Western Michigan University School of Medicine and Corewell Health Lakeland Graduate Medical Education have announced a new partnership for students in the medical field.

The partnership gives medical students the opportunity to complete their core and advance clinical rotations with experienced physicians at three hospitals in Southwest Michigan.

WMU medical school chief academic officer Michael Busha tells us students can get a hands-on and more intimate learning experience.

“All students will continue to do the foundation phase of their curriculum at the Upjohn building in downtown Kalamazoo. And then they’re presented with this as an option to continue rotations and kind of move that. We think it will be students who are more interested specifically in primary care track and potentially staying in the residencies at Corewell Health South.”

The new campus, located in St. Joseph, will include three residency training programs in emergency medicine, family medicine, and internal medicine. WMed students will complete their core clerkships at the new regional campus, joined by other students from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, who also completed rotations at Corewell Health hospitals in Southwest Michigan.

In addition, students have the option to live in resident and student housing at Lookout Pointe apartments in St. Joseph.

“Ultimately, our mission is to retain our learners here in the region and have an impact on the health of Southwest Michigan.”

The first cohort of students from the new partnership will begin rotations in March 2025. Hospitals participating include Corewell Health Lakeland-St. Joseph Hospital, Corewell Health Lakeland-Niles Hospital, and Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital.