ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine and Corewell Health Lakeland Graduate Medical Education have partnered to offer new clinical training opportunities for medical students. The first cohort will begin rotations at three hospitals in Southwest Michigan this spring.

The regional campus, located in St. Joseph, is 48 miles from WMed’s main campus. Through the partnership, second, third, and fourth-year medical students will complete core and advanced clinical rotations at Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals in St. Joseph, Niles, and Watervliet.

“Clinical clerkships are essential for medical education, offering hands-on experience that cannot be replicated in a classroom,” said Natalie Baggio, president of Corewell Health in Southwest Michigan. “This partnership allows us to guide and mentor students while investing in the future of healthcare.”

The rotations will cover core specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology.

“In building this collaboration, our shared commitment to health equity and developing future physicians for Southwest Michigan created a strong foundation,” said Dr. Michael Busha, WMed’s chief academic officer.

The partnership will also support residency programs in emergency, family, and internal medicine.

Corewell Health’s simulation center, accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, offers additional resources and hands-on training. Students will also have the option to live at Lookout Point in St. Joseph, close to downtown and Lake Michigan.

“Our hope is that by immersing students in this community, they will consider a career with Corewell Health in the future,” Baggio said.

The first group of students will begin their rotations in March 2024.