At the recent Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, a recipient of the award announced a gift to help advance the establishment of a school of Osteopathic medicine.
The $1 million gift comes from Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate of IUP now living in Meadow Lands. IUP’s council of trustees last December endorsed the exploration of a possible school for osteopathic medicine in an effort to increase the number of trained physicians to provide care for Pennsylvania citizens, and the demand that is currently being seen for this medical study.
Caruso was inspired to make the gift in honor of his mother, who saw first-hand the troubles she was having in getting in-person healthcare during a recent hospitalization, where she had a tele-visit from a doctor in the Pittsburgh area. He said the lack of an in-person doctor made things tough for patients.
One of the first steps in the process of developing a SOM at IUP is the hiring of a founding dean, which is expected to take place during summer 2023.
After that, the university will seek accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, which is a three- to five-year process that includes submission of self-studies and a feasibility study, along with site visits.
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