2403 West Eighth Street
Erie, PA 16505
ph: (814) 838-2061
f: (814) 838-0376

VMA CONTACT: Director of Public Relations
PHONE: 838-2061

LECOM CONTACT: Shari Sell, Assistant Director of Communications & Marketing
PHONE:  (814) 866-8125

Erie, PA – Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and Villa Maria Academy (VMA) have established an educational partnership, the second between LECOM and a high school. The two schools are working together to develop educational programs that encourage VMA graduates to pursue programs in the health professions.

Officials from both institutions will meet to sign an affiliation agreement on Thursday, May 25 at 10 a.m. in the Villa Maria Academy Library, 2403 West Eighth Street. Members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend.

LECOM encourages students to study science and to continue their studies to become physicians or pharmacists. LECOM will partner with VMA to develop educational programs that will challenge the students’ science skills and prepare them for health professions.

With VMA, LECOM hopes to expand a pharmacy technician program that introduces high school students to community pharmacy and opens the door to jobs with local drugstores. LECOM will reintroduce a summer high school medical education program with the assistance of VMA. This program will show students how physicians diagnose patient cases and allow teams of students to study their own patient cases.

This cooperative affiliation encourages Villa Maria students to investigate and experience classes in the sciences as well as pursue careers in health professions.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is one of the fastest growing medical schools in the country. LECOM has medical colleges in Erie, Pennsylvania and Bradenton, Florida and a School of Pharmacy in Erie.

A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) is a physician trained and licensed to practice the full scope of medicine in all 50 states. D.O.s focus on the whole person and consider all facets of a person's life when treating illness, disease and injury. In addition to using all forms of standard medical treatment, D.O.s are trained to use osteopathic manipulative treatment to help diagnose injury and illness, to alleviate pain and to promote wellness. Osteopathic physicians work in partnership with each person to help promote health on physical, emotional and spiritual levels.

The Doctor of Pharmacy has become a key partner in primary health care and complements LECOM’s osteopathic, whole-person medical mission.
The demand for pharmacists is high due to the increased medication and health care needs of an older population. There are also a wide variety of practice settings for our graduates to choose from including, community, hospital, industry, mail service/internet, managed care, government, academia, and others.

Founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 1892, Villa Maria Academy is a Catholic, private, coeducational secondary school. Through its leadership, environment and programs, Villa Maria Academy empowers young people to recognize their God-given uniqueness and talents, to acquire knowledge and skills for success in a global society, and to engage the future with optimism, generosity and confidence.

With ninety-two percent of this year’s senior class going to college, VMA students were accepted to prestigious schools such as Rutgers, Purdue, Case Western Reserve, Michigan State, University of Kentucky and Denison, just to name a few. VMA has a 114 year history of academic excellence, having provided a values-based education to more than 8,000 alumni.