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LECOM President John M. Ferretti, DO and Provost Silvia M. Ferretti, DO were among the finalists in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. They joined 24 other business leaders from Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Upstate New York during a ceremony at the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Silvia Ferretti and Dr. John Ferretti stand with Regional Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists in Pittsburgh.

Read the Erie Times News Editorial "LECOM leads with entrepreneur award.

Ernst & Young is a world-wide leader in business services, aiming to bring a positive impact on businesses and markets, as well as on society as a whole. Each year, the firm recognizes the achievements of some of the nation’s most innovative business leaders.  

LECOM Trustee Kevin Colosimo, JD, nominated the Ferrettis for the regional award. Attorney Colosimo noted that Dr. John Ferretti had the vision to turn the need to educate more primary care physicians into a reality by leading the effort to open the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. When the college opened in 1993, Dr. Silvia Ferretti became the first woman dean of an osteopathic medical college. Together they have shaped the academic direction of LECOM.

From the start,  Drs. Ferretti worked to make LECOM different than any other medical college. They took the college beyond the traditional teaching paradigm of lecture and lab work to expand the curricula types to include three more student-centered learning pathways: Problem-Based Learning, Independent Study, and the Primary Care Scholars Pathway - the nation’s only three-year, medical degree curriculum. In addition, they have encouraged the growth of the college to include the School of Pharmacy and the expansion of locations from Erie, to Bradenton, Florida and now to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh.

LECOM Trustee Kevin Colosimo congratulates LECOM Provost and President.

In honoring Dr. John and Dr. Silvia, Ferretti, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program noted how both have made personal contributions to the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund, supported many community organizations while encouraging LECOM students to make community service a major part of their educational experience.