Man who gave $1M to IUP’s osteopathic medicine school explains why he donated the cash

Rich Caruso was skeptical when he learned his alma mater, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, wanted to boost rural physician access by opening the commonwealth’s first school for osteopathic medicine on a state university campus.

Then his 101-year-old mother, Margaret, got sick. What happened next to the woman who lives in rural northern Pennsylvania turned her son from a skeptic into a $1 million donor toward the fledgling effort by IUP.

Last fall, a sciatic nerve condition in her back left her unable to walk and eventually landed her in the community hospital in Kane, McKean County, a community of 3,500 people that is about 130 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

In an interview Monday with the Tribune-Review, and earlier in remarks he delivered to a group honoring him as a distinguished IUP alumnus, Caruso, 61, explained how the ordeal “opened my eyes to the need.” The gift from the 1983 accounting graduate and longtime IUP supporter is the largest toward the medical school effort to date.

“When my mother needed in-patient care, I had no appreciation for the fact that hospitalization in a small community hospital in Pennsylvania meant dealing with a doctor located in Pittsburgh via telemedicine,” said Caruso, who grew up in Kane and now lives in Meadow Lands, Washington County.

“Although the on-site nursing staff was helpful, the lack of an on-site doctor made the overall health care experience terrible and in need of significant overhaul. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing,” Caruso told the campus gathering on April 22 honoring this year’s IUP distinguished alumni.

His mother was in and out of the hospital for a couple weeks but is now doing better, he said. The episode make him look differently at what he thought was a longshot when he first learned of it from IUP administrators. “Initially, I was skeptical but what I saw my mother experience should not be acceptable to anyone in this room,” he told the alumni gathering.

IUP is one of 10 state-owned universities in the State System of Higher Education.

In December, the university’s Council of Trustees endorsed a resolution authorizing exploration of developing a school. Officials cited among the reasons that there are not enough trained physicians to provide care to Pennsylvania’s citizens: the ratio of patients to available primary care physicians is 1,367 to 1, according to the United Health Foundation.

Officials say the initiative would help address a pronounced national shortage of primary care physicians, especially in rural areas, noting that qualified medical students across the U.S. outstrip available slots in medical schools.

They note that 57% of doctors of osteopathic medicine practice primary care medicine, and one in five work in rural communities.

There are schools of osteopathic medicine only on private campuses in Pennsylvania, including one under construction at Duquesne University. Officials at the Catholic university have said they hope to enroll the first students there in August 2024. Duquesne President Ken Gormley has also cited the shortage of family-practice doctors.

In addition to a campus in Erie and two in other states, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has a presence at the Greensburg campus of Seton Hill University, a Catholic liberal arts school.

IUP President Dr. Michael Driscoll said the project fits with IUP’s mission to serve the community, state and nation through graduates it turns out as one of 93 public universities in the United States with a high research activity designation and substantial health sciences programs.

But he also acknowledged it would be a complex multi-year endeavor whose varies costs would include a requirement that some $37.5 million be set aside in escrow.

“Financial support for a school of osteopathic medicine requires significant startup investment from sources outside IUP’s normal operating budget –meaning private donors and state and federal appropriations – and Mr. Caruso’s gift provides wonderful momentum to this important work,” he said.

Michelle Fryling, an IUP spokeswoman, said there are a number of other gifts in the pipeline, though she could not provide an estimate of their total potential value. She said it is not yet know what the total cost would be should university leaders decide to proceed after exploring the idea of an osteopathic medical school.

“Right now, we’re working on hiring a founding dean – it’s one of the first steps in the process, and is expected to take place during this summer,” she said.

“Next, IUP will seek accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), a three- to five-year process that includes submission of self-studies, along with site visits,” she said.

Before becoming a consultant, Caruso worked as a certified public accountant and has held corporate positions, while supporting IUP philanthropically and as a volunteer. He has been a member of the Foundation for IUP Board of Directors since 2007, serving as president of the FIUP board from 2015 to 2019. During that time, he helped spearhead IUP’s $245-million Residential Revival that led to the replacement of the university’s student housing with modern suites.

He called the school effort important to the region’s future and expressed hope his donation honoring his mother will encourage other gifts, meaning it won’t be the largest toward the project for long. “Maybe it will be the fifth of tenth largest.”