New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM at A-State), has begun a partnership with Baptist Memorial Health Care to train future doctors.

The agreement, which begins immediately, identifies up to 25 NYITCOM medical student positions that will be dedicated specifically to students who want to train at Baptist Memorial Health Care facilities during medical school. In subsequent years the program can increase up to 50 students in the Baptist-NYITCOM cohort. Students selected to participate in the program will have some designated opportunities through the Baptist Memorial Health Care system during their first and second year, and participants will execute their year three and year four clerkships at one of Baptist’s 22 hospitals. 

“When we welcomed our first class in August 2016, NYITCOM at A-State began its mission to improve access to healthcare for the medically underserved and rural populations,” said Jerry Balentine, D.O., dean, NYITCOM and vice president, Health Sciences and Medical Affairs. “With this partnership, we are proud to continue that mission, and expand opportunities for our students as they prepare to practice in the underserved areas of the Mississippi Delta region.”

Upon completion of their medical education, students will be encouraged to apply to one of Baptist Memorial Health Care’s affiliated residency programs. Baptist currently hosts residents and fellows in family medicine, internal medicine, radiology, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, pathology and pulmonary medicine.

“This partnership aligns perfectly with our goal to train future physicians who are more likely to stay and practice in the Mid-South area,” said Shane Speights, D.O., dean, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University. “The opportunity to study within the Mid-South’s largest healthcare organization, with a variety of locations in both rural and urban areas, will be extremely valuable for our future doctors.”

Established in 1977, NYITCOM is one of the largest osteopathic medical schools in the United States, with more than 7,500 graduates practicing in all 50 states and 18 countries. Housed in the 86,000 square-foot Wilson Hall, NYITCOM at A-State facilities include laboratories and classrooms outfitted with technology for in-person and two-way live streaming of lectures between the Arkansas and New York campuses.

“We are so excited to launch this partnership because it will bring tremendous benefit to students, families and communities throughout the Mid-South,” said Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care. “There is a significant shortage of physicians, particularly primary care, in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. This shortage poses a grave health risk, particularly to people in under-served rural and urban communities. We believe this Baptist-NYITCOM program will help alleviate this shortage by giving more of our best and brightest students the opportunity to study and practice medicine in their home communities.”

For more information about the partnership, click here.

About New York Institute of Technology

New York Institute of Technology offers 90 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs in more than 50 fields of study, including computer science, data, and cybersecurity; biology and biomedical studies; architecture and design; engineering; health professions and medicine; IT and digital technologies; management; communications and marketing; education and counseling; and energy and sustainability. A nonprofit, independent, private, and nonsectarian institute of higher education, New York Institute of Technology welcomes nearly 8,000 students worldwide. The university has campuses in New York City (Manhattan) and Long Island (Old Westbury), New York; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as programs around the world.

New York Institute of Technology embraces its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, give all qualified students access to opportunity, and support research and scholarship that benefit the larger world. More than 107,000 alumni comprise an engaged network of doers, makers, and innovators prepared to change the world, solve 21st-century challenges, and reinvent the future.

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Casey Pearce
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