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White Paper

A.T. Still University is revolutionizing traditional medical education, and as a result the way healthcare will be delivered in this country.

Home of the world’s first osteopathic medical school, ATSU is in the process of opening a new college of osteopathic medicine on the University’s Mesa, Arizona, campus.

According to some experts, the new school could not come at a better time – or a better place.

Some studies have estimated that there will be a national shortage of as many as 200,000 physicians by 2020, and Arizona, one of the fastest growing states in the country, ranks near last in terms of medical school seats per capita. In addition, the way healthcare is delivered in this country is rapidly changing because of increased demands for services, the economics of providing affordable healthcare, and the need to ensure quality healthcare.

The University has formed Blue Ribbon Committees of national healthcare experts, medical educators, and experts in medical technology to develop a new, modern, technology-driven curriculum that will serve as a model to move the osteopathic medical profession to a leadership position in medical education.

The new school will emphasize cutting-edge technology and individualized, active, self-directed learning. Small study groups and problem solving will receive greater emphasis than lectures. The environment also will highlight a humanistic approach to education and healthcare with a commitment to lifelong learning. Students will be trained in patient- and community-centered care and will learn to be leaders and problem-solvers. Students also will be encouraged to practice in underserved communities.

Planning for the new school began in Fall 2004, and the study and design phase will take up to two years with an opening date of Fall 2007. The new school will operate in a portion of an existing 100,000-square-foot building on the 50-acre Mesa campus, which is the anchor for the Arizona Health & Technology Park, a 132-acre education, healthcare, and technology triangle owned by ATSU and Vanguard Health Systems. The new park will include hospitals, long-term care facilities, professional offices, and product development research facilities.

The school will be set apart by being unobstructed by traditional practices and so able to use new and innovative ideas and the best educational principles. Expected beginning enrollment will be 100 students each year.

A.T. Still University is led by ATSU President Jack Magruder, Ed.D. Craig Phelps, D.O., is provost of the Mesa campus, and Doug Wood, D.O., is dean of the medical school. Wood is the former 10-year president of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). He also is the former dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University and executive preceptor of the Administrative Medicine Program at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.