On March 11, 2015, the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners granted conditional approval to open a new school of medicine called the Seton Hall - Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, pending accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).

On June 5, 2015, SHU and HUHN, now known as Hackensack Meridian Health,[2] signed the definitive agreement that cemented their commitment to move forward with the formation of the school.

[3][4] On February 24, 2016, Seton Hall University (SHU) and Hackensack UNH named Bonita F. Stanton a nationally recognized expert on pediatric medicine, as the founding dean.

[10] The New Jersey Office of Secretary of Higher Education notified HMSOM on October 2, 2019 that its petition for initial licensure to offer a Doctor of Medicine had been approved, effective immediately.

A few weeks later, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education conducted its site visit and awarded HMSOM candidate for accreditation status at its March 5, 2020 meeting.

The HMSOM campus is also home to the HMH Center for Discovery and Innovation, which comprises three institutes to focus on cancer, infectious diseases and regenerative medicine research.