Marist, Health Quest Partner To Create Medical School

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Marist College and Health Quest announced Wednesday a partnershp to create a school for medicine in Poughkeepsie. The two organizations will open the Marist Health Quest School of Medicine to provide physician education to prepare new doctors for a technologically advanced healthcare environment.

The first class is expected to begin studies in 2022, according to a press release.

A study by the Association of American Medical Colleges said the U.S. may fall more than 100,000 physicians short of its projected need by 2030.

Closer to the mid-Hudson Valley, there are no MD-degree-granting medical schools in the state north of Westchester County to Albany.

The Marist Health Quest School of Medicine will address both of these needs, officials said.

Marist College President David Yellen said his college and Health Quest are pillars of the community with long histories in the Hudson Valley.

"This is a unique partnership of two very dynamic organizations that are perfectly aligned to bring a medical school to the region," he said.

"Marist is a highly selective college with a strong reputation for academic excellence, a technology-driven approach to curriculum and an established commitment to allied health education through our Physician Assistant and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. Embarking on a medical school is a natural next step for the college," Yellen said.

Robert Friedberg, Health Quest president and CEO, said the school of medicine will have significant positive economic and social benefits for the Hudson Valley and beyond.

"Upon graduation, many of these highly educated professionals and their families will remain here to be part of an academic medical center, which will strengthen the quality of health care in the area," he said.

Friedberg added that the school will also create high-paying jobs and provide local residents with more access to quality health care professionals closer to home.

The collaboration is expected to take advantage of Marist's advanced learning management systems and the addition of artificial and augmented intelligence, transforming the traditional medical school model and changing how medical students, faculty and patients experience health care.

The school administration and classroom space will be located on the Vassar Brothers Medical Center campus in Poughkeepsie.

Plans call for a building of approximately 100,000 square feet to be built on a preselected site.

Once confirmed, the timeline for completion of the building would be about three years, which would be in time to seat the first class in the summer of 2022.

Additionally, students will be educated in special purpose facilities on the Marist campus for subjects such as gross anatomy.

The medical school is expected to employ more than 100 full-time employees, along with numerous part-time jobs.

A search for the school's founding dean and dedicated faculty will begin immediately, according to a spokesperson.

Once fully staffed and accredited — by July 2021 — the school is expected to begin actively recruiting students, with the first class of 60 matriculating in July 2022.

By 2028, that class size is projected to increase to 120, a spokesperson said.

Photo caption: Artist's rendering of the Marist Health Quest School of Medicine. Photo credit: Marist College/Health Quest.