NYITCOM at Arkansas State University (A-State) will open in August 2016 with an inaugural class of 115 students. The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) endorsed the launch of NYITCOM at A-State at a meeting earlier this month.
“This distinctive planting of an established medical school of a not-for-profit university on the campus of a public state university and the added collaboration with the Arkansas health care community is a winning formula,” said NYIT President Edward Guiliano, Ph.D. “It enables us to open a medical school and enhance the health care community to serve the people of Arkansas faster and at far less cost than previously imagined. It also leverages NYIT’s success working globally with local partners, leveraging technology, and sharing expertise to meet demonstrated needs.”
A-State approached NYIT in 2012 with the idea of bringing its medical program to Jonesboro. Arkansas ranks 49 out of 50 in its population’s health status and 48 out of 50 in the percentage of active physicians per 100,000 people, according to national studies. Currently, there is only one medical school in Arkansas.
“We’ve distinguished ourselves in producing primary care physicians who stay and practice in the areas they train,” said NYITCOM Dean Wolfgang Gilliar, D.O., noting that more than half of the college’s graduates annually enter the primary care areas of family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics.
Renovations at A-State’s Wilson Hall to accommodate the medical program will continue through the spring. Hiring is ongoing with an expected 80 faculty, staff, and administrative positions to be filled within two years.
“Since A-State approached us, we’ve developed a new model of medical education for Arkansas,” said Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., distinguished medical expert, public policy leader, and NYITCOM at A-State site dean. “Together with A-State, the community, and our healthcare partners, we’ll educate physicians in Arkansas for Arkansas.”
Leaders from both institutions, led by Ross-Lee and A-State Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Jason Penry, have worked with regional institutions to establish hundreds of clerkship positions for third- and fourth-year students and 66 residency slots for graduates.
"This is an extraordinary, transformative development for the citizens of Arkansas and the Delta, and for our institutions,” said A-State Chancellor Dr. Tim Hudson. “NYIT’s highly regarded osteopathic curriculum is a boon to our university, our community, and to all of the new medical students we will welcome to our campus.”
About NYITNew York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 12,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and abroad. Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, nearly 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.
RSS