Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Nelson DHSc, DMSc, PA-C, as Dean of the College of Medical and Professional Sciences.
In 2020, the University announced a new college structure in which academic programs are grouped into colleges directed by college deans. Nelson has been serving as Interim Dean of the College of Medical and Professional Sciences since March 2021, in addition to his role as Department Chair and Program Director of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program.
The purpose of the college structure and supervising deans is ultimately to “provide a better learning experience for our students,” said the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, Mark Horacek, PT, PhD, MS. The college structure allows appropriate representation at the administrative level to ensure programmatic and student support as the university continues to grow.
As Dean of the College of Medical and Professional Sciences, Nelson will oversee the following programs:
- Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc), with Program Director Bartley Rust, DHSc, PA-C
- Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS), with newly-appointed Program Director Tyler Sommer
- Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MHC) and Master of Science in School Counseling (MSC), with Program Director Verl Pope, EdD, LPC, CMHC, NCC, CCMHC, ACS
- Master of Science in Medical Speech-Language Pathology (MS MedSLP), with Program Director Linda Spencer, PhD, CCC-SLP
At RMUoHP, Nelson was one of the MPAS program’s founding faculty, assisting in the development and accreditation of the program. In 2016, he was hired as the Associate Program Director and was appointed MPAS Program Director in 2018. Under Nelson, in 2019, the MPAS program was granted Accreditation-Continued status by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) for 10 years. Nelson was instrumental in starting the Doctor of Medical Science degree program at RMUoHP.
Nelson is a Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C) and specializes in regenerative medicine with previous experience in orthopedic surgery, spine surgery, family medicine, rural healthcare, and urgent care medicine. He earned his Bachelor of Science in biology and Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Idaho State University. Nelson also earned a Doctor of Health Science from A.T. Still University and a Doctor of Medical Science from RMUoHP.
