ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â

On August 25, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â and Conemaugh Miners Medical Center formalized a clinical training affiliation agreement for future students at ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.

Securing clinical training sites for students is part of the successful accreditation process; ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â has secured 230 percent of the needed clinical training spots, surpassing the 120 percent required for accreditation.

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. 

Today’s signing ceremony took place at Conemaugh Miners Medical Center. It included Chief Operating Officer for Conemaugh Miners Medical Center and Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center Jessica Svidergol-Peterman and Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Dunmore.

Svidergol-Peterman earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in nursing from ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â in 2006 and 2010, respectively. A native of Cambria County, she began her career as a staff nurse in the emergency department at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center until she transitioned to Conemaugh Miners Medical Center in 2015.

ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose and ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith signed the agreement for ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â.

In addition to remarks by COO Svidergol-Peterman, Dunmore, Founding Dean Rose, and Founding Associate Dean Smith, the event included remarks by Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky.

Today’s clinical training affiliation agreement is ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s seventeenth formal signed agreement; ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â signed a clinical training affiliation agreement with Svidergol-Peterman at Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center in May.

From left, Chief Operating Officer for Conemaugh Miners Medical Center and Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center Jessica Svidergol-Peterman; Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth Dunmore; ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Dr. Miko Rose, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Dr. Ryan Smith, and Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky.

Other formal clinical training affiliation agreements are in place with Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers, Wayne Memorial Hospital,  Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber, Torrance State Hospital, 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.

ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has “Candidate Status” from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, which recognizes that ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â has done the required planning and has the resources necessary to apply for pre-accreditation status within two years. Candidate Status is the second step in seeking accreditation from COCA.

The ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â proposed college of osteopathic medicine team is working on the next step in the accreditation process, seeking “pre-accreditation status.” When proposed colleges achieve pre-accreditation status, they are permitted to begin recruiting students. That status follows additional reports and site visits from COCA’s accrediting team; it is expected to take up to 16 months.

“Conemaugh Miners Medical Center is an excellent example of the kind of medical facility that can provide our students with outstanding training and meaningful experiences in rural health care,” ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â President Dr. Michael Driscoll said.

“As we began exploring the establishment of a college of osteopathic medicine, we were told that establishing clinical training agreements would be one of our biggest challenges,” Driscoll said. “Instead, we’ve had healthcare providers throughout the region and Commonwealth come to us, excited about our proposed college and in joining us in the important work of educating the next generation of physicians, especially graduates who will choose to practice in rural hospitals and medical centers,” he said.

“In many cases, students return to practice at the sites where they have done residencies, so these partnerships play a critical role in securing future physicians for these medical centers and hospitals,” President Driscoll said. “Exceeding the required clinical training spots has been a very deliberate effort to help create more opportunities for our future students to see the impact, value, and potential for practicing in rural communities, one of the primary goals of our proposed college of osteopathic medicine,” he said.

“Establishing a relationship with Conemaugh Miners Medical Center and with Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center is especially meaningful because the COO of these facilities is a two-time ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â graduate. We are very proud of Ms. Svidergol-Peterman’s work and her leadership of these two community hospitals, which reflects her ongoing commitment to serving her community,” he said.

“Conemaugh Miners is excited to partner with ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine,” Svidergol-Peterman said. “This partnership will be beneficial for our rural area as it will allow us to create opportunities for future physicians interested in working in our community. Providing opportunities for these future physicians to be part of the high-quality care we provide will ensure sustainability of the facility and demonstrate our commitment to the staff and community we so proudly care for. Conemaugh Miners strives to achieve our vision on a daily basis of making communities healthier, and we are looking forward to this collaboration.”

“We are extremely excited for the opportunity that clinical training at Conemaugh Miners Medical Center will present to our future students,” Founding Dean Rose said.

“Our future students will have a chance to see, first-hand, some of the unique and effective approaches that are part of care for patients in a rural community, working closely with physicians, nurses, and hospital staff who have—and value—personal relationships with their patients, many who are friends and neighbors,” she said. “This personal approach to care creates patient trust and more honest communication, which has been demonstrated to lead to better health outcomes for the patient,” she said.

“Conemaugh Miners Medical Center is one of ‘the’ quintessential rural hospitals, with a mission that aligns perfectly with our proposed college,” Rose said. “Conemaugh Miners Medical Center has a reputation for providing excellent care by combining modern, cutting-edge knowledge with an ‘old-school,’ personal approach to treating patients,” she said.

“This medical center also embraces a ‘grow your own’ philosophy, and there are many ‘hometown heroes’ there who have dedicated their lives to the health and wellness of their community, including COO Svidergol-Peterman,” she said.

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. Associate Founding Dean Smith and Founding Associate Dean of Preclinical Affairs Mortensen joined the team in 2024.

Named one of Pennsylvania’s Fifty Over 50 top leaders in 2024 by City & State Pennsylvania, Rose is one of fewer than 150 physicians elected as a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychiatrists by the Fellows of the American College of Neuropsychiatrists/American College of Osteopathic Neurologists and Psychiatrists. She was an invited panelist for the June 3 Rural Economic Development Summit in Harrisburg, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, addressing “What Can Be Done in Rural Pennsylvania? The Power of Partnership.”

ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â in December 2022.

There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine would be the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university.

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. 

ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s commitment to addressing the rural health crisis have resulted in funding from individual donors, foundations, agencies, and legislators totaling more than $34.3 million. 

Fundraising for the project is part of ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s Impact 150 $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, raising funds for healthy students, a healthy university, and healthy communities.

• In August, John (Jack) and Linda Brose, of Athens, Ohio, gifted $25,000 for scholarships for future students at the proposed college of osteopathic medicine; Brose joined ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine team as a consultant and executive mentor in 2022;
• In July, John Ninosky, a 1993 criminology graduate, gifted $50,000 for future students at the proposed college of osteopathic medicine in honor of his late wife, Tammy Beale Ninosky, a 1993 ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â child development and family relations graduate;
• In June, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â received a $50,000 gift from Thomas R. Smith, of Hollidaysburg, who received a master’s degree in secondary counselor education from ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â in 1976 and retired from a 40-year career in education;
• In April, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â received a $1-million gift from an anonymous alumnus of ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â, who is a native of Indiana County, and a $50,000 gift from Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek, a 1964 graduate and 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient originally from Westmoreland County;
• In February, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â announced gifts totaling $500,000: a $250,000 gift from an anonymous donor and a $250,000 gift from the Fairman Family Foundation of DuBois;
• In December 2024, Theodore Lazzaro, board-certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, gifted $50,000 to ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â for scholarships for students in health care professions;
• In October 2024, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors designated $2 million in design funds as part of the 2024–25 State System of Higher Education capital allocations budget for the academic building renovation for the health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine;
• Senator Joe Pittman and Representative Jim Struzzi announced in October 2024 that $2 million from the 2024–25 state budget has been set aside for the project;
• In July 2024, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â graduates Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka gifted $2 million;
• In June 2024, the Foundation for ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â committed $20 million;
• In May 2024, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler included $2 million for ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s project among his FY25 requested community projects and Senator John Fetterman included $2 million on his list to advance in the FY25 Community Project Funding process;
• ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â received a $150,000 allocation for the project in the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which was sponsored by Congressman Reschenthaler and Senator Fetterman and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 9, 2024;
• In February 2024, the Board of Governors allocated $500,000 for a facilities feasibility study for academic facilities for ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine;
• In January 2024, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â’s Alumni Association Board of Directors authorized a donation of $500,000;
• In December 2023, Sen. Pittman announced that as part of the 2023–24 state budget, $2 million was set aside for the project;
• In July 2023, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â graduates Nick Jacobs and Mary Ann Hoysan Jacobs donated $40,000 to advance the project. Nick Jacobs is a 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient who has a 1969 bachelor’s degree in education and a 1972 master’s degree in music education; Mary Ann Jacobs has a 1968 bachelor’s degree in music education and a 1993 master’s degree in adult and community education;
• In May 2023, Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate from Meadow Lands, 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and former president and current member of the Foundation for ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â Board of Directors and member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors, announced a pledge of $1 million for the project.

Since its founding in 1875, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.