The Valley College of Osteopathic Medicine was founded by a team from Phoenix and is supported by physicians across metro Phoenix with a specific goal of developing physicians from the State of Arizona to return and serve their communities.
Management Team
Alissa Craft, DO, MBA
Founding Dean
Since 2017, Dr. Craft has served as a consultant in areas of accreditation and curriculum development. She has assisted osteopathic medical schools with both the documentation and site visit preparation, as well as working on new school and campus development.
From 2015 – 2017, Dr. Craft served as the Vice President of Accreditation at the American Osteopathic Association. In this role, she served as Secretary for the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the only accrediting agency for the 50 plus training locations for doctors of osteopathic medicine in the United States.
Prior to joining the American Osteopathic Association, Dr. Craft served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has also served as the Director of Medical Education for a new GME program at Samaritan Health Services in Corvallis, OR and as Medical Director for an integrated health network at Samaritan Health Plans.
She completed her osteopathic medicine degree at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (now ATSU-KCOM) and her MBA at the University of Phoenix. She completed residency training at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and fellowship in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital.
Alissa Craft, DO, MBA
Founding Dean
Since 2017, Dr. Craft has served as a consultant in areas of accreditation and curriculum development. She has assisted osteopathic medical schools with both the documentation and site visit preparation, as well as working on new school and campus development.
From 2015 – 2017, Dr. Craft served as the Vice President of Accreditation at the American Osteopathic Association. In this role, she served as Secretary for the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the only accrediting agency for the 50 plus training locations for doctors of osteopathic medicine in the United States.
Prior to joining the American Osteopathic Association, Dr. Craft served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has also served as the Director of Medical Education for a new GME program at Samaritan Health Services in Corvallis, OR and as Medical Director for an integrated health network at Samaritan Health Plans.
She completed her osteopathic medicine degree at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (now ATSU-KCOM) and her MBA at the University of Phoenix. She completed residency training at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and fellowship in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital.
Andrew High, JD, MBA
CEO
Andrew is an education executive and attorney working as COO and General Counsel for Smith Chason College and WCUI School of Medical Imaging. Since starting in 2013, Andrew has doubled student population (and revenue) while improving student outcomes. He is also a Co-Founder of WCUI | Global (wcuiglobal.com)—an Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) accredited Continuing Medical Education company.
Andrew enjoys the growth and development process and focuses on strategic planning, revenue growth, business reporting and analytics, risk management, and marketing strategy. His highest priority is creating excellent student outcomes through an innovative, engaged, and motivated company culture.
Andrew completed his MBA from UCLA Anderson in 2017 where he was a Global Advisor Program Fellow and worked for the UCLA Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. He is licensed to practice law in California and Arizona and is a member of the Career Education Review Advisory Board.
Upon graduation from law school in 2012, Andrew worked for a civil litigation firm in Phoenix. At ASU Law, Andrew was a 2012 Order of the Barristers Inductee for outstanding moot court performance, a member of the Executive Moot Court Board, and a national winner of the American Bar Association (ABA) Representation in Mediation Competition. Andrew is also a CALI award winner for his participation in ASU’s Innovation Advancement Clinic and has clerked for the Maricopa County Superior Court.
John Rodstrom, BS, JD
CFO
During his 37-year career as an investment banker, Mr. Rodstrom has overseen over $4 billion of capital markets transactions across a range of sectors that include healthcare, educational facilities, school COPs, water and sewer, complex refunding’s, community development districts, tax increment financings, parking, excise taxes, special assessment, charter schools, electric power, airports, and transportation issues. Notably, Mr. Rodstrom has completed senior-managed bond transactions in Florida, Texas, Colorado, California, South Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Washington. In addition to prior investment banking positions at Citigroup, Wachovia, and Sterne Agee & Leach, Mr. Rodstrom most recently spent 9 years at Oppenheimer & Co., where he specialized in municipal bond transactions typically characterized by a non-governmental revenue stream serving as the source of loan repayments.
As part of the portfolio of investment banking transactions completed by Mr. Rodstrom during his time at Oppenheimer, he successfully designed a structure that produced an investment-grade bond offering to serve the medical education industry. By deploying that structure, Mr. Rodstrom consummated innovative financings for the benefit of two of the country’s newest osteopathic colleges: the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine in Meridian, Idaho (“ICOM”) and the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine in Las Cruces, New Mexico (“BCOM”).
Prior to the opening of the College, Mr. Rodstrom and his team implemented a loan financing strategy that resulted in a 6.80% all-in cost of funds to complete construction of ICOM. The successful sale of ICOM’s bonds motivated BCOM to refinance its outstanding corporate notes two years prior than initially planned. Mr. Rodstrom effectuated a sale of bonds on behalf of BCOM that were purchased by 16 institutions and provided a 6.12% all-in cost of funds, yielding present-value savings of roughly $5 million relative to the re financed notes. More recently, Mr. Rodstrom devised the plan of finance that ultimately resulted in a successful sale of bonds in early 2021 for the construction and development of the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine in Provo, Utah. John received his bachelors from Columbia University in New York, New York and his JD from Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Why launch a College of Osteopathic Medicine?
Proven team to attain Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) approval.
Significant physician shortage forecasted through 2034 – with the highest % need in the West. (Source: AAMC 2021)
Project Financials
- Equity Raise: $15,000,000
Investor Financials
- $50,000 minimum
- 10% interest
- Equity share + distributions
- Investment secured by Land purchase
- Fully repaid upon Pre-Accreditation
Accreditation Milestones
2022
Team
ESTABLISH:
Core Team
Advising Team
Real Estate Partner
COCA Academic Partner
COMPLETE
2023
Applicant Status
January 2023
Applicant Status submission to COCA
March 2023
Capital Need: $15,000,000
Use: Ops / Personnel to Pre-Accreditation and Land Acquisition
January 2024
Construction Begins
2024
Candidate Status
April 2024
Candidacy Status validates COM infrastructure
98.4% Success Rate
Success Rate: 60 of 61 Colleges that received Candidate status have gone on to receive Pre-Accreditation status
2025
Pre-Accreditation Status
April 2025 or
August 2025
Pre-Accreditation
Post escrow
COCA visits site
Begin enrolling
100% Success Rate
60 of 60 Colleges that received Pre-Accreditation status have gone on to receive Accreditation status
Upon Pre-Accreditation,
leverage Municipal Bond Market to return all investments
2026
Enrollment
August 2026
No operating COM has ever close
Distributions paid as appropriate
2030
Graduates
Summer 2030
Ongoing Accreditation Status with COCA
Distributions paid as appropriate
Accreditation Timeline
DEC 2021 - DEC 2022
Team, Strategy, Location
JAN 2023
COCA APPLICANT STATUS
APRIL 2024
COCA CANDIDATE STATUS
APRIL 2025
Pre-Accreditation status
EARLY 2026
Ardent's Team and Partners
Summer 2030
Graduates
ARDENT’S TEAM
While we will innovate, we are working with a team that has already launched medical schools and has the experience to gain COCA approval.
KISHLAY ANAND
APRICUS HEALTH and AKOS MD FOUNDER
VALUE BASED CARE HEALTHCARE ENTREPRENEUR
ANDREW HIGH
10 YRS HIGHER ED COO + GC ASU JD / UCLA MBA
CRAIG SWENSON
30 YRS HIGHER ED
FORMER ARGOSY + UOFA GLOBAL CAMPUS CEO
TIM COZATT
INNOVATIVE HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVE
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT
OFFICER, APRICUS HEALTH
WESLEY HIGH
DO, ASSOCIATE DEAN (CLINICAL)
5 YRS GENERAL SURGERY, STEWARD
MOUNTAIN VISTA MEDICAL CENTER
SHARON HARPER
Real Estate Developer for 2 Arizona Medical Schools
PAUL UMBACH
NATIONAL LEADER IN MEDICAL EDUCATION
TheValleyCOM Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Project Summary
Homegrown College of Osteopathic Medicine in Greater Phoenix
Significant Arizona and national physician shortage (up to 124,000 by 2034)[1]
Arizona is growing quickly[2] with significant regional growth[3]
Maricopa County is the fastest growing county in the US[4]
The West is growing very quickly with an acute need for physicians.[5]
“TheValleyCOM was founded by a team from Phoenix and is supported by physicians across greater Phoenix with a specific goal of developing local physicians to serve their communities. We believe Phoenix is well positioned—with significant industrial and economic growth—to be a central sunbelt city that contributes to commerce across the Western US.”
[1] https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/press-releases/aamc-report-reinforces-mounting-physician-shortage
[2] https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/2022-population-estimates.html
[3] https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/fastest-growing-cities-population-estimates.html
[4] https://www.azfamily.com/video/2023/04/01/maricopa-county-is-fastest-growing-county-us/
[5] https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/press-releases/aamc-report-reinforces-mounting-physician-shortage
Physician workforce is increasingly DO[1] and our team has strong connections to—and experience with—the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the accrediting body for Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COM). There are only 61 approved COMs in the US.
[1] https://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/about-osteopathic-medicine/quick-facts
5 medical schools in Greater Phoenix. 2 are DO and 3 are MD. Midwestern University operates a large DO program (with the highest tuition in the country). AT Still University operates a smaller DO program with clinical rotations focused outside of the Phoenix region. University of Arizona operates an MD program both in Tucson and downtown Phoenix. Creighton University has an MD program in uptown Phoenix. Mayo University operates a very small ASU affiliated MD program in Scottsdale.
With 3,000 applicants per DO program and 3 qualified applicants for every 1 available medical school seat in the US and a growing physician shortage, competition for student recruitment is not a concern. Once we are approved by COCA, we will appear on the AACOMAS site and applications will come in.[1]
- Feasibility Study created by Tripp Umbach, who has assessed viability of over 30 medical schools, from clinical rotation availability to financial viability
- Private Placement Memorandum (PPM)
- Subscription Agreement
- Limited Partnership Operating Agreement
- Presentation Deck
- Management Team Bios and References
Real Estate: we need a completed campus before COCA will award pre-accreditation, which provides TheValleyCOM with the ability to enroll students.
Operational Losses: because of a mandatory enrollment ramp-up period, TheValleyCOM will lose approx. $X before it is profitable in X
COCA Escrow: TheValleyCOM must post an unencumbered escrow amount of $61,200,000 that sits in an account until our first class graduates. Historically, this escrow has only ever been tapped into one time.
Core Clinical Rotations: there are several operational, logistical, and pedagogical items our team will need to focus on. But all are imminently doable with the quality of the team we are assembling. The one clinical area of focus we must consider from Day 1 (and we have great strategies for) is core clinical rotations. Medical schools can become possessive over clinical rotations and while the city is expanding aggressively, schools don’t often collaborate generously over clinical rotations. We will need to be politically savvy and entrepreneurial by aligning incentives with hospitals. Once we secure a building, this will be our #1 priority.
Previous transactions performed by TheValleyCOM’s CFO are public record:
- mrsb.org
- Search box in top right corner type “Noorda” or “Idaho” or “Burrell.” Click Enter
- On left side, three radio dials, select “in Issue Description”
- Below that, select State: WI (Wisconsin). Click Run Search
- Depending on your search, look for the name of the COM under Description. Example:
Mission
Our mission is to train osteopathic physicians with the courage to lead, the passion to serve, a devotion to learning, and an unwavering commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients and communities through innovative technologically advanced clinical care.
Vision
Our vision is to train osteopathic physicians who are both leaders and lifelong learners with a commitment to care for patients and communities, with an emphasis on meeting the healthcare needs of the underserved areas of Arizona.
Contact
[email protected] (c: 480.862.6876)
[email protected] (c: 602.770.8967)
[email protected] (c: 954.647.7002)
