FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Roseman University of Health Sciences Names
Founding Dean for College of Medicine
LAS VEGAS, NV - (December 19, 2013) - Roseman University of Health Sciences
President Renee Coffman has named Mark A. Penn, MD, MBA as founding dean of the
university’s allopathic College of Medicine, currently in development at its Summerlin
Campus. Penn will also serve as chancellor of the campus, which houses Roseman’s
medical research programs. He will assume the positions on April 1.
Penn joined Roseman in July 2012 as chancellor of the university’s South Jordan, Utah
campus and special assistant to the president for program planning. At the South Jordan
campus, he played a critical role in the continuing development of the university’s
College of Dental Medicine, which enrolled its first class of pre-doctoral dental students
in 2011. Penn was also involved in the early planning for the College of Medicine, which
received approval from the university’s Board of Trustees on December 13 to proceed in
development.
“Dr. Penn quickly became a valuable member of Roseman’s administration and proved
himself a strong and thoughtful leader. This coupled with his experience and familiarity
with undergraduate and graduate medical education makes him the best person to lead
Roseman’s College of Medicine,” Coffman said.
Before joining Roseman, Penn spent more than two decades associated with Northeast
Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), serving in a variety of leadership roles, including
special advisor to the president, senior vice president for academic affairs, executive
associate dean of the university’s College of Medicine and acting president and dean.
In these roles, at various points in time, Penn led a team that oversaw NEOMED’s
academic and faculty affairs, student affairs and admissions, academic learning
resources, graduate education, human resources, diversity, information technology and
institutional effectiveness. Additionally, Penn guided the university and college of
medicine accreditation processes and oversaw the transformation of the four-year
medical school curriculum.
Penn also helped forge a partnership between NEOMED and Cleveland State University
(CSU). He worked for the two presidents from these universities to create the NEOMEDCSU Urban Primary Care Initiative, designed to meet the health care needs of
underserved urban populations in northeast Ohio by recruiting medical students who
wished to serve in urban communities. Penn also helped design the Baccalaureate/MD
and Post-baccalaureate/MD pathways to the medical school from CSU, and led
successful fund-raising efforts for the purpose of developing urban health primary care
efforts in the NEOMED-CSU partnership.
Beginning early in his transition into academia, Penn, a family medicine doctor, served
as an associate director at the Summa Health System Family Medicine Residency
Program in Akron, Ohio. He oversaw all undergraduate activities as an undergraduate
director and clerkship director, affiliated with NEOMED. In this role Penn developed
programs for medical students and residents in the areas of community medicine, rural
health, and underserved care.
“Dr. Penn’s experience working to solve the health care disparities in both rural and
urban underserved areas in Ohio make him uniquely qualified to address similar issues
affecting Nevada,” said Coffman.
“Roseman looks forward to collaborating with the excellent medical community in
Southern Nevada, and to helping address health care challenges in urban and rural
areas,” said Penn. “We have had very encouraging preliminary conversations with
partners and anticipate working closely with them to respond to our communities’
educational and health care needs.”
Penn received his baccalaureate degree from The Ohio State University, and his Doctor
of Medicine from the University of Toledo College of Medicine. He completed his family
medicine residency training at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, and subsequently
practiced in a rural community in Ohio. He later earned a Master of Business
Administration from Regent University. Penn is also a Fellow of the American Academy
of Family Physicians (FAAFP).
Penn’s scholarly activities have focused on innovations in curriculum development and
inter-professional education, as well as understanding health disparities in communities
and building partnerships to expand access to underserved populations. He has
published papers and abstracts and given numerous invited presentations in these areas
of scholarly interest.
“I thank President Coffman for this opportunity to serve the university and southern
Nevada as Founding Dean,” said Penn. “We plan to build a solid foundation for the
medical college by understanding and being engaged with the communities that we
serve.”
About Roseman University:
Founded in Henderson, Nevada in 1999, Roseman University of Health Sciences is a
private, non-profit institution of higher learning with campuses in Henderson,
Summerlin and South Jordan, Utah. The University is comprised of the College of Dental
Medicine, offering an Advanced Education in Orthodontics and Dentofacial
Orthopedics/MBA residency and Doctor of Dental Medicine program; College of
Pharmacy, offering a Doctor of Pharmacy and Professional Continuing Education;
College of Nursing, offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Accelerated Bachelor of
Science in Nursing; and an MBA program. Roseman’s research endeavors include
cancer, diabetes and obesity, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, adult stem cell and
regenerative medicine, and cardiovascular disease. Roseman University is regionally
accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Contact:
Rachel Wilkinson, 702-796-1773, rachel@lasvegaspr.com
Jason Roth, 702-968-1633, jroth@roseman.edu
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