About
Overview and History
2013:
Co-founders George Mychaskiw, DO and John L. Hummer establish the College’s mission and incorporate The New Mexico College Of Osteopathic Medicine (now named the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine) and formed a public private affiliation agreement with New Mexico State University.
2014:
The Burrell family office joined the College after its founding, providing the initial seed capital. The College’s name, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, was named in honor of Chet and Elizabeth Burrell.
2015:
The college breaks ground on its new campus. Rice University, via the Rice Management Company, who oversees and manages their endowment, becomes the single largest shareholder.
2016:
The College welcomes its inaugural class.
2017:
Regional Academic Centers (clinical training) are established in Las Cruces, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Eastern New Mexico (Artesia, Carlsbad, Hobbs, Lovington, and Roswell), El Paso, TX and Tucson, AZ.
2018:
Florida Institute of Technology, Florida’s STEM University™, invites the College to consider an additional campus location in Melbourne, FL. A letter of intent is executed, and due diligence commences.
2020:
The College graduates its first class with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham providing the keynote address. The College receives full accreditation from the COCA and the Class of 2020 posts a 100% GME placement rate. The College establishes a new Regional Academic Center in Rockledge, Florida as part of its strategic plan to have a future campus in Melbourne, FL.
2021:
The College establishes a new Regional Academic Center in the Four Corners region of NM.
2022:
The College executes formal agreements with Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) to establish a new campus.
The College’s New Mexico Campus adds a new Medical Education Center and Library named in honor of Woody and Gayle Hunt due to the establishment of a scholarship endowment for the College’s students.
The Rise Fund, the world’s largest social impact funds, replaces all the Burrell shareholders and joins Rice University as the two largest shareholders.
2023:
The College receives approval from the COCA to recruit students for its additional campus location in Melbourne, Florida for July 2024 matriculation. Renovations commence at the L3 Harris Commons Building on the campus of Florida Tech.
The College obtains Candidate Status from the Higher Learning Commission with a goal for initial accreditation on or before the end of 2025.
2024:
The College was granted “Accreditation with Exceptional Outcome.” The highest level of accreditation awarded by the COCA.
The College matriculates the first class of students at its Florida Campus in Melbourne, Florida.
2013: Co-founders George Mychaskiw, DO and John L. Hummer establish the College’s mission and incorporate The New Mexico College Of Osteopathic Medicine (now named the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine) and formed a public private affiliation agreement with New Mexico State University.
2014: The Burrell family office joined the College after its founding, providing the initial seed capital. The College’s name, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, was named in honor of Chet and Elizabeth Burrell.
2015: The college breaks ground on its new campus. Rice University, via the Rice Management Company, who oversees and manages their endowment, becomes the single largest shareholder.
2016: The College welcomes its inaugural class.
2017: Regional Academic Centers (clinical training) are established in Las Cruces, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Eastern New Mexico (Artesia, Carlsbad, Hobbs, Lovington, and Roswell), El Paso, TX and Tucson, AZ.
2018: Florida Institute of Technology, Florida’s STEM University™, invites the College to consider an additional campus location in Melbourne, FL. A letter of intent is executed, and due diligence commences.
2020: The College graduates its first class with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham providing the keynote address. The College receives full accreditation from the COCA and the Class of 2020 posts a 100% GME placement rate. The College establishes a new Regional Academic Center in Rockledge, Florida as part of its strategic plan to have a future campus in Melbourne, FL.
2021: The College establishes a new Regional Academic Center in the Four Corners region of NM.
2022: The College executes formal agreements with Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) to establish a new campus.
The College’s New Mexico Campus adds a new Medical Education Center and Library named in honor of Woody and Gayle Hunt due to the establishment of a scholarship endowment for the College’s students.
The Rise Fund, the world’s largest social impact funds, replaces all the Burrell shareholders and joins Rice University as the two largest shareholders.
2023: The College receives approval from the COCA to recruit students for its additional campus location in Melbourne, Florida for July 2024 matriculation. Renovations commence at the L3 Harris Commons Building on the campus of Florida Tech.
The College obtains Candidate Status from the Higher Learning Commission with a goal for initial accreditation on or before the end of 2025.
2024: The College was granted “Accreditation with Exceptional Outcome.” The highest level of accreditation awarded by the COCA.
The College matriculates the first class of students at its Florida Campus in Melbourne, Florida.
The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine was envisioned by its Founding Dean George Mychaskiw, D.O., to address the shortage of physicians in the Southwestern United States and its border with Northern Mexico, as well as to diversify the physician workforce. Dr. Mychaskiw reached out to John Hummer, a New Mexico business and healthcare leader, for his assistance in pursuing this vision.
Mychaskiw and Hummer formed a partnership in July of 2013 and incorporated a new legal entity, The New Mexico College of Osteopathic Medicine, that would eventually be named the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine. The two co-founders orchestrated a synergistic gathering of influential leaders, in both the higher education and healthcare sectors, to assist in making the vision a reality. New Mexico State University (NMSU) Chancellor Garrey Carruthers supported their vision for the creation of a private/public affiliated osteopathic medical school in Las Cruces, New Mexico. John Hummer introduced the medical school to Dan Burrell who then joined Mychaskiw and Hummer as a co-founder. Burrell provided the initial seed funding; thus the medical school’s namesake in honor of his family. Rice University, via the Rice Management Company, who oversees and manages their endowment, became the single largest shareholder. The credit for the success of the founding of the College belongs to more than the initial founders listed above. It also belongs to the first faculty and staff, the Board of Trustees, the many supporters for their contributions, and most of all the first class of students (Class of 2020). In 2022, The Rise Fund, TPG’s multi-sector global impact investing strategy with deep experience in higher education and the healthcare industry became a minority investor in the College. Rice University and The Rise Fund investments will continue to strengthen the College’s mission in expanding access to high-quality healthcare in underserved communities.
The year of 2015 encompassed the groundbreaking ceremony of the building on the NMSU Arrowhead Park construction site and signified the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation’s (COCA) approval to begin accepting applications for the Inaugural Class of 2020. The milestone year of 2016 was highlighted by the medical school ribbon cutting ceremony, the College’s first White Coat Ceremony, and the start of instruction on August 15. The year 2020 brought two key milestones; the College’s first residency match day and reaching full accreditation with the graduation of the first class on May 8, 2020.
The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine utilizes the latest technologies and learning methods to ensure success in the classroom and future professional practice. Led by highly experienced professionals from osteopathic, allopathic and general higher education, the College is committed to impacting the workforce needs and access to quality medical services in the region. A large network of physicians has been developed for the clinical years of education, with students rotations available throughout New Mexico, Tucson (AZ), El Paso (TX), and Rockledge (FL). This includes a selection of generalist and specialty clinical clerkship rotations. The College’s campus is located in the Arrowhead Research Park on the New Mexico State University (NMSU) campus. The space offers an array of impressive resources including lecture halls and seminar rooms for traditional and collaborative learning, a hybrid gross-virtual anatomy lab, a standardized patient facility, a physical diagnosis lab and a simulation center utilizing high-fidelity mannequins. Through the College’s library, located in the College’s Woody and Gayle Hunt Medical Education Center, students have access to core medical and osteopathic collection materials including electronic databases and journals, print and electronic books, and media titles. The Biosciences Research Laboratory, which is a fully equipped BSL-2 facility, is available to support faculty driven research which may involve supervised research experiences for students. The College has dedicated study spaces for student study including, but not limited to, a 3500 sq.ft. outdoor covered patio and two student lounge areas, one of which is accompanied by a cafe. While the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine is a private, freestanding College, our unique partnership with NMSU allows students to enjoy the benefits that come with a major public university to include access to NMSU study spaces, libraries, activity center, aquatic center, tennis center, and campus health center.
The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in the Chihuahuan desert of Las Cruces, New Mexico; a beautiful, temperate and vibrant Southwest city with strong economic growth. Las Cruces is New Mexico’s second largest city with plenty of outdoor activities for residents, including hiking in the Organ Mountains, bird watching in and around Dripping Springs and river rafting on the Rio Grande. Nationally, Las Cruces has been recognized as a top place for work, recreation, tourism, retirement, and raising a family.
