AtlantiCare and Temple University Formalize Agreement for Medical School

AtlantiCare and Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine have formalized an agreement to establish a new regional campus in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Once open, the location will serve as one of four principal locations for the Katz School of Medicine.

“We are delighted to partner with AtlantiCare, the premier healthcare provider in southeastern New Jersey, on this important endeavor,” Temple President John Fry said. “Both Temple and the Katz School of Medicine are guided by the belief that education and healthcare open doors and transform communities, and that is exactly what we have accomplished in Pennsylvania. With AtlantiCare, we now have the ideal new partner to help us further our impact.”

The new regional campus will play a key role in helping address physician pipeline challenges in southeastern New Jersey and within the AtlantiCare health system. Based in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, AtlantiCare is an award-winning integrated healthcare system that serves more than one million residents across 110-plus locations in five southern New Jersey counties.

The partnership between Temple and AtlantiCare will also lead to improved health outcomes, as the organizations will have opportunities to collaborate on new research and educational initiatives.

“AtlantiCare is proud to partner with Temple University on what we believe is one of the most significant investments in the future of Atlantic City and South Jersey in decades,” said Michael Charlton, President and CEO of AtlantiCare. “A School of Medicine in this region will help strengthen the physician pipeline, create new opportunity for students and support healthier communities for generations to come.”

The partnership advances AtlantiCare’s Vision 2030 strategy, its six-year plan to transform healthcare across South Jersey through community investment, workforce development, clinical excellence and systemwide innovation.

“At a time when the nation is facing growing shortages of physicians and other healthcare professionals, this partnership is an important investment in the future workforce South Jersey will need. It brings together Temple’s leadership in medical education with AtlantiCare’s longstanding commitment to the health and vitality of this region, and it reflects the kind of bold, long-term work we are advancing through Vision 2030,” added Charlton.

The new partnership is the latest example of Temple increasing the impact of its specialized professional schools. Last year, the Katz School of Medicine and WellSpan Health formalized an agreement to establish a new regional campus to be located in York County, which is set to welcome its first group of 40 students in fall 2027. Then, just this past February, Temple’s Kornberg School of Dentistry announced it would open a state-of-the-art dental clinic and education center in Schuylkill County this fall.

Today, the Katz School of Medicine enrolls 880 medical students across its existing main Health Sciences Center campus in North Philadelphia and St. Luke’s University Health Network campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 

“The launch of a new regional campus with AtlantiCare, our first in South Jersey, represents an exciting milestone for the Lewis Katz School of Medicine,” said Amy J. Goldberg, The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. “Our partnership with AtlantiCare expands where and how our students learn while strengthening our commitment to training physicians who serve communities across the region.”

The targeted size for each class at the AtlantiCare Campus will be 40 students. The campus is also expected to accommodate third-year and fourth-year rotating students. The first class of students is expected to start at the AtlantiCare Campus in August 2029 with an expected graduation date of May 2033. All students at the campus will receive the same high-quality education that is a hallmark of both Temple and the Katz School of Medicine.

“For Temple, this new collaboration also directly supports our strategic plan, Forward with Purpose, and all three of its pillars: Student Success, Place-based Impact and Research in Action,” Fry said. “Congratulations to Dean Goldberg and her team for the work they have done in helping bring this to fruition. I look forward to working with both her and AtlantiCare in the coming months as we finalize this exciting new partnership.”

To learn more about AtlantiCare, visit www.atlanticare.org. More information on the Katz School of Medicine can be found here. Katz is also the academic partner of Temple Health.