NSU Horizons Fall 2017

6 NSU HORIZONS has received preliminary accreditation for a new M.D. college, which will welcome its charter class of 50 students in fall 2018, and is planning the development of a teaching hospital/ medical center on the Fort Lauderdale/ Davie Campus in partnership with HCA East Florida. As the leading producer of physi- cians and physician assistants in Florida, NSU boasts a graduation rate of more than 1,200 health care professionals annually from the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences. Combine those numbers with the additional 200 doctors (D.O.s and M.D.s) who will graduate annually, and it becomes clear that NSU is advanc- ing health care services throughout Florida and beyond. The health care sciences college offers 29 different programs, including physician assistant, anesthesiologist assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, speech-language pathology, and more. The numerous disciplines offered at the college appealed to the Patels’ desire for their gift to have a far-reaching, significant impact on people’s lives. Dr. P is excited about the cumula- tive effect this will have on health care access. “Over the next 20 years, NSU will train thousands of new doctors and other health care profes- sionals who will directly touch millions of lives, making a real difference,” she said. Stanley H. Wilson, PT, Ed.D., dean of the health care sciences college, is thrilled and “extremely grateful” to the Patels. In the near future, he anticipates an increase in the number of students entering the programs at the Clearwater site, as well as addi- tional program offerings. “The Patels’ philanthropy will certainly go a long way to help us strengthen our pro- grams, make them more diverse, and further treat medically underserved communities where the need is great,” Wilson said. NSU PUTS PATIENTS FIRST Fred Lippman, R.Ph. , Ed.D., NSU’s interim executive vice president and chief operating officer, added, “This commitment will help us continue to take a multidisciplinary approach to advancing health care by enhancing integration of medical and health care education, research, practice, and community leadership. That’s how NSU keeps patients first and delivers better outcomes for families and communities.” The Association of American Medi- cal Colleges (AAMC) predicts an alarming shortage of physicians in Left: Students entering NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine received their white coats. Below: NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, center, recounts how much the Patels’ gift will mean to the university with, from left, Elaine Wallace, dean of the osteopathic medicine college; Dr. Kiran C. Patel; Dr. Pallavi Patel; and Stanley H. Wilson, dean of the health care sciences college.