GREAT FALLS - Touro University held the grand opening of its College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) Great Falls location on Monday, August 7, 2023.
They had a white coat ceremony Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, to present the inaugural class with their official white coats and stethoscopes.
Following the white coat ceremony, they conducted the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new campus and recognize all those who played a role in making this new school possible.
Governor Greg Gianforte said that this is “a huge milestone to welcome 109 freshmen students into this brand-new medical school in Great Falls, Montana,” and the start of better access to quality healthcare.
He anticipates that many of the students who come through Touro COM’s Great Falls location will stay and become practicing physicians here in Montana.
“We have such a shortage of health care workers, doctors in particular, and it's been shown that when students study in a certain locality and then do their residency in those communities, they put down deep roots,” said Gianforte. “And this is a big step towards creating a workforce pipeline so that Montanans have access to quality care.”
Kenneth Steier is the dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Harlem, Middletown and Great Falls locations.
“Dr. Kadish called me and told me about the opportunity here, and we discussed it thinking maybe 2025 or 2024, best-case scenario,” said Steier. “But here we are in 2023 [because] it seemed like such a great opportunity with a great community.”
Touro University’s Great Falls location is the first non-profit medical school in the state of Montana. Touro COM will be associated with several medical providers in the region, including Benefis Health System.
“We've all spent so much time, so much hard work behind the scenes, the financing for the project, the construction, the accreditation, the recruiting students and recruiting faculty,” said. Steier. “You know, we've recruited students from all over the country and faculty from all over the country.”
Also present at the ceremonies was Rabbi Moshe Krupka, who is the Executive Vice President and Ombudsman for Touro University.
“Touro is committed to serving the underserved and certainly, medical health outcomes here in Montana need support,” said Rabbi Krupka. “We're thrilled to be able to create a new campus in a community that desperately needs young, talented, well-educated doctors.”
The college is located near the corner of 26th Street South and 18th Avenue, close to Benefis Health System and Great Falls Central Catholic High School.
You can visit the Touro University website to learn more by clicking here.
