ROCKY VISTA UNIVERSITY

Dr. Adams comes to RVU from Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) in Pomona, California, where he served in numerous leadership roles for 11 years. Dr. Adams joined WesternU in January 2005 following a distinguished career in the United States Navy, where he attained the rank of Rear Admiral and served in a variety of capacities, notably as Command Surgeon for United States Fleet Forces Command, Command Surgeon for Allied Command for Transformation (NATO), and Commander of the Naval Regional Medical Center and Tricare Mid-Atlantic Region in Portsmouth, Virginia.

While at WesternU, Dr. Adams oversaw the implementation of a learner-centered curriculum, revision of the admissions interview process, expansion of clinical rotations, and the growth of research funding and publications. He expanded the clinical practice for the College of Osteopathic Medicine and led the college full time faculty positions resulting in new employee orientation, departmental retreats and continuing education program development and built a new campus in Lebanon, Oregon.  The results of which have increased the recognition of COMP as having a superior academic profile as reflected in national rankings, in licensure examinations, and in the placement of graduates in postdoctoral residency programs. The residency development arm of WesternU, OPTI-West, quadrupled the number of programs and dramatically increased the number of osteopathic residencies in the region during Dr. Adams’ tenure.

Dr. Adams is a graduate of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University. He completed an anesthesia residency at George Washington University and a family medicine residency at the Charleston Naval Hospital. Dr. Adams completed an Academic Fellowship at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and was Chair of the Council of Osteopathic Postgraduate Training committee of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives and is board certified in Anesthesiology and Family Medicine. Dr. Adams also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma. He is a past president of the Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, a member of the AOA, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, and the American Medical Association (AMA).

Dr. Adams has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, two of which were awarded by AACOM—the Robert A. Kistner Award (2014), presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to osteopathic medical education, and the Dale Dodson Award (2011), presented by the Assembly of Presidents to a CEO or CAO of an osteopathic medical college who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of osteopathic medical education. The AOA honored Dr. Adams with their Distinguished Service Award for contributions to the advancement of the osteopathic medical profession (2016). Dr. Adams served on the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Board of Directors and, the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) where he was one of the first osteopathic physicians selected to serve on the governing Board of ACGME for the newly established Single Accreditation System for graduate medical education.

Dr. Adams and his wife, Paula, have been married for 44 years and have three children and one grandchild. Their daughter, Joia, is a graduate of WesternU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.