Touro medical school names news dean

The next dean of Touro University Nevada's College of Osteopathic Medicine will be a longtime educator with a background that includes teaching, clinical work, research, and expertise in residency and fellowship programs.

Shelley Berkley, CEO and senior provost at Touro, announced Friday that Dr. John Dougherty, of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, takes over Feb. 1 for Dr. Mitchell Forman, who earlier had announced he was leaving his post to practice medicine full time.

Dougherty is the senior associate dean for clinical affairs and a professor at the Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Forman was the founding dean of Touro's medical school, which graduates about 130 doctors of osteopathic medicine each year. Forman, a specialist in rheumatic disorders, will continue to see patients in the medical facilities at Touro campus in Henderson and be an attending physician for residents.

The change of leadership comes after Touro was re-accredited this year by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. Medical schools go through such a process about once every seven years.

And the news from Touro came on the heels of word that the Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Medicine has been approved as a candidate for accreditation after the Liaison Committee on Medical Education accepted Roseman's self-study detailing all aspects of the curriculum, resources, faculty and facilities. The change in status to candidate moves Roseman one step closer to fruition.

Roseman and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine had been on roughly parallel paths to having the capacity to teach 60 medical students per year beginning in 2017. The schools are still listed together on the Liaison Committee on Medical Education website, but UNLV's status remains applicant.

UNLV officials are on track to submit their self-study on Dec. 1.

Contact Steven Moore at smoore@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563.