Beginning in the 2017-18 academic year, the University of Pennsylvania will offer a joint JD/MD degree program for students pursuing careers at the intersection of law and medicine.
The joint degree program will allow students to earn a JD at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and an MD at the Perelman School of Medicine.
“The law touches every aspect of society, and for students, having degrees in both law and medicine is both highly beneficial to one’s career as well as to society, and a wholly unique advantage,” said Ted Ruger, dean of the Law School.
Knowledge of the law is increasingly part of being a physician and a biomedical research scientist, noted Dr. J. Larry Jameson, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine.
Emerging legal issues in the health field include patient confidentiality, electronic medical records, and patenting new discoveries.
The schools are blocks from each other in west Philadelphia.
The university already offers other joint-degree programs in health and law, and 75 percent of law students and 65 percent of medical students at Penn graduate with a joint degree or certificate.