Asante Health System
06/09/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/09/2026 12:35
Asante partners with WesternU of Health Sciences to launch core rotation sites for medical students in southern Oregon
MEDFORD, Ore. (June 9, 2026) - In an effort to continue building the health care workforce pipeline in southern Oregon, Asante announced today a new partnership with Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest (COMP-Northwest), which is in the process of transitioning to its new name, the Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine. The program will bring third- and fourth-year osteopathic medical students to the Rogue Valley to complete their medical training with Asante beginning in July 2026.
"The partnership with WesternU, along with our partnerships at OHSU, will bring future physicians to the region, educate them in our facilities and communities, which in turn, will help grow our local workforce," says Scott Wilber, MD, CEO, Asante Physician Partners.
"The partnership between WesternU and Asante creates meaningful opportunities for medical students to gain experience across both hospital and outpatient settings. By training future physicians, clinicians are supported in strengthening the overall quality of patient care. This collaboration also extends beyond the hospital, enabling students to learn from, engage with, and become fully immersed in the local community," said COMP-Northwest Site Dean Heather Phipps, DO, MBA, FAAOS.
As part of the partnership, Asante and WesternU will work together to inspire local high school and college students, showing them what a future in medicine can look like-and demonstrating that a career in health care is both within reach and deeply needed in their own community.
"As a former school board member, I know that many high school or college students may feel that becoming a physician is beyond them. We hope that through this partnership we can not only provide excellent educational opportunities to current medical students but also inspire the next generation of physicians," said Scott Nelson, DO, a surgeon and Chief of Staff at Three Rivers Medical Center.
Medical students in this program will have rotations through seven core specialties in southern Oregon, including:
- General Surgery
- Internal Medicine
- Primary Care
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Psychiatry
- Pediatrics
- And more!
"This partnership represents a major investment in the future of our community. By training the next generation of physicians right here in southern Oregon, we're strengthening local access to care and ensuring that talented clinicians choose to build their careers in this region," says Patrick Sharp, CEO, Three Rivers Medical Center. In 2025, Asante achieved a record-breaking recruitment year. The launch of the WesternU medical student program will build on that success, creating a powerful pipeline of clinicians committed to serving this region for years to come.
Asante is a locally owned and governed not-for-profit health system with 6,000 employees providing compassionate care to nearly 600,000 people in a nine-county area of southern Oregon and northern California. Asante includes Asante Physician Partners, Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass, Asante Ashland (a satellite location of RRMC) and additional health care locations throughout the region.
Western University of Health Sciences (www.westernu.edu), located in Lebanon, Oregon and Pomona, Calif., is an independent nonprofit health professions university, conferring degrees in osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences, dental medicine, medical sciences, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, podiatric medicine, and veterinary medicine. WesternU is home to WesternU Health, where the best in collaborative health care services is offered.
Asante Health System published this content on June 09, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 09, 2026 at 18:35 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]