The Barry University Division of Medicine and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) are pleased to announce the development of a new joint seven year pre-podiatric/podiatric medicine and surgery program of study. The highly innovative 3 + 4 program will begin seating students in fall 2007.
Students will be recruited directly from high school to begin the program at MCPHS. They must have a 3.2 GPA and an SAT score of 1400 to gain admission. Students will first complete three years of a program in pre-medical and health studies at MCPHS. By maintaining a 3.2 average and scoring 21 or more on the MCATS, students will seamlessly begin their first year of podiatric medical school studies at the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine. After successfully finishing their first year at Barry, students will receive their Bachelor degree from MCPHS.
According to Marc Weiner, assistant dean of medical admissions for the Barry University Division of Medicine, “this program is unique in podiatric medicine as Barry University is the first of the podiatric medical schools to offer this significant and exciting new program. We expect, in the first year, to recruit five to six students into the program. But, as other high school students in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut learn about this tremendous opportunity for pursuing a medical career at two high quality institutions, we will see further growth.”
Allopathic and osteopathic schools have utilized the 3 + 4 program model before, but it is unique to podiatric medicine. In August, Weiner will be visiting MCPHS to train their admissions and marketing staff about podiatric medicine in advance of their recruitment of students in the high schools.
Dr. Chet Evans, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Podiatric Medicine indicated, “This new program puts Barry on the cutting edge in podiatric medical education. Before, we were limited to recruiting students who were already in college. Now, we can offer students an opportunity to start on the path to a wonderful career in medicine right out of high school. I am extremely pleased to be partnering with MCPHS on this new endeavor.”
