There has never been a more exciting time to be a part of the
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. In
addition to the development of our regional extension campus in
central Ohio, we have the many medical education, research and
community service initiatives that we will launch as part of our
historic $105 million
Osteopathic Heritage Foundations gift. We also have expanding
partnerships and collaborations on the horizon, as well as many
other changes that make this an extremely exciting and important
time in the history of this college.
The transformational changes we’re working on today build on a
decade of dramatic transition and expansion for our college. Twice
as many applicants now apply to OU-HCOM, and students’ GPAs and test
scores have risen dramatically. Our entering class has grown by 40
percent while the number of partners in our consortium of teaching
hospitals and clinical faculty has more than doubled. That
consortium, called the Centers
for Osteopathic Research and Education (CORE), is widely
recognized as one of the premier clinical training systems in the
nation. Meanwhile, our faculty members have gained national
recognition for their research efforts, and their discoveries have
saved countless lives.
Over the past decade, the face of our college has changed, as well.
We opened the Life Sciences Research Facility and built the
remarkable Osteopathic Heritage Foundations and Charles R. and
Marilyn Y. Stuckey Academic & Research Center, state-of-the-art
microanatomy and (two) anatomy labs, a new and expanded osteopathic
manipulative medicine lab, and the beautiful Heritage Clinical
Training and Assessment Center & Community Clinic.
The achievements of our trainees and graduates provide some of the
most telling proof of our success. Our sought-after students arrive
at clinical sites confident with patient interactions because of
their many hours of clinical experience as well as the intensive
osteopathic training we provide. Our alumni are respected leaders in
their professions. In addition to their practices spanning the
entire spectrum of medical specialties and in practices around the
country, our alumni have created new surgery techniques, developed
clinical research programs, founded companies, and been granted
dozens of patents. Our programs are stronger because many of our
alumni find time to give back to the college by mentoring students
at our clinical training sties, sharing expertise here at the Athens
campus, and giving financially. This makes me very proud!
It is with the momentum of this past decade of growth and
development that we embark on our most ambitious endeavors yet. The
Osteopathic Heritage Foundations gift―the largest in the history of
public higher education in Ohio―has set us on a course of
excellence, growth and service to Ohio, one that will propel us to
the forefront of primary care medical education and medical
research.
I look forward to working with our faculty, staff, students, alumni,
friends, and partners old and new as we bring our college to heights
we cannot yet imagine.
Sincerely,
Kenneth H. Johnson, D.O., FAAO
Dean, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine |
