Founded in 1911, NYCPM was the first podiatric medical school established in the United States. The college had its first home at
125th Street but rapidly outgrew its quarters, with three successive moves culminating in the erection in 1927 of the present College building in
East Harlem, two blocks from
Harlem proper. Dr.
Maurice J. Lewi, a
physician and educator, then serving as Secretary to the New York State Board of Examiners, was named the first president of the school. The admission requirement for the first class in 1911 was one year of high school education. Over the years, requirements for entering students changed as the profession grew and demand for podiatric services expanded into specialized foot care and treatment programs requiring knowledge of
general medical sciences,
orthopedics, and
surgery. Educational preparation and clinical training programs were developed to meet these requirements. From 1939 to 1955, the college was known as the
Long Island University College of Podiatry. Upon dissolution of this affiliation, the college became an independent
not-for-profit institution. In 1957, it was renamed the
M.J. Lewi College of Podiatry, in honor of its founder and first president. In 1972, the college received its current name, the
New York College of Podiatric Medicine. A building grant in 1976 from the
U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare enabled the creation of a new separate clinical training facility, an expanded library, and renovations to the existing college building. Completed in 1978, the new training facility, the Foot Center of New York, provides clinical services to the community and continues to be affiliated with the college. The Foot Center of New York serves a wide and diverse patient population with more than 25,000 patient visits annually, making it the largest foot clinic in the world.
Touro University In August 2020, it was announced a membership agreement was signed to join
Touro University. The transaction closed in 2022, pending approval by the
U.S. Department of Education, the
New York State Department of Education, other regulators and relevant accreditors. In January 2025, Touro University officially bought the NYCPM property in Harlem for $42 million as part of its acquisition of the school. NYCPM is officially part of Touro University as of February 2025. ==Academics==