Prior to the merger, the Medical College of Pennsylvania had been the first medical school to be purchased by a hospital (Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital). The new university and other hospitals all were units of the Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation (AHERF).
Prior to the merger, the Medical College of Pennsylvania was the pioneer medical school purchased by a hospital (Allegheny General Hospital), which later joined with other institutions under the umbrella of the Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation (AHERF).