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Five Local Students In Lehigh Valley Health Network's First Med School Class

New partnership between Lehigh Valley Health Network and University of South Florida College of Medicine begins.

Five Lehigh Valley students are among the first class of medical students at the new partnership between the University of South Florida College of Medicine and the Lehigh Valley Health Network, officials at both institutions announced Friday.

The students will spend the first two years of the four-year program studying at the medical school in Tampa, which began in July, followed by two years of clinical work at

The goal of the program, called SELECT, which stands for Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, Collaborative Training, is to prepare doctors for leadership roles in medicine affected by the changing world of health care reform, school officials said. The first SELECT students will arrive in the Lehigh Valley in 2013.

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At USF, students will take courses on leadership, coaching, finance, and the impact of health policy, followed by two years of clinical training at Lehigh Valley Health Network to complete their medical degree.

In addition to their academic credentials, Kirk Chassey of Easton, Kyle Correll of Bethlehem, Christian Pothering of Neffs, Ramin Aresh of Nazareth, and Emma Webb of Macungie were chosen for their emotional intelligence through an in-depth interview process more commonly used to find leaders for the business world, officials said.

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On Friday, officials from both locations conducted a long-distance ribbon-cutting for the new Lehigh Valley Health Network Leadership Center on the campus of USF.

The 9,000-square-foot facility, formerly an auditorium, was renovated into classrooms with advanced technology for up to 300 students. LVHN contributed $2 million for the project, which was matched by USF Health.

The ribbon-cutting showcased the videoconferencing abilities of the two locations, 1,100 miles apart. Speaking into a microphone in a classroom at Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest, LVHN President and CEO Dr. Ronald Swinfard addressed the assembly in Florida.

Dr. Alan Otsuki, associate dean of educational affairs at USF Health and education chief at LVHN, spoke from Florida.

“We know our health care system is broken,” Otsuki said. Change, he added, will start with small steps that employ innovative solutions, including the new center’s technology-rich environment.

USF College of Medicine Vice Dean for Educational Affairs Dr. Alicia Monroe and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn also spoke from Florida.

Student Kirk Chassey of Easton explained how the SELECT curriculum will prepare doctors for changes in health care, such as the expected switch from HMOs to health centers where care will be coordinated by interdisciplinary healthcare teams, instead of by the patient.

Chassey has a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Penn State, followed by pre-med studies. He previously worked as a personal trainer and in LVHN emergency rooms.

The partnership between USF Health (which includes the USF colleges of medicine, nursing, public health and pharmacy) and LVHN dates to 2009.

That same year, , headquartered in Bethlehem, partnered with Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, to form Medical School of Temple-St. Luke’s.

Students enrolled in that program will complete their first year at Temple, followed by three years at St. Luke’s in Bethlehem. The inaugural class of 30 students begins in August. Students will come to St. Luke’s next year.

Classrooms initially located in renovated areas of the Bethlehem campus will eventually move to the new facility, St. Luke's Riverside Campus, being built in Bethlehem Township.

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