Pacific NW University names new president

YAKIMA, Wash. -- After a yearlong nationwide search, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences has hired Dr. Keith Watson as president, just as the university is poised to graduate its first class of students and gain full accreditation.

Watson is currently living in Athens, Ohio, where he is the senior associate dean for academic affairs at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

He's been involved with PNWU for more than two years, coming on as a consultant to the university in fall of 2009 to assist with development and curriculum, and then as a member of the board of trustees in August 2010.

"It's been a very nice working relationship with him. He brought a lot of expertise over the two years he acted as consultant and a board member," said Dr. Rich Spiegel, chairman of the board and a member of the search committee. "He's an educator, he's experienced, he's collaborative and his personality fits the personality of the university."

Watson recused himself from board meetings while the search was underway to avoid any conflict.

The school has gone through four presidents since it first started six years ago, including current interim president Dr. Lloyd Butler and a university founder, who stepped in when Dr. Stan Flemming left the position abruptly in fall 2009.

Spiegel said that for where the university is right now and where it's looking to expand, Watson is the perfect fit.

"He's the right person at the right time ... We're through that startup phase, and we're much more stable now. We need to focus on education, and he's the right person with the right skills to do that," Spiegel said.

For his part, Watson says he likes the challenge of building programs, and was drawn to the community support the university has received.

"I'm attracted to PNWU because of its mission and its vision. It really has a strong history already of providing service to populations of Central Washington and elsewhere that I think are not being completely served by other institutions," Watson said by phone from Ohio on Tuesday. "I'm attracted to a new institution that's moving forward."

Since receiving his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine in 1975 from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Watson has served on nationwide panels and boards for osteopathic medicine, and is currently part of the US Department of Health and Human Services Council on Graduate Medical Education.

His education experience was what stood out, PNWU officials said.

Watson was named "Educator of the Year" by the American Osteopathic Foundation in 2008. He's been a faculty associate at MD Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Texas, an associate professor and Department of Surgery chairman at Oklahoma State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine, and a professor of surgery at then-University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa.

"We needed an experienced educator, and that's what we got," said Bob Sutton, PNWU's chief academic officer.

Watson is on track to start in his new role at PNWU on July 1, after finishing duties in Ohio with this spring's graduating residents there. He and his wife, also a practicing physician, will move to Yakima for PNWU to be his full-time job.

The announcement of a new president comes at a critical point for the university: PNWU is in the final stages of gaining full accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

Full accreditation requires the school to submit a self-study report, undergo on-site visits from the commission and prove it has met all standards set by the commission. The standards cover curriculum, school governance, facilities and financial stability.

Once the accreditation is complete, the school can focus on developing new programs to bring more medical disciplines to campus.

* Molly Rosbach can be reached at 509-577-7628 or mrosbach@yakimaherald.com.