The celebrations honored 178 PNWU Health Sciences graduates, who join over 1,500 PNWU alumni in service to rural and medically underserved communities of the Pacific Northwest.
On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) hosted the Thirteenth Annual PNWU Commencement Ceremony, live from Yakima’s historic Capitol Theatre. The celebration honored PNWU’s Class of 2024, which includes 148 Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) and 30 Master of Arts in Medical Sciences (MAMS) graduates.
“We are very proud of our PNWU graduates, who will become healers and leaders for the communities they serve,” said PNWU President Michael Lawler, PhD. “We honor their families who supported them and the faculty and staff who guided them toward this achievement.”
To date, 1,554 health sciences students – including 1,451 physicians – have graduated from the grassroots non-profit university, which is ranked a top-ten medical school in the United States in three major mission-related categories.
Since PNWU’s founding in 2008, 45.5% of PNWU-COM graduates have reported practice in a primary care specialty (second in the U.S.), 44.6% medically underserved areas (third in the U.S.), and 17.9% in a rural area (sixth in the U.S.). Those national rankings reflect the visions of the University’s newest graduates, who were similarly educated and trained under PNWU’s mission, which emphasizes service among rural and medically underserved communities throughout the Northwest.
“The Class of 2024 entered medical school in the midst of a global pandemic that challenged the norms of medical education and clinical practice,” said Thomas Scandalis, DO, dean of PNWU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Their steadfast determination, passion, and grit allowed them to succeed in the face of daunting challenges in every phase of their lives. These characteristics will serve them well in the next phase of their training and beyond.”
“The graduation of 30 MAMS students validates the vision of PNWU’s founders, who dreamed of a university with multiple graduate health care degree programs,” added Mark Taylor, PhD, director of the MAMS program.
PNWU’s nationally ranked College of Osteopathic Medicine is joined in mission commitment by Dr. Taylor’s MAMS program, as well as a School of Physical Therapy, a School of Occupational Therapy, and a developing School of Dental Medicine.
PNWU’s inaugural classes of School of Physical Therapy students are slated to graduate in 2025 alongside the University’s inaugural School of Occupational Therapy graduates. PNWU’s School of Dental Medicine is slated to begin studies in the fall of 2025. All University programs support PNWU’s singular mission: educating and training health care professionals emphasizing service among rural and medically underserved communities throughout the Northwest.
