亚色影库 and Clarks Summit State Hospital have announced a clinical training affiliation agreement for future students at 亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
Securing clinical training sites for students is part of the successful accreditation process; 亚色影库 has secured more than 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.
Clarks Summit State Hospital, in Lackawanna County, is one of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ six state hospitals that provide inpatient services for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.
It serves patients from county mental health behavioral agencies from 11 counties: Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming. The goal of treatment at Clarks Summit State Hospital is to facilitate each patient’s return to the community. To support this goal, each patient at Clarks Summit State Hospital receives individualized treatment led by their treatment team—of which the patient is a member.
The clinical training affiliation agreement with Clarks Summit State Hospital is 亚色影库’s nineteenth formal signed agreement.
In addition to Clarks Summit State Hospital, 亚色影库 has signed agreements with two additional Department of Human Services’ state hospitals: Torrance State Hospital and Warren State Hospital.
Other formal clinical training affiliation agreements are in place with Conemaugh Miners Medical Center, Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers, Wayne Memorial Hospital, Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber, 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.
亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine’s clinical training affiliation agreement is the first clinical training agreement at Clarks Summit State Hospital with a college or school of medicine in recent history.
亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has “Candidate Status” from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, which recognizes that 亚色影库 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 亚色影库 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.
“Our clinical training affiliation agreements with Warren State Hospital, Torrance State Hospital, and now Clarks Summit State Hospital provide important opportunities for our future students to work closely with outstanding practitioners at behavioral health inpatient facilities serving three unique regions in Pennsylvania,” 亚色影库 President Michael Driscoll said. “We are very proud to partner with these important facilities and with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services in our ongoing work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine,” he said.
亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine will require mental health care and behavioral health care training beyond the required standards.
“DHS is honored that Clarks Summit State Hospital will help play a role in supporting Pennsylvania’s rural communities by training future generations of psychiatrists,” said DHS Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Deputy Secretary Jen Smith.
“The 亚色影库 students will gain knowledge and firsthand experience about behavioral health care, the unique needs and challenges the patients face, and participate in the opportunity to be a part of the patient’s recovery process. The students who train at Clarks Summit State Hospital will play an important role in fostering collaborations within the 11-county area the hospital serves.”
“亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine is committed to providing mental health and behavioral health care training to our students, regardless of what type of medical specialty they pursue, because we know that they will be called on to help patients facing these issues,” 亚色影库 proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose said.
“All three of the Department of Human Services’ facilities will be part of the required core and selective rotations for future students in 亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine. Because each of these facilities and staff is unique, our future students will gain a very broad perspective of rural mental and behavioral health care needs,” she said.
“These required rotations provide an important opportunity for our future physicians to learn from experienced professionals and first-hand experience about the important role that Pennsylvania’s behavioral health care system plays in caring for patients in Pennsylvania, including its rural citizens,” 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. Founding Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education Ryan Smith and Founding Associate Dean of Preclinical Affairs Luke H. 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 2025 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.”
亚色影库’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at 亚色影库 in December 2022.
There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; 亚色影库’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.
亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and 亚色影库’s commitment to addressing the rural health crisis have resulted in funding from individual donors, foundations, agencies, and legislators totaling more than $48 million.
Fundraising for the project is part of 亚色影库’s Impact 150 $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, raising funds for healthy students, a healthy university, and healthy communities.
Gifts to support the proposed college of osteopathic medicine include:
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In November, $1.9 million in community project funding for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine was announced as part of the FY26 federal budget. Congressman Guy Reschenthaler is the sponsor of this community project funding.
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In September, 亚色影库 graduates David (1971) and Becky Walzak (1970) made a $500,000 donation for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
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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 亚色影库’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine team as a consultant and executive mentor in 2022.
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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 亚色影库 child development and family relations graduate.
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In June, 亚色影库 received a $50,000 gift from Thomas R. Smith, of Hollidaysburg, who received a master’s degree in secondary counselor education from 亚色影库 in 1976 and retired from a 40-year career in education.
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In April, 亚色影库 received a $1-million gift from an anonymous alumnus of 亚色影库, 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.
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In February, 亚色影库 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.
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In December 2024, Theodore Lazzaro, board-certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, gifted $50,000 to 亚色影库 for scholarships for students in health care professions.
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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.
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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.
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In July 2024, 亚色影库 graduates Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka (1973) gifted $2 million for the proposed college.
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In June 2024, the Foundation for 亚色影库 committed $20 million.
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亚色影库 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.
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In February 2024, the Board of Governors allocated $500,000 for a facilities feasibility study for academic facilities for 亚色影库’s health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
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In January 2024, 亚色影库’s Alumni Association Board of Directors authorized a donation of $500,000.
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In December 2023, Sen. Pittman announced that as part of the 2023–24 state budget, $2 million was set aside for the project.
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In July 2023, 亚色影库 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.
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In May 2023, Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate from Meadow Lands, 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, former president and current member of the Foundation for 亚色影库 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, 亚色影库 has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As 亚色影库 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.