NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine to Open Second Location at Arkansas State University in August 2016

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y., Dec. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- An innovative approach to establishing a medical school in Arkansas will bring New York Institute of Technology's College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) to the Jonesboro campus of Arkansas State University and address the state's health care needs.

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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 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 healthcare 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.

More than half of NYITCOM graduates annually enter the primary care areas of family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics.

"Together with A-State, the community, and our healthcare partners, we'll educate physicians in Arkansas for Arkansas," said Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., distinguished medical expert, policy leader, and NYITCOM at A-State site dean.

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 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."

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SOURCE New York Institute of Technology