WCHN Announces University of Vermont College of Medicine Branch Campus Approval

Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN) announced today that the State of Connecticut Office of Higher Education has approved an application for licensure of a branch campus in partnership with The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (UVM). Establishing an accredited branch campus will allow a cohort of UVM medical students the option to complete their entire clinical experience (Clerkship and Advanced Integration) at the Connecticut network’s three hospitals – Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital and Norwalk Hospital.

Danbury Hospital has been an affiliate clinical site for UVM medical student clerkship rotations since 2010, with clinical rotations established at Norwalk Hospital in 2014. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) approved the branch campus proposal in February 2015, and the approval by the State of Connecticut allows the nationally recognized teaching hospitals to move forward with its plans.

“We’ve had a shared commitment with the University of Vermont for many years and chose them as medical education partners because of the aligned vision and culture and the high number of their medical students who go onto practice primary care and family medicine. Connecticut has shortage of primary care practitioners so it benefits our patients to work with innovative programs like University of Vermont’s that are dedicated to keeping the students interested in this foundational area of practice,” said WCHN President and CEO, John M. Murphy, MD. “Medical students often stay to practice in communities where they have trained. We appreciate the efforts of our colleagues at UVM to help build the next generation of providers for residents of western Connecticut.”

“We are excited to move ahead with our plans to establish an accredited branch campus with WCHN,” says Larner College of Medicine Dean Frederick Morin, M.D. “We’ve worked together successfully for many years to educate outstanding physicians, and this expanded collaboration will bring new opportunities to serve patients across the region.”

Jonathan Fine, MD, WCHN’s Director of Medical Education and Jonathan Rosen, MD, Associate Dean of the Clinical Branch Campus will have oversight of the program, anticipated to begin accepting students at the Connecticut locations in spring 2018. An exciting offshoot of our work together is what has become an internationally known Global Health Program, which operates in concert with the Larner College of Medicine to benefit local communities.