The University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria is pleased to announce OSF HealthCare has committed $750,000 to support UICOMP’s expansion to a four-year medical school. OSF HealthCare has a long history of partnering with the College of Medicine for student and resident education, patient care, and research.
The UICOMP expansion in 2017 will bring 55 first-year medical students to Peoria. Facility upgrades include a technology-rich classroom designed for “team-based learning” that will be named the OSF HealthCare Learning Studio in appreciation of the generous support for medical education. Construction on the Learning Studio and a new anatomy laboratory for cadaver and technology-assisted training will begin in January.
The donation is part of a $1,000,000 total gift to the College of Medicine, with $250,000 supporting expansion on the Rockford Campus. Historically, Peoria and Rockford medical students spent their first year in Urbana, which will change for both campuses next year. Enrollment will grow to about 220 students annually on each campus.
“We are truly excited about this generous gift and the continued support OSF HealthCare provides,” said Dr. Sara Rusch, UICOMP Regional Dean. “This expansion is a historic moment, not just for the medical school, but for our entire community. It will greatly impact our ability to recruit and retain future physicians to central Illinois. The gift from OSF will help us carry out our founding mission – training doctors to meet the needs of downstate and rural Illinois.
OSF HealthCare operates OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, one of two primary clinical training affiliates for the College of Medicine in Peoria – a relationship that began with the founding of the Peoria campus in 1970. OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford also is part of the OSF HealthCare System.
“We are proud of our standing partnership with the University of Illinois and, in particular, UICOMP and UICOMR and recognize the importance of the need for expansion at the medical school,” said Kevin Schoeplein, OSF HealthCare Chief Executive Officer. “OSF is focused on transforming health care throughout the communities we serve, and know there is a growing need for physicians in all specialties. This Learning Studio will further enhance those efforts, especially for the new medical students we will welcome as first-year students.”
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP)
UICOMP educates more than 150 medical students and nearly 300 physician residents annually. The College of Medicine is home to the Cancer Research Center, the Center for Outcomes Research, and a collaborator in Jump Simulation at OSF.
About OSF HealthCare
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs more than 18,000 employees in 115 locations, including 11 acute care facilities and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. Its physician network employs nearly 1,200 primary care, specialist physicians, and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare operates an extensive network of home health services; owns OSF Saint Francis, Inc., comprised of healthcare-related businesses; and OSF Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization.