Oregon Governor to speak at COMP-Northwest Grand Opening

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, MD, will give the keynote address at the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific – Northwest Convocation and white coat ceremony Saturday, July 30, 2011.

The ceremony, open to students, their families and invited guests, will take place on the COMP-Northwest campus, 200 Mullins Drive, Lebanon, Ore., from 1 to 4 p.m. July 30.

Kitzhaber graduated from University of Oregon Medical School, now known as Oregon Health & Science University, in 1973 and practiced as an emergency room doctor from 1974 to 1988.

He was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1978 and served three terms on the Oregon state Senate from 1981 to 1993. He served two terms as governor from 1995 to 2003 and was elected to a third term in November 2010.

COMP-Northwest is the second medical school campus of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, which is part of Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif.

COMP-Northwest’s inaugural class of about 100 students will don white coats for the first time, signifying their entry into the healing professions, and serving as a reminder of the powerful influence of the healer.