Indiana University of Pennsylvania celebrated another first for its College of Osteopathic Medicine on June 16 with the first signing event celebrating a clinical training affiliation agreement with a solo practice family medicine practice.
On June 16, IUP signed an agreement with Matthew Dvorchak, MD, Family Medicine Practice in Hastings, the first signing event formalizing an agreement between IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine and a solo practice family medicine practice physician. From left with the signed clinical training agreement: IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose, IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith, Matthew Dvorchak.
On June 16, IUP signed an agreement with Matthew Dvorchak, MD, Family Medicine Practice in Hastings, the first signing event formalizing an agreement between the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine and a solo practice family medicine practice physician.
This signing event included remarks by Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky and Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Dunmore. Dvorchak, IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose, and IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith signed the agreement.
In addition to the clinical training affiliation agreement with Dvorchak’s practice, on June 15, IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine signed agreements with Croyle-Nielsen Therapeutic Associates, Inc. and Alternative Community Resource Program in Johnstown and on June 16 with Small Town Hope in Hastings.
“We have had an amazing response from healthcare providers as we developed our clinical training agreements, especially in our rural communities,” Dean Rose said. “Each of these providers makes it possible for us to provide the high-quality, comprehensive medical education experience that our future students need and deserve.
“We are grateful to have far exceeded the number of clinical training spots required for our pre-accreditation status, and very proud of the quality of providers for which we have partnerships,” she said. “Our partners share our commitment to excellence in rural medicine, and we know that our students will have incredible experiences,” she said.
“While it’s quite unusual for a college of osteopathic medicine to have a clinical training agreement with a private family medicine practice like Dr. Dvorchak, it’s a perfect fit for the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine and for our future students,” Dean Rose said. “He is the quintessential model of a rural physician, committed to his patients and to his community, but also focused on mentoring and the success of the next generation of physicians,” she said. “This is truly an incredible resource for the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine.”
From left: Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky; IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose; IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith; Matthew Dvorchak; Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Dunmore.
Dvorchak, a second-generation physician, opened his practice in Hastings—at the same site where his father practiced—in 1986, and he has no plans to retire; he’s hoping that his practice will continue with a third generation of Dvorchaks.
Both his daughters, Alexandria and Lauren, graduates of Bishop Caroll High School and St. Vincent College, went on to earn master’s degrees—Alexandria in biomedical science and Lauren in anatomy—and are nationally registered paramedics, currently working as paramedics; Alexandria in Hastings and Lauren in Denver. They both share his drive and passion for medicine and are both interested in attending medical school and joining his practice in Hastings.
“I am inspired every day by my dad’s dedication to serving his community,” Lauren Dvorchak said. “His patients always speak so highly of the care he provides and of how truly caring of a person he is. I hope someday to be able to continue the work he has done in our area.”
“I am so incredibly proud of my dad and his dedication to his community, but also his new affiliation with the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine,” Alexandria Dvorchak said. “I am so lucky to have been able to learn from my father for all these years, and now other students have a wonderful opportunity to learn from him as well. I am excited to see what my dad and the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine will do for my community.”
“When I saw this opportunity, a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP, I thought, this is really good, really unique,” Dvorchak said. “It fits my commitment to rural medicine. I knew I wanted to be involved, especially after meeting the team. They are so positive, and they think the way that I do about practicing medicine. I believe that their approach to rural medical education could be a catalyst for starting something that catches on nationally, changing the way that we do medical education,” he said.
“I believe that practicing medicine must include having a relationship with patients; if you’re just seeing patients and there are no relationships, that’s not the practice of medicine. I guess I’m just a little old school, but I believe that we should get back to having those relationships,” he said. “I’m also worried about this region with its lack of physicians, and that many of those physicians are near to retirement age,” he said.
Dvorchak has a long tradition of working with students, both medical residents and students studying to be nurse practitioners. He’s been hosting students since he began his practice, and he’s also been an adjunct professor for St. Vincent’s physician assistant program.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with students,” he said. “When I look back at my career, I had such great attending physicians, who took me into their offices and taught me so much. I really enjoy teaching; it’s a great way to give back, and I think that we all should be doing that. When you can combine what you learn in books and in the classroom with hands-on experience, it’s the best of all worlds,” he said. “Of course, my greatest teacher was my dad,” he said.
From left, Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Dunmore, Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky, Conemaugh Miners Medical Center and Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Jessica Svidergol-Peterman, IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose, IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Associate Dean of Pre-Clinical Affairs Luke Mortensen, IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith, Matthew Dvorchak, Lisa Dvorchak, Lauren Dvorchak, Alexandria Dvorchak.
Dvorchak’s father completed medical school in 1938. As a member of the military reserves, he achieved the rank of captain and worked in his own Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) unit during World War II in the First Cavalry Division in the South Pacific.
In 1945, his father started practicing medicine in Hastings with C. L. McCoy. When McCoy passed away in 1956, Dvorchak’s father decided to build his own building, which is where Dvorchak practices today.
“When I told my mother I was interested in practicing in Hastings, she kept the building for me. My father’s practice was closed from 1978 until I returned in 1986,” he said.
Dvorchak’s wife, Lisa, is also involved with the practice. A former intensive care unit nurse who worked at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, she now works in the office.
“Medicine has its good times and its bad times, but it’s always interesting,” Dvorchak said. “There are some definite challenges to running a business, and you do want to be financially stable, but it’s never been about the profit for me. Every day I learn something new. I want to motivate students and help them to see the excitement in medicine, to help them to gain the confidence in how to treat a patient, and find the joy in this profession,” he said.
Accreditation and the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine
Securing clinical training sites for students is part of the successful accreditation process; IUP has secured more than 290 percent of the needed clinical training spots, surpassing the 120 percent required for accreditation. With the agreements signed June 15 and 16, IUP has completed 24 formal signed agreements, with a number of additional agreements in process, representing more than 40 individual training sites affiliated with the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine to date.
IUP’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP in December 2022. There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine is the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the Commonwealth.
In May, the IUP COM officially received pre-accreditation status from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, which means that IUP can begin recruiting and admitting students to its College of Osteopathic Medicine and begin medical instruction within the approved osteopathic medical curriculum.
IUP anticipates its first class of 60 students entering the program in fall 2027. Colleges holding pre-accreditation status are permitted to admit no more than 50 percent of the approved class size in the first year; no more than 75 percent of the approved class size in year two, transitioning to the approved class size in years three and four. IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has an approved class size of 120 students.
Other formal clinical training affiliation agreements in place celebrated with signings are with Sharon Regional Health System, Clarks Summit State Hospital, Torrance State Hospital, Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center, Warren State Hospital, Conemaugh Miners Medical Center, Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers, Wayne Memorial Hospital, Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber, 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 also has a pre-clinical training agreement with the Indiana County Coroner’s Office for IUP students in a number of programs, as well as for future students at IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and IUP’s commitment to addressing the rural health crisis has resulted in funding from individual donors, foundations, agencies, and legislators totaling more than $54 million, including seven million-dollar or multi-million-dollar gifts and grants.
Fundraising for IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is part of IUP’s Impact 150, IUP’s $150-million comprehensive fundraising campaign; its themes are raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining IUP’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities. The campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration, celebrated during the 2025–26 academic year.
As of March 31, IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive fundraising campaign stands at more than $114.5 million, or 76.34 percent of goal, with 50,150 gifts from 13,138 donors.
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. Founding Associate Dean Smith and Founding Associate Dean of Preclinical Affairs Luke H. Mortensen joined the team in 2024. Jamie Murphy joined the team in January as director of IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine admissions and student affairs.
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.
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.
Once fully operational, IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is expected to generate almost $50 million in annual economic impact for the Commonwealth. Long-term, if just 60 percent of IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates remain in Pennsylvania, the annual economic impact for the state is estimated at $1.3 billion.
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. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the Commonwealth.