The partnerships will provide medical students with hands-on clinical care experience in TriHealth, The Christ Hospital, Mercy Health, and Cincinnati Children's health systems.
Xavier University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has established partnerships with various Greater Cincinnati health systems, including TriHealth, The Christ Hospital, Mercy Health, and Cincinnati Children's, to provide medical students with hands-on clinical training experiences. Thanks to these partnerships, third-year medical students will be able to stay in the Greater Cincinnati region for their clinical rotations, an almost unheard of system in the world of clinical rotations. The university’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will open in 2027.
According to an article on Xavier University’s website, university President Colleen Hanycz, Ph.D. is quoted as saying, "In a very short time, Xavier medical students will join these campuses, first as students and, hopefully, one day as members of their physician networks. Together, we are going to continue our shared commitment to excellence, and our determination to mitigate unmet health needs in this region."
The established partnerships are expected to facilitate the desire of newly graduated medical students to stay in the Greater Cincinnati region to practice medicine, following their clinical rotations in the region’s various healthcare systems. In typical scenarios, medical students can expect to travel across the country after they have been “matched” with a clinical rotation site. Thanks to this network of established partnerships, all of the third-year medical students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine will be able to fulfill this requirement without leaving Ohio.
TriHealth has been partnered with Xavier University for almost 30 years. Over the decades, this partnership has included athletic sponsorships and sports medicine, student and employee health and wellbeing, and academic innovation, and now, once the College of Osteopathic Medicine opens, TriHealth will serve as the Major Clinical Teaching Partner and will provide 90 clinical rotations positions across two regional sites. In addition, TriHealth is establishing three new residency programs in internal medicine, anesthesiology, and psychiatry.
TriHealth President and CEO Terri Hanlon-Bremer said, "As our region and nation prepare for a shortage of physicians in the coming years, our partnership with Xavier is an investment in the future of Greater Cincinnati’s healthcare landscape, and in creating a strong local pipeline of physicians to practice and serve in our community. In addition, this gives our physicians, nurses and other caregivers the opportunity to demonstrate TriHealth’s unique way of providing care to the next generation of doctors.”
The Christ Hospital and Mercy Health will each host 60 students in clinical rotation positions.
President & CEO of The Christ Hospital Health Network Debbie Hayes, who is also a 1994 Xavier University graduate, said, “We are excited to partner with Xavier University and to assist in educating the next generation of physicians here in Cincinnati. Our physicians, nurses and support team members will provide opportunities for students to have valuable hands-on experiences as they pursue their career in medicine and will create memorable learning experiences across a variety of specialties. The training and development of physicians remains a priority for The Christ Hospital Health Network so that world-class physicians are available to our community and to bend the curve of the predicted physician shortages in Ohio.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Farzan Irani of Mercy Health–Cincinnati said, "Xavier University and Mercy Health share a powerful Catholic tradition rooted in faith, service, and a commitment to caring for those who need us most, particularly the underserved communities of Cincinnati. Xavier’s exceptional history of preparing students for careers in healthcare makes its future medical students especially well positioned to thrive within Mercy Health and to become physicians who bring both clinical excellence and a deep sense of purpose to their work.”
Cincinnati Children's will provide inpatient pediatric experiences to students through clinical rotations. HealthSource of Ohio will also provide 12 rotation spots among its community health centers and critical access hospitals, providing students with opportunities to learn in community-based medicine settings.
Each of these health system sites will be overseen by a regional assistant dean, who will then report to College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean Dr. Steven Halm.
Dr. Halm said, “Organizing large cohorts of students that complete most of their clinical rotations at one hospital is the best way to provide consistent medical education experiences for students. Our regional campus structure will engage both students and the medical staff faculty at our partner hospitals to create a great learning environment.”
Dr. Rajan Lakhia, who serves as the head of clinical affairs and graduate medical education, said, "Our students are going to get an education from some of the best hospitals not just in the area, but in the country.”
For more information about Xavier University, visit the school’s website.