St. Clair Health Receives Accreditation For New Internal Medicine Residency Program

Program To Help Address National Physician Shortage & Improve Patient Access To Care

PITTSBURGH, PA (April 11, 2024) – St. Clair Health announced today that it has earned initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for its new internal medicine residency program. This accreditation is the institution’s first step toward becoming a best-in-class teaching hospital, which will help address the projected shortage of primary care physicians.

“Pennsylvania in particular retains fewer newly-trained physicians who train in the state, with only 47% remaining in the Commonwealth versus 55% nationally,” explains Amy Bunger, PhD, Vice President, Chief Academic Officer and Designated Institution Official at St. Clair Health. “To create a talent pipeline, we’ve combined the best education practices with the most committed, passionate educators to bring education excellence to life in a residency program that mirrors the standards of excellence commensurate with our institution.”

St. Clair Health now qualifies to participate in the National Resident Matching Program® and will announce its first class of internal medicine residents on Match Day scheduled for March 15, 2025. The internal medicine residency program will accept eight physicians each year beginning in Summer 2025 for its three-year program—training 24 doctors concurrently when at full complement.

The leadership team for the internal medicine residency program includes Kristen Livesey, MD, Program Director, and Mallory Ciuksza, MD, FACP, Associate Program Director. Dr. Livesey shares, “We are passionate about creating a learning environment that will cultivate continuous growth, innovation, and collaboration so the next generation of primary care physicians are prepared to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care in our region.”

With the demand for services increasing amid the ongoing shortage of physicians and other healthcare professionals, St. Clair Health is being proactive in building a highly-trained and comprehensive workforce for the future. Launching accredited residency programs for medical school graduates is one of several pillars in St. Clair Health’s evolution from a training to a teaching hospital.

In addition to offering graduate medical education programs, St. Clair Health will become a training site for Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DUQCOM) medical students when they begin their clinical rotations in 2026. St. Clair Health will also continue to welcome students in nursing and health sciences through regional partnerships with local colleges and universities.

“We are supporting St. Clair Health because they are investing in the future. This will help generations of families, friends and neighbors in our communities,” says Timothy M. Dunlap, President & CEO at CentiMark Corporation. He is continuing the tradition of giving to St. Clair Health started years ago by the late Edward B. and Anna N. Dunlap, as the Dunlap Family Foundation is making a lead gift to support education and learning programs St. Clair Health.

The Dunlap Family Center for Health Sciences & Medical Education will feature several best-in-class facilities where residents, medical students, and nursing and health science students will study to become well-trained, dedicated healthcare professionals ready to care for a growing community. Altogether, St. Clair Health expects to educate more than 600 learners each year who will provide advanced care close to home to thousands of patients annually.

St. Clair Health is a nationally recognized, integrated health system with more than 2,500 employees and 600 physicians serving 500,000 residents of the region. It encompasses St. Clair Hospital; St. Clair Medical Group—a 135-physician multispecialty group; St. Clair Health Foundation; and other related entities. In 2016, St. Clair Health became a member of Mayo Clinic Care Network. As a leader in high value healthcare, it participates with all major insurers. For more information, visit: www.stclair.org.