Penn State Jefferson Five Year Program (B.S.-M.D.)

The Penn State Jefferson Medical College Five Year Accelerated Medical Program began its first class in the summer of 1963. I had wanted to be a physician since my sophomore year in high school. As such, medicine seemed like the perfect career for someone who liked math and science and wanted to help people. Fortuneately, in 1963, my grandmother sent my mother a clipping from the Public Opinion newspaper from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The article talked about how a new, five-year accelerated medical program had been started between Penn State and Jefferson Medical College that would allow candidates to earn both a B. S. and M.D. degree in five years instead of the traditional eight years.

Admission officials chose candidates based upon high school performance and SAT scores plus other factors.  When I found out about this, I applied to it as well as to several other universities. When college admission letters went out, I was thrilled the combined program accepted me into the incoming class of summer of 1964 to graduate in June, 1969. Just imagine, graduating as a medical doctor when 22 years old!

How did it work?

Penn State divides one calendar year into four, ten-week terms. Three terms are equal to one year of study. So twelve terms is the customary amount of study needed to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Jefferson Medical College (now the Sidney Kimmel Medical School) runs on a traditional four-year schedule with two semesters per year and a long summer vacation in between each semester.

The program had the participants go through five quarters at Penn State, University Park, Pennsylvania (summer, fall, winter, spring and summer). Then we started the freshman year at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. After the first year at Jefferson, students went back to Penn State for the summer term. Then it was time for the second year at Jefferson, followed by the final summer term at Penn State (for a total of seven, ten-week terms). Penn State counted the courses that were taken at Jefferson (for example biochemistry and physiology) toward Penn State’s graduation requirements. Amazingly, Penn State awarded a B.S. with seven terms of actual attendance. Finally we spent the last two years at Jefferson in the normal manner.

Our Group 1964 to 1969

At Penn State, I met the brightest bunch of people I’ve ever met in my life. Some had achieved perfect 800 SAT scores both in math and English. Many had achieved nearly perfect SAT scores in various advanced placement exams. Looking back, these folks could easily have been professors, physicists, mathematicians and engineers. Almost routinely, members of the Five-Year Accelerated Medical Program earned the highest exam scores in all the math and science classes in which they were enrolled at Penn State. Eventually, many went on to be professors and renowned members in their specialties. Some authored books and scientific journal articles. One achieved the highest score in the country on the ophthalmology knowledge assessment exams.

Ours was the second group of five-year-program participants. There were tweny-five of us at our medical school graduation. I believe there were two or three participants who started the program but changed course while at Penn State. I listed the twenty-five medical graduates below along with their medical specialties. As of this posting in December, 2024 there are a few who have sadly passed on and that is noted.

I don’t know why the powers-that-be eliminated the five-year-program since the graduates have had very successful medical careers. Joseph Gonella, M.D. et al wrote an excellent article attesting to the success of the program, in Academic Medicine. As far as I know, there is no such program anywhere in the USA at this time. Penn State and Sidney Kimmel Medical School now offer a seven-year combined program instead.

I am happy to have been a fortunate participant in the five year program. It saved three years of tuition and three years of my life, studying. I retired at age 62 after working as a physician for 40 years. Life and medical carreer have been good.

Five-Year Accelerated Medical Program Participants 1964-1969

Paul Rosenberg, M.D.  – deceased
Richard Insel, M.D. – Research Professor
Leonard Glassman, M.D. – Radiology
Fred Nicholas Ifft, M.D. – Internal Medicine
Jan Raynak, M.D. – Psychiatry
Marc Ebel, M.D.  – deceased
Paul Weinberg, M.D. – deceased
Linda Weinberg, M.D. – Pediatrics
John Frantz, M.D – Ophthalmology
Jay Skyler, M.D. – Professor and researcher in diabetes
James Winter, M.D. – Radiology
Garret Bergman, M.D. – Pediatric Hematologist Oncologist
Norm Sokoloff, M.D.  – deceased
Mark Nissenbaum, M.D.  – Hand Surgeon
Harris Michael Goodman, M.D. – General Surgery 
Robert Jacobson, M.D. – Neurosurgery
Lee Malit, M.D.. – Anesthesiology
Ann O’Neill Shigeoka – deceased
John Shigeoka, M.D. – deceased
Alan Schein, M.D. – Ophthalmology
William Sherman, M.D. – Oncology
Barry Smith, M.D. –  Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine
Robert Spahr, M.D.  – Neonatal Medicine
Stanton Raynes, M.D. – deceased
Gary Edwards, M.D. – Ophthalmology