February 2023
Touro University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine will welcome its inaugural class in July of 2023!
Greetings From Great Falls, Montana!
Touro University, a national leader in medical and health education, is excited as we near the opening of our sixth Medical School Campus in Great Falls, Montana. The Touro University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine–Great Falls Campus joins a national network of seven physician assistant studies programs, two schools of pharmacy and several other health programs, including dental medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, speechlanguagepathology,appliedbehavioral analysis, industrial-organizational psychology and clinical mental health counseling We currently operate one or more of these programs in California, Illinois, Nevada, New York and, shortly, in Montana.
Asavaluedpartner,itiswithgreatpleasureand gratitude that I provide an update on the Touro University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine GreatFallscampus.Manyofyouhave beenabletowatchfromnearandfar,andbelow you will find an update on our progress. You might recall the process starting long before the 2021 groundbreaking. Since that time, not only has the facility been on the fast track to completion,butwehavebeenbusywith student applicant interviews, new employee interviews,
and the daily tasks of building a new state-ofthe-art medical school all at the same time. Below is a brief snapshot of major events in the timeline:
Many likely remember us as Touro College and University System. In 2022, we were officially recognized as Touro University. Coincidentally, this occurred at the time that Touro celebrated its 50th anniversary. Touro began with 35 undergraduate students and has grown to nearly 19,000 students, 36 schools, 246 programs, 34 degrees and 26 locations across four countries.
To watch highlights of our 50th Anniversary Gala, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZeRGwThegE
SCHOLARSHIPS
In December, Great Falls Development Authority, Inc. hosted a reception at the History Museum in honor of Touro’s new medical school, which was covered by local news station, KRTV. During the reception, several companies and individuals were recognized for their contributions to Touro
• Dr. Irving Weissman's $1,000,000 grant for a Medical Scientist Training Program scholarship for Touro students in partnership with the McLaughlin Research Institute.
• The Benefis Foundation, David and Tanya Cameron Medical Education Endowment Scholarship and the Nancy Cameron Medical Education Endowment Scholarship to benefit medical students from Montana
Scholarships. Scholarships are immensely critical and genuinely appreciated by the students. Our deepest and most sincere gratitude to all the individuals and entities offering these generous inaugural scholarships.
• Sletten Construction Endowed Scholarship
• Gusto Distributors Endowed Scholarship
• John Yturri Scholarship, created by Dr. Jim and Cari Yturri
• Mike and Stacy Waldenberg Scholarship
• Admiral Beverage Corporation Scholarship
• Bravera Bank Scholarship
• LPW Architecture Scholarship
ANCHOR PARTNERS
Touro University and the Great Falls branch is grateful to John Goodnow, CEO of the Benefis Health System, whose vision it was to bring a superior medical school to Great Falls,
Montana. The providers and staff at Benefis have all contributed their expertise and warm welcome to Touro, as well as an enthusiasm for educating our student physicians. Benefis is also a key clinical partner. Additionally, Touro has established a key partnership with the McLaughlin Research Institute (MRI), whosefaculty willprovideeducationinsomeof thefundamentalbasicsofamedicaleducation, as well as in partnership with other Touro research facilities nationally. We are thrilled with the MRI recent announcement of establishment of one of our nation’s first rural clinical research centers. These partnerships uniquely position Touro to continue its mission to address medical care in the rural, underserved, frontier and Native American regions of the state, as well as support the underrepresented in the medical profession.
CLINICAL PARTNERS
Our clinical partners across the State of Montana and the Mid-West Region are key to the success of the education of our future physicians. With classes slated to begin July 2023, the clinical education willbegin in 2025.The recent hiring of our Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs, Dr. Stephanie Zeszutek, will provide a point of contact between the
hospital, students and the medical school. Our deepest gratitude to each of the hospitals, facilities and clinics for offering their support in the early accreditation phase. We look forward to fostering relationships with you and your providers as well as showcasing each facility in upcoming updates.
APPLICATIONS
In September 2022, we received approval to recruit students for July 2023. We are diligently building our inaugural class and will continue to do so through the spring. We have
made many college and university visits throughout Montana, hosted several virtual visits, as well as hosting a recent virtual open house. The application and interview process will continue through late spring.
Students can apply by following the instructions below:
• Visit AACOMAS | Applicant Login Page Section at: aacomas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login
You will need to create an account if you don’t already have an AACOMAS profile.
• Once logged in, select “Add a Program" and use the TouroCOM NY College Designation Form number: 010142-00.
• As you progress through the application, you find the “Program Materials” section. Here you can designate the Montana campus.
Touro is also actively recruiting faculty and staff. Check our website at: touro.edu/about/careers-at-touro for openings. You may also inquire at 406.401.8100 or email jmorgan12@touro.edu (our local Director of Human Resources).
TOGETHER
Touro is excited to be a part of the Great Falls community and continues to give presentations regardingournewestOsteopathicmedicalschool,most recentlyat GFDA Ignite2023andLeadership Great Falls. The support of the Great Falls community, and all of our partners, hospitals, colleges and universities are integral to our success and is greatly appreciated.
The end or shall I say the beginning is in sight!
”You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place on earth. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” – Walt Disney
MEET OUR ADMINISTRATION
Patricia E. Salkin, JD, Ph.D. Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions, Touro University
Patricia Salkin is the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Provost of the Graduate and Professional Divisions of Touro University. She is the former Dean and current professor of law at the Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. She previously served as Associate Dean, Director of the Government Law Center and she held the Raymond and Ella Smith Distinguished Professorship at Albany Law School. Dr. Salkin is a nationally recognized scholar on land use and sustainable development law and policy, having authored more than 100 books, chapters, articles and columns on related topics. She is also a leading scholar on the subject of the integration of health impact assessment and local land use decision-making. She is an elected member of both the American Law Institute and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Dr. Salkin has served as a member of the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct for the last five years. She also serves on the board of the Association of Chief Academic Officers, and is the author of the book, May it Please the Campus: Lawyers Leading Higher Education. In addition to her land use and zoning scholarship, Dr. Salkin has published numerous articles and columns on professional licensure reform and on leadership in higher education.
Dr. Salkin has held many leadership positions in the American Bar Association, the American Planning Association and the NewYorkState BarAssociation, and she has served as a consultant to the National Governors Association, the National Academy for Public Administration and the American Institute of Certified Planners. She serves as a peer review for the American Bar Association Council on Legal Education and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Salkin has been recognized with many awards and honors for her contributions to the legal and planning professions as well as to higher education including: the ICMA Honorary Member Award, the Kate Stoneman Award, National Social Work Distinguished Leadership Award, Builders Award, Patriot Award for Support of Veterans and Service
Members, Brava Award, Women of Influence Award and the Ruth G. Shapiro Award
Patricia Salkin earned her B.A. from the University of Albany (political science); her J.D. from Albany Law School; a certificate in Corporate Board Leadership from Empire State College; and her Ph.D. from the University of the Arts (creativity). She also completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.
Kenneth J. Steier, DO, MBA, MPH, MHA, MGH Executive Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Harlem, Middletown and Great Falls Campuses
Kenneth Steier is our Executive Dean and ChiefAcademicOfficer at Touro Collegeof Osteopathic Medicine, Harlem, Middletown and Great Falls campuses. He is board-certified in internal, pulmonary and critical care medicine. He holds master’s degrees in business administration, public health, geriatric health and health administration. Dr. Steier has been published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, Postgraduate Medicine, Osteopathic Medical News and the Hospital Physician.
Dr. Steier formerly served as Associate Dean and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, as well as a Clinical Assistant Dean at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is an accreditation surveyor for the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), a grant reviewer for the Health Resources Services Administration and a consultant for the Food and Drug Administration. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Steier is a frequent guest as a medical expert on CBSradio,Channel4NewsinNewYorkandChannel 12 News in Long Island. Dr. Steier has been an HRSAPeerReviewerfor15years,servingasapanel chairforthe last five years,facilitating the reviewof Title VII training grants. In addition, Dr. Steier is a National Health Service Corps Scholar, having completed a public health service four-year commitment in rural Monroe, Louisiana from 1992 to 1996.
Founding Campus Dean
Elizabeth Palmarozzi is our Founding Campus Dean.
Dr. Palmarozzi previously served as the Founding Campus Dean of the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Auburn (VCOM Auburn) branch campus where she served as Dean for eight years.
Prior to her roles as Dean, Dr. Palmarozzi began her career in a private solo rural family medicine practice. Throughout most of her academic career, she continued to actively care for her patients. Risingthroughacademia,shewasawardedtherank of Clinical Professor while at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and Professor at VCOM.
Dr. Palmarozzi is an osteopathic family medicine physician and is board-certified by the American Osteopathic Association through the American Board of Osteopathic Family Physicians. She was awardedaFellowofFamilyMedicineintheAmerican College Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP).
Dr. Palmarozzi earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (now the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, TCOM). She completed her postgraduate education at Oklahoma State UniversityMedical Center, formerly known as Tulsa Regional Medical Center and Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital. Dr. Palmarozzi obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.
Beginning her academic career at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM), she was appointed to the Family Medicine Department where she was actively engaged in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. She served in several leadership roles, including multiple medical directorships, Family Medicine Residency Program Director and eventually Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. While there, she was also appointed Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital and Health Network, the local County Health facilities. Additionally, she served as the Chief Medical Officer of a division of UNT Health, the clinical enterprise of the UNTHSC.
Over the course of her career, she has educated DO and M.D. students, as well as physician assistants, nursing students and students of other health related fields of study. She has mentored numerous student and residents in research and scholarly activity.
Dr. Palmarozzi was appointed by the State of Texas to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, where she served for five years. She is a past president of the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association (TOMA), Texas Society of American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (TXACOFP), Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine Alumni and Rotary International. She is currently a COCA evaluator.
Dr. Palmarozzi serves on numerous community and professional boards. In 2016, she was the first female ever elected to serve as Speaker of the Congress of Delegates of ACOFP and currently continues in this role.
Renee Reijo Pera, Ph.D. Dean of Research and President of McLaughlin Research Institute
Renee Reijo Pera is our Dean of Research and the President of McLaughlin Research Institute (MRI). Prior to joining MRI, she was Vice President of Research, Economic Development and Graduate Education at the California Polytechnic State University on the central coast of California and at Montana State University in Bozeman. She spent almost 20 years in Silicon Valley at the University of California at San Francisco and Stanford University, where she was the George D. Smith Professor of Regenerative Medicine. Her work has received many awards among them TIME Magazine’s Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs in 2010, Newsweek‘s Twenty Influential Women Leaders in the United States and induction into the National Academy of Inventors. Her work at Stanford was the basis of the cofounding a company, Auxogyn, that later was consolidated to form Progyny, Inc, a member of the NASDAQ exchange. Renee’s research continues to focus on the link between early development and disease as we age. She holds a doctoral degree in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology from Cornell University and is the inventor of more than 10 patented technologies and author of 200 publications.
Kartick Pramanik, Ph.D, M.Pharm, B.Pharm Assistant Preclinical Dean
Kartick Pramanik is our Assistant Preclinical Dean
He received his bachelor’s in pharmacy, master’s in pharmacology and Ph.D. in pharmacy (specialization: pharmacology) from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. Dr. Pramanik was an honor student throughout his school and college levels and was recognized by being awarded the prestigious ‘Gold Medal Award’ from Jadavpur University. In 2015, after completion of his postdoctoral training in cancer pharmacology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Penn State University, he joined as Assistant Professor,DepartmentofPharmacology,PennState CollegeofMedicine,PennStateUniversity,Hershey, Pennsylvania.
In 2017, Dr. Pramanik joined Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) and Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO), University of Pikeville as Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, where he taught medical pharmacology courses and was actively involved in basic science research. In 2018, he became course director of Pharmacology in KYCOM and KYCO. In 2019, he became a National Faculty in the Department of Foundational Biomedical Sciences of National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners. Dr. Pramanik served on several UPIKE-KYCOM committees, including the faculty affairs committee, curriculum committee, research committee, faculty search committee, admission committee, curriculum task force committee, UPIKE research symposium committee. He served as Chair of Faculty Search Committee, Research Committee, UPIKE Symposium Committee and Vice-Chair of Curriculum Committee. Currently, he serves on several TouroCOM’s administrative committees.
Dr. Pramanik has been serving as reviewer, board member and guest editor in several cancer leading journals.
Stephanie Zeszutek, DO, FACOG, RPh
Assistant Clinical Dean
Stephanie Zeszutek is our Assistant Clinical Dean. Dr. Zeszutek received an Honors B.S. in Biochemistry from Stony Brook University, a pharmacy degree from St. John’s School of Pharmacy and a Doctor of OsteopathicMedicine degree fromNewYork College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, Bronx, New York and is board-certified in obstetrics-gynecology.
Prior to the Montana campus, Dr. Zeszutek was on the Middletown campus as the Course Director for Physical Diagnosis in the Department of Primary Care and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine.
Haley Denzer Assistant Dean of Student AffairsHaley Denzer is our Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. In her role, she provides oversight for the admissions, registrar, financial aid and bursar offices as well as student life and activities on campus.
Ms. Denzer’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and a Master of Health Administration, both from Montana State University, Billings, along with certification in healthcare compliance.
Ms. Denzer was raised in a farming community in eastern Montana. For the past 20 years, Ms. Denzer has focused on hospital and clinic administration in northcentral Montana. Ms. Denzerhasapassion for health and wellness. Her unique background, along with her experience in Montana's healthcare systems, provide her with a clear perspective and awareness of the health disparities that exist in Montana. A lifelong Montanan, Ms. Denzer has firsthand knowledge of the challenges Montanan’s face with healthcare, including cost, geography and access to primary and specialty care. She is excited to help shape the future physician workforce in Montana and contribute to improvements in health through the TouroCOM mission.
Thomas Miller, DO, MPH Associate Chair, Primary Care
Thomas Miller, DO, MPH is our Associate Chair, Primary Care. Dr. Miller hails from Montana where he grew up and earned a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology at the College of Great Falls (now University of Providence) before moving to Michigan, where he completed his DO from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internship at Mt. Clemens General Hospital in Mt. Clemens,MIpriortobeginning his20-yearAirForce career. While in the Air Force, he completed a residency in family practice and was Chief Resident at Creighton University. He remains board-certified in family medicine.
Dr. Miller was a staff physician on the Creighton University Family Practice Residency for one year
until he was moved by the Air Force. He also earned a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Occupational Medicine from The Johns Hopkins University. His main occupations in the Air Force were family medicine and flight medicine. After his retirement from the Air Force, he worked for U.S. Healthworks in Spokane, Washington, doing urgent careand occupational medicine for10 yearsuntil he movedtoKennewick,WA. WhileintheTri-cities,Dr. Miller worked for HPMC Occupational Medical Services, a contractor for the Department of Energy at Hanford, until accepting an assistant professor position at Heritage University. While at Heritage University,heworkedwiththePAandMasterofArts in Medical Science programs and worked one day each weekat PacificNorthwest University.Dr.Miller joined the staff at PNWU exclusively in May 2020, where he helped manage the clinical skills lab for first and second-year students until mid-October 2022.
He has been an ordained deacon with the Catholic Church since December 2019.