Northeast Ohio Medical University

Office of the President
The past year has been a time of transition, growth and change - both in leadership and direction - and I am elated with the progress that has been made.

I want to thank each of you for the contributions you have made to our continued success. To our alumni who selected this University as their educational home and have maintained its standing in the world, we appreciate you. To our students who make the University the vibrant place it is today and will carry its legacy into tomorrow, we embrace you. To the faculty and staff who work hard every day to impart wisdom and ensure the University runs effectively and efficiently, we value you. To our partners, business associates, funders and friends who are helping us move the University into the next century, we thank you.

There are many transformational undertakings at NEOMED that include the recent name change, organizational restructuring, strategic plan, partnership with Cleveland State University and the "Education for Service" initiative. While all of these undertakings are changing the face of the University, they will not change its spirit or intent. Our mission remains the same, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that our path stays true to that mission.

As a medical university, NEOMED has a large responsibility. As we move forward, we plan to focus many of our initiatives on the following:

• Workforce development - the lack of primary care physicians and other health care providers, as well as the poor geographic distribution of these professionals, remains an issue in many communities. NEOMED is properly positioned to make a true impact with our partnerships and the utilization of innovative approaches to education.
• Delivering care to the underserved - individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds often have less access to medical care. NEOMED will continue to work with community health centers and educate our students on opportunities and ways to assist in these areas of need. We hope to also use our influence to promote the development of the medical home model and encourage reimbursement reform.
• Increasing the diversity of the medical workforce - we believe that by making a medical education more accessible, we can help diversify the health care workforce. We will be working with our university partners to develop middle school and high school pipeline programs as well as new preprofessional educational tracks and experiences.
• Impacting economic development - by continuing to produce high quality health care professionals who remain in Northeast Ohio, we are continuing to help make an impact on the state's economy.

NEOMED is in the midst of transformation - positive transformation that will help us to continue to offer first-rate degree offerings, stand firm in tough economic times and grow to meet the needs of incoming students, the communities we serve and the health care entities with whom we partner. Everything we are doing today and everything we hope to achieve tomorrow is built on the success and foundation of past accomplishments, and we thank each and every one of you for your interest and support.

History
In 1972, multiple constituents, including three state-supported universities in Northeastern Ohio (The University of Akron, Kent State University and Youngstown State University), responded to a challenge offered by the Ohio General Assembly to develop a plan for medical education for this area that could address the need for primary care physicians, and one which would use existing facilities of the three universities and of the area community hospitals to the greatest extent possible.

The Northeastern Medical Education Development Center of Ohio, Inc. (MEDCO), was incorporated under Ohio Law on Aug. 18, 1972, to "develop a plan for expanding medical education opportunities in northeastern Ohio, including the establishment of a medical school." The directors of MEDCO engaged Stanley W. Olson, M.D., to direct the planning effort. He and a group of experts in medical education prepared a document, "The MEDCO Plan for Medical Education - 1973," which was accepted by the MEDCO directors and forwarded to the Governor of Ohio, the Ohio General Assembly, and the Ohio Board of Regents on Dec. 26, 1972.

In August 1973, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation establishing the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM). On Nov. 26 of that year, the Board of Trustees of NEOUCOM was officially installed. The Board of Trustees invited Dr. Olson to become the chief executive officer of the College.

The official "founding" date of the University is November 23, 1973.

Early in 1974, the site at Rootstown was chosen for the Basic Medical Sciences and Administrative Campus of the College. In 1975, 42 members were selected for the charter class of the six-year B.S./M.D. curriculum, and Phase I studies commenced at the consortium universities. In 1976, the College of Medicine was awarded a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and, in 1977, Provisional Accreditation was granted. In September of that year, charter class members began their freshman year of medical school on the Rootstown campus.

Meanwhile, association agreements with the College of Medicine were signed by hospitals in the area. Teaching hospitals that associated early with the College to function as major teaching hospitals were Akron General Medical Center, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, and Summa Health System, all of Akron; St. Elizabeth Health Center and Western Reserve Care System, both of Youngstown; and Aultman Hospital and Timken Mercy Medical Center of Canton. Hospitals that signed as limited teaching hospitals were Fallsview Psychiatric Hospital, Cuyahoga Falls;

Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna; Woodside Receiving Hospital, Youngstown; Barberton Citizens Hospital, Barberton; Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Warren; Hillside Hospital, Warren; Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Center, Akron; and Lodi Community Hospital, Massillon Psychiatric Hospital, Salem Community Hospital, and Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital. In 1994, Barberton Citizens Hospital was reclassified as a major teaching hospital because of its increased role in undergraduate and graduate family medicine education. Ambulatory Care Centers have been completed at the major teaching hospitals in Akron, Canton, and Youngstown.

Full-time basic medical science and community health sciences faculty were recruited to work at the Rootstown campus. A large faculty of full-time, part-time and volunteer clinicians at the associated hospitals and in private offices were recruited to provide the curriculum of the clinical years.

The Medical Education Foundation of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Inc. (MEFCOM), was established on July 10,1978. Later known as the NEOUCOM Foundation, the 501(c)(3) corporation serves as a vehicle through which donations, grants, and bequests can provide support for students, faculty development, scientific equipment, and other projects beneficial to the University.

Full accreditation was accorded the medical portion of the College's six-year combined B.S./M.D. degree program on June 30,1981, retroactive to March 5,1981 (the actual date of the LCME site visit). The College's Charter Class of 42 students graduated on May 30, 1981.
Program expansion

In November 2005, the Ohio Board of Regents approved a doctor of pharmacy program at NEOUCOM, and the College of Pharmacy was established in December 2005 by the NEOUCOM Board of Trustees. The doctor of pharmacy program was likewise created to meet important regional needs: to address the shortage of pharmacists in both retail and hospital settings.

The College of Pharmacy, which has preferential admissions agreements with Northeast Ohio's four public universities, The University of Akron, Cleveland State University, Kent State University and Youngstown State University, welcomed its first class of 73 students in August 2007. The program offered NEOUCOM an opportunity to examine curricular needs of its students, and the introduction of interprofessional education was made. Today, medicine and pharmacy students take many first and second year classes together to help build a greater awareness and understanding of each profession and a deeper understanding of working together for the outcome of better patient care.

In July, 2009, the College of Graduate Studies was established. The University received degree granting authority for a Master of Public Health Degree, and established a bioethics certificate program as well as a M.S. and Ph.D. in integrative pharmaceutical medicine.

In 2009, the Ohio Board of Regents called for an expansion of the College of Medicine program to include students from Cleveland State University. This program began in Fall, 2012.

April 29, 2011 was another historic day for the University, as Governor John Kasich publicly signed House Bill 139 as approved by the Ohio General Assembly to officially change the name of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) to Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED).

Northeast Ohio Medical University Campus Expansion
Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) is transforming its 450,000-square-foot campus with several phases of campus expansion during the next two years in order to offer better education and research facilities, larger accomodations designed to address growing class sizes and expansion, facilties open and available to the surrounding community, and additional student life amenities.

Accreditation
Accreditation is a process that determines whether an institution or program meets established standards for function, structure, and performance. The accreditation process also fosters institutional and program improvement.

Institutional accreditation addresses the overall quality of the organization without making judgments about specific programs. It assures that medical or pharmacy education takes place in a sufficiently rich environment to foster broad academic purposes. Program accreditation is carried out by program-accrediting bodies that apply specific standards for curriculum and course content.

Institutional Accreditation
The accreditation of the University is granted by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Its publication, Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions: An Overview, provides general information about the accreditation of higher learning organizations by The Higher Learning Commission.

The University is fully accredited by the NCA. Its next comprehensive evaluation will take place in academic year 2012-2013.

Program Accreditation

Accreditation of the College of Medicine
Medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States and Canada are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). To be accredited, programs must meet the national standards described in the document Functions and Structure of a Medical School.

The LCME's scope is limited to the accreditation of complete and independent medical education programs located in the United States or Canada. If medical schools seek to receive federal grants for medical education and to participate in federal loan programs, they must be accredited by the LCME. Most state boards of licensure require that U.S. medical schools to be accredited by the LCME as a condition for licensure of their graduates.

The College of Medicine is fully accredited by the LCME. The last comprehensive site visit took place in March 2011. The LCME continued the accreditation of the NEOMED's educational program leading to the MD degree for an eight-year term. The next LCME comprehensive site visit will take place during the 2018-2019 academic year.

Northeast Ohio Medical University Degree Programs :

Medicine

Pharmacy

Video Presentation

Memorable University Experiences