Dean named for planned osteopathic college in Clovis

California Health Sciences University has named a new chief academic officer and founding dean for its planned College of Osteopathic Medicine on its Clovis campus.

Dr. Douglas Wood, who has served as vice president for health affairs and dean at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine, began his new job on Monday.

The university said Wood has more than 50 years of medical and professional experience.

He has been senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at A.T. Still University in Arizona, and served as founding dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine. He also served as dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University in East Lansing and then lead dean for its neuroscience program and subsequently the W.K. Kellogg Community/University Partnership program.

“Dr. Wood is one of the most respected and experienced leaders in osteopathic medical education with a focus on leading innovation in health care and education,” Florence Dunn, president at California Health Sciences University, said in an emailed statement. “He shares our vision for training physicians with a focus on family medicine and primary care with a desire to serve the Central Valley, especially those in rural and underserved areas.”

In November, the Assemi family, which opened a private pharmacy school in Clovis in 2012, announced plans for a college of osteopathic medicine to open as soon as fall 2019. The university has been granted approval to begin an accreditation process for an osteopathic medical college.

Administrative offices for the medical school will be located temporarily at 65 N. Clovis Ave., in a 9,000-square-foot building now under construction.

The school eventually will be on a permanent campus on 60 acres near Temperance Avenue and Highway 168, just north of Clovis Community Medical Center.

The university said Wood was selected from a pool of candidates during a national search, which began last year.

Dunn said Wood’s dedication to educating physicians and passion for serving patients, especially those in rural and underserved communities, will help the university achieve its mission to improve the health of people living in the Central Valley.

Wood has been principal investigator for an Inter-Professional Education project entitled, “From Campus Curriculum to Rural Community Health Centers: A Statewide Model of Osteopathic Inter-Professional Education,” funded by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the university said.

Wood said in a written statement that he is excited for the opportunity to launch another new college of osteopathic medicine, “especially in a region that desperately needs primary care physicians.” And he looks forward to working with community partners and recruiting a team of administrators and faculty.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Dean named for planned osteopathic college in Clovis."