甜心视频app

A letter from Founding Dean Beth Longenecker

For the past five years, 甜心视频app has been on a journey to build a new College of Osteopathic Medicine. These efforts continue to accelerate as we construct a new 100,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building, hire our inaugural faculty and staff, navigate accreditation processes and create a recruitment plan to attract our first class of students.  

I joined the team just over three years ago when President Andy Feinstein hired me as the founding dean for the college. During this time, I have been frequently asked 鈥淲hy did you choose to accept this position?鈥�, 鈥淲hy osteopathic medicine?鈥� and 鈥淲hy 甜心视频app?鈥�   

To answer these questions, it may be helpful to know a bit about my background. 

I grew up in a small rural town in Pennsylvania about 25 miles from the nearest hospital. My father was the town physician, and my mother was his office nurse and office manager.  His practice was adjacent to our home and on many occasions, dinner or a backyard barbecue would be interrupted by one of our neighbors facing an emergency.   

Some of my earliest memories include riding in my father鈥檚 jeep while he made house calls. These experiences provided me with insight into the vital role a physician plays in their community as well as shaped my concept of the doctor-patient relationship.   

My father took the time to get to know his patients and their families. He understood that someone鈥檚 well-being was not only impacted by genetics but also by stressors and support systems. He actively engaged in the community, from providing medical oversight of our volunteer ambulance and healthcare to our volunteer firefighters to cooking at the annual town pancake breakfast.  

While some of his style may have been due to his personality and desire to connect, he attributed much of his approach to the tenets of osteopathic medicine that were taught to him as a medical student in Philadelphia.  While all physicians trained in the United States focus on the diagnosis and management of disease through evidence-based application of pharmaceutical and surgical methods, osteopathic physicians are trained in a philosophy that emphasizes a holistic approach, focusing on the body鈥檚 interconnected systems, preventive care and a treatment approach that incorporates manipulative therapy, lifestyle and social interventions. Witnessing my father鈥檚 commitment to his work and interaction with his community, when I decided to become a physician, I only applied to osteopathic colleges. 

As I embarked on my medical education at Ohio University, my path began to diverge from that of my father. Rather than focusing on primary care, I opted to see patients in the emergency department and, upon completing residency, chose to do so in a safety net hospital in the South Bronx neighborhood in New York City. I applied a holistic approach to my patients and, whenever possible, worked with them to address the stressors, family dynamics, barriers and available support to help them achieve their best health outcomes.  

I served as a faculty member while in the Bronx, eventually becoming the director of the emergency medicine residency program while pursuing a master鈥檚 in medical education. Teaching the next generation of physicians was not only something that inspired me, but it was also a way to exponentially impact our community. If individual physicians see, on average, 60,000 patients in their career, graduating 17 residents per year from our program provided access and care to more than a million patients. 

As my career progressed, I started working full time at osteopathic medical schools, first aiding in residency development, then as an associate dean overseeing the clinical aspects of the curriculum and finally as a campus dean at my alma mater. It鈥檚 these experiences that led me to 甜心视频app, embracing the challenge of creating a new College of Osteopathic Medicine in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, graduating doctors who serve where they are needed most. 

Colorado and the rest of the nation are facing a significant physician shortage. The American Association of Medical Colleges estimates a shortfall of 86,000 physicians across the U.S. by 2036, while Colorado is only meeting 34% of physician needs currently. As the state鈥檚 population continues to grow and age this situation will only worsen unless we address it.  

Building on our highly regarded health care and science programs such as nursing and public health, a College of Osteopathic Medicine aligns perfectly with 甜心视频app鈥檚 Students First and career connected strategic priorities, ensuring hands-on, community-focused education that leads directly into successful careers. And our longstanding commitment to serving Colorado鈥檚 growing and diverse communities, especially in rural and underserved regions, means we already have the partnerships, interdisciplinary excellence and alumni network needed to train osteopathic physicians who will stay and practice here. 

Our college has come a long way toward welcoming our first class of 75 students and it will continue to grow until we have 150 students in each class.   

We are working with hospital systems and practices across the state and region to develop opportunities for clinical rotations, where students work directly with physicians to learn patient care, as well as to develop residency programs (also known as graduate medical education) so that our students can continue their educational journey in our state after graduation.   

We are developing a curriculum that embraces osteopathic philosophy, with the goal of graduating physicians who know their patients, recognize that health is impacted not just by the body, but also the mind and spirit, and who will positively impact not just their patients, but also the communities that they serve. 

鈥擝eth Longenecker, DO, Founding Dean

Watch Our Progress! This live construction camera shows minute-by-minute progress on the new building: unco.edu/liveview

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The Numbers Tell the Story  

• Nearly 300,000 physicians will retire nationally by 2035 
• The U.S. will face a shortage of 139,000 physicians by 2033 
• Colorado will need 1,773 additional primary care physicians by 2030鈥嗏�斺�哸 49% increase  
• Only 34.6% of Colorado鈥檚 need for physicians is currently being met   
• Colorado鈥檚 two existing medical schools cannot meet demand and turn away thousands of qualified applicants each year