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OU-HCOM approved to move forward on its Central Ohio Extension Campus

(ATHENS, Ohio – Dec. 5, 2012) Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) announced today that it has received approval from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the accrediting agency for osteopathic medical schools, to begin recruiting students for its Central Ohio Extension Campus in Dublin, Ohio. The charter class of 50 medical students will begin classes in July 2014.

“The Central Ohio Extension Campus is an essential part of our mission to improve the health of the citizens of Ohio, and we are excited with the news from COCA,” said Roderick J. McDavis, president of Ohio University. “Fifty-nine percent of our medical school graduates remain in Ohio to practice, and fifty-seven percent of those physicians specialize in primary care.” 

McDavis noted that all medical schools across the state recognize the importance of producing primary care physicians who want to practice in Ohio.  “The need for primary care practitioners in Ohio continues to grow. The extension campus will allow us to take on a larger share of the responsibility for educating more individuals committed to remaining in Ohio and to serving the health care needs of all Ohioans.”

The approval from COCA to move forward on the Central Ohio Extension Campus marks a milestone for one of the major initiatives identified in the historic $105 million gift from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations to OU-HCOM in April 2011.

“Receiving this accreditation is not the endpoint, but only the beginning of the advancement of the Heritage College in how it can serve the citizens of Ohio," said Rick Vincent, president and CEO of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations.

"The opening of this new campus will transform the whole college. It will create a new model for medical education and ensure our physicians are trained to be leaders in patient care,” said Kenneth Johnson, D.O., dean of OU-HCOM. “A greater presence in central Ohio allows greater engagement of health systems’ physicians who will share their knowledge and experience with students across both campuses.”

In April 2012, OU-HCOM and OhioHealth announced a definitive agreement that recognizes OhioHealth as the Preeminent Education Partner for the college’s new extension campus. “OhioHealth is an important and longtime partner of the college, and we look forward to working with them and with other health systems, businesses and academic organizations who can contribute to the success of our students,” said Johnson.

Students at this campus will complete all four years of medical school in central Ohio.

The campus is being developed on 14.8 acres of land purchased by Ohio University in June 2012, and the City of Dublin has gifted Ohio University 46 adjacent acres. The state-of-the-art facilities will initially occupy 65,000 square feet across three buildings.

“We are fortunate in having a strong, dynamic faculty in our medical college who are passionate about making progress on pressing health care issues that are of national concern,” said Pam Benoit, executive vice president and provost of Ohio University.  “The extension campus will encourage the formation of new academic partnerships that will benefit medical students, the health care industry, and Ohio citizens.”

About the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

OU-HCOM is a national leader in training primary care physicians, which includes family practice, general internal medicine and pediatrics. More than half of OU-HCOM’s practicing graduates serve as primary care physicians, and 59 percent choose to stay in Ohio to practice.

That makes the college number one in Ohio and near 11th nationally in medical schools that graduate physicians who practice in under-served rural areas.

The medical school reaches statewide through its collaboration with 27 teaching hospitals throughout Ohio. This hospital consortium, called the Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education (CORE), is recognized as one of the largest, most advanced and best-supported osteopathic medical education consortiums in the country. www.oucom.ohio.edu