News Release
Albert Einstein College of Medicine Receives Full Accreditation, Establishing Full Academic Independence
June 25, 2021
June 25, 2021—(BRONX, NY)—Albert Einstein College of Medicine has received full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education for its doctoral, masters, and certificate programs, the final step in establishing the institution’s full academic independence. This achievement is the culmination of an effort begun in 2015, when Yeshiva University and Montefiore entered into a strategic joint collaboration to establish Einstein as a distinct academic entity.
“While Einstein has long been recognized for its educational excellence, this is a historic moment for the College of Medicine and our entire community,” said Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine. “Our Middle States accreditation is the result of a six-year process and is a clear endorsement of the quality of our entire academic enterprise. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with our clinical and research affiliate, Montefiore, and with our academic affiliate, Yeshiva University.”
Einstein has held professional accreditation for its medical education program from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the nationally recognized authority for M.D. programs, since 1955. Following its establishment as an independent academic entity in 2015, Einstein pursued and was granted independent degree-granting authority by the Board of Regents of New York State’s Department of Education in 2019 for all of its academic programs. The new Middle States designation provides full accreditation to: the College of Medicine’s M.D. program; Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences, housed in the Sue Golding Graduate Division; the National Institutes of Health-funded Medical Student Training Program, which results in a joint M.D./Ph.D. degree; the M.S. degree in clinical research, which is available to Einstein medical students and clinician-researchers at Montefiore; and the M.S. degree for bioethics, a joint program with Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
As a result of Middle States accreditation, Einstein is now federally recognized as an academic institution with all the associated benefits, including greater access to student loans for its students, eligibility for federal programs restricted to educational institutions, and the ability to operate using a .edu web address.
“Einstein’s academic distinction has been a hallmark of the institution since it opened its doors more than six decades ago,” said Philip O. Ozuah, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO, Montefiore Medicine. “Montefiore’s deep dedication to New York communities and commitment to delivering the highest quality healthcare to everyone is further strengthened by Einstein’s research discoveries and educational quality. The College of Medicine’s full accreditation completes its transformation to an independent academic entity, allowing us to expand and enhance all of our joint efforts.”
A team of some 150 students, faculty, and administrators were involved in the two-stage Middle States application process. The team was led by Edward Burns, M.D., executive dean at Einstein, along with his two partners, Penny Steiner-Grossman, Ed.D., associate professor of family and social medicine and former assistant dean of medical education, and Ariel Fishman, Ph.D., senior director of institutional research, assessment, and reporting. A faculty and administrative team with diverse expertise contributed to the initial application and the required in-depth self-study that followed. After a site visit from seven peer evaluators from Middle States in March of 2021, which included meetings with students, faculty, and professional staff as well as Dean Tomaselli and Dr. Ozuah, they submitted their report to the Middle States commission, which met and voted to bestow full accreditation on Einstein at its June 7 meeting.
Prior to being established as an independent educational institution, Einstein was accredited under Yeshiva University. The College of Medicine was founded in 1953 by Yeshiva University during an era when medical schools had quotas—restricting enrollment of women, people of color, Jews, and Catholics. In stark contrast, Einstein welcomed students of all ethnicities, religions, and genders. This inclusive approach was strongly supported by the College of Medicine’s namesake, physicist and humanitarian Albert Einstein, who embodied the values of social justice that attracted so many of the nation’s best and brightest faculty and students to campus. This commitment to social justice has continued through the founding of the graduate division in 1957, the MSTP program in 1964, its master’s degrees in the following decades, and through to today.
Dr. Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, said: “We are deeply proud of Einstein, one of the nation’s premier research-driven medical schools. We look forward to building upon our joint collaboration with Montefiore to create even further opportunities for academic excellence and additional career paths within Einstein.” In 2015, Montefiore and Yeshiva University signed an agreement that resulted in a joint collaboration between Montefiore Medicine and Yeshiva related to Einstein, essentially formalizing the longstanding relationship between the three highly regarded New York institutions into a structure that would enable Einstein to continue to flourish and grow.
Our Middle States accreditation is the result of a six-year process and is a clear endorsement of the quality of our entire academic enterprise. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with our clinical and research affiliate, Montefiore, and with our academic affiliate, Yeshiva University.
Dean Gordon F. Tomaselli
Prior to the agreement, Einstein and Montefiore had a long and successful history of working together. Einstein first sent its students to Montefiore for training in 1964. In 1968, Montefiore assumed operations of Einstein’s Jack D. Weiler Hospital, marking its first significant expansion. In 1979, the departments of medicine at the two institutions merged, combining the strengths of both campuses. The relationship continued to grow and in 1990 Montefiore employed its first jointly appointed Einstein-Montefiore faculty members. And in 2009, Montefiore and Einstein launched a research and clinical enterprise that culminated in establishing the Montefiore Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, heart and vascular disease, and transplantation.
