Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has announced the formation of two new schools as part of a recent academic restructuring: the PCOM School of Health Sciences and the PCOM School of Professional and Applied Psychology. The new schools join the PCOM College of Osteopathic Medicine, which encompasses the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine programs across all campuses and locations; and the PCOM School of Pharmacy, established in 2010 and located at the institution’s branch campus in Suwanee, Georgia.
The PCOM School of Professional and Applied Psychology brings together all of the College’s psychology and leadership graduate programs
under one roof: clinical psychology; counseling and clinical health psychology; educational
psychology; mental health counseling; school psychology; organizational development
and leadership; aging and long-term care administration; public health management
and administration; and non-profit leadership and population health management. The
School also houses a number of certificate programs including applied behavior analysis.
The PCOM School of Health Sciences brings the College’s health sciences graduate and doctoral programs together: biomedical sciences; forensic medicine and pathology; physical therapy and physician assistant studies.
Kenneth Veit, DO '76, MBA, provost, senior vice president of academic affairs and dean, said the decision to restructure came after the establishment and growth of new academic programs over the last several years, coupled with the recent retirement of the College’s former head of graduate programs and planning.
“We wanted to create a new structure that better reflects the size and scope of our academic programs and also the institution’s university status, which was granted by the state of Pennsylvania in 2014,” said Dr. Veit. He added that the institution has no plans to rename.
Two internal candidates, Robert A. DiTomasso, PhD, ABPP, (above) and Gregory McDonald, DO ’89, (left) were chosen as the deans for the PCOM School of Professional and Applied
Psychology and the PCOM School of Health Sciences, respectively. Dr. McDonald previously
served as the head of forensic medicine and pathology, and Dr. DiTomasso had served
as the chair of the Department of Psychology for more than 14 years.
Shawn Spencer, PhD, began his tenure as dean of the PCOM School of Pharmacy on March 26.
“The restructuring is intended to strengthen academic offerings within the college and schools, to continue and enhance professional collaboration in PCOM’s teaching and research missions, and encourage a shared vision for excellence in interprofessional education, clinical work and scientific discoveries,” said Dr. Veit. “Deans will have the structure they need to achieve success and potentially grow or expand offerings within their schools.”
Learn more about each of PCOM’s colleges and schools.
Established in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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