Liberty University hires medical school dean
Liberty University is moving forward with its plans to open a medical school by the fall of 2013 with the hiring of a dean.
Dr. Ronnie Martin, who was most recently an associate and vice dean at Blacksburg’s Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, will preside as dean over the development of the new school.
Like VCOM, Liberty is seeking to open an osteopathic medical school, with accreditation from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
The Virginia Tobacco Commission recently approved a $12 million grant to support the opening of the medical school as part of a larger plan to develop a Center for Medical and Health Sciences at the university’s campus.
Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said in a recent university publication, that Liberty will encourage its medical students to begin their careers in underserved communities in Southwest Virginia and is considering a student loan forgiveness program as an incentive.
February 27, 2012 - 9:10 AM
Will Liberty medical school teach *all* of modern medicine, including ethics and women’s health, or will it teach its students to withhold medical care that they don’t personally agree with?
@tass I’ve been waiting for a response from Liberty and haven’t received one.
I am glad that Liberty has a social conscience and is spending time and money responding to the needs of the most impoverished part of Virginia. I just wish that “Tass” and Ms. Jones’ bigotry and nefarious slander were surprising. I am sure that neither is that ignorant and neither thinks that “all” of modern medicine will not taught. Apparently, they also think that Liberty will bewitch the accrediting association and get the accreditation standards changed to reflect only they parts of “modern medicine” in which it believes, whatever that may mean.
Again, I am certain that neither of these individuals is that ignorant, rather using rhetoric to promulgate hate speech.
This is not the response from Liberty you have been waiting for Ms. Jones, I have no affiliation or relationship with institution. I would not hold my breath waiting if I were you. They are actually doing something, I doubt if they have time to concern themselves with every venomous post on obscure websites.
@Mike Morgan I believe you misunderstood my intentions in contacting Liberty with Tass’ question. First, as you point out, there is a long process of accreditation, which involves presenting detailed curriculum plans. I believe that process is only beginning and in contacting Liberty I asked them about that process. Second, by posing the question, I am not saying that Tass’ implications are correct. There has been a serious and ongoing conversation in this country about how a doctor’s personal ethics comes into play while practicing medicine. Medical ethics is part of any curriculum and I am sure it will be at Liberty. I believe of interest to the general public is the details of how it is taught and discussed at various schools. And, I think that as a journalist maintaining a blog where we encourage comments, my role is to provide a forum for insight into some of our community’s differences. Thank you for participating in the conversation.