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Dean highlights
triumphs, outlines future during annual address
Also warns of
continued budget challenges
By Richard Heck
10-13-09
Despite uncertainty over future state funding, Dean Jack Brose,
D.O., outlined a list of 15 areas of focus for the next year for
OU-COM.
After highlighting both the achievements and financial issues faced
by the college during the past year, Brose concluded his annual
State of the College address with a list of priorities that will
drive the college’s continued success.
“It’s been a fantastic year, an exciting year, and a trying year.
It’s never been boring,” Brose said.
Higher quality and larger numbers of applicants and new students;
expansion of the CORE; completion of the Academic & Research Center
(ARC); solid research funding and achievements; and continued health
care outreach to the Southeastern Ohio community all are positive
highlights of OU-COM’s efforts, Brose said.
Last year’s 3,444 applicants—a 7.7 percent increase—netted a record
number of 120 first-year students this year, the highest in the
college’s history, Brose said. As of last week, applications for
next year are up by 12 percent, double the amount since 2003, he
said.
The CORE, Brose said, continues to remain “vibrant and growing” with
the addition of three osteopathic colleges—Midwestern University of
Arizona, A.T. Still University of Arizona, and Pikeville College
School of Osteopathic Medicine. The creation of a new CORE site in
Cincinnati means expansion to the one area of the state where OU-COM
has not had a presence. “That is no longer the case,” he said.
In keeping with the college’s mission, and despite funding cutbacks
by the state including elimination of funding for the OU-COM mobile
vans for fiscal year 2010, community outreach and health care remain
strong, the dean said.
During the past year, 348 patients were treated at the college’s
free clinics and the vans traveled more than 11,000 miles, Brose
said. OU-COM’s AmeriCorps group, COMCorps, provided more than 26,000
hours of service. Through the college’s Community Health Programs
unit, 6,455 immunizations were given, 408 prenatal program clients
were seen, and 327 breast and cervical cancer screenings were
provided.
As for budgetary issues, Brose noted that in fiscal year 2009 the
college saw an 8.8 percent—or $435,000—reduction in state clinical
teaching subsidies and a 13.9 percent—or $216,000—reduction in other
state funding. The college’s royalty/endowment investments lost
nearly $2 million, Brose said. “That’s tough,” he noted.
The dean warned that further cutbacks are likely, as the state’s
next budget relies on one-time federal stimulus funds. “We will be
watching the situation carefully, but we have a good ability to
adapt to adversity,” he said.
But despite the budgetary uncertainty, the upcoming year provides
several opportunities as well as challenges, Brose said. Expanding
electronic medical records and technology in the curriculum is “the
direction we need to go to be cutting edge,” he said. Also,
the college must continue promoting diversity among students as well
as staff, he said.
During the next few months, expansion and remodeling work will begin
on the college’s anatomy laboratory, as well as the new Clinical
Training and Assessment Center and Free Clinic in Grosvenor West.
The new ARC is in the final stages of construction and is expected
to open by winter quarter.
Finally, Brose outlined 15 areas of focus for the next year,
including:
1.
Developing more scholarships
2.
Renewing the emphasis on training students for family practice
3.
Building a new clinic and clinical research center
4.
Promoting translational research
5.
Developing community based participatory research
6.
Preparing for additional state budget cuts
7.
Focusing the CORE strategic planning process to position the
consortium for continued growth
8.
Advantaging students for the COMLEX exams, especially students at
risk
9.
Establishing special relationships with undergraduate programs
10.
Exploring new
types of programs and partnerships with other universities
11.
Focusing on CORE
competencies
12.
Developing an
underserved populations curriculum
13.
Expanding
medical informatics and health exchange
14.
Accelerating
computerized testing development
15.
Emphasizing
OU-COM’s pride in and support of the university, while communicating
the importance of the college’s budget integrity.
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