Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine: A Hub for Medical Education and Research

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University is a cornerstone of medical education, research, and healthcare in Philadelphia and beyond. Driven by the belief that education and healthcare can transform communities, the school has been shaping the future of medicine for over a century. With a commitment to innovation, research, and community engagement, the Lewis Katz School of Medicine is dedicated to improving the lives of those it serves.

A Legacy of Visionary Leadership and Commitment

From its inception, the Lewis Katz School of Medicine has been propelled by the idea that education and healthcare are transformative forces. Today, that spirit continues across the school’s three campuses-North Philadelphia, Bethlehem, PA, and York, PA-as a place where determination, resilience, and opportunity converge. Katz is built on more than a century of visionary leadership. Our leaders and administration continue that legacy today. They drive innovation, serve our community, and uphold the values that define us.

Strategic Plan: Inspiring Excellence

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine's five-year strategic plan, "Inspiring Excellence," underscores its commitment to shaping the future of health. The plan focuses on aligning with communities, promoting equity, and elevating medical education and research standards. These priorities form a robust framework for creating lasting social change in medicine.

Accreditation and Recognition

Katz has been accredited for more than eight decades, and each review pushes us to aim higher. The Lewis Katz School of Medicine has maintained accreditation for over eight decades, a testament to its commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. Accreditation affirms the school's adherence to rigorous standards in medical education and research. This accreditation opens doors for students and faculty, ensuring the quality and credibility of the institution.

Cutting-Edge Research and Discovery

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine is at the forefront of medical research, with programs aimed at reducing the devastating effects of heart and lung disease, cancer, neurological disorders, and other serious illnesses. The trend in medical research today is interdisciplinary and translational, requiring teams of researchers from many disciplines to apply basic research findings to clinical interventions and therapeutics. Numerous scientific discoveries have advanced from Temple’s labs into clinical trials - work that may one day profoundly improve human lives. Students have a wide range of opportunities to work in Temple’s ultramodern research facilities and with some of the world’s greatest scientists.

Research Opportunities

Students have a wide range of opportunities to work in Temple’s ultramodern research facilities and with some of the world’s greatest scientists. Research opportunities at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine include:

Cellular differentiation and stem cells
Cancer biology
Molecular and biochemical microbiology and immunology
Platelet biochemistry
Neurovirology and AIDS
Epigenetics
Signal transduction
Substance abuse research
Cardiovascular disease
Obesity and diabetes
Thrombosis and pulmonary disease
Neural repair and rehabilitation
Autoimmune diseases
Repair of the spinal cord, brain, and peripheral nervous system

Students may present their work at national meetings, locally and at our annual Katz School of Medicine student research symposium.

Temple Health: Driving Medical Advances

Temple Health is a major Philadelphia-based academic health system that is driving medical advances through clinical innovation, pioneering research and world-class education. The health system’s physicians and researchers share a common mission of bringing tomorrow’s treatments to the bedside today, helping them achieve outcomes once thought impossible.

Temple Health consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH) - Main Campus, a top-tier academic medical center that offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, and highly specialized tertiary services. Using sophisticated technologies and personalized treatments, Temple is working to alter the course of serious disease.

Campuses and Facilities

The Katz School of Medicine offers MD degree training at two locations: the Medical Education and Research Building (MERB), located at the North Philadelphia campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and St. Luke's University Health Network Regional Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

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North Philadelphia Campus

The North Philadelphia campus is part of Temple University’s vibrant Health Sciences Center, which includes Temple’s School of Pharmacy and School of Dentistry. For medical students, home base is MERB, a spectacular 11-story, 480,000 square-foot structure featuring state-of-the-art facilities for education, research, and student life, including open research spaces, smart classrooms and a state-of-the-art 12,000-square-foot clinical skills and robotic simulation center. Directly across the street from MERB is Temple University Hospital-a world-class tertiary/quaternary hospital that serves as Pennsylvania’s leading safety-net provider for underserved populations and as a primary clinical learning site for medical students, residents and fellows in 45 graduate medical education programs. Medical students also have the opportunity to rotate at other Temple Health hospitals, at the St. Luke’s regional campus, at the WellSpan Health regional campus and at our other clinical affiliate sites. The North Philadelphia campus is located just a few miles away from the city’s downtown area, which bustles year-round with arts, sciences, entertainment, and culture.

St. Luke's Campus

Located in beautiful, historic downtown Bethlehem, the St. Luke’s regional campus offers all the benefits of a large academic medical center with a hometown, community-focused feel. Featuring a class size of 40, students benefit from outstanding mentorship and diverse clinical experiences. The medical education building is located directly across the street from the hospital. St. Luke’s University Health Network is a 14-hospital health system that serves 11 counties in central Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. With a Level I Trauma Center and a robust graduate medical education program, our students are well-prepared for residency and life beyond the classroom. St. Luke’s campus students can also rotate at Temple Health hospitals and WellSpan Health for clinical learning experiences in the final phase of the MD program.

WellSpan Health

Located in historic York, Pennsylvania, the Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine at WellSpan Health combines the strengths of a large teaching medical center with a rich outpatient and educational environment.

The campus advances WellSpan’s vision to reimagine healthcare through the delivery of exceptional healthcare, simplified. An integrated delivery system focused on leading in value-based care, WellSpan is a nine-hospital health system, with more than 23,000 employees, serving 12 counties in more than 250 locations throughout Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland.

WellSpan experts provide a range of services, from wellness and employer services solutions to advanced care for complex medical and behavioral conditions. Our clinically integrated network of 3,000 aligned physicians and advanced practice providers is dedicated to providing the highest quality and safety, inspiring our patients and communities to be their healthiest. With 40 students per class, students at Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine at WellSpan Health gain the benefits of close mentoring and learning relationships throughout the entirety of WellSpan York Hospital and the WellSpan Health system. The WellSpan medical education building is located about 10 minutes from WellSpan York Hospital, and two blocks from the Jersey College School of Nursing at WellSpan Health.

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WellSpan York Hospital is a 593-bed, Level 1 Trauma Center, with a Comprehensive Stroke Center with endovascular neurosurgery capabilities, a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and a Chest Pain and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Center. WellSpan York Hospital is known for its world-class heart care. It is one of only two hospitals in the world and remains the only hospital in the United States to have an in-lab 4DCT imaging modality used to support complex cardiac care. The hospital has more than 92,000 annual emergency department visits, 32,000+ admissions, 3,100 deliveries, and 17,000 surgeries annually.

Located just two miles from WellSpan York Hospital is WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital and several outpatient facilities-WellSpan York Cancer Center, WellSpan Heart and Vascular Center. The campus also features Apple Hill Medical Center for complex general, gynecologic, and orthopedic surgeries and high-risk pregnancies, as well as an outpatient imaging center. With a Level I Trauma Center and a robust Graduate Medical Education (GME) program with 100+ years of resident and fellow training, our students are well-prepared for residency and life beyond the classroom.

WellSpan campus students can also rotate at Temple Health hospitals and St. Luke’s University Health Network campus hospitals for clinical learning experiences in the final phase of the MD program.

Medical Education and Research Building (MERB)

After nearly three years of construction, Temple University School of Medicine's new $160 million building is complete. The 11-story, 480,000-square-foot building, designed by Ballinger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), will offer both medical education and research. The school tapped the Gilbane Building Company (Providence, Rhode Island) to handle construction of the project (source: Industrial Info's Pharmaceutical Tracker - Online Database).

Located on an entire city-block site across the street from the Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, the new building will feature the latest innovations in both medical education and patient care research. Out of the 300,000 net square feet available, more than half, or nearly 160,000 square feet, will be dedicated to research. The remainder of the building will house more than 100,000 square feet of educational space, including a three-story library, with administrative and public areas filling the rest of the space. In regard to educational laboratories, the building will house a total of 249,000 square feet of dedicated laboratory and research space.

Designed to offer easy interdisciplinary collaborations, the new Med School building will allow Temple to focus on and expand its already strong clinical and basic science research operations. The school believes the state-of the-art facility will attract stellar students as well the best scientists. Beyond the laboratories, the dedication to fostering an ease of communication and new ideas across disciplines is illustrated in the combined library for the Health Sciences Center, which will bring together medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and related health professions.

Lewis Katz: A Legacy of Philanthropy

In the fall, Trustee Lewis Katz, CST '63, surprised the Temple community by announcing a $25 million commitment to the university-the largest single pledge in Temple's history. Now Katz has announced where the funds are going: to support the educational and research mission of Temple's School of Medicine. In recognition of Katz's commitment and his lifetime of efforts on behalf of the university, Temple's Board of Trustees will name the university's School of Medicine for Katz.

"Lewis Katz represents two cherished Temple traditions: the local student who goes on to achieve great things through hard work and creativity; and the alumnus who gives back to the university, recognizing Temple's transformative power," said Temple President Neil D. Theobald.

Katz, who earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Temple's College of Science and Technology in 1963, has served on the university's Board of Trustees since 1998. He is known for his long-time support of student scholarships, athletics, entrepreneurship and medicine.

When he announced his $25 million pledge in November 2013, Katz was being honored by the Fox School of Business as the winner of the 2013 Musser Excellence in Leadership Award, the business school's highest honor.

"To me, putting Lewis Katz's name on Temple's School of Medicine is about so much more than any one pledge," said Temple Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick J. O'Connor. "This is about a lifetime of engagement, support and advocacy for an institution he loves. I hope that Temple alumni and friends will continue to follow his lead."

The gift is also consistent with Katz's commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.

"Lewis Katz could have directed his pledge anywhere, but he chose Temple's School of Medicine. He understands that there's something special about Temple's brand of clinical care, medical education and medical research-the power to dramatically improve people's lives in Philadelphia and beyond," said Larry R. Kaiser, Dean of the School of Medicine, Chief Executive Officer of the Temple University Health System and Senior Executive Vice President of the Health Sciences at Temple University.

With a career spanning the fields of law, investment banking and business, Katz is one of the university's most distinguished alumni. He is the former principal owner of the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association and New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, and was a former member of the NBA Board of Governors.

The School of Medicine: A Leader in Patient Care

Temple's School of Medicine, one of seven schools in Pennsylvania conferring doctor of medicine degrees, is a leader in patient-centered education, basic and clinical research and compassionate patient care. The school teaches approximately 720 medical students, 140 graduate students and 500 residents; and employs 471 full-time faculty, 47 part-time faculty, 1,660 volunteer faculty and 869 staff.

The School of Medicine has experienced dramatic growth in the breadth and scope of its research enterprise during the past decade. Several new programs have been in the vanguard of scientific discovery, including the Temple Autoimmunity Center, the Temple Lung Center and the Temple Neurosciences Center. School of Medicine scientists have been responsible for groundbreaking advancements across the scientific spectrum, including cancer biology, cardiovascular and thrombosis research, cell and developmental biology, HIV research, immunology and autoimmunity, neuroscience, pharmacology, pulmonary research and substance abuse research.

A physical transformation in the school's research facilities occurred in 2009 with the opening of the Medical Education and Research Building. This $160 million, 480,000-square-foot building is home to more than half of the School of Medicine's research scientists.

In addition to his philanthropic support of Temple, Katz is director of the Katz Foundation, which supports a variety of charitable, educational and medical causes-including an annual prize and endowed visiting professorship in cardiovascular research at Columbia University Medical School (where he also served on the Board of Visitors).

Faculty and Clinical Expertise

Faculty members at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) are well known as gifted teachers and innovative researchers, but it is their clinical expertise that draws patients from throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond. Widely respected for their knowledge and skill, Temple physicians treat hundreds of thousands of patients each year in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings throughout the Temple University Health System.

Temple has invested heavily in new clinical programs, technology and facilities in recent years. The School of Medicine has also recruited renowned physicians from around the country who have enhanced Temple’s capacity to expand its clinical mission well beyond its traditional boundaries. This growth and dynamism is transforming Temple from a leading Philadelphia academic medical center into a nationally renowned, top-tier medical institution.

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