School History
A NEW KIND OF MEDICAL SCHOOL FOR A NEW MILLENNIUM
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM) is a private medical school in Nutley, New Jersey. When it opened in 2015, it was the first private medical school in New Jersey to open in decades. Originally affiliated with Seton Hall University, the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine became independent in 2020, graduated its first doctors in 2021, and received full accreditation from all governing agencies in 2023.
The School campus is on the border of Nutley and Clifton, New Jersey at the former Hoffman La Roche headquarters on Route 3, a central commuting artery to New York City. The building housing HMSOM has undergone a full, award-winning renovation.
The HMSOM campus is also home to the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation which researches cancer treatment and prevention, immunology, infectious diseases, and other disciplines to accelerate science from “bench to bedside.” The Institute for Multiple Myeloma has already opened as a result of a research partnership between the Hackensack University Medical Center John Theurer Cancer Center and Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
A SHORT TIMELINE OF HMSOM
May 31, 2018 | Ribbon cutting for the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.
Summer 2018 | First students admitted, a cohort of 60, that inaugurated the HMSOM’s White Coat Ceremony.
Summer 2019 | Second cohort admitted, of roughly 90 students.
March 2020 | COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe. The HMSOM, its students, and instructors pivot to continue education with virtually no interruption. The HMSOM also helped in times of need; students volunteered independently, assisted with mass vaccination, conducted real-time research to help clinicians, and even formed a group to help front-line nurses and doctors with child care. The Human Dimension Support Our Schools program assisted public school districts with protocols for staying safe amid the surges of SARS-CoV-2.
July 2020 | HMSOM secures all necessary regulatory and accreditation approvals and achieves independent status.
July 2020 | Cohort of roughly 120 admitted.
March 2021 | First Match Day held - but virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on in-person meetings.
June 2021 | First-ever commencement ceremony, with 18 graduates all starting residencies at Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals.
July 2021 | HMSOM is honored with the prestigious NOVA Award from the American Hospital Association, particularly for the community health improvements effected by the Human Dimension course.
July 2021 | Cohort of roughly 160 students admitted.
January 2022 | Unexpected passing of Founding Dean, Dr. Bonita Stanton. Stanton later receives a posthumous Special Recognition Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges for her long and illustrious career.
June 2022 | Commencement ceremony held at NJPAC, with 63 new doctors heading to residencies in New Jersey and beyond.
November 2022 | Full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
December 2022 | Dr. Jeffrey Boscamp named dean of the HMSOM after being vice dean since inception and a year as interim dean.
February 2023 | Full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education achieved.