A digital drawing of what the finished Osteopathic Medicine building will look like.

UNC Magazine

April 28, 2025

Written by Debbie Farris | Translated by Carlos José Pérez Sámano

Building a Healthier Colorado

Construyendo un Colorado más saludable

Proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine takes shape from the ground up — literally

La propuesta de Facultad de Medicina Osteopática toma forma desde cero, literalmente.

The next year will present multiple challenges and opportunities for UNC’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNC COM). Every element — physical facilities, curriculum, technological structure, faculty, staff and student cohorts — is being constructed simultaneously.  

After breaking ground in the fall of 2024, construction crews will be pouring the concrete foundation and installing the steel building structure throughout the spring and summer. The project is moving through pre-construction and design phases and is on track for a June 1, 2026, completion date.  

While concrete forms the literal foundation, the people and coursework constitute the college’s conceptual foundation. The UNC COM and its College Advisory Board have developed a 2025-30 strategic plan that serves as the blueprint for the college.  

The college’s singular focus is graduating world-class physicians prepared to practice outstanding osteopathic medicine. The strategic plan begins with receiving accreditation from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, with Pre-accreditation targeted for June 2025.  

Other strategic goals include building a community of excellence using pedagogy for adult learners that cultivates critical thinking; creating an environment fostering academic and clinical excellence; developing a community that recognizes achievement and provides mentorship; creating a diverse, equitable, inclusive program; and integrating the COM into the surrounding community. 

A Learning Environment Built for Excellence 

The curriculum outline emphasizes adult learning rather than lecture-heavy formats. Although students will attend numerous lectures in their first foundational course, they’ll transition to small group learning, case-based approaches and flipped classrooms.  

“That’s how adults learn,” said Dr. Beth Longenecker, dean of the UNC COM. “Your patient doesn’t walk in and say I’m having a heart attack. They walk in and say my jaw hurts. And you have to figure out do they have tooth pain? Is this a heart attack? Did someone punch them? Do they have TMJ? You have to think through everything.”  

The college will take a holistic, broad approach that’s fundamental to osteopathic medicine and leans heavily into critical reasoning.  

To support diverse learning needs, the COM will have a student success team monitoring progress and offering early intervention. Learning service specialists will provide mentorship, and peer tutoring programs will support academic success.  

Longenecker recently made several key hires. She brought in Pierre Banks, Ed.D., as associate dean of Admissions and Student Affairs. Banks joined UNC from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) John Sealy School of Medicine at Galveston, where he served as assistant dean  
for Admissions & Recruitment. At UTMB, he was also a clinical assistant professor teaching implicit bias, health equity and multiculturalism.  

She also hired two department chairs who start July 1: Kelli Glaser, D.O., MPH, FACOFP, FNAOME, in Primary Care from Rocky Vista University in Parker, Colorado, and Jaime Hinojosa, M.D., M.S., in Anatomy from Sam Houston State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Texas.  

Training Rural Doctors  

The UNC COM will develop a special track for rural doctors this spring, partnering with the Eastern Plains Health Consortium to develop rural clinical experiences and possibly residency programs.  

Though Longenecker is excited about this curriculum development, she acknowledges the work can’t begin in earnest until faculty are hired.   

Despite that, Longenecker has identified one key starting point: that all students begin with a strong foundation by taking a mandatory foundational biomedical science course. This approach is somewhat unique — Longenecker estimates only 30-40% of osteopathic medical schools use this model.  

“We really want to be holistic in our approach. Maybe it will be easier for some students who come in with a really strong science background. That’s OK, they can focus more on anatomy and other things,” she explains.  

A Curriculum for Healthier Communities, Healthier People  

 UNC COM students will learn to proactively address community needs through a curriculum rooted in population health — examining health outcomes of groups rather than individuals. This identifies and addresses underlying causes of health disparities to improve overall community wellbeing.  

By understanding interconnected factors affecting human health, osteopathic physicians can better influence how long and how well people live. This approach aligns with osteopathic medicine’s whole-person, community-based philosophy.  

Students will spend their first two years on campus, followed by two years of clinical rotations. The first semester begins with 10 weeks of Foundations of Medical Knowledge, covering biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, immunology, physiology, pharmacology, neuroscience and nutrition.  

Students will take courses in Clinical Reasoning, Anatomy and Imaging, Clinical and Communication Skills, plus Physicians, Patients and Community. This latter course focuses on professional identity formation, the physician patient relationship, population health and the impact of community on wellbeing.  

Paying for Medical Education   

Medical education is expensive. In 2024, the American Association of Osteopathic Medicine reported the average four-year cost to attend a public osteopathic medical college was $297,881.  

UNC COM will offer lower tuition than most COMs — $55,000 per year — but scholarship support remains essential. Thanks to donors Bob and Bonnie Phelps, the COM will award the Phelps Family CAP Scholarship to two of its first students. This provides them $30,000 annually — more than 50% of tuition — renewable for three additional years, totaling $120,000 each.   

With a longstanding commitment to philanthropy and UNC, the Phelps family funded this first COM scholarship to create incentives for top UNC students to continue on and pursue a medical degree.   

The Phelps scholarships will be available to Colorado residents who earned a UNC degree (undergraduate or graduate), have above-average MCAT scores and a GPA in the top half of the inaugural class.  

Preparing Students Academically, Socially and Financially  

The COM is hiring two learning service specialists and two financial aid counselors as part of its student support services. A student success committee will monitor student progress and meet with those performing below their peers on assessments, helping them to identify strategies for success.  

“This is not a committee that’s focused on impeding progress or dismissing students. It’s one that calls you in and tries to figure out what we can do to give you the support you need to make it through. Sometimes it even comes down to, ‘You need to take a leave of absence. You’re dealing with way too much in your life right now,’” said Longenecker.  

To destigmatize asking for help, all students will take a learning styles assessment before arrival and meet with learning service counselors during orientation. In addition, the COM will have a mental health counselor in its building and at the Counseling Center, normalizing mental health support.  

Embedded into the Community  

Reflecting UNC’s values of community and service, the COM leadership team is integrating the college into the university, region and health care services. The college will partner with regional health care systems to develop graduate medical education and create pathways for UNC undergraduate students across northern Colorado to pursue medical education.  

“Our community has been, and will be, vital to us as champions, collaborators and strategic partners. We are eager to serve our first classes of osteopathic medical students and work with our university and community partners to positively impact our communities and the health care workforce in Colorado,” said Longenecker. 

A timeline graphic of the construction for the College of Osteopathic Medicine

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College

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