The lobby at the Ga-PCOM campus in Suwanee.
By Barbara Myers | Ten years ago in August 2005, Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Ga-PCOM) welcomed its first class of 75 osteopathic medical students. Now the campus is celebrating this milestone by reflecting on its impact in Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia.
Founded in Suwanee, in 2005 as the only branch campus of the century-old Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, Penn., Georgia Campus is home to more than 1,000 students and close to 140 faculty and staff members. The campus offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine and pharmacy and the master’s degree in biomedical sciences with plans to expand its program offerings.
Based on a study commissioned by Tripp Umbach, a national leader in independent economic analysis, it was found that in 2014 alone, Georgia Campus directly and indirectly generated $107.7 million of economic impact in the state. And, an additional 800 jobs are created or supported indirectly as a result of Ga-PCOM’s operational, employee and student spending across Georgia, the report noted.
In its ten years, Ga-PCOM has conferred more than 900 doctorate and masters’ degrees and more than 300 certificates, including 584 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees, 149 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, 176 Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degrees, and 14 Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership degrees. The college has also granted 340 Certificates in Biomedical Sciences.
With more than 7,000 student volunteer hours contributed last year, the college’s impact is felt in the community. Chief Campus Officer Bryan Ginn says: “Our students are focused, motivated and fully committed to service, as are our partners in this community and across Georgia. Hundreds of practitioners who allow our students to work with them to gain clinical skills, along with hospitals and health systems which actively engage in teaching future healthcare providers, deserve our thanks.”
Denise Kornegay, executive director of the Georgia Statewide Area Health Education Network, says: “The establishment of Georgia Campus PCOM ten years ago was a critical development in the face of Georgia’s extreme physician shortages. Each year, large numbers of Ga-PCOM graduates are choosing both residency opportunities and practice opportunities in our state. Ga-PCOM is truly a part of our state’s ‘solutions,’” she adds.
The 20-acre campus, is located at 625 Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee, in two buildings. One includes the 150,000-square-foot Old Peachtree building which features large and small classrooms, conference areas and study spaces. The Old Peachtree building also includes pharmacy research and teaching laboratories, a high-tech anatomy laboratory, a clinical learning laboratory, research and multi-use basic science laboratories, three pharmacy practice labs and a large osteopathic manipulative medicine practice suite.
A second campus building, the 21,000-square-foot Northlake building, houses offices for administrative personnel, admissions, marketing and communications, human resources and alumni relations. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment.
In total, PCOM has invested $37.6 million in property, plant and equipment into its southern campus during the past decade with improvements and physical plant expansion in the works.
David Shafer, Georgia State Senate President ProTempore, notes: “Ga-PCOM has fulfilled a critical need to educate talented medical professionals in our state. I look forward to seeing the campus grow, both in student population and programs, over the next several years to better serve the medical needs of all Georgians.” During the 2015 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the House and Senate passed resolutions honoring Ga-PCOM and its service to Georgia.
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