懂色帝

Graduating its fifth class of osteopathic physicians, NYITCOM-Arkansas is delivering on its mission to increase the number of physicians and reduce healthcare inequity in the Delta region.

^{Shane Speights teaches students in a medical simulation lab. PHOTO: PHILIP THOMAS}

As an internist in the outpatient clinic at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro, Ark., Paige Parnell (D.O. 鈥�20) is acutely aware of the physician shortage in her native state. 鈥淲e see such a big population of people in the Delta,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e got patients who come from southeast Missouri, from south Arkansas, and from little towns all over.鈥�

But she also recognizes the impact being made by the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM-Arkansas), which opened in 2016 specifically to address the state鈥檚 physician shortage. Parnell was a member of the first class. After completing residency training in internal medicine last year at NEA Baptist鈥攁 program started by one of NYITCOM鈥檚 key clinical partners as part of a collective effort to increase the number of residency programs in the state鈥攕he joined the staff.

Previously, only two physicians were working in the outpatient clinic. Parnell is one of four residency program graduates who stayed on at NEA Baptist after completing their training. 鈥淧atients used to struggle to see any sort of primary care physician, just because there weren鈥檛 that many,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut the addition of the medical school and increase in residency programs is really helping alleviate this shortage of physicians and medical care.鈥�

This article originally appeared in the fall 2024/winter 2025 issue of .

By Ren茅e Gearhart Levy