FAQs

Current students will not be affected until the new NSU Tampa Bay Regional Campus opens in Fall 2019. All programs currently being offered will continue at the new site, which is expected to also accommodate approximately 150 students in the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. That will also include additional students from several programs offered by the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences.

Approximately 27 acres, which includes a 311,000 square foot medical education complex.

We now have received approval for this additional site from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The new campus is expected to open in Fall 2019. There will be 150 students of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Tampa Bay Regional Campus.

With the start of the fall 2019 semester, NSU holds the honor of being the largest educator of doctors in Florida through its D.O. and M.D. colleges.

NSU currently produces the most graduates from a medical school (approximately 230 D.O. graduates per year), and when this secondary location opens that number will significantly increase (nearly 400 D.O. graduates), further solidifying NSU as the top producer of medical school grads.

The NSU Dr. Kiran Patel College of Allopathic Medicine will produce another 50 M.D. graduates each year, once the first class graduates in 2022.

The Tampa Bay Regional Campus is an additional site for the Fort Lauderdale/Davie-based College of Osteopathic Medicine. Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., will serve as the Dean of both locations. Kenneth Johnson, D.O., current Assistant Dean of Faculty, will be the on-site Executive Associate Dean, running day-to-day operations.

The College of Health Care Sciences offers 29 programs such as physician assistant, anesthesiologist assistant; occupational therapy; physical therapy; speech-language pathology, audiology, respiratory therapy, medical and cardiovascular sonography, athletic training, exercise and sport science, and health science.

The true answer is both.

The Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences will be based on NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus, but will have a strong presence on the Tampa Bay Regional Campus in Clearwater as well, bringing a viable economic benefit to both the east and west coasts of Florida. With the Patel Family Foundation’s support, both programs will provide additional educational opportunities and, in the near future, well-trained health care professionals in a number of fields. NSU’s College of Health Care Sciences also offers various programs at NSU’s regional campuses in Jacksonville, Orlando, Fort Myers, and West Palm Beach.

• The naming of NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, including support for equipment and the hiring of additional faculty and staff in the Tampa Bay area, as well as an endowment to sustain the operation of the college’s new location in perpetuity. The osteopathic medicine site will increase the number of NSU’s graduating D.O. physicians from 230 to approximately 380 per year.
• The naming of NSU’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, including an endowed scholarship fund for students.
• The development of a 311,000-square foot facility on a 27-acre Tampa Bay Regional Campus, hosting the new Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine site, several programs of the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences and existing programs at NSU’s current Tampa Campus.

While it’s difficult to put an exact number on the effect of the new site, it’s already providing jobs in the construction industry as the former Clearwater Christian College is demolished. The entire property will be elevated to meet flood zone plans and construction on the new NSU Tampa Bay Campus has already begun. Once the facility is open, new faculty, doctors, staff and students (up to 150 per year) will have significant financial impact on the area’s economy.

It is the largest gift ever received by NSU and among the seven-largest in Florida’s history.

The short answer is nothing. They are both physicians, and after 2020, the accrediting bodies on the post-graduate training is expected to be the same for M.D. and D.O.

The United States will face a shortage of physicians over the next decade according to research by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Rural and underserved areas in Florida, across the country and around the world are particularly vulnerable to this looming shortage.

NSU is already the top provider of physicians, physician assistants and B.S.N. nurses in Florida. NSU offers more than 60 degrees and certificate programs in related health professions ranging from pharmacy, optometry, medical sciences, dental medicine and nursing. Now, the university will simultaneously train D.O. students on two campuses, and M.D. students in Fort Lauderdale/Davie.

“Being the largest producers of a resource that is so lacking means that we are a doing a major service to the society by producing these doctors,” Patel said.

“The quality at NSU has always been there,” he added. “And now due to these gifts, we are now going to have best of both worlds -- quality and quantity in a manner that it is manageable because there are two different campuses.”

Johannes W. Vieweg, M.D., FACS, is the founding dean and chief academic officer for the NSU Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine. He has built a team of physician and academic leaders to develop and implement NSU MD’s hybrid, case- and problem-based learning curriculum.

Developed by a team of more than 100 medical educators, physicians and researchers, NSU’s innovative curriculum integrates didactics on ethics and humanities, genomics, inter-professional collaboration, biomedical informatics and leadership. The curriculum also includes a heavy emphasis on research, technology and innovation throughout the educational program leading to the M.D. degree.

Medical students will train to become active learners and work in small groups using active inquiry under the direction of a faculty facilitator. Students will be challenged to solve real-world medical problems using clinical cases and a team-based approach. Compared to passive, lecture-style teaching, the college’s curriculum is designed to better prepare medical students to interact with patients and health care team members. During clinical rotations, residencies and as practicing physicians, these lessons will provide necessary skills for leadership and upholding excellent standards of care.

• The addition of an osteopathic medicine site in the Tampa Bay area will increase the number of graduating D.O. physicians from 230 to approximately 380 per year.
• NSU’s new medical training complex in Clearwater, Florida, is expected to welcome its first 150 D.O. students when it opens in Fall 2019.