JU and LECOM partner to establish four-year medical school

• Jacksonville University and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine announced a partnership on Wednesday to establish a four-year medical school in northeast Florida
• The medical school will receive support from local healthcare providers including Baptist Health, Flagler Health, AdventHealth, HCA Florida Memorial Hospital, and Brooks Rehabilitation
• The doctor of osteopathic medicine program at the medical school expects to admit its first class of around 75 students in 2026
• The total number of students enrolled is anticipated to rise to over 150 per year in five years

Jacksonville University (JU) on Wednesday announced a new partnership with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), the nation’s largest medical college and osteopathic academic health system, to establish LECOM at Jacksonville University. The institution will serve as northeast Florida’s only four-year medical academy.

Long-term clinical contracts with healthcare organizations in the Jacksonville region, including Baptist Health, Flagler Health, AdventHealth, HCA Florida Memorial Hospital, and Brooks Rehabilitation, among others, will work to support the medical school through clinical work and employment opportunities.

“Jacksonville has become a globally recognized healthcare hub and will now be enhanced by a four-year medical school that can deliver a pipeline of talented physicians to meet the healthcare needs of a growing population,” said Jacksonville University President Tim Cost. “Jacksonville University is honored to partner with LECOM and our outstanding hospital partners to bring the largest medical college in the country to northeast Florida. We believe this will help propel our region to the forefront of the world’s healthcare system.”

The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation received LECOM’s application to open its fifth campus on October 12th. The doctor of osteopathic medicine program at the medical school expects to admit its first class of around 75 students in 2026. The total number of students enrolled is anticipated to rise to over 150 per year in five years.

LECOM intends to construct a new education facility within the Jacksonville University Medical Mall, of which preliminary blueprints depict a health sciences complex and a teaching clinic, in order to support growth initiatives. The complex will also house the 146-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center and the occupational therapy teaching facility for clinical training run by JU.

“With the addition of LECOM at Jacksonville University, we expect to be a thriving home for medical students, faculty, and staff, all of whom will need places to study, live, eat and socialize and that will drive economic growth in the surrounding area,” continued Cost. “Tapping into our network of community connections, Jacksonville University plans to play a central role in attracting private investment to build out supporting housing, restaurants, and other businesses and amenities for this growing area.”

The introduction of a medical school continues the expansion efforts underway at JU, which also founded a law school earlier this year.