PIKEVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 9, 2018) – On behalf of the Board of Trustees at the University of Pikeville, President Burton J. Webb has announced the appointment of Dana C. Shaffer, D.O., as dean of the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) effective July 1, 2018.
KYCOM has enjoyed steady leadership throughout its existence, with Shaffer set to serve as only the third dean in 20 years. Shaffer will succeed KYCOM’s current dean, Boyd R. Buser, D.O., who, after more than a decade of service, is retiring in June.
“We are incredibly pleased that Dr. Shaffer has been selected to lead the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine,” said Webb. “Dana’s experience, vision and collaborative spirit will be a welcome addition to the President’s Cabinet. He is the right person to lead KYCOM as we continue to innovate with our partners in health care to meet the needs of Appalachia and beyond.”
Shaffer currently serves as senior associate dean of osteopathic medical education and professor of family medicine at KYCOM.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected to follow in the footsteps of John Strosnider, D.O., and Boyd Buser, D.O., as the third dean of KYCOM,” said Shaffer. “We have a nationally ranked medical school, but we cannot rest on past accomplishments. I look forward to leading our students, faculty and staff as we continue to excel in new directions.”
A distinguished fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, Shaffer was recently named chair of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners’ Board of Directors and is chair of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians Executive Council of the Conclave of Fellows.
In addition to his role at KYCOM, Shaffer serves as chief academic officer for Appalachian Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institute Consortium. He is a preceptor at the Pikeville Medical Center Family Medicine Clinic and has served on numerous local, state and national committees focused on access to affordable medical care, scope of practice issues, the use of chronic pain medication, electronic medical records and health care legislation.
Prior to joining KYCOM in 2013, Shaffer served in the Office of Clinical Affairs at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Des Moines, Ia., and practiced rural family medicine in the areas of osteopathic manipulative medicine, obstetrics and emergency medicine for more than 20 years in Exira, Ia.
A native of Sunbury, Pa., Shaffer served as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy before earning his bachelor’s degree from Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. After graduating from the Philadelphia College of Medicine in 1981, he went on to complete postgraduate training at Des Moines General Hospital. Shaffer is board certified and recertified by the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians.
KYCOM opened in the fall of 1997 and maintains a mission of producing graduates who are committed to serving the health care needs of communities in rural Kentucky and other Appalachian regions.
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