Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine
 |
|
Former names
|
Philadelphia College and Infirmary of
Osteopathy |
| Motto |
"Mens et Manus" |
|
Motto
in English
|
The Mind and the Hand |
| Type |
Private coeducational |
| Established |
1899; 117 years
ago (1899) |
| Endowment |
$162.3 million[1] |
| Budget |
$78.40 million[2] |
| Chancellor |
Leonard Finkelstein, DO |
| President |
Jay S. Feldstein, DO |
| Provost |
Kenneth J. Veit, DO |
|
Academic
staff
|
129 full-time[3]
54 part-time |
| Students |
2,418."[4] |
| Location |
Philadelphia,
PA;
Atlanta, GA, United States |
| Campus |
Urban,
17 acres (Philadelphia)
20 acres (Georgia) |
| Colors |
Burgundy and Gray |
| Affiliations |
www.pcom.edu |
The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
(PCOM) is a private, non-profit
graduate college, with a main campus located
on 17 acres in Philadelphia, in the US state Pennsylvania, and an additional campus located
on 20 acres in Suwanee, Georgia. PCOM offers degree programs in
osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, psychology, business (MBA), and forensic medicine. With
2,418 students (2014–15), PCOM is one of the oldest and
largest osteopathic
medical schools in the world.
PCOM was founded in 1899 as the third osteopathic medical school
in the world. In 1993, PCOM began offering a master's degree in
biomedical sciences, and in 1995 started a doctorate in clinical
psychology (PsyD). In 2005, PCOM opened a second campus in
Suwanee, Georgia. PCOM also operates five
primary care health centers in cooperation with several teaching
hospitals. PCOM sponsors residency training programs, which train
newly graduated physicians. The Center for Chronic Disorders of
Aging, which aims to improve quality of life for elderly
individuals, is located on the Philadelphia campus.
All of the programs at PCOM have professional accreditation.
PCOM is accredited by the Middle
States Association of Colleges and Schools. The Doctor of Osteopathic
Medicine (DO) program is accredited by the American Osteopathic
Association.
History
PCOM was originally founded on January 24, 1899 as the
Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO) by the
Reverend Mason W. Pressly, D.O., and Oscar John Snyder, D.O. It was
the third osteopathic medical school to open in the United
States.[5]
In September 1899, the first PCIO degree was awarded, and in
February 1900, the first PCIO "class," comprising one woman and one
MD, graduated. In May 1921, PCIO was officially renamed to
Philadelphia College of Osteopathy (PCO).[6]
PCO became the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)
in May 1967.[6]
In 1973, PCOM opened a new building, Evans Hall, and relocated
to its current campus along City Avenue in Philadelphia. In 1979,
PCOM acquired the adjacent office building, which was later named
Rowland Hall in honor of PCOM's 4th President. From 1995-1999,
Evans Hall expanded to include a modern osteopathic manipulative
medicine (OMM) lab, more classrooms, a new cafeteria, and the
office of admissions.
During the 1990s a series of new graduate level programs were
added, expanding the scope of the medical school to a wide range of
health-care related programs. In 1993, PCOM started the graduate
program in biomedical science, offering graduate certificates and
Master of Science degrees. The Doctor of Psychology was started in
1995. In 2005 the school expanded to Georgia with a new branch
campus, which graduated its first D.O. class in 2009.
For more than a century, PCOM has trained physicians, health
practitioners, and behavioral scientists. In the United States,
there are two types of physicians: DO physicians and
MD physicians. Both are fully qualified
physicians, licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery.
DOs and MDs
are alike in many ways.
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has trained 12,941
physicians, with 2,467 non-physician alumni.[7]
PCOM alumni practice in all areas of medicine, hold leadership
positions in the medical community, teach in many of the country's
top medical schools, and serve in every branch of the military.
Academics
PCOM Archives: 1908 Dissection Lab
As a free-standing medical school, PCOM offers only
graduate-level training. Degrees offered by the college
include:
Philadelphia
Campus
- Doctor of Osteopathic
Medicine
- Physician Assistant Studies
- Biomedical Sciences
- Forensic Medicine
- Clinical Psychology
- School Psychology
- Organizational Development and Leadership
Georgia
Campus
- GA - PCOM Osteopathic Medicine
- PCOM School of Pharmacy - Georgia Campus
- GA - PCOM Biomedical Sciences
Campuses
PCOM operates two campuses; one campus is located in
Philadelphia and one is near Atlanta, Georgia. The Philadelphia
campus is 17 acres, and the Georgia campus is 20 acres.
In 2005, PCOM-Georgia enrolled its first class of osteopathic
medical students. The Georgia Campus currently offers the Doctor of
Osteopathic Medicine degree (D.O.), Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and graduate
programs in biomedical sciences.
PCOM
Library
The PCOM Library provides information resources to support the
educational, research and clinical activities of the College. The
mission of the library is twofold: to provide users with access to
a wide range of quality information resources and to assist users
in acquiring the skills necessary to use resources effectively.
Electronic collections includes bibliographic databases and
indexes, textbooks and monographs, full-text research and clinical
journals, streaming videos, mobile applications, and catalogs of
local, regional and national biomedical collections.
Library staff assists students, faculty, and staff in acquiring
and using information by providing educational and reference
services. Every academic program is served by dedicated liaison
librarians who create subject guides targeted to courses and
research topics, help students and faculty find books, retrieve
articles, and effectively search and manage information
resources.
The library is also responsible for the creation of the
College’s institutional repository, the Digital Commons@PCOM.
The Digital Commons preserves and disseminates the history of the
College, records of College life, and the intellectual output of
students, faculty, and staff in the form of dissertations, papers,
and posters.
Accreditation
Healthcare
Centers
In addition to its affiliation with several teaching hospitals,
PCOM runs five primary care healthcare centers including: Sullivan
County Medical Center,[12]
Roxborough Healthcare Center,[13]
Cambria Street Healthcare Center,[14]
Lancaster Avenue Healthcare Center,[15]
and Family Practice at PCOM.[16]
The clinics serve the dual purpose of providing community-based
health care as well as providing educational experiences for
medical students. Services include family medicine, gynecology, dermatology, geriatrics, psychology, and OMM.
Residency
Program
PCOM programs include a multi-hospital integrated approach. The
total position numbers can vary with program directors' plans and
implementation time frame.
Center for Chronic
Disorders of Aging
The mission of the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging (CCDA)
at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is to improve the
quality of life for all individuals suffering from age-related
chronic diseases and disorders.[17]
The CCDA promotes a better understanding of the nature of chronic
disease processes by supporting basic and applied investigations,
and providing educational opportunities for the community,
scientists and health care professionals. The CCDA furthers its
mission through an interdisciplinary approach combining scientific
research, education, and clinical application into chronic diseases
and disorders associated with the aging process.
Notable
Alumni
- Ethel D. Allen, D.O., an American Republican
politician.
- Bo
Bartlett, an American realist painter.
- Ronald R. Blanck, D.O., the first and only
osteopathic physician ever appointed Surgeon General
of the US Army.
- Ira
W. Drew, D.O., a Democratic politician
in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
- Ted Eisenberg, D.O., the Guinness World
Record holder for most breast
augmentation surgeries performed.
- Joseph
Gambone, DO, MPH,[18]
author of Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology.[19]
Gambone Peak on Antarctica was named in his honor in 1970.[20][21][22]
- Joe Heck, D.O. is the U.S. Representative for
Nevada’s 3rd congressional district and is a member of the
Republican Party.[23]
- Robert Hostoffer, D.O.
- Harold Marion Osborn D.O., a U.S. Olympic Gold
Medalist in track.
- W. Kenneth Riland, D.O., physician for
President Richard M. Nixon and New
York Governor Nelson A.
Rockefeller, and cofounder of the New
York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic
Medicine.[24]
- Charles Sophy, D.O., psychiatrist, Medical Director for the LA Dept
of Children and Family Services, and author of several books.