Key milestone in accreditation process
 
PROVO, Utah, Jun. 24, 2019 – Following a year of working on its self-study, the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine (Noorda-COM) received notification from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) of approval to advance to Candidate Status from Applicant Status.
 
The self-study was submitted by Noorda-COM to COCA whose Executive Committee accepted, reviewed and approved it on June 6th.

“This is three-months ahead of our original schedule,” said Dr. John J. Dougherty, founding dean and chief academic officer for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We are appreciative of the [COCA] commissioners’ careful consideration and acknowledgement. COCA found the self-study to be 100 percent in compliance with all administrative, academic and financial standards.”
 
The status change is one essential step in receiving full accreditation from COCA. The proposed Noorda-COM plans to submit self-study II later in the upcoming year, which if approved by COCA, will change the status to Pre-Accreditation. At that point, the college may begin student recruitment.
 
The U.S. Department of Education and Utah state regulators were also informed by COCA of the progress of the proposed Noorda-COM’s status.
 
The self-study outlines in detail the proposed Noorda-COM’s progress in preparing its leadership team, financial support, potential for integration in local and regional hospitals and clinics, and in other key areas.
 
The proposed Noorda-COM established a strong leadership team with the appointment of Dougherty as founding dean and chief academic officer, the appointment of Dr. Richard P. Nielsen as founding president and CEO and who is also founding president and CEO of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Francis Gibson, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the proposed Noorda-COM, and a governing Board of Trustees comprised of distinguished health and business professionals. The proposed Noorda-COM also has the financial backing of major investors and has developed strong relationships with the top hospitals, clinics and healthcare systems in the intermountain western region.
 
“We are very fortunate,” said Nielsen. “We have fantastic relationships in the community, a strong and active Board, generous investors, and some of the top healthcare leaders in the country helping us bring this medical school to our community. We could not do it without them.”
 
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. It has achieved Candidate Status by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
 
Founded and located in Provo, Utah in June 1998, Wasatch Educational manages the development of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine. www.wasatcheducational.com. Wasatch 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.
 
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One of the great privileges I have is working with the great people bringing the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine to Utah and Utah County. It will be a great educational campus that will provide new doctors from among Utah's own population. The benefits of increased professional healthcare professionals will help people throughout the state but especially in our rural areas.

I was pleased to attend and photo document the inaugural Board of Trustees meeting on March 25. 

​The Proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Board of Trustees holds inaugural meeting

​Inaugural Trustees and officers instated
 
PROVO, Utah, Mar. 26, 2019 – The Board of Trustees for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine met for the first time Monday 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, D.O.
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, M.B.A.  
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, Ph.D.
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, Ph.D.,
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. www.wasatcheducational.com. Wasatch 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.
 
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​PROVO, Utah, Oct. 9, 2018 – 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.”
 
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 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. www.wasatcheducational.com. Wasatch 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.
 
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PROVO, Utah, June 11, 2018 – The board of directors for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine (NCOM) today announced the appointment of John J. Dougherty, DO, FACOFP, FAOASM, FAODME as founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Dougherty will shepherd the college through the accreditation process and identify and recruit a renowned team of professionals.
 
Dougherty’s appointment begins mid-July 2018.
 
“Dr. Dougherty is a proven transformational leader,” said Dr. Richard P. Nielsen, board member, and vice president of Wasatch Educational, the entity who will manage the development of the medical school. “He has impeccable credentials and experience ensuring the proposed NCOM will become a world-class institution of osteopathic medicine. We are pleased he will join us in the delivery of the highest quality medical education available with this new and advanced medical school.”
 
Dougherty and his family are relocating to Utah County. They currently reside in Henderson, Nevada where Dougherty served as Dean for the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Touro University Nevada.
 
“NCOM’s mission falls in line with my personal and professional philosophy,” said Dougherty. “We will focus diligently on accomplishing our accreditation. Our priority will be to gather a team of professionals to craft an innovative curriculum and design a campus that will empower our students with the essential personal and professional skills needed to transform the future of healthcare. It is truly a privilege to be selected to be part of this extraordinary opportunity.”
 
About Dr. Dougherty
 
Dougherty has a 26-year history in Osteopathic Medicine with significant experience in College of Osteopathic Medicine leadership and graduate medical education. He is Board certified in Family Medicine and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine. Dougherty holds a fellowship in three Osteopathic Colleges – American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, and Association of Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators. He completed the American Osteopathic Association national Health Policy Fellowship and currently instructs for the Fellowship. Dougherty also serves as an inspector for AOASM, ACOFP, Council on Postdoctoral Training, and as Inspection Team Leader for the Council of Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).
 
A full bio of Dougherty’s credentials is available here. Photos are available here.
 
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 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. www.wasatcheducational.com. Wasatch 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.
 
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