Signing the clinical training affiliation agreement are, from left, Ryan Smith and Miko Rose from IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and John Cawley and Jessica Svidergol-Peterman from Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center
On May 21, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center formalized a clinical training affiliation agreement for students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
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, following IUP’s Council of Trustees’ December 2022 endorsement of the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP.
Securing 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.
The signing ceremony took place at Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center. It included remarks from Chief Operating Officer for Conemaugh Miners and Meyersdale Medical Centers Jessica Svidergol-Peterman; Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Dunmore; Kenneth Lesle, physician at Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center; Nate Nevala, representing Congressman Guy Reschenthaler; IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose; and IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith. Mitchel Henderson, representing Rep. John Fetterman, was in attendance for the event.
Kenneth Leslie speaking at the podium
The event also included remarks by Carl Deal, Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center RN supervisor, who spoke about the history of the medical center and recognized one of Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center’s nurses who has worked at the Medical Center for 54 years, Dorothy “Dottie” Paulman.
COO Svidergol-Peterman, Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center Chief of Staff and Emergency Room Medical Director John Cawley, Rose, and Smith signed the agreement.
“We continue to see outstanding support for IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine on all fronts, especially from community healthcare providers,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said. “It’s especially gratifying to be in partnership with hospitals and medical centers like Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center that share our commitment to rural healthcare.
Miko Rose at the podium
“We also are very proud to have an IUP graduate, Ms. Svidergol-Peterman, as the chief operating officer of this outstanding medical facility,” President Driscoll said. “She is an example of professional excellence and commitment to serving her community,” he said.
Chief Operating Officer Svidergol-Peterman earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in nursing from IUP in 2006 and 2010, respectively. A native of Cambria County, she began her career as a staff nurse in the emergency department at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center until she transitioned to Conemaugh Miners Medical Center in 2015.
“This collaboration with IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine underscores our shared mission to enhance healthcare access and outcomes in rural Pennsylvania,” Market President and CEO of Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Rodney Reider, said.
“By creating meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities for future physicians, we are investing not only in their training, but also in the long-term well-being of the communities we proudly serve. This partnership is a critical step toward building a healthier future together,” Reider added.
Carl Deal with Nurse Dorothy Paulman
The Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center clinical training agreement is IUP’s thirteenth formal signed agreement. Agreements are in place with Torrance State Hospital, Conemaugh Nason Medical Center, Penn Highlands Healthcare, Clarion Psychiatric Center, Armstrong County Memorial Hospital, Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Broad Top Area Medical Center, Hyndman Area Health Centers, Nulton Diagnostics and Treatment Center, The Primary Health Network, Indiana Regional Medical Center, and Punxsutawney Area Hospital.
IUP has secured 200 percent of the clinical training spots required for accreditation.
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.
“Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center embodies IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine’s commitment to rural healthcare, and Chief Operating Officer Svidergol-Peterman models what we seek to replicate: members of the community ‘coming back’ to serve their communities, staff, and an institutional culture that believes in and follows the ‘grow your own’ model.
“When you see nurses and physicians who make a commitment to rural medicine, like Nurse Paulman and Chief Operating Officer Svidergol-Peterman, you know that this is a hospital community that values community, both internally and for the patients that they serve,” she said.
Nate Nevala speaking at the podium
“This is the kind of medicine that we want our students to practice, and we are very grateful that Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center will be part of our clinical training program. We know they will have excellent educational experiences, but we also know that our students will be inspired to commit to rural healthcare because of their time at Conemaugh Meyersdale.”
Rose, named one of Pennsylvania’s Fifty Over 50 top leaders in 2024 by City & State Pennsylvania, 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.
In addition to Founding Dean Rose and Associate Founding Dean Smith, IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine administrative team includes Founding Associate Dean of Preclinical Affairs, Luke H. Mortensen.
There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine would be the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university.
Elizabeth Dunmore at the podium
National studies show that graduates from programs of osteopathic medicine are more likely to pursue primary care in rural and underserved areas—57 percent of all doctors of osteopathic medicine practice as general practitioners, and more than 20 percent of DO graduates practice in rural areas. Demand is high for osteopathic medicine training: in 2021, 22,708 applicants competed for 8,280 seats at schools of osteopathic medicine.
IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and IUP’s commitment to addressing the rural health crisis have resulted in funding from individual donors, foundations, agencies, and legislators totaling more than $34.3 million. Recent support includes:
- In April, IUP received a $1-million gift from an anonymous alumnus of IUP, who is a native of Indiana County, and a $50,000 gift from Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek, a 1964 graduate and 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient originally from Westmoreland County;
- In February, IUP announced gifts totaling $500,000: a $250,000 gift from an anonymous donor and a $250,000 gift from the Fairman Family Foundation of DuBois;
- In December 2024, Theodore Lazzaro, board-certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, gifted $50,000 to IUP for scholarships for students in health care professions;
- 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;
- 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;
- In July 2024, IUP graduates Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka gifted $2 million;
- In June 2024, the Foundation for IUP committed $20 million;
- 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;
- 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;
- 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;
- In January 2024, IUP’s Alumni Association Board of Directors authorized a donation of $500,000;
- In December 2023, Sen. Pittman announced that as part of the 2023–24 state budget, $2 million was set aside for the project;
- 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;
- 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.
About Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center
Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center is a critical access hospital that has served the rural Meyersdale community for 70 years. The hospital provides 24/7 emergency care as an accredited chest pain center and offers high-quality, comprehensive outpatient, imaging, diagnostic, and specialty services close to home. Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center also provides primary care services, preventative care, and community education to the Meyersdale community through its Family Health Care Rural Health Clinic.
It is part of Conemaugh Health System of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, the largest healthcare provider in west central Pennsylvania, serving over a half-million patients each year through the Conemaugh Physician Group and Medical Staff, a network of hospitals, specialty clinics, and patient-focused programs. Conemaugh Health System employs approximately 3,200 clinical and nonclinical staff, including more than 450 physicians committed to providing the ideal patient experience.