The New Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the University of the Incarnate Word, School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM): John T. Pham, DO

The New Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the University of the Incarnate Word, School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM): Dr. John T. Pham

Dr. John T. Pham is the new Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM), he started his deanship in June 2022. He formerly served as Vice Dean of Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest in Lebanon, Oregon.

“I am excited to get a chance to be a part of a very talented team who will oversee the growth and expansion of UIWSOM not just now, but in the years to come. We are located in the heart of a medically underserved area of San Antonio, on the Southeast side and as we grow, so will the services we can provide to this community and the surrounding rural areas. This will be a great opportunity for our students to live the Mission of the University of the Incarnate and our founders, The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word… to get out in the community and serve those who need it the most.” Says Dr. Pham.

As a child, Dr. Pham settled in Portland, Oregon with his parent and younger brother after emigrating from Vietnam in 1975. He is the eldest of three sons and the first in his family to attend medical school.

He graduated with his Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude, from Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. After graduating from Oregon State University, he left the state for the first time since arriving in Oregon to attend medical school at Des Moines University in Iowa. Dr. Pham completed his residency in family medicine at the East Moreland Hospital.

After graduating from residency, his ambition and motivation to give back to his community were embedded in his fiber. He became an entrepreneur and opened a solo practice clinic in Portland, where he practiced for almost ten years before joining Western University COMP-Northwest in 2011. Being fluent in Vietnamese, Dr. Pham’s practice served many first- and second-generation Vietnamese. Throughout his time in private practice, he mentored countless numbers of medical students and pre-med students at his clinic.

Dr. Pham has been recognized for mentoring both locally and nationally. These acknowledgments have earned him D.O. of the Year from the State Association in 2010 and Mentor of the Year from the AOA in 2007. His love of teaching led him to Western University COMPNorthwest, where he began educating as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine for the inaugural class in 2011. When the opportunity arose for him to give back to the community and train future compassionate and competent physicians, he did not hesitate. He now brings his passion for education and mentoring to the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) as Dean.

“Where will our next generation of doctors come from if we do not lead by example? Mentoring and being mentored is a gift. Observing physicians in practice gives premedical and medical students a sense of the rigors of medicine – the day to day realities of caring for patient after patient, administering medical records, consulting with other health professionals and managing support staff. These are all factors that are critical in fostering those who will follow in our footsteps.”

At UIWSOM, Dr. Pham leads a community that is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. UIWSOM brings together world-class researchers and faculty from diverse health-related fields to train our future osteopathic physicians.

The curriculum at UIWSOM is forward-thinking and distinctive. UIWSOM graduates complete medical school with the tools to effectively communicate with patients, diagnose, treat diseases and lead with compassion and empathy.

UIWSOM’s mission is to empower all members of the medical education community to achieve academic, professional and personal success and develop a commitment to lifelong learning through excellence in learner-centered, patient-focused education, justice-based research, and meaningful partnerships of osteopathic clinical service across the spectrum of undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education.

The development and application of osteopathic principles of medicine across four years of physician training will promote culturally, linguistically and community responsive care for all patients to enhance patient safety and improve patient outcomes are core principles of our mission.

The UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine operates four state-ofthe-art facilities on the UIW Medical Campus at Brooks on San Antonio’s southeast side. These buildings formerly comprised the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. In total, the buildings consist of approximately 155,000 square feet of educational and administrative space on 16 acres.

UIWSOM currently has 661 learners and is preparing for its third graduation. They are also now accepting students for their 7th academic year.

Dr. John T. Pham, Dean and Chief Academic Office at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM).