Thomas Jefferson University will establish a four-year regional campus of Sidney Kimmel Medical College in downtown Allentown, a move aimed at expanding access to medical education and strengthening the health care workforce across the Lehigh Valley.

The campus, located at One Center Square, will include more than 54,000 square feet of newly constructed educational space. Students will complete the same JeffMD curriculum as those at Sidney Kimmel Medical College’s Philadelphia campus, with clinical training taking place at Jefferson Health – Lehigh Valley Region hospitals and outpatient facilities.

Jefferson officials said the new campus builds on a growing academic partnership in the Lehigh Valley. During the 2025-26 academic year, more than 80 medical students and eight physician assistant students completed clinical rotations at Jefferson Health – Lehigh Valley Region.

The campus also will build on the legacy of the SELECT program, a partnership between Lehigh Valley Health Network and the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine, with its final class graduating in 2027.

The announcement follows Thomas Jefferson University’s plans to expand additional health care education programs in the Lehigh Valley. Beginning this fall, the university will offer graduate nursing education, along with paramedicine and respiratory therapy programs.

Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph G. Cacchione said the new campus represents a long-term investment in the region’s health care system by expanding access to medical education and helping develop a stronger local physician workforce.

State and local leaders, including U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, state Sen. Nick Miller, state Reps. Peter Schweyer and Mike Schlossberg, and Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, praised the project, saying it will expand educational opportunities, improve access to health care and support the region’s continued economic growth by training physicians who are more likely to practice in the communities where they complete their education.

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