Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Mon, 18 Aug 2014 | Troy Burnett, Marketing & PR Coordinator
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) is honored that Roberta A. Wattleworth, D.O., MHA, MPH, FACOFP, has joined the college as the Associate Dean for Medical Education.
Dr. Wattleworth comes to LUCOM having served 
as the
Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Chairman
of the Department of Family Medicine at Des Moines
University-Osteopathic Medical Center (DMU) where
she also received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
(D.O) degree. Dr. Wattleworth completed residencies
in both anesthesiology and family medicine and has
more than these decades of experience as a practicing
physician and medical educator.
Prior to receiving her Master in Health Care Administration (MHA)and Master of Public Health (MPH), Dr. Wattleworth held her own private practice in a rural town close to Des Moines, IA, where the closest hospital was 20 miles away. “I was the only doctor in the town for 5 years,” Dr. Wattleworth said. “And I enjoyed my practice, because I would often be the doctor to three generations
of a family at one time.”
Dr. Wattleworth purposely chose to be a doctor in a small
town so she could serve the underserved in Iowa.
“I knew what it was like living in a small town. My hometown had a population of about 800 people. So choosing my place of practice was an easy choice. I wanted to practice in a similar area. People in rural towns need medical attention, especially considering that hospitals are so far away.”
Dr. Wattleworth also adds, “And that’s what attracted me to coming to be a part of LUCOM; its mission to educate student-doctors to deliver medicine with compassion to the underserved.”
As the Associate Dean for Medical Education, Dr. Wattleworth supervises the development, content, and delivery of the clinical component for years one and two of the COM curriculum, also referred to as OMS-1 and OMS-2, respectfully. Her responsibilities will allow her to collaborate with the COM’s Associate Dean for Biomedical Affairs, Timothy Leonard, MD, PhD, FCAP; who has responsibility for the first two years’ curriculum (OMS-1 and OMS-2) overall. Furthermore, Dr. Wattleworth will supervise Clinical Chairs, the Center for Standardized Patients and Simulation, and the staff of the Department of Medical Education.
After Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s inaugural Class of 2018 reaches its third year, Dr. Wattleworth will also assume responsibility of the oversight of the educational content of the OMS-3 curriculum currently being developed by the COM’s Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Eric Gish, DO, FHP, who will move more into development of Graduate Medical Education opportunities for the students.
“In Dr. Wattleworth’s role, she will bring extensive experience as a medical educator and mentor, especially concerning the first two years of education for osteopathic medical students,” said Ronnie Martin, PharmD, D.O., FACOFP-dist, dean, in regards to Dr. Wattleworth’s appointment. “I know what she is capable of, and her being here is a tremendous contribution to our development and maturation.”