statewide community campus – and the first in Southeast Michigan.
“This partnership with Providence-Providence Park Hospital is the result of shared goals to educate medical students within a healthcare system that values quality and provides care to a diverse population of patients,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.
PPPH’s Director of Students Valerie Overholt, DO, has been appointed community assistant dean for the College of Human Medicine’s Southeast Michigan campus. The first cohort of students will start in July 2016. At full capacity, MSU College of Human Medicine plans to have a total of 60 third- and fourth-year students at the Southeast Michigan campus.
“We are thrilled to be part of the MSU College of Human Medicine’s plans to expand in Southeast Michigan,” said Michael Wiemann. MD, FACP, President of PPPH-Southfield. “Providence-Providence Park Hospital and its exceptional medical staff will provide students an opportunity to learn in an environment dedicated to high-quality, compassionate care for the whole person.”
Peter Karadjoff, FACHE, President PPPH-Novi, said the new medical school campus will open new possibilities for physician recruitment. “This new effort will provide MSU’s third- and fourth-year medical students a chance to study and live in an area of the state where many come from and where we hope they’d like to return to practice medicine someday,” he said.
In addition to the Southeast Michigan campus, MSU College of Human Medicine has six community campuses in Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Midland, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula.
