History
Ponce Health Sciences University is a higher education institution of academic excellence located in Ponce, a city on the southern coast of the tropical island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico (PR) is a territory of the United States (US) and is subject to PR and US regulations.
The institution was founded in 1977 by the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Two years later, the University decided to phase out the barely established medical program. In January 1980, the Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc., assumed responsibility for the school’s operation. Ponce School of Medicine graduated its first class of twenty-three students in 1981. Since then, it has operated uninterruptedly and has graduated more than 2,300 physicians and 1,200 other health professionals.
Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences was acquired by Arist Health Sciences University, Public Benefit Corporation, (Arist) on September 5, 2014, to operate Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU). The entity changed its name to Tiber Health, Public Benefit Corporation in 2017. Unique in its mission but global in its vision, Tiber Health is developing a global network of affiliated health sciences universities and related institutions that are driven by a common and unrelenting commitment to superior student preparation that leads to excellent patient care and discoveries that improve the human condition.
Aligned with its mission, and to strengthen the research mission of the university, the PHSU affiliated with the Ponce Research Institute (PRI), an entity established by the Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc., with the mission “to make a difference by solving health disparities through groundbreaking, innovative and relevant research that has a global impact in health care”. The PRI research teams are led by faculty members of the PHSU dedicated to ongoing research in the Basic, Behavioral, Public Health, and Clinical Sciences.
The Ambulatory Center for Medical Research (CAIMED in Spanish) was initiated in 2001 and is participating in multiple clinical studies aimed at improving the quality of healthcare being offered to our population.
Affiliations with prestigious educational and scientific institutions, training programs, and healthcare services (both in the continental U.S. and in Puerto Rico) have also been established.
PHSU has four Schools: The School of Medicine, the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the School of Nursing, and the Dental School. The School of Medicine includes the Medical Education Program, the Biomedical Sciences PhD Program, and the Master of Science in Medical Sciences. The Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS) was incorporated in 2014, for those students who want to supplement the undergraduate record with an enhanced science preparation to be eligible for admission to any of the health professions, including medicine.
The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences includes Doctoral Programs in Clinical Psychology (PsyD and PhD), a Master of Science degree in School/Clinical Psychology with specializations in Neuropsychology or Neuroscience of Learning, and two professional certificates (Certificate in Couples and Family Therapy and the Postgraduate Certificate in Neuroscience of Learning).
The School of Nursing includes the Bachelor’s in Nursing (BSN) and the Master in Family Nurse Practitioner (MFNP). The BSN is the only bachelor’s degree program at PHSU, initiated in 2017. It was accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) during 2021.
The School of Dental Medicine is the newest school, offering the Predoctoral Dental (DMD) Education Program conducive to a Doctorate in Dental Medicine. This program was initially accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) in 2023. It is scheduled to begin during the fall of 2024.
PHSU also has a Public Health Program (PHP) that includes Master’s in General Public Health, Environmental Sciences and Epidemiology, and a DrPH in Epidemiology. In 2024, the PHP began a new master’s specialty in International Health, offered completely by distance education.
Ponce Health Sciences University - Main Campus
Phone: 787-840-2575
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7004 Dr. Ana Dolores Pérez Marchand St. Ponce, PR 00732
Physical Address: 388 Zona Industrial Reparada 2 Ponce, PR 00716
Ponce Health Sciences University - San Juan Campus
Phone: 787-787-728-2134
Mailing Address: Po Box 7004, Ponce, PR 00732-7004
Physical Address: Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Calle Rosales, Esq. San Antonio, Parada 26.5, Santurce, San Juan, PR 00914
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