NYU Langone plans to open a new medical school on Long Island by September 2019 that would exclusively train primary care physicians, NYU President Andrew Hamilton announced at a University Senate meeting on Thursday.

“We have the opportunity to create a new medical school that would focus exclusively on primary care physicians,” Hamilton said. “It will be a three-year program focused on training physicians to become practicing doctors in primary care in communities.”

In recent years, there has been a shortage of primary care physicians in the United States, which is projected to only get worse over the next decade. Over the last two years, Langone has merged with Winthrop Hospital on Long Island, and this would be the site of the new medical school. Hamilton mentioned an existing infrastructure of dormitories and educational facilities at Winthrop Hospital, which would make a transition into a full-blown medical school easier. The proposal for the new school was made some months ago, with the first step of the accreditation beginning two weeks ago according to Hamilton.

There are several steps still to go before the medical school could be deemed official, such as receiving state approval. If approved, the school would enroll 40 students per semester, potentially by as early as September 2019 according to Hamilton.

Email Victor Porcelli at [email protected].