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Bethlehem, PA (5/12/2017) - During the four years of medical school training, students can either study, sleep or have a social life, but never all three, jokes Joel Rosenfeld, MD, M.Ed, FACS, Chief Academic Officer, St. Luke’s University Health Network, and Senior Associate Dean, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

After four years of intense study and clinical experience, thirty-two Temple/St. Luke’s medical students graduated on May 12, 2017 at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

“Graduation is truly a culmination of many years of hard work and preparation,” said Dr. Rosenfeld. “From high school through college and then throughout medical school, medical students have to be singularly focused and committed in order to succeed. I am very pleased that our students have met these challenges, far exceeded our expectations and have proved themselves ready for the next step of their training in their chosen residency programs.”

St. Luke’s Student Wins Top Award – Local Physician Honored

At an award ceremony for 200 graduates of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, St. Luke’s student Matthew Mullarkey, MD won the Joseph C. Doane Memorial prize for the member of graduating class with the highest average throughout all four years of medical school.  Last year’s top honor was also given to a St. Luke’s student, marking two years in a row for St. Luke’s students taking the top academic honor.

Santo Longo, MD, St. Luke’s pathologist and block director for Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine, was recognized with the Drs. Henry and Page Laughlin Award for excellence in clinical teaching, as selected by Temple/St. Luke’s students.

Temple/St. Luke’s graduates Christopher Cann, Amanda Gifford and Matthew Mullarkey were inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and five students (Avani Amin, Christopher Cann, Alisa Chalmers, John Nushke and Janel Paukovits) were inducted in the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

Seven Temple/St. Luke’s Medical Students to Continue Studies at St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem for Residencies

On March 17, fourth year medical students all over the country “matched” their residency applications with prospective health institutions to determine residency training programs, the next step after graduating from medical school.

“National Match Day is truly a milestone for every medical student across the country. This is the day when medical residency programs match with their highest-ranked medical students, and fourth year medical students learn where they will continue their professional development,” explained Dr. Rosenfeld.

Dr. Rosenfeld continued, “We are extremely pleased with how well our students have matched. This is a tribute to their hard work over the past four years and to the excellent teaching, advice and counsel of our faculty.”

Seven students will continue their medical education in St. Luke’s Graduate Medical Education programs, according to Dr. Rosenfeld. Data demonstrates that 50 percent of physicians will practice medicine within 100 miles of where they attend medical school and complete residencies.

Robert Langan, MD, Program Director, Family Medicine Residency Program, St. Luke’s University Health Network, said, “St. Luke’s University Health Network and the Lewis Katz School of Medicine made a joint investment in the future of the health of the Lehigh Valley by joining together to produce a medical school with the stated purpose of attracting high quality individuals who will learn, train and – and we hope stay - to practice medicine in the Lehigh Valley.”

For more information about the Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine please visit temple-stlukes.slhn.org and for other graduate medical education programs at St. Luke’s University Health Network, please visit gme.sluhn.org. 

Media Contact

Samuel Kennedy, Corporate Communications and Media Relations Director, Marketing & Public Relations, 484-526-4134, Samuel.Kennedy@sluhn.org

Kate Raymond, Director, Marketing & Public Relations, 484-526-4131, Kate.Raymond@sluhn.org

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a non-profit, regional, fully integrated and nationally recognized network providing services at seven hospitals and more than 270 outpatient sites. The network’s service area includes Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania and in Warren County in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing health education, St. Luke’s operates the nation’s oldest School of Nursing and 22 graduate medical educational programs and is considered a major teaching hospital, the only one in the region. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the region’s first Medical School. Repeatedly, including 2017, St. Luke’s has earned Truven’s 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation as well as 50 Top Cardiovascular program in addition to other honors for clinical excellence. St. Luke’s is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of St. Luke’s information technology applications such as electronic medical records, telehealth, online scheduling and pricing information. St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers in comparison to major teaching hospitals and other health systems.