Benedictine College hires associate dean for proposed osteopathic school

Benedictine College’s hire of Dr. Michelle McDonald as associate dean of preclinical education moved its proposed osteopathic medical school another step toward becoming a working program in Atchison. The appointment matters because the preclinical side will shape the first two years of training, the accreditation standards the school must meet, and the eventual pipeline of doctors who could serve local patients and rural communities.

McDonald is scheduled to begin Aug. 3, 2026, and Benedictine said her role will center on years 1 and 2 curriculum design, oversight, evaluation and continuous improvement. The college said the position must align coursework with osteopathic principles, biomedical sciences, clinical foundations and Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation standards, the kind of structure a new medical school needs before it can recruit students or open its doors.

The hire follows a major milestone approved by Benedictine’s Board of Directors at a special meeting on May 22, 2026. The board unanimously backed the project, and the college said it had raised the money needed to submit its Candidate Status application to COCA. Benedictine said notification could come as early as September 2026, with Pre-Accreditation Status projected for Spring 2027. If that timeline holds, student applications could open by late Spring 2027, first-class enrollment would come in 2028, and the first graduations and residencies are projected for 2032.

McDonald brings 25 years of experience from Baptist Health Sciences University in Memphis, Tennessee. Benedictine said the new hire adds to a leadership team that already includes founding dean Dr. Marla D. Golden, who previously led the D.O. program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia, and Deacon Kevin Tulipana, who previously served as president of City of Hope Phoenix.

For Atchison, the stakes extend beyond a campus staffing move. Benedictine says the proposed school plans to train 180 medical students a year and send graduates into Catholic hospitals, rural communities, urban centers and underserved areas. The school’s mission emphasizes Catholic bioethics, human dignity and service, and the college has already bought an historic building at 518 Unity St. in Atchison as part of preparations for a future Health Sciences Complex.

Faculty recruitment is expected to begin in summer 2026, another sign that Benedictine is shifting from planning to implementation. With accreditation still ahead, the new associate dean gives the Atchison project a sharper academic shape and a clearer path toward a medical school that could eventually influence health care, workforce development and economic activity in the county.