Old Westbury, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2017 —Jerry Balentine, D.O., vice president for medical affairs and global health at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), announced today that NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) has promoted Shane Speights, D.O., to dean of NYITCOM’s site at Arkansas State University. Dr. Speights will provide leadership for students, faculty, and staff in curriculum (pipeline programs, undergraduate medical education, and graduate medical education); community outreach and engagement; clinical service programs; research, and professional/governmental relations. In his new role, he will report to Wolfgang Gilliar, D.O., dean of NYITCOM.

Speights succeeds Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., who served as the inaugural campus dean. Dr. Speights joins the NYIT medical education leadership team which includes Dr. Balentine; Dr. Gilliar, and the Vice President of Health Sciences and Medical Affairs, Dr. Ross-Lee.

Dr. Speights was instrumental in establishing NYITCOM at Arkansas State, the first osteopathic medical school in the state, where he served as associate dean of clinical education. “Shane is the ideal choice to lead our Arkansas campus,” said Ross-Lee. “He is an experienced primary care practitioner, educator, and administrator. Moreover, he is a lifelong Arkansas resident who understands the health indicators of the Delta Region.”

Dr. Speights received his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City. He is board certified by both the American College of Osteopathic Physicians and the American Board of Family Medicine. He completed his residency training at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS) Northeast Family Medicine Residency, St. Bernards Medical Center and served as past president of the Arkansas Osteopathic Medical Association (AOMA).

“I look forward to championing the mission of the Arkansas campus started by Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee, which is to educate osteopathic medical physicians in Arkansas for Arkansas,” said Speights. “The demand for better healthcare in Arkansas is great, especially among the disparate populations, and no single entity can overcome this challenge. Through collaborative partnerships across the educational continuum we can raise this state and region of the nation to the level of care it needs and deserves.”

NYITCOM at Arkansas State welcomed its inaugural class of 120 students in August 2016; it is only the second medical school in Arkansas and the first new medical school to open in the state in 137 years. By 2030, the new school will produce a thousand physicians for service in the Delta region and beyond.

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New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 12,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses.

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Mary Margaret Jackson
Director of Community Outreach
NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University
870.680.8814
marymargaret.jackson@nyit.edu

Elizabeth Sullivan
Director, Media Relations
NYIT
516.686.3761
libbys@nyit.edu