| About RVU | Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Stan Albrecht, PHD

Dr. Albrecht is President Emeritus of Utah State University. Prior to his 12-year term as President, he served in a number of other higher education administrative positions, including Department Chair, Dean (twice), Academic Vice President, and Provost. He has also served as Associate Director of University of Florida’s Institute for Health Policy and Epidemiology and as Vice President of the Rural Sociological Society.

Dr. Albrecht has served on the Boards of Regents Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Utah), Intermountain Health Care’s Logan Regional Hospital, the Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors, the NCAA, Cache Valley Electric, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, the American Council on Education, and is a former Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. His research has been funded by NIH, NIEHS, the Department of Agricultural, and other public and private entities. He has published four books and over 100 research articles, many dealing with issues of health and environmental policy.

David Bedell

David Bedell joined the RVU board in August 2021 and brings 20+ years of financial and governance experience to the board. David is currently the CFO of HireVue, a leader in the HR technology space. David is responsible for HireVue's finance, accounting, legal, information security, and sales operations functions. Before joining HireVue, David served as VP of Finance & Investor Relations at Instructure, the leading learning management system used by higher education. There he aided in the successful IPO in 2015, continued revenue growth and stock appreciation of 40+% CAGR, and follow-on offering in 2018. Prior to Instructure, David spent 13 years at Intuit, where he led finance in several business units. David holds an MBA and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University. David and his family live in Utah where they regularly enjoy the many outdoor opportunities the state provides.

Michele Chulick

Michele Chulick is a healthcare leader and Board member with more than 30 years of operational leadership experience spanning large healthcare systems (over 1000 beds), academic medical centers, stand-alone pediatric medical centers, and rural health. Most recently, Chulick served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Wyoming Medical Center (WMC), the largest hospital in Wyoming with 249 inpatient beds, 1,300 employees and serves as the Level II tertiary trauma center for Wyoming. Under her leadership, WMC grew revenues to over $600M, increased licensed beds, added essential clinical services, and initiated and implemented the first state-wide telehealth network to expand services for stroke, dialysis, urgent care, and specialty clinics. Michele has a strong reputation as a leader who drives strategic plan implementations focused on quality, innovation, growth and expansion, and excels in reducing costs, improving productivity, increasing patient satisfaction and improving patient outcomes. Chulick’s accomplishments have been recognized by South Florida Business Leader magazine as one of 24 Women Extraordinaire in business. She was also a Distinguished Nominee for the Executive Woman of the Year Award from Crain’s Detroit Business.

Chulick currently serves on the Board of Visitors for the Duke University School of Nursing, chairing the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee. Through her leadership roles, she also had extensive opportunities to partner with and advise the Boards of WMC, University of Miami, Children’s Health System of Texas, Children’s Medical Center Health Plan, and Bluebonnet Health Plan. In addition, she has served on community boards, including Girls Scouts of East Texas, Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming, Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association of Dallas, and Advance Casper. Chulick is also a former member of Medtronic Business Council of Advisors and Broadlane (supply chain) Enterprise Client Steering Committee.

David Forstein, DO, FACOOG

David Forstein, DO, FACOOG, is the President and CEO of Rocky Vista University. Before joining RVU, Dr. Forstein was Dean and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Harlem Campus. He has a long history as a medical educator, having served as Residency Director and Associate Professor of OB/GYN at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and as a Clerkship Director at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).

A leader in the osteopathic medical world, Dr. Forstein is currently the Chair of the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation and he serves on the board of Directors of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, where he is also Chair of the Committee Requirements.

Dr. Forstein has also served in other notable roles including clinical faculty appointments at Clemson University School of Health Research, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – School of Osteopathic Medicine, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Jefferson Medical College.

Jeffrey J. O'Neill, Vice Chair

Jeffrey J O’Neill is a 30-year veteran of the Food and Beverage Industry in North America with an extensive leadership background in Sales/Marketing, Strategic Planning and Retail operations. Jeff was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of The a2 Milk Company an Australia based specialty milk product. After establishing the organization and launching the brand into the U.S. Jeff joined the Companies Advisory Board. Prior to this position, Mr. O’Neill was the President and CEO of Denver based Einstein Noah Restaurant Group (ENRG) an 865 unit, publicly traded Breakfast/Restaurant chain including such well-known brands as Einstein Bros Bagels. Jeff joined ENRG in 2008 and under Jeff’s Leadership ENRG tripled its market cap, delivering a 5-year compounded annual Shareholder Return of 34%.

Prior to joining ENRG, Jeff held the title of Chief Operating Officer, and later, President and Chief Executive Officer of Priszm/YUM Brands Canada a publicly traded restaurant company based in Toronto, and one of the largest KFC franchisees in the world. In 1999, Mr. O’Neill lead a period of unprecedented innovation and market share gain during his tenure as President of Pepsi Cola Canada. Jeff began his career in Marketing with The Quaker Oats Company where he rose to the level of Vice President in both Marketing and Sales. Throughout his career, Jeff has been involved in numerous industry associations including Chair of Beverage Canada, and a Director of the Grocery Product Manufacturers of Canada. Jeff also held a 3-year term on the Deans Advisory Board at the University of Ottawa Business school. Mr. O’Neill currently sits on the Board (and Audit committee) of Ruby Tuesday Restaurants, as well as on the Board of Rocky Vista University, where he is Chair of the Compensation Committee and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees.

John Peabody, MD, PhD

Dr. Peabody is an international health care leader in health policy, health economics, and quality of clinical care. He has contributed more than 200 articles and abstracts to peer-reviewed literature and written books on quality improvement and the economic benefits of standardizing practice in healthcare systems around the world. Dr. Peabody developed the globally adopted standard for measuring clinical practice variation, known now as CPV® vignettes, and is the Founder and President of QURE Healthcare, the global leader in improving healthcare quality through physician benchmarking, feedback, and engagement.

In addition to faculty appointments at UCSF and UCLA, John has served the academic and global community in a host of capacities. He is the past CMO and clinical lead at Sg2, and a former Senior Researcher at the RAND Graduate School. Dr. Peabody has previously worked as an executive of the biotech giant Amgen, serves as a senior advisor to Autism Speaks, and regularly advises the World Bank, the Gates Foundation, and the WHO. Dr. Peabody also served as the Deputy Director of the Institute for Global Health under its first Director, Sir Richard Feachem, from 1999-2004. Since 1995, Dr. Peabody has been a member of the faculty in the departments of medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics, and health services at the University of California, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Dr. Peabody is a board-certified internist and, in 1999, he was elected a fellow of the American College of Physicians. A Stanford University graduate, he received his MD from UCSF, his diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene (DTM&H) from the University of London, and his master of philosophy and a PhD in public policy (health economics) from the RAND Graduate School.

Tammy Sala

As the Chief Human Resources Officer, Tammy Sala leads all human resources strategies for Medforth Global Healthcare Education.

An experienced and accomplished human resources senior executive, Tammy has led human capital teams at several large, complex companies, most recently as Chief People Officer for eos Products and Chief Human Resources Officer for HMK Holdings. Prior to this, Tammy was Senior Vice President of Human Resources with First Data, a global leader in payment technology and service solutions. There, she was a key HR partner for multiple global business segments and centers of excellence. Prior to First Data, Tammy was the Director of Human Resources for Merrill Lynch, a financial services organization where she was instrumental in managing all aspects of HR for a global division.

Tammy holds a Master of Business Administration and Management from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Geneseo.

Maha Y. Sallam, PhD, Board Chair

Dr. Sallam earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Computer Engineering at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she later earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering. She also completed the Leadership and Strategy in Pharmaceuticals and Biotech Executive Education program at Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. She currently serves as President of VuEssence, Inc., a development-stage company focused on creating diagnostic solutions related to stroke and head injury applications, which she established in Florida. Previously, she served as Vice President of CT Solutions for iCAD, Inc., an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis and workflow solutions for healthcare professionals, located in New Hampshire. As VP, she was responsible for new product initiatives in Computed Tomography (CT). She also initiated and managed a program for creating Computer Aided Detection (CAD) solutions for automated detection of polyps in CT Colonography exams—a program she managed from inception through product definition, licensing, research and development, clinical testing and FDA submission.

Beth R. Smolko, DMSc, MMA, PA-C, DFAAPA

Dr. Beth Smolko is the president of the American Academy of PAs (AAPA). She has served on AAPA’s Board of Directors since 2016, following several years of service and leadership in AAPA’s House of Delegates. She also served in multiple leadership positions at the Association of Family Practice PAs (AFPPA), including their board of directors and as their representative to national discussions on Hepatitis C at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the White House.

She is a medical advisor for one of the largest companies in the world, JPMorgan Chase. In her role, she works with the Global Medical Director and the Global Benefits team as a strategic advisor for COVID response and policies, creating transformative solutions for telemedicine, wellness center operations, stakeholder communications, advocacy, health care research and global benefits support.

Dr. Smolko is also a nationally recognized speaker and author on topics in telemedicine including legislative barriers and access to care issues. She was the Lead Clinical Advisor and Telemedicine Lead for Wellness Center Operations for Lockheed Martin, the largest defense contractor in the world. She authored Lockheed’s telemedicine white paper used by the corporation to address access-to-care for employees and detailed the financial benefits to the corporation when employees have access to the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.

She was the founding Program Director and Department Chair for Frostburg State University’s PA Medicine Program in rural western Maryland. The program was created to increase access to healthcare in Appalachia and medically underserved areas across the country. She worked to create a state-wide telemedicine curriculum for PA programs across Maryland. She was also Chair of the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) – Maryland West.

Smolko’s passion for accessible, effective, and compassionate patient care led her to found a nonprofit called The Heart of Medicine, dedicated to delivering primary care to poor and underserved communities. As President, she coordinates volunteer medical trips for healthcare professionals, including leading teams of volunteers to deliver healthcare in mobile clinics and non-traditional healthcare settings in Haiti.

Andrew Sussman, MD

Dr. Sussman has had an impressive and well-rounded career as a senior physician leader, a primary care internist, and an educator. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Medforth Global Healthcare Education. He received a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University. He has served as President of CVS Minute-Clinic, as Executive Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health, and as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UMass Memorial Medical Center. Additionally, he currently holds the positions of Professor of Medicine at St. George’s University Medical School and as Associate Professor of Medicine at UMass Medical School. He has been named as one of Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” and one of its “Top 50 Most Influential Physician Execs.” In addition to Rocky Vista University, Dr. Sussman serves on the Board of Directors for Medforth Global Healthcare Education.

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RESOURCES

Rocky Vista University welcomes employment inquiries from qualified individuals who share and support our mission and vision. We value individuals who demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning, community service, and excellence. As one of the newest of the colleges of osteopathic medicine, RVU enjoys an entrepreneurial culture featuring state of the art facilities and innovative approaches to learning.

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The faculty and staff are a school's most valuable commodity. They are the basis of the school's success and the future success of its graduates. At RVU, we have a group of employees who are dedicated to the mission of providing quality healthcare education and of inspiring students to serve with compassion, integrity, and excellence. Visit the RVU Directory to get to know the faculty and staff.

The Marketing Department has developed many ways to learn more about RVU, to follow the latest news and events, and to sing the praises of our students, faculty, and staff. In the News Room, you will find press releases, the Vista View newsletter, the Prairie Dogs and Roadrunners blog, and our social media accounts.