Healthcare

IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Earns Pre-Accreditation Status, Approved to Begin Recruiting Students 

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has earned “pre-accreditation status” from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, meaning that IUP can begin recruiting and admitting students to its Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program and begin medical instruction within the approved osteopathic medical curriculum.

IUP’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine in December 2022. The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education as the accreditor of colleges of osteopathic medicine; only 46 colleges of osteopathic medicine, operating at 73 sites, are accredited by COCA.

“The efforts to advance the College of Osteopathic Medicine over the past four years have been a true university commitment to our mission of addressing the health care crisis in our communities. I thank everyone involved for all that they have done to bring us to this stage, especially the College of Osteopathic Medicine leadership team,” President Driscoll said at an event celebrating the positive step forward.

“IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will be literally life changing—not just for the patients and their families being cared for by our future college of osteopathic medicine graduates, but for promising and caring individuals who will have the opportunity to pursue quality, affordable, medical education focused on rural communities, and to become physicians and serve the communities where they live and love,” he said.

There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine would be the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university.

IUP Council of Trustees Chairman and Pennsylvania State System Board of Governors Vice Chairman Sam Smith, Council of Trustees Vice Chair Laurie Kuzneski, Trustee Susan Delaney, IUP President Michael Driscoll, and IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose welcomed Senator Joe Pittman, Representative Jim Struzzi, Mitchell Henderson representing Senator John Fetterman, Indiana Regional Medical Center and Mountains Health President and CEO Steve Wolfe, and a number of community leaders were all at the event celebrating COCA’s decision.

“I could not be more proud or more thrilled to be part of this incredible project,” Founding Dean Rose said. “IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is community-based and community-driven, by IUP and rural communities across Pennsylvania who have come to join forces with IUP and address the rural healthcare crisis head on,” she said.

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Transportation 

Aurora Innovation partners with Volvo to expand autonomous freight network

Self-driving technology company Aurora Innovation has partnered with Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS) to expand its autonomous freight network to include a 200-mile route between Dallas and Oklahoma City. Aurora Driver, Aurora Innovation’s self-driving system, integrates with the Volvo VNL Autonomous, a production-ready autonomous truck.

The expansion will allow VAS to begin hauling freight directly to customer facilities in Oklahoma City.

“Leveraging our technology to open new routes quickly and efficiently is a core part of our strategy,” Ossa Fisher, Aurora president, said. “Aurora and Volvo are firing on all cylinders and our ability to execute together at scale is clear. As Volvo’s most advanced autonomy partner, we are proud to be the first to deploy the Volvo VNL Autonomous across multiple states.”