The Southeastern Pennsylvania region is a leader in life sciences innovation.

Southeastern Pennsylvania is presently anchored in its life sciences industry by the following centers of excellence and catalysts of innovation:

• Four general medical schools, a school of osteopathic medicine, two schools of dentistry, two schools of pharmacy, a school of veterinary medicine, a school of podiatry, and a school of optometry;
• The nation’s finest concentration of leading medical/life science research institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, The Wistar Institute, the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Hahnemann Hospital / Drexel University, which collectively have received over $3.0 billion in National Institutes of Health and other federal research grants to fund their research over the past five years (1999-2003). Including the above named research entities, over 20 universities and non-profit institutions were engaged in life sciences related research;
• An unparalleled business hub within an hour’s train ride to the world’s financial center in New York City and two hours to the U.S. regulatory center in Washington, DC;
• A center for life sciences innovation within the heart of the nation’s established bio-pharma corridor – eight of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies are within a 50-mile radius of Philadelphia – providing access to a deep talent pool and partners for our region’s emerging life sciences companies companies;
• The critical business support systems required for a thriving biotechnology industry, namely research parks, biotechnology incubators, business schools, contract research organizations, diagnostics and testing companies, and venture capital funds and a health dose of public commitment;
• High quality of life for families and a competitive cost of doing business, with stable real estate rates to help companies plan for growth.

The region also has a long and distinguished list of first accomplishments in the fields of medicine, medical education, research and discovery, and life saving medical procedures including:

• America’s first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, founded in 1751
• The first hospital for children, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, founded in 1855
• The first independent medical research facility in the United States, The Wistar Institute, founded in 1892
• The first Medical school and teaching hospital, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, founded in 1874
• The first cancer hospital, the Hospital of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, founded in 1904
• The first college of pharmacy, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, founded in 1921
• The first private psychiatric hospital, Friends Hospital, founded in 1813