Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has received a $250,000 gift from an anonymous donor.
“IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has met with incredible support from alumni, friends, legislators, and our faculty and staff from the very beginning of our discussions,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said.
“We are very grateful to this donor and to everyone who continues to play a part in advancing this important initiative,” President Driscoll said. “IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has the potential to change the landscape of health and wellness in our commonwealth by educating physicians who are committed to rural medicine.
“Opening a college of osteopathic medicine is a heavy lift, but I have full confidence in founding dean Dr. Miko Rose and her team, our IUP community and governing boards, our legislators, our alumni, and our friends and supporters who are working hard to secure funding and other support for the project,” he said.
With this gift, IUP has secured more than $31 million in private and government funding for the initiative. Once established, a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP is expected to generate $79 million in annual regional economic impact.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and enthusiasm that our alumni and friends have for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine,” Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “People believe in the project and in IUP as the right fit for Pennsylvania’s first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university. The infrastructure is all here—strong alumni and legislative support, academic and research strengths in health sciences and community health, and a university that is willing to work hard on all fronts to make this project happen,” she said.
IUP’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP in December 2022. IUP has formally initiated steps towards accreditation of its proposed college of osteopathic medicine from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, a three- to five-year process that includes submission of self-studies and a feasibility study, along with site visits.
Doctors of osteopathic medicine complete four years of osteopathic medical school with an emphasis on preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care. National data shows that more than half of the graduates of osteopathic medicine programs pursue a career in primary care, and many choose to practice in rural areas. There has been a 93 percent increase in applicants to colleges of osteopathic medicine since 2011.
Rose was hired as the founding dean of the proposed college of osteopathic medicine in November 2023; the hiring of a founding dean is one of the first steps to establishing the college.
Named one of Pennsylvania’s Fifty Over 50 top leaders in 2024 by City & State Pennsylvania, Rose is one of fewer than 150 physicians elected as a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychiatrists by the Fellows of the American College of Neuropsychiatrists/American College of Osteopathic Neurologists and Psychiatrists.
IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine team includes Ryan Smith, founding associate dean of clinical affairs, responsible for overseeing the clinical curricular areas of the doctor of osteopathic medicine program, including developing clinical training agreements; and Luke H. Mortensen, associate dean of preclinical affairs, responsible for overseeing the pre-clinical curricular areas of the program.
In addition to hiring the founding dean and securing funding, establishing clinical training sites for students is part of the successful accreditation process. Typically, students in colleges of osteopathic medicine spend the first two years of their education in the classroom; during the third and fourth years, students are based in the community at clinical sites.
IUP has finalized eight clinical training affiliation agreements: Armstrong County Memorial Hospital in January; Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in December 2024; Broad Top Area Medical Center, Hyndman Area Health Centers, Nulton Diagnostics and Treatment Center, and the Primary Health Network in November 2024; Indiana Regional Medical Center in September 2024; and Punxsutawney Area Hospital in June 2024.
IUP’s Indiana Campus Long-Range Facilities Master Plan update, approved in January 2024 by the IUP Council of Trustees, recommended Johnson Hall, Uhler Hall, and Stright Hall be the site for the health sciences cluster, with a renovated and expanded Johnson Hall as the primary location for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
This proposed health science cluster will provide a transformational modern medical education facility, supporting and housing the proposed college of osteopathic medicine and related IUP health science programs in the College of Health Sciences.
In October 2024, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors designated $2 million in design funds as part of the 2024–25 State System of Higher Education capital allocations budget for the academic building renovation for the health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
Additional funding advancing the proposed college of osteopathic medicine includes:
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In December 2024, Theodore Lazzaro, board-certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, gifted $50,000 to IUP for scholarships for students in healthcare professions;
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Senator Joe Pittman and Representative Jim Struzzi announced in October 2024 that $2 million from the 2024–25 state budget has been set aside for the project;
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In July 2024, IUP graduates Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka gifted $2 million;
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In June 2024, the Foundation for IUP committed $20 million;
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In May 2024, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler included $2 million for IUP’s project among his FY25 requested community projects and Senator John Fetterman included $2 million on his list to advance in the FY25 Community Project Funding process;
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IUP received a $150,000 allocation for the project in the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which was sponsored by Congressman Reschenthaler and Senator Fetterman and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 9, 2024;
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In February 2024, the Board of Governors allocated $500,000 for a facilities feasibility study for academic facilities for IUP’s health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine;
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In January 2024, IUP’s Alumni Association Board of Directors authorized a donation of $500,000;
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In December 2023, Sen. Pittman announced that as part of the 2023–24 state budget, $2 million was set aside for the project;
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In July 2023, IUP graduates Nick Jacobs and Mary Ann Hoysan Jacobs donated $40,000 to advance the project. Nick Jacobs is a 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient who has a 1969 bachelor’s degree in education and a 1972 master’s degree in music education; Mary Ann Jacobs has a 1968 bachelor’s degree in music education and a 1993 master’s degree in adult and community education; and
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In May 2023, Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate from Meadow Lands, 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and former president and current member of the Foundation for IUP Board of Directors and member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors, announced a pledge of $1 million for the project.