Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University plans to establish a four-year regional campus of Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Allentown, Pa. It comes weeks after the university was selected to establish Delaware’s first four-year medical school.
Five things to know:
1. The inaugural class of 45 students will begin in July 2029, according to a July 13 Jefferson news release.
2. The Allentown campus will occupy more than 54,000 square feet of newly constructed medical education space at One Center Square. Students will complete the same JeffMD curriculum as those at the Philadelphia campus, with clinical training at Jefferson Health–Lehigh Valley Region hospitals and outpatient locations.
3. The Lehigh Valley campus is the second regional Sidney Kimmel Medical College campus announced in 2026. In June, it was selected to establish Delaware’s first four-year medical school, also through a regional campus model. Susan Aldridge, PhD, president of Thomas Jefferson University, said the expansion into both regions reflects “a time of tremendous opportunity” for the university’s academic and clinical growth.
“These initiatives reflect our commitment to address critical workforce needs while building sustainable academic pathways for future healthcare professionals,” Dr. Aldridge said.
4. The expansion builds on the university’s existing clinical education partnership in the Lehigh Valley. During the 2025-26 academic year, eight physician assistant students and more than 80 medical students completed clinical rotations at Jefferson Health–Lehigh Valley Region hospitals.
5. In May, the university also said it would expand graduate-level nursing education, paramedicine and respiratory therapy programs in the Lehigh Valley beginning in fall 2026.
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