Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM) Unveils a Future of Excellence: Grand Opening Celebration on March 10th, 2024
Founders of OCOM, Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel, ceremoniously cut the ribbon, signifying the grand opening of the college.
ORLANDO, FL, March 10, 2024 – The Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM) made history Sunday, March 10th, as officials cut the ribbon on Central Florida’s newest medical school.
“OCOM is Florida’s newest medical school and Central Florida’s first osteopathic medical school,” said Robert T Hasty, DO, FACOI, FACP, Dean & Chief Academic Officer of OCOM. “We have developed a remarkable medical school that will train caring and expert physicians for generations to come. OCOM will have an impact on the Central Florida community, our nation, and our global community. This is truly a red-letter day for Central Florida and for medical education.”
Located in Winter Garden, FL, in the neighborhood of Horizon West, the three-story, 144,000-square-foot facility cost $75 million and took the contractor just 18 months to build. BakerBarrios, an Orlando-based architecture firm, did the design.
The Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine will have an incredible impact on the Central Florida Medical Community for generations to come. I am extremely proud and humbled by all the hard work our faculty and staff has put forth in making this a phenomenal state of the art facility, said Daniel Newhaller DO, FACOI, President of OCOM.
OCOM has modernist-style architecture and is a single 3-story building encompassing 144,000 square feet. The building has an Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Lab, Virtual Anatomy Lab, Research Lab, Simulation Lab, Library, and multiple large classrooms. Students will have access to multiple private and small-group study spaces. There are a multitude of study spaces as well as health and wellness spaces. This building provides all of the comforts a student doctor would need to be balanced and well-rounded in a medical school setting.
More about OCOM:
In addition to marking the school's grand opening, Dean Hasty announced several partnerships with organizations that will further students' education and opportunities available while in school. These announcements include:
An affiliation with the Veterans Affairs Administration (VA),
a new partnership with Orlando Health where our future medical students will have the opportunity to train clinically
An affiliation with Orange County Health Department
An opportunity for medical students to rotate at Halifax Health
An opportunity for medical students to rotate at Lakeland Health
Premier Medical Associates - a multi-speciality group with a footprint in Central Florida.
8th articulation agreement with a college or university: Indian River State College
A partnership with Elsevier to be a Design Partner on a new, groundbreaking medical education solution for Apple Vision Pro
Dr. Thomas Crow has given us a long-term loan on Dr. A.T. Still’s cane. Dr. Still founded the osteopathic profession and this is the only cane of his outside the museum of osteopathic medicine in Kirksville, MO
Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine was the vision of Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel, co-founders of the school. The region’s deficiency in physicians and residency programs motivated them to take a leap of faith by developing an osteopathic medical school.
"As a physician, I've always believed in the transformative power of education. The Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine is a realization of that belief—an institution designed not only to impart medical knowledge but to instill a sense of duty, empathy, and responsibility in our future physicians. Together, we're cultivating healers who will make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our communities.
Students will spend the first two years of didactic training on campus. Afterward, they’ll spend the third and fourth years of their education doing clinical rotations at affiliated hospital systems throughout the state of Florida. OCOM has established partnerships with more than 26 hospitals and healthcare systems and a partnership with Kiran Patel Institute for Graduate Medical Education, fostering residency positions throughout Florida.
One of the most thrilling aspects of being part of OCOM's inaugural class is the chance to help shape the culture of a medical college that will nurture compassionate and skilled physicians for years to come. I'm eager to connect with mentors and classmates who will greatly influence my journey in both life and medicine,” said Skylar Bentley, inaugural class of 2028 student.
It was also announced that on March 9, 2024, the Board of Trustees for OCOM unanimously approved a vote to apply for a name change of OCOM’s parent organization to be called the Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel Global University (KPGU). OCOM will retain its name.
Classes for OCOM’s inaugural class of 97 students will begin August 5th, 2024.
