It is an exciting time here at NYITCOM, and we would not be where we are today without the commitment and dedication of our alumni. With nearly 8,000 alumni in all 50 states and 18 countries, NYITCOM is a global force in education and innovation.

Students on both our Old Westbury, New York campus and our Jonesboro, Arkansas campus continue to excel in the classroom and beyond. Our students had an incredibly successful residency match. Nearly 50% of our New York class volunteered to graduate early to assist with the healthcare demands related to the pandemic. Our Arkansas class made history as we graduated our first class in May of 2020. Nearly one-half of our graduates accepted positions that will keep them in Arkansas or the Delta region, helping alleviate the physician shortage in the area.

We continue to expand opportunities for our students and alumni. Our on-going partnership with Catholic Health Services will lead to increased opportunities for our students and research faculty in New York. We successfully launched a D.O./Ph.D. program, allowing us to grow and train a new generation of physician-scientists to help drive the future of medicine. Our recently approved ACGME sponsorship accreditation will allow us to continue to expand GME opportunities for our students.

We continue to invest in our facilities. This fall, we opened our newly expanded, state of the art, Ferrara Center for Simulation in Medicine and Patient Safety. This innovative, 8,000 square foot space allows us to utilize state of the art technology to provide students with realistic simulated experiences, from one on one standardized patient encounters to simulated ER rooms, birthing suites, and a variety of simulated skills workshops to ensure our students have the skills to be successful from their first patient experience.

Our newly created Center for Biomedical Innovation allows for state of the art collaboration and education using artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics, 3-D technologies, and imaging to develop and apply original technologies for biomedical discovery, diagnostics, and treatment.

We have updated our beautiful outdoor spaces and are in the process of creating a new student lounge and prayer and meditation room to give our students a space to unwind, study, connect, and refocus.

We continue to strengthen and grow our commitment to the Delta region through our Jonesboro, Arkansas campus. Supported by a major USDA grant NYITCOM created the Delta Care-a-van, a mobile medical unit used to provide health services and education in rural, underserved communities in the Mississippi Delta free of cost.

We created the Delta Population Health Institute, a collaboration of experts in family medicine, research, and public health to develop a culture of health through education, research, policy engagement, and community engagement.

We undertake all these initiatives with our most important mission in mind – to train top physicians with compassion for others.

If it has been a while since you have been back to NYITCOM, I encourage you to stop by and say hello, take a look at our new research projects, tour our clinics and capital improvements, and learn more about what we are doing and our plans. Be sure to visit us on social media to stay up to date with our exciting initiatives and the incredible work by our students, and faculty. I look forward to seeing you at events and on our campuses.

Nicole Wadsworth, D.O., FACEP, FACOEP
Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine