IUP officials consider school of osteopathic medicine — 1st at a Pa. public university

Indiana University of Pennsylvania could open the state’s first school of osteopathic medicine at a public university, a venture to train and graduate professionals to improve rural health and advance Pennsylvania’s economy.

A resolution to endorse the state-owned university to explore the school’s possible development was approved unanimously by IUP’s council of trustees Thursday evening. The 10 state-owned universities make up the State System of Higher Education.

Officials say the initiative would help address a pronounced national shortage of primary care physicians, especially in rural areas, noting that qualified medical students across the U.S. outstrip available slots in medical schools.

They note that 57% of doctors of osteopathic medicine practice primary care medicine, and one in five work in rural communities.

In a statement and in an interview after the meeting, IUP President Michael Driscoll said the endeavor is ambitious but fits with the university’s mission to serve the community, state and nation through contributions of those who earn degrees there.

It would draw on existing strengths, including those in health-related disciplines, and enhance enrollment.

“It’s an exciting possibility, but we will be cautious and careful moving forward, as there are many considerations related to the exploration process, including continued review of new information by both the Council of Trustees and the State System Board of Governors,” he said. “As we move forward in our exploration, we will not compromise the support, including financial support, that our current programs and projects need and deserve.”

Developing the school and gaining approvals for it would be a complex multi-year process. Its varied costs would include a requirement that some $37.5 million be set aside in escrow, Driscoll estimated.

IUP has said it would require developing streams of outside funding beyond what is currently available to the university.

The State System’s leadership as well as campus officials could revisit the idea during exploration, the resolution stated.

But officials pointed to an array of potential benefits.

At present in Pennsylvania, there are schools of osteopathic medicine only on private campuses, including one under construction at Duquesne University. Officials at the Catholic university have said they hope to enroll the first students there in August 2024. Duquesne President Ken Gormley has also pointed to a shortage of family-practice doctors.

In addition to a campus in Erie and two in other states, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has a presence at the Greensburg campus of Seton Hill University, a Catholic liberal arts school.

LECOM has reached the maximum capacity of 104 students enrolled in each of the four classes for its medical school program at Seton Hill.

“We are looking at the potential to build a new building there in conjunction with Seton Hill,” said Matt Bresee, vice president of marketing, communications and organizational culture for LECOM. “Doing so could allow us to look at expanding our program offerings.”

The council of trustees at IUP believes expansion there might help draw and keep doctors here.

“There is no school or college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in Pennsylvania,” the IUP resolution states. “Osteopathic medicine at IUP would provide affordable pathways for pre-medical students from across Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, who are likely to stay in Pennsylvania to practice professionally.”

It notes that “IUP is one of only 93 public universities in the U.S. with a high research activity designation (and) strong existing science and health programs, with 30 percent of its students enrolled in STEM-H (science, technology, engineering, math, and health sciences) majors.”

It also says IUP has a “robust and growing partnership with Indiana Regional Medical Center, a strong, independent rural hospital.”

IUP Trustees Chair Samuel Smith said, “This possible initiative would most likely increase enrollment throughout the university, including IUP’s nationally known graduate programs, both at the master’s level and doctoral level, especially programs in health and science.”

Officials said the idea is consistent with the State System’s mission, as spelled out in Act 188 that created the state-owned universities in 1983 out of a collection of state colleges.

State System officials, including Chancellor Daniel Greenstein, have cited the need to develop new high-demand programs in fields that benefit the Commonwealth and — by extension — could help the universities, including IUP, reverse a more-than-decade-long enrollment decline.

Officials with the 5,000-member Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, which represents system professors, said they were not aware of IUP’s potential interest in a school of osteopathic medicine.

The system and its faculty have undergone a variety of cost-saving measures, including the mergers of California, Clarion and Edinboro universities into PennWest University in Western Pennsylvania, and Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities into Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania in the Northeast.

“We are certain that the IUP administration will follow all of the required curriculum procedures and will be certain that if done, it fits the university’s core mission and does not drain scarce resources,” APSCUF President Kenneth Mash said. “We are ever-mindful that the university has just undergone severe cuts in faculty and core programs.”

Currently, enrollment across the 10 state-owned universities totals 84,556, down nearly 30% since its peak in 2010 of nearly 120,000 students. Like other regional systems, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, the trend has been fueled at least in part by fewer high school graduates, a rapidly changing higher education market and cost.

In addition to IUP, the 10 state-owned universities include PennWest University and Slippery Rock in Western Pennsylvania, as well as Cheyney, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Millersville, Shippensburg and West Chester.