By Audrey Hanes, Photography by Madeleine Volner (NYITCOM) and Melissa Donner

Ten years ago, the dreams and hard work of many were realized when the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University opened its doors to a class of 120 students who wanted to begin their careers in medicine at the new school. As the college nears an important milestone, its founders, leaders and alumni prepare to come together to celebrate the impact its versatile physicians have made on the area healthcare landscape.

The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM) is Arkansas’ first osteopathic school of medicine. A-State first approached NYIT in 2012 about bringing its medical program to Jonesboro, and upon receiving final approval in late 2015, A-State proceeded with a $12.6 million renovation of the Jonesboro campus’ Wilson Hall, the home of the medical program. The school opened in 2016 under the leadership of former dean and accomplished physician Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee and has since produced 730 graduates including the class of 2026.

A Growing College of Medicine

As the founding dean of NYITCOM, Ross-Lee says she is most proud of the model of community partnership that is a foundation of the program.

“I want students to know they will become a pivotal force for the improvement in the health of Americans,” she said. “… Today, I have continuous connections for collaborations with other college of medicines to incorporate the innovative models of relationships and programs established by the school. Additionally, (I) use NYITCOM at A-State as a distinctive collaborative model for start-up of other new medical schools in the region and around the country.”

Jason Penry, former A-State vice chancellor for advancement/development, led the effort to open a medical school at the university. After serving A-State from 2012-19, Penry was the second holder of the James W. Aston ’33 University Chair in Institutional Development at Texas A&M, an endowed chair established in 1985. Today, he leads an advisory firm that helps athletic departments maximize major giving and navigate the chaos of the modern era of college athletics.

“While the idea had been discussed for years, it truly took flight around 2012 with a shared realization: Arkansas State was uniquely positioned to address a critical health care shortage in our region,” said Penry. “Our ‘North Star’ was simple: improving access for the people of Arkansas; achieving it required an extraordinary, large-scale team effort.

“During this time, hundreds of community members, physicians and alumni served as informal advocates and ambassadors. We were fortunate to have steadfast partners in St. Bernards and NEA Baptist, and eventually NYIT, who shared our vision for training doctors in Arkansas, for Arkansas. While I had the privilege of helping coordinate the effort, the heavy lifting was done by people like Chris Barber, Mark Young, Brad Parsons, Jeff Hankins, Mendy Hendrix, Chuck Welch and Rep. Rick Crawford, along with the ASU System board. The project was a humbling reminder that when a community unites around a worthy cause, almost any obstacle can be overcome.”

Founders and administrators hope that the type of future physicians the school attracts are those who want to make a lasting impact on their communities in more ways than one.

“You can go anywhere to obtain a medical degree,” said Dr. Shane Speights, who was a founding faculty member and has served as NYITCOM’s dean since 2017.

“Truthfully, if that’s the only goal, then we may not be the right choice. Students come to NYIT to become a physician that not only practices excellent medicine, but (who) is also a servant leader in their community. We are educating the next generation of physician leaders and patient advocates. We are training the types of physicians that will be involved in community health and policy at the local, state and federal level. Physicians that not only care for the patient in front of them, but the patient they may never meet.”

Impacting the Region

Penry says that from the beginning, he and his colleagues who were working to open the medical school vowed to educate and train physicians in Arkansas, for Arkansas. Since then, others in the state have followed suite. 

“Every year, under the leadership of Dean Shane Speights, that promise is being kept,” he said. “There are more Arkansans being admitted to med school, more residency programs being created and more graduates practicing right here at home. Beyond the healthcare impact, the university and the local economy have seen a boost. 

“Perhaps the most incredible part is that our work started a movement. We were the first medical school to open in Arkansas in over a century; since then, two more have followed our lead and there have been so many more residency training programs created. We were a catalyst for a transformation that will benefit this region for generations.”

Speights says NYITCOM has kept true to its mission since opening a decade ago.

“The college was established to help address the physician workforce shortage in Arkansas and the Delta Region,” said Speights. “We have not strayed from that mission and have actually expanded it to include the rural and underserved communities of this region of the country. We have developed programs aimed at recruiting students from targeted areas, created partnerships with institutions that educate the type of students we want, partnered with hospitals and healthcare organizations across the state that align with our mission, and we’ve moved into graduate medical education as a next step in fulfilling our promise to the region.

“We are currently partnering more closely with hospitals and healthcare organizations in the state to train the type of physicians that Arkansas needs. It’s important that we expand graduate medical education (GME) in the state, but more importantly is the type of training they receive. We need physicians that can work in a clinic and see patients in the hospital. Physicians that can deliver babies and manage high blood pressure. Physicians that are able to care for a community in the way they did decades ago. That model worked, but those doctors didn’t have the support they needed. We have a plan to create that type of physician and provide them with the support they need to be successful.”

Speights says the founders knew that once the school started, there would be a continuous pipeline of physicians who would graduate every year with a number of them staying in the state and region for their training.

“We also knew that over time, we would start seeing more and more graduates choose to practice here,” he said. “The exciting part about that cycle is that it never stops. Every year we produce graduates, and every year we will have some stay, and every year some will want to practice here. That’s a pipeline that never shuts off. The healthcare impact to our state in the next 10, 20 or 30 years will be dramatic.”

Already, many graduates of NYITCOM at A-State are staying in the area and making an impact in counties that had a great need for healthcare professionals.

“It’s not just about quantity,” said Casey Pearce, NYITCOM’s director of external relations, marketing and alumni relations. “We’re successfully getting our graduates in places in Arkansas where the needs are so significant. Outside of the Jonesboro impact, we have alumni who are practicing Family and Internal Medicine in Wynne, Piggott, Highland, McGehee and Crossett. 

“Last July, we announced a partnership with the Mississippi County Hospital System, and as part of that we are in the process of applying to open a Family Medicine residency program in Blytheville. Once we do that, it will provide a physician pipeline for that system and give us a significant presence in a county that has tremendous needs but also unique opportunities considering all that's happening there.”

One of those physicians, Dr. Sam Stringfellow, is originally from Maumelle and graduated from Harding University before enrolling in NYITCOM at A-State in 2016. Following a residency with the UAMS Northeast Family Medicine Residency Program, Stringfellow currently serves as an assistant professor at the same residency program he once attended. 

“I chose to attend NYITCOM at Arkansas State University because it allowed me to train in the state where I knew I wanted to practice and serve,” said Stringfellow, who resides in Jonesboro with his wife, Astrid, and son, Everett. “The opportunity to be part of a new medical school was especially meaningful, as was NYITCOM’s mission to improve healthcare access in the Delta region. It was something I strongly desired to contribute to. I was also drawn to osteopathic medicine and the ability to incorporate osteopathic manipulation into patient care. 

“My training at NYITCOM has profoundly shaped my career in family medicine. The school’s emphasis on treating the whole person and maintaining a patient-centered approach continues to guide my daily practice, particularly in caring for underserved and low socioeconomic populations. A message that has stayed with me was something Dr. Amanda Deel said, ‘This is bigger than me.’ It reinforced the importance of selflessness in medicine, a mindset I strive to model in my own work and instill in the residents I now train.”

A member of the medical school’s inaugural class, Dr. Hallie Frederick Gurule, will soon be returning to Jonesboro as a physician with St. Bernards Medical Center with her husband, Jon, after a residency at the Internal Medicine program at Oklahoma State Center for Health Sciences. As a Jonesboro native who has strong roots in the community, Gurule says she cannot wait to continue her career at home.

“There are many reasons I am honored to be a member of the inaugural class, but the most meaningful reason is that my class had the responsibility and privilege to set the standard for future NYITCOM at A-State students,” said Gurule. “Residency Match Day is always a nerve-racking time, but those emotions are amplified when you are the inaugural class of a brand-new medical school. My classmates and I inherently understood the impact that our match results and subsequent performance in our respective residency programs would have on every class to come after us. We did not take that responsibility lightly. I have so much admiration and love for my fellow classmates. I am proud to be associated with such kind-hearted, intelligent, motivated human beings.”

For Gurule, the ability to attend medical school in her hometown and eventually return to continue her career in medicine is something she truly values.

“I always say that the opportunity to attend medical school in my hometown was nothing short of fate for me,” said Gurule. “NYITCOM at A-State opened the year I was applying for medical school. I am extremely close with my family, so choosing to achieve my dream of going to medical school nearby was a no-brainer. 

“NYITCOM at A-State’s mission is to deliver outstanding care in one of the country’s most medically underserved regions. The school’s leadership did an incredible job instilling that mindset into every student. This played a large part in my decision to become a primary care physician, and I never strayed from that plan.”

Pearce says that one of the things NYITCOM committed to as part of its mission was helping address the primary care workforce in Arkansas and the Greater Mississippi Delta region. More than 60% of the school’s graduates pursue primary care specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and general surgery, which speaks to the success of that initiative. In Jonesboro alone, 31 alumni are practicing or are committed to practice at St. Bernards, NEA Baptist or UAMS Northeast.

One of Gurule’s fellow inaugural class peers, Dr. Landon Jackson, will graduate from Oklahoma State University’s surgical residency this summer. He, too, has plans to return to Arkansas to practice medicine.

“Having the opportunity to be a member of the inaugural class at NYITCOM at A-State was truly special,” said Jackson. “The medical school has already made a tremendous impact by improving access to high-quality healthcare in our region, and I am proud to have had the chance to take part in what NYITCOM at A-State is doing. My training here has inspired and equipped me to do my part in carrying out the school’s mission, which is to address the significant healthcare and health education needs in one of the most medically underserved regions of the country.

“After interviewing with NYITCOM at A-State, I knew that the program had an unmatched passion and dedication for improving access to high-quality healthcare in the Delta region, the state of Arkansas, and beyond. As an Arkansas native with family roots in the Delta, I knew that I wanted to be a part of what NYITCOM at A-State had set out to accomplish. My medical school experience was truly exceptional, and I felt beyond prepared to begin my general surgery residency after graduation.”

Tate Snider, a graduate of both Jonesboro High School and Arkansas State University, will graduate from NYITCOM at A-State this month and will soon transition to Tennessee with his wife, Erica, to begin his residency in emergency medicine.

“NYITCOM was one of my top choices for medical school,” said Snider. “This stems from the unique opportunity I had to give back to my hometown as a student doctor as I developed a foundation in medicine. Additionally, I have a strong family presence in Jonesboro, which allowed me to experience a sense of consistency with just the right amount of change. The faculty at NYITCOM are second to none, and their clinical experience and drive for mentorship have prepared me for my transition to residency. …

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities Jonesboro has provided to me, as well as my family. I take great pride in my hometown and look forward to the opportunity to serve my community as an emergency medicine physician after my training in Tennessee. The educational opportunities I was provided are what have enabled me to pursue my passion to the highest level.”

Memories in Medicine

The hard work that went into launching NYITCOM at A-State brought about some of Speights’ fondest memories.

“The first White Coat ceremony and the first class to graduate were all very memorable times, but if I have to be honest it was the early startup period before we were in Wilson Hall,” said the NYITCOM at A-State dean. “Early in the planning stages I shared an office with our founding dean, Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee, in the old leadership education building on the A-State campus. Being able to hear her wisdom and experience her leadership firsthand was an amazing opportunity that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

Jackson appreciates the opportunities his time at NYITCOM led to, both during and after his education.

“One of the many things that made my experience at NYITCOM at A-State so special was the people that I had the opportunity to meet and work with,” said Jackson. “During my third year of medical school I had the opportunity to travel with two of my classmates to present our research at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in San Francisco. Not only was this a great learning opportunity, but getting to explore a new city with my classmates was an experience I will never forget.”

Stringfellow cherishes many memories made during his medical school education and the friendships he made with colleagues that he appreciates each and every day.

“One of my favorite memories from medical school was getting to have fun with my peers at PromCom,” said Stringfellow. “We spent so much time pushing ourselves academically, so moments like that meant a lot, just getting to relax and enjoy each other’s company. …

“Overall, I am just so thankful to God and honored to be an alumnus of such a great program. I consider them family and am so excited and proud of the physicians they have made and are going to make for many generations.”

Gurule also cites peer relationships as something she cherishes from her time there, as it was also where she met her future husband. 

“My favorite memory was the lifelong friendships I made during medical school,” she said. “Being the first and only class on campus as first-year medical students definitely came with its challenges, but we made it through together. Though medical school is tough, it was an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience because of my classmates. I took great pride in sharing everything that Northeast Arkansas has to offer with new friends from all over the country.  I look back on medical school as some of the best memories of my life.”

One of Snider’s favorite memories from his time at NYITCOM at A-State involved giving back to the Jonesboro community via STEM outreach opportunities at a local elementary school.

“Specifically, it was the time I had the privilege to lead the famous Strawberry DNA experiment at University Heights School of Medical Arts,” said Snider. “There was something powerful in playing a role in establishing the next generation’s foundations in science. By the end of the experiment, everyone’s hands were incredibly sticky, and the students learned a lot.”

As the school reaches 10 years of local healthcare education, Ross-Lee’s favorite memories lie with the students.

“My favorite memories from the past decade include pride of the students in the quality of their educational preparation; watching the students help and support one another in small groups and labs; and the interactions with and support by the leadership of Arkansas State,” said Ross-Lee.

Celebrating with the Community 

Later this month, NYITCOM at A-State will officially celebrate a decade of training physicians at a 10-Year Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, May 21, at Embassy Suites at Red Wolf Convention Center. The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will feature Ross-Lee as a national leader in osteopathic medical education. Other leaders, alumni and community partners will also speak of the impact the school has had on healthcare and health education in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta.

Speights says he is most looking forward to hearing Ross-Lee speak, as well as celebrating the milestone with all those who worked to make the college of medicine a reality.

“It’s going to be exciting to have several of the original people on the A-State and NYIT sides back together for the first time since the campus launched,” said Speights. “The current NYIT team works very hard, and it’s not often that we stop and take stock in what we’ve accomplished. Being able to look at where we started and how far we’ve come in just 10 years will be nice.”

Ross-Lee is also a main reason that Penry will be celebrating 10 years of NYITCOM at A-State.

“I will be back; I most look forward to seeing Dr. Ross-Lee,” said Penry. “My dad had a major stroke in June 2022 and can’t speak. In 2024, I lost my two biggest mentors: Stu Starner and Bill Carr. I’m grateful for all the wisdom poured into me by smart people like her; I don’t take it for granted, especially now. …

“Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee is an absolute legend in the medical field and has the distinction of being the first African American woman to lead an American medical school, a true trailblazer and leader. Dr. Ross-Lee brought a level of wisdom and steady guidance that was essential to our success. I feel incredibly fortunate to have learned from her leadership; she remains a hero of mine and a source of inspiration.”

Dr. Ross-Lee herself is ready to reminisce with the medical school’s founders, supporters and graduates.

“I am most looking forward to reconnecting with all of the great people that made the college of medicine happen; ASU administration, community representatives and leaders, politicians, hospital administrators, public health and elected officials, college of medicine faculty and staff, and simulated patients,” said Ross-Lee. “It takes the entire village to produce caring, compassionate osteopathic physicians.” 

Looking forward, Speights is thankful for the community support and looks forward to NYITCOM’s continued work with its local partners.

“Words can’t express how thankful I am for being able to be part of this program and having the support of the community as this school launched,” he said. “The deep partnerships we have with A-State, St. Bernards and NEA Baptist are second to none. We wouldn’t be here without those relationships, and we are grateful for their commitment to the community.”