Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has earned “Candidate Status” from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
“This designation is a critical milestone in our work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said. “Achieving ‘Candidate Status’ means that COCA recognizes that IUP has done the required planning and that we have the resources necessary to apply for pre-accreditation status within two years. The team is working on that application right now.
“We’ve been moving at light speed since December 2022, when the IUP Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP,” President Driscoll said. “IUP is passionate about addressing the rural healthcare crisis in Pennsylvania, especially the lack of primary care physicians in our rural communities. There is no more time to wait,” he said.
“This achievement reflects thousands of hours of hard work, preparation, and support from so many people, including our legislators, Senator Joe Pittman, Representative Jim Struzzi, and Congressman Guy Reschenthaler,” he said. “I thank them, our donors, the proposed college of osteopathic medicine team and its advisory groups, and everyone at IUP and in our community who has been part of advancing this project. Our proposed college of osteopathic medicine will truly be life-changing for our university, our community, our region, and the Commonwealth.”
The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education as the accreditor of colleges of osteopathic medicine; only 42 colleges of osteopathic medicine, operating at 68 sites, are accredited by COCA.
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.
“Candidate Status” is the second step in seeking accreditation from COCA. The next step in the accreditation process is “pre-accreditation status,” which means that IUP can begin recruiting students to its proposed college of osteopathic medicine. That status follows additional reports and site visits from COCA’s accrediting team; it is expected to take up to 16 months.
“It’s been incredibly hard work to get to this important stage, but also incredibly rewarding,” IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose said. “The IUP and Indiana and area community, our legislators, our alumni and friends, local businesses and schools, and our regional and state healthcare partners and leaders have been unwavering in their support, encouragement, and confidence in IUP,” she said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work we have done, or more excited about our future,” she said.
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. Since that time, two associate founding deans have joined the team: Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith and Founding Associate Dean of Pre-Clinical Affairs Luke H. Mortensen.
Securing clinical training sites for students is also 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. As of July 31, IUP has formally signed clinical training affiliation agreements with 16 medical centers and health agencies, all in rural communities, in both western and eastern Pennsylvania. IUP has secured approximately 200 percent of the clinical training spots needed, surpassing the 120 percent required for accreditation.
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. This three-building renovation 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.
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 August, John (Jack) and Linda Brose, of Athens, Ohio, gifted $25,000 for scholarships for future students at the proposed college of osteopathic medicine; Jack Brose joined IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine team as a consultant and executive mentor in 2022.
- In July, John Ninosky, a 1993 criminology graduate, gifted $50,000 for future students at the proposed college of osteopathic medicine in honor of his late wife, Tammy Beale Ninosky, a 1993 IUP child development and family relations graduate.
- In June, IUP received a $50,000 gift from Thomas R. Smith, of Hollidaysburg, who received a master’s degree in secondary counselor education from IUP in 1976 and retired from a 40-year career in education.
- In April, IUP received a $1-million gift from an anonymous alumnus of IUP, who is a native of Indiana County.
- In April, IUP received 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 a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors, announced a pledge of $1 million for the project.
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.
Doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, complete four years of osteopathic medical school, with an emphasis on preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care. They are trained to recognize the interrelated unity among all systems of the body, each working with the other to promote overall health and wellness. Osteopathic medical schools have a long tradition of serving rural communities. Physicians who are trained in osteopathic medicine are four times more likely to select primary care specialties and almost twice as likely to practice in rural areas as allopathic (MD) students are.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.