Miko Rose
Hometown
West of Chicago
Education
Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University (medical training); Wellesley College (BA in psychology)
Family
Wife Colleen and daughter Jordan
Hobbies
Puzzling, bike riding, going for nature walks. I was a member of the Michigan Mushroom Club in my former hometown, so I’m looking forward to exploring nature here and finding new (to me) mushroom species in western Pennsylvania. I love musical theater—my daughter is a dancer who performs in musical theater—so we all enjoy watching musical theater whenever we have the opportunity. Currently, my favorite musical is SIX.
Favorite place to eat in Indiana
The food is so good here and so unique! Everywhere we go, we find a new restaurant that we really like, and to make the experience even better, so often we get to meet and talk with the owners. So many restaurants here are family-owned. We’re excited to discover new places to enjoy.
Favorite TV show
As a psychiatrist, it’s in my bones to be intrigued by human behaviors––at their best and at their worst. So, I love watching reality television and seeing how people relate to one another. I’m a minimalist at heart, so I really enjoy the Marie Kondo series, and watching how a physical change in a person’s surroundings can change the metaphysical, and how clearing physical clutter can help to change their mental and spiritual outlook.
Person who has the biggest influence on you
There are so many people who have had a major influence on my life, but if I had to choose one person, it would definitely be my daughter. From the moment she was born, everything I thought I knew and that I thought really mattered to me just wasn’t true or my priority any longer. From the first moment I saw her face, I knew that everything I did in my life needed to be about making the world a better place for her. Every evening, when I review what I’ve done that day, my thinking is framed around, “Did I do things today that would make my daughter proud? Would my actions today inspire her? Did my words and actions reflect the role model I want to be for her, including the things she doesn’t see?" I’m always thinking of how to show her how incredibly bright and wonderful she is, and that she can change the world; she’s certainly changed my world.
Miko Rose didn’t grow up wanting to be in medicine, but she always knew she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
She began her career as a program officer, fundraiser, and advocate for the underserved, including helping people working to overcome domestic violence and trauma in communities throughout the United States and Central America.
The work was rewarding, but it quickly led her to the realization that despite everything being done to help meet her clients’ basic and immediate needs, without access to quality healthcare, she couldn’t meet her end goal of changing lives by breaking the poverty cycle.
So, she decided to go to medical school and be that agent of change as an osteopathic physician and educator for osteopathic medical students. She’s spent more than a decade focusing on helping future physicians develop the unique skills they need to be caring and empathetic medical providers: emotional resilience, happiness, and mindfulness. She developed one of the first formal classes in happiness and joy in a medical school while working at Michigan State University, eventually expanding the curriculum to provide training for peak performance for team coaches, trainers, and student-athletes.
In November 2023, Rose accepted the position of founding dean of IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine. She and her family are already feeling at home here, partly because of the beauty of western Pennsylvania, but also because of “something here” that she feels is part of her own DNA: people who value and rely on their roots and the strengths inherent in their culture, understanding that the stories and resilience of their ancestors are about possibilities and triumphs over tragedies, passed from generation to generation. Rose knows about ancestors with resilience: her mother, Hideko Tamura, is a survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; after losing everything as a 12-year-old, Tamura came to America at age 18, and today, she’s a peace ambassador for the city of Hiroshima and chair of the One Sunny Day Initiative.
Meet Miko Rose in this Q&A.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a doctor. I just never thought that it was possible. I actually had two dreams when I was younger: first, to be a hairdresser, because I saw how much women’s hair influenced their moods and their confidence in themselves. There was also a time that I wanted to be a professional singer and dancer, to be in musical theater. For a time, I was a professional singer for a local church, doing weekly performances.
In a nutshell, what does a founding dean of a proposed college of osteopathic medicine do?
As you would imagine, a founding dean will be responsible for developing the curriculum and the academic design and infrastructure, but a great deal of my responsibilities now are behind the scenes, and many of the same elements as you would have when you’re beginning a new business enterprise: getting to know the community and its needs, strategic planning, marketing, financial planning, and fundraising.
What does a “normal day” look like for you?
Every day is different! Right now, I’m involved in a lot of meetings with folks who are interested in the college of osteopathic medicine and who want to learn more about how to help IUP move forward with the project, including representatives from potential medical facility collaboration sites, legislators, alumni, and setting up meetings for and between college of osteopathic medicine partners.
I’m also spending a lot of time building and refining the strategic mission and vision, which means building strong, honest relationships and collaborations with all of our internal and community partners. Refining the mission and vision of the college is critical, because to move forward successfully, the college must be an authentic reflection of IUP, our partners, and our community. We have to get that right and keep true to that mission and vision to successfully move forward.
What makes a day a good day for you?
Of course, I always have a strategic to-do list for my work, but that’s not the deciding factor for a good or a bad day for me. At the end of the day, it’s about a nice dinner with my family and time in nature: a beautiful sunset, peace after thunderstorms, watching wildlife. It’s all about those moments of connection and joy, which can happen in the middle of campus, downtown, or anywhere. But making those connections––with people and with nature––is key.
What advice would you give students to ensure they succeed at IUP?
Don’t let your brain trick you into thinking that a bad day, or a negative event, is the rest of your life. Way too often, we have a bad experience and we put on blinders to possibilities, thinking that we’ll never recover from those bad things or interactions. That’s just not true. The brain is very good at tricking us into negative thoughts. Remember, you were admitted to IUP because we know you have potential, and that potential is always in you. When you’re having a hard time, go back to your roots and remember who you are, and know that you have people who believe in you and want you to succeed. Use challenges to inspire you to better things. IUP is a great place, a community that is here for one another, with so many support systems available to you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help––no one will judge you for it, because everyone needs a little help sometimes.
Remember: A bad day is not the rest of your life. If you’re feeling stressed, find some way to connect with people, even little interactions can help you manage your stress. In the United Kingdom, one of the treatments they use to combat depression is to require some kind of community service, often involving nature, like cleaning up a park. One of the quick ways that help me to manage my stress is to clean out and reorganize a drawer or shelf: you will be very surprised how that small, but deliberate and focused activity, can change your mood and your outlook.
What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Keep the long view in mind. Before you make any decisions, decide what you want to look back on 10 years from now; in that moment, you will realize that so many things in front of you are all “little things” that don’t really matter, and you’ll be able to make that big decision with more confidence and clarity.