About the School of Community Medicine

About the OU-TU School of Community Medicine

Through the work of OU students, faculty, residents and physicians, Tulsa’s health outlook is improving. The OU-TU School of Community Medicine and OU Physicians work together to improve thousands of lives in northeast Oklahoma by providing an unmatched education to students committed to bettering their communities.

With a focus on the health of underserved individuals in urban and rural areas, the OU-TU School of Community Medicine is changing the way healthcare is taught and delivered today. At OU Physicians, our team of more than 300 doctors and residents is dedicated to providing exceptional patient care, with many of our practices achieving National Committee for Quality Assurance Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition, the highest level attainable.

Our unique focus doesn’t end with medical education and clinical service. Our teams work closely with other programs at OU-Tulsa to define what healthcare will look like in the future. This OU-Tulsa family is revolutionizing healthcare delivery and redefining a healthy community.

Mission, Vision, and Goal

Mission: The mission of the University of Oklahoma is to provide the best possible educational experience for students through excellence in teaching, research, creative activity and service to the state and society. The OU-TU School of Community Medicine focuses this mission on explicitly improving the health and healthcare of the entire community.

Vision: Educate and train a new generation of practitioners with the skills and desire to improve the health status of all Oklahomans. Build a learning community to improve the health of individuals and their communities through caring, learning, research, collaboration and dignity.

Goal: Leverage the leadership, education, research and clinical service resources of OU-Tulsa to improve the health of entire communities.

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About the Dean

James M. Herman, MD, MSPH

James M. Herman, MD, MSPH
Dean, Morningcrest Endowed Leadership Chair
OU-TU School of Community Medicine
Chairman, OU Health Physicians Tulsa

James M. Herman, MD, MSPH holds the Morningcrest Endowed Leadership Chair and is the Dean of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine, a four-year medical program collaboration between the University of Oklahoma and The University of Tulsa. He also serves as the chairman of OU Health Physicians in Tulsa, a multi-specialty group practice with more than 300 physicians and specialists in the Tulsa area. They perform over 250,000 patient visits each year and provide clinical care at five OU Health Physicians clinics, as well as at most local hospitals.

Dr. Herman came to Tulsa from the Penn State College of Medicine and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where he served since 1991 as the Hershey Company Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He also held the position of Associate Dean of Primary Care and Primary Care Research at Penn State.

Dr. Herman earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a Master of Science in Public Health degree from the University of Missouri. His residency training in Family Medicine was at the University of Rochester in New York.

He previously served as a Marion Bishop Fellow of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Foundation, a fellow of the American Council on Education, and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Interests and areas of publication include stroke care, clinical epidemiology and patient preferences in medical practice.

OU-TU School of Community Medicine History

1972	Senate Bill 453 passes to create the Tulsa Medical College, a clinical branch of the OU College of Medicine
1974	First 17 medical students begin classes in Tulsa for their third and fourth years
1980	OU purchases the American Christian College campus and begins offering medical services
1989	Governor Henry Bellmon signs legislation changing the name of the Tulsa Medical College to the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine-Tulsa
2000	First OU academic occupants, the College of Medicine-Tulsa, College of Pharmacy, and College of Education move into the Schusterman Center and begin classes
2003	First Bedlam evening clinic opens
2008	George Kaiser Family Foundation announces a $50 million gift, the largest single gift ever to OU, to improve the health of Oklahomans through community-based medicine. The College of Medicine-Tulsa changes its focus and becomes the first formally named School of Community Medicine in the nation.
2008	Physician Assistant program begins with a partnership with TU
2009	OU partners with The University of Tulsa to create a four-year medical school in Tulsa, to be called the OU-TU School of Community Medicine
2015	Inaugural first-year class of four-year medical students begin classes and the OU School of Community Medicine officially becomes the OU-TU School of Community Medicine (class size: 27)

The CheckUp

OU-TU School of Community Medicine's newsletter

In each issue of the The CheckUp, you'll will find the latest news about the OU-TU School of Community medicine and its exceptional programs, students, faculty, and alumni.

To be added to the distribution list or to learn more, please contact Shelly Fowler.