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PCOM receives highest accreditation possible

PCOM's Gwinnett County campus remains accredited until 2030, along with the school's two other campuses.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) was recently granted a full, 10-year continuing accreditation by its accrediting institution for all three of its campuses' (Suwannee, Moultrie, and Philadelphia) osteopathic medical program.

At its April meeting, the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) voted to grant PCOM the status of Accreditation with Exceptional Outcome, the highest level of accreditation granted for the maximum length possible.

In a letter from the AOA, Joshua L. Prober, the interim secretary of COCA and the general counsel for the AOA, congratulated PCOM on achieving this “impressive accreditation status.”

This designation comes after a comprehensive self-study report and visits by a COCA accreditation team to each campus. 

Robert Cuzzolino, EdD, the recently retired vice president for graduate programs and planning who led the accreditation endeavor, noted that the process was “a complex and exhaustive effort that could only have been the success it was thanks to the contributions of a large number of PCOM people - including faculty, staff, students, trustees and clinical partners.”

To achieve accreditation, Dr. Cuzzolino explained that PCOM documented full compliance with eleven different standards of accreditation including mission, leadership, finance, facilities, curriculum, faculty, research, learning environment, student services, GME and learning assessment.

“It was a true team effort that yielded this very positive result," he said.

PCOM President and CEO Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, said, “We are extremely honored to receive the exceptional outcome designation. This speaks volumes about our institution and the high-quality of education we provide to our students.”

“We thank the numerous members of the College community who contributed to this tremendous effort,” said Provost Kenneth Veit, DO ’76, MBA, FACOFP.

The COCA will not conduct another site visit at PCOM until the spring of 2029. However, monitoring of PCOM’s accreditation status will occur regularly.

Founded in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has trained thousands of physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care. 

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