Kaiser Permanente is getting into the medical education business.
The health care giant on Thursday announced plans to open its own medical school in Southern California. Kaiser officials said while the exact location hasn't been selected, they hope to start their first classes in 2019.
Edward Ellison, executive medical director of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, said there's nothing wrong with the current state of medical education but he believes starting a medical school from scratch will allow Kaiser to look at things with a fresh perspective.
Ellison said one of their goals is to recruit more minority students. He said medical students will not be required to practice at Kaiser.
“We want to train physicians for the broader community, as well," Ellison said. "I’m sure there will be some who will naturally be drawn to our style of practice, and there will be others who seek to go into other practice settings, and that’s all good with us.”
Carolyn Kelly, associate dean for admissions at UC San Diego’s School of Medicine, said she's excited to hear of Kaiser's plans.
"We really wish them well," Kelly said. "We know they know they’re in for a lot of work to put together a new medical school, but I think it’s an exciting initiative."
There are currently nine accredited medical schools in California.
