NSU Health Professions Division 3 History of the Health Professions Division Sustained growth and unity have made Nova Southeastern University (NSU) the largest independent university in the state of Florida. This growth culminated in January 1994, when Nova University and Southeastern University of the Health Sciences merged to become Nova Southeastern University. Nova University was chartered in 1964 as a graduate institution in the physical and social sciences. Over time, Nova added programs in law, education, business, psychology, computer science, oceanography, social and systemic studies, and hospitality, and, in 1972, introduced its first off-campus course of study, in education. Soon, Nova became nationally recognized for its innovative distance learning programs. Today, field-based programs are located in 32 other Florida cities, in nearly 30 other states, and at selected international sites. While Nova continued to expand its educational reach, Southeastern University of the Health Sciences also was on an expansion course. Southeastern was created by osteopathic physicians committed to establishing a college of osteopathic medicine in the Southeast. As a result, Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine, as it was first known, opened in 1981. From 1987 to 1997, Southeastern added Colleges of Pharmacy, Optometry, Allied Health, Medical Sciences, and the College of Dental Medicine, which admitted 88 students in 1997. This growth was unprecedented, but not unsurpassed. There was still more to come. The merger created new possibilities. Prior to 1994, Nova had evolved with innovative technology, and Southeastern expanded to provide much needed health care education. With the merger, Nova Southeastern University’s resources make possible a more transdisciplinary education. Students have an opportunity to integrate across the disciplines and understand how their professions relate to society as a whole. The growth of the Health Professions Division (HPD) is continuous. In 2003, an R.N. to B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program was added to the College of Allied Health, which then became the College of Allied Health and Nursing. Numerous other nursing programs were added over the next nine years. This resulted in the creation of a separate College of Nursing in 2012. At the same time, the College of Allied Health was renamed the College of Health Care Sciences. In 2015, the College of Allopathic Medicine was added to the HPD mix. The college received preliminary accreditation in October 2017 and welcomed its inaugural class of 50+ students in the summer of 2018. It has since received provisional accreditation, the second step to full accreditation. In September 2017, NSU received the largest philanthropic gift in its history from Dr. Kiran C. Patel, M.D., and his wife, Dr. Pallavi Patel, M.D. The commitment from the Patel Family Foundation included a $50-million gift and an additional $150-million real estate and facility investment in a 325,000-square-foot medical-education complex. This real estate became the NSU Tampa Bay Regional Campus in Clearwater, Florida, which opened in 2019. The NSU Tampa Bay Regional Campus houses an additional site for NSU’s osteopathic medical school, as well as all the other HPD programs previously located at NSU’s Tampa Campus. In honor of the financial gift, the Health Professions Division renamed two of its colleges. NSU’s osteopathic medical college became the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, and NSU’s health care sciences college became the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences. Through the years, the HPD attained other significant financial gifts. To honor these gifts, two more HPD colleges were renamed. The College of Allopathic Medicine became the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, while the College of Nursing was renamed the Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing. In March 2023, Barry Silverman, M.D., and his wife, Judy Silverman, also made a transformational gift to the university, and the College of Pharmacy became the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy. From the HPD’s newest college—the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine—to its oldest—the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine—all the HPD colleges enhance NSU’s esteem by providing high levels of innovation and distinctiveness. Campuses Nova Southeastern University’s Health Professions Division— now composed of the colleges of osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, optometry, health care sciences, dental medicine, nursing, and allopathic medicine—offers a rare blend of tropical South Florida weather; plentiful, sunny beaches; an easily accessible campus; a dedicated and professional faculty; well-established affiliations with many hospitals, clinics, and healthcare systems in the area; and a mission to educate professionals capable of providing the highest-quality health care service. The university’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus is located on a lush, 314-acre site in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, 10 miles inland of the Atlantic Ocean and readily accessible via several highways and Florida’s Turnpike. The Health Professions Division complex, dedicated in June 1996, is located on the northwest corner of this campus and encompasses more than 540,000 square feet of space for administrative offices, classrooms, laboratories, the Martin and Gail Press Health Professions Division Library, and a patientservices clinic. There is also a 600,000-square-foot parking structure with space for 2,000 vehicles.
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