Tag: John Dougherty

News

7.13.20

The Proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Receives Approval to Recruit Students

Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Logo

College to begin recruiting inaugural class.

The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine (Noorda-COM) Board of Trustees announced it received approval to recruit students for its inaugural class in the Fall of 2021 from the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).

The decision was made at COCA’s June meeting, when it accepted the proposed Noorda-COM’s application to advance to the next step of the accreditation process for the medical school currently under development in Provo. The application should post on the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service website within a few weeks.

The designation comes after a two-year application process which included two comprehensive self-studies and stringent reviews by the COCA Commissioners.

Dr. John Dougherty, founding dean and chief academic officer for the proposed Noorda-COM said, “The process has been challenging and in no small part successful due to the ongoing collaboration of the proposed Noorda-COM’s faculty, staff, trustees and clinical partners.”

Dougherty said to achieve the right to recruit students, all eleven accreditation standards had to be met which included mission, leadership, finance, facilities, curriculum, faculty, research, learning environment, student services, Graduate Medical Education (GME) and learning assessment.

The proposed Noorda-COM’s founding president and CEO, Dr. Richard Nielsen, said, “We are extremely honored to receive the right to recruit students. This speaks volumes about our institution and the high-quality program we are developing in Provo. The proposed Noorda-COM’s next anticipated step in the accreditation process will be to advance to Pre-Accreditation later this year.”

As a result of receiving this new accreditation status, the proposed Noorda-COM will begin active recruitment of students for its inaugural class for the Fall of 2021. Interested students can get more information at the proposed Noorda-COM admissions website, and apply here.

Monitoring of the proposed Noorda-COM’s development will occur regularly, and COCA will conduct a site visit within the next six months.

The proposed Noorda-COM received Candidate Status in June of 2019 as part of the accreditation process. Rights to recruit is the current step. COCA will continue its regular process to monitor the development and progress of the proposed Noorda-COM and will conduct a site visit at the proposed Noorda-COM campus within the next four to six months.

News

9.19.19

Academic Deans Join Executive Leadership at Proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine

Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Logo

Responsible for academics and clinical experiences.

The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine (*Noorda-COM) announced the appointments of Jennifer Brown as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Michael L. Rhodes, MD, as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. The two associate deans will become an integral part of the executive staff of Noorda-COM responsible for establishing curriculum, processes, and programs for medical students attending the school.

“We are building a world-class medical education institution here at Noorda-COM,” said Dr. Richard P. Nielsen, founding president and CEO of Noorda-COM. “Our founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. John J. Dougherty, is experienced in developing and building academic institutions of medicine to further the medical profession. We are fortunate to have him leading the efforts at Noorda-COM. We are equally fortunate to have Jennifer Brown and Dr. Michael L. Rhodes join our executive staff to work with Dr. Dougherty as Associate Deans.”

As Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Brown is responsible for developing and executing the curriculum for students ensuring they learn everything they need for each phase of their medical academic career. She will also head the responsibilities of the medical library and learning services ensuring students receive all of the content needed to match their residency requirements.

“We’re designing a curriculum to teach students what is most important during their four years at Noorda-COM,” said Brown. “We are delivering our curriculum in a way that is very different from other schools. Many medical schools conduct lectures where students come in and take notes; then they leave and study for a long time and come back for their midterm and final. Today’s students don’t want to attend lectures. At Noorda-COM we will be delivering content in a way that is very flexible for students with assessments and accountability along the way to ensure they are learning everything they need. We’re excited to implement this curriculum and its related programs. Part of the process includes eventually recruiting faculty and helping them create content to use in our distinctive teaching environment.”

As Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Rhodes will be responsible for student third and fourth years – their clinical years. He will set curriculum and work with community physicians to establish rotation opportunities. He will assist students’ participation in clinical rotations at area hospitals and healthcare facilities where they will work with medical teams treating patents. They will do rotations in areas such as pediatrics, internal medicine, general surgery, OB-GYN, family practice and others.

“The challenge will be to create a great rotation experience for both the medical professionals, who are already working busy schedules, and the students, who need the practical clinical experience as part of their medical education,” said Rhodes. “One of the ways we plan to do this is to have the students go through a certification program to become certified scribes which will allow them to legally document medical records on behalf of physicians to alleviate some of the their burden as the students work with the medical teams.”

About Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown

Brown’s experience brings invaluable knowledge to Noorda-COM in developing the educational experience Noorda-COM expects to provide to its students. She received a BA degree in 2000 from Harvard University and received her C.N.T. in 2013 from Nutrition Therapy Institute in Denver. She is currently working on an MS degree at Southern New Hampshire University. She has an Innovation in Health Care and Education certificate from Harvard Macy Institute, a Senior Leadership Development Program certificate from Columbia Business School, and a Medical Leadership Development Program certificate from Kaplan, Inc. Brown has served for multiple positions at Kaplan, Inc. including Senior Director, Institutional Medical Program. She has provided Osteopathic Faculty Development for schools across the country while helping dozens of schools prepare thousands of students for a successful medical career.

About Michael L. Rhodes

Dr. Michael Rhodes

Rhodes is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, currently licensed in the State of Utah as a physician and surgeon. Rhodes received his MD in 1991 from the Medical College of Georgia, School of Medicine where he was the recipient of the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation Scholarship and Medical College of Georgia McGraw-Hill/Lange Award. He received his BS in Biochemistry Magna Cum Laude in 1987 from University of Georgia. He received postgraduate training at Floyd Medical Center Family Practice Residency Program where he served as Chief Resident in 1993-1994.

He served as Interim CMO at Utah Valley Hospital, and currently serves as Associate CMO, Medical Director of Credentialing, Quality and Safety and Designated Institutional Official for the South Region of Intermountain Healthcare. He has also served as Medical Director of Informatics, Program Director for Utah Valley Family Medicine Residency, Assistant Residence Director of Utah Valley Family Medicine Residency, Faculty at Utah Valley Family Medicine Residency, Adjunct Clinical Faculty at the University of Utah School of Medicine and Medical Director for Utah Home and Health and Hospice. He has extensive background and experience practicing, administrating and educating in the medical field.

News

3.28.19

The Proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Board of Trustees Holds Inaugural Meeting

Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine NCOM

Inaugural Trustees and officers instated.

The Board of Trustees for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine met for the first time Monday (March 26, 2019) and instated Trustee members and approved bylaws and policies. Francis Gibson, MSW, MBA, Utah House Representative and House Majority Leader, and CEO of Orem Community Hospital was appointed Chair.

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine and will oversee management responsibility for the construction, completion, and eventual operation of the proposed college as well as the management of the accreditation process.

The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine will be established in Provo and has received broad support financially and throughout Utah County. The makeup of the Trustee members demonstrates this support.

In addition to the instatement of the new Board of Trustees, the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine received letters of endorsement from Provo City, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Utah Hospital Association, the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, Utah County Commissioners, Provo School District,  hospital systems and elected officials.

Board Officers approved and instated include:

  • Francis Gibson, MSW, MBA, Board Chair
  • Morris D. Linton, Board Vice-chair
  • Sean R. Curzon, Board Secretary
  • Trevor Smith, Board Treasurer

The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine executive officers approved by the Board:

  • Richard P. Nielsen, PT, DHSc, ECS, Founding President and Chief Executive Officer
  • John Dougherty, Founding Dean
  • Jennifer Brown, CNT, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
  • Michael Rhodes, MD, Associate Dean for Medical Affairs
  • Jeff Bate, MBA, Chief Financial Office

Speaking to the Board, Gibson said, “The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine will be vital for the community, the state, and the world. I’m looking forward to working with each of you on the Board who will sacrifice and donate your time to make this medical school a great school.”

One of the key goals of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine is to help increase the supply of doctors in the region. According to studies by the Association of American Medical Colleges, Utah is ranked 49th in the nation for active patient care, primary care physicians per 100,000 population and 44th in the nation for active physicians per 100,000. Utah is ranked 44th among all states in the number of MD and DO student enrollments with most Utah resident medical students leaving the state to pursue their medical degrees.

“As a state we are growing at a very fast pace,” said Gibson. “We already know students will stay and work where they are educated. This school will give Utah students an opportunity to receive a medical education they can use to provide healthcare to people throughout the state.”

The appointed executive staff and Board will now focus on the accreditation process as construction begins on the proposed medical school campus.

The architect for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine is MHTN Architects based in Salt Lake City. The construction project is managed by Westland Construction based in Orem, Utah.

The inaugural proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Board of Trustees members include:

Francis Gibson, MSW, MBA –
CEO – Orem Community Hospital – Intermountain Healthcare
Majority Leader – Utah House of Representatives
Spanish Fork, UT

Richard P. Nielsen, PT, DHSc, ECS
Founding NCOM President

John Dougherty, DO, FACOFP, FAOASM, FAODME
Founding Dean

Andy Noorda
Managing Member – The Canopy Group
Lindon, UT

Greg Stuart
CEO – Strategic Partners Group
Bountiful, UT

Heather Kahlert
Vice President – The Kahlert Foundation
Lehi, UT

Sean R. Curzon, DO
Internal Medicine – Revere Health
Orem, UT

Michael Skurja, DPT
President – Wasatch Education, Inc., Chair of the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Board of Trustees
San Diego, CA

John R. Curtis
United States Congressman – Utah’s 3rd Congressional District
Provo, UT

John F. Nemelka, MBA 
NightWatch Capital Advisors, LLC
Mapleton, UT

Brent Israelsen, JD
Executive Chairman – Thunder Biotech, Inc.
Alpine, UT

Kent Loosle
President – Mountain Point Medical Center – Steward Healthcare System  Lehi, UT

Kimball Anderson, FACHE
CEO – Timpanogos Regional Hospital
Orem, UT

Trevor Smith, PhD
System Executive Director of Health Promotion and Wellness – Intermountain Healthcare
Salt Lake City, UT

Vanessa Halvorsen, DO
Otolaryngology/Facial Plastics resident – Freeman Hospital
Joplin, MO

Jonora Searles, RN 
Vice President of Operations – EltonCo Investment
Southlake, TX

Norman Wright, PhD
Dean of the Woodbury School of Business – Utah Valley University
Orem, UT

Lieutenant Commander Shannon Lorimer, DO
Orthopedic Oncology Fellow – Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
Salt Lake City, UT

Morris D. Linton, JD
Retired Senior Counsel at Intermountain Healthcare
Adjunct Professor – J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU)
Salt Lake City, UT

About the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine

The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine would be an independent and freestanding institution overseen by a governing Board of Trustees located in Provo, Utah.

Founded and located in Provo, Utah in June 1998, Wasatch Educational will manage the development of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine. wWasatch Educational is the holding company of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. The mission of Wasatch Educational is to promote and develop healthcare education institutions.

News

10.10.18

Provo Mayor Signs Property Title Transfer Clearing Path to Proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine

Developer obtains property title; design and construction on new East Bay Golf holes to begin.

Following an extensive and productive process working with the Provo Mayor’s office, Provo Municipal Council and other involved parties to approve and obtain the location for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine (NCOM), Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi signed a title transfer to the developer for Wasatch Educational to acquire the property.

The proposed medical school site location is on approximately 21 acres of the northwestern portion of the East Bay Golf Course, which was approved as surplus property by the Provo Municipal Council in January. An additional 7.8-acre contiguous parcel was purchased by the developer from a private source to expand the site location.

Under the agreement, the developers of the proposed medical education campus, which will include the proposed NCOM campus as well as the relocated Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions campus, will fund relocation costs of three current golf holes to the southeastern portion of the course. These new holes will be designed, relocated and playable before construction on the proposed medical education campus begins possibly by the end of 2018.

“This is an exciting time for Provo,” said Dr. John J. Dougherty, founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer of NCOM. “We are grateful for the work of Mayor Kaufusi, the Provo Municipal Council and City Administration to make this all come together for the benefit of the people of Provo and Utah. This planned medical education campus will give the students the opportunity to pursue whatever specialty they choose in medicine helping to address the growing medical shortages throughout the state.”

“Provo is a college town through and through,” said Kaufusi. “Education is at the heart of what we’re all about here. So, I’m very excited about the addition of a proposed medical school here in Provo.”

One of the critical goals of the proposed medical school is to recruit, train, and retain students in Utah. “Our plan is to have no less than 50 percent of our enrolled students from or with ties to Utah,” said Dougherty.

Along with other medical schools in Utah, the proposed NCOM would supply doctors to help offset a growing physician shortage. Research from the Utah Medical Association Council estimates that Utah will need approximately 375 new physicians each year to meet increasing access to healthcare needs. In 2015, the American Medical Association ranked Utah 49th in primary care physicians to population ratio and 43rd in overall physicians to population ratios.

Named after the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation, who funded a significant portion of the money for the project, the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine is positioned to be a premier, world-class medical education and research institution. The proposed curriculum will be a new hybrid based on some of the most innovative and progressive medical education programs in North America designed to prepare physicians to provide high-quality healthcare with a focus on wellness.

The Noorda financial commitment, along with a significant funding commitment from the developer, provides the majority of the funds needed for construction and operation of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“The proposed NCOM will not cost the taxpayers a penny and may make a large economic impact to the county each year,” said Dougherty.

According to a recent independent economic impact study by Bonneville Research, the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine could potentially provide more than $62 million in the construction business, 236 construction-related jobs and bring more than 121 institution-related employment positions to the county. It may attract other health, medical, biomedical, biotechnology, retail, and related spin-off businesses.

In a later phase, a new Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions campus will be built adjacent to the proposed medical institution. At full operation, the local economic impact of the combined schools could be approximately $100 million annually and could include 1,500 jobs with more than $83 million in the construction business. All of this may increase the property tax base including an estimated $8 million directed to the Provo School District in the first 15 years.

The development plans include significant green space in and around the proposed medical education campus, creating a park-like atmosphere to protect and preserve the environment, nature, wildlife, and birdlife.

“Preserving the natural beauty and environment of the existing East Bay Golf Course and that wildlife and birdlife is undisturbed is one of our highest priorities,” said Dougherty. “We intend to have lots of green space, walking trails, biking trails, and preserving the existing golf course waterways as we design the proposed medical education campus.”