From the Dean’s Desk | Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence

In July, we had the privilege of celebrating Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine’s 20^th anniversary. CCLCM was established in 2002 thanks to a generous $100 million gift from Al and Norma Lerner. Together with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, we set out to create a program that develops exceptional physician investigators through an academically rigorous five-year curriculum.

We enrolled our first class of students in 2004. Over the past two decades, we’ve granted 502 medical degrees from our unique medical program, transitioned to our state-of-the-art Health Education Campus and added 26 CCLCM alumni to Cleveland Clinic staff.

In 2008, we became the country’s first tuition-free medical program, ensuring that qualified students could have access to a world-class medical education without the financial burden of medical school debt.

The mission of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine is to educate a diverse group of individuals to become physician investigators who advance biomedical research, deliver exceptional clinical care and promote health equity. From the beginning, we relied on a unique competency-based portfolio system to assess students. By eschewing grades and class rank, we encourage teamwork and collaboration, not competition.

Our curriculum includes clinical experience in the first year and a dedicated research year with a master's level thesis requirement. Our courses integrate key factors that influence health such as social determinants of health, effects of climate change, and health equity and access. We also require medical humanities coursework, with the aim of graduating physician investigators who are not only skilled clinicians and researchers but also well-versed in the human aspects of illness and health.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is strong. Our DEI Steering Committee has organized seven action groups, referred to as such to reinforce the belief that actions speak louder than words.

From the start, CCLCM graduates have achieved outstanding Match results. Cumulatively, 54% of all CCLCM graduates have matched at hospitals historically ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News & World Report.

I am so proud of the remarkable community we have cultivated over the last 20 years.

I recently had the privilege of cohosting our 20th anniversary event with Christine Warren, MD, MS (’09), Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs. Current and former faculty, students and families came together to reflect on CCLCM’s many successes and progress over the years. Hearing the stories of our accomplished alumni never ceases to impress me. CCLCM alumni are leading the next generation of medical innovation, both in clinical care and research, in areas such as urology, cancer, radiology, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, pediatrics, ob/gyn and many more. I encourage you to read our recent cover story in Cleveland Clinic Magazine to learn more about a few of our alumni’s achievements.

As we celebrate CCLCM’s past, we also look forward to our promising future. I am honored to welcome the Class of 2029 to our community. These curious new students ranked “Research Experience/Opportunity” as the top reason for choosing CCLCM, which reinforces our reputation as a top training ground for physician investigators. I cannot wait to see the incredible research these future doctors produce.

CCLCM is so many things to so many of us: a medical program, workplace, research hub and more. Most importantly, it is a safe learning space for future physician investigators who have a passion for doing good in the world. I am delighted to extend our Lerner College of Medicine family to include the CCLCM Class of 2029. To our newest students: Welcome home.

Bud Isaacson, MD

Executive Dean