Touro University California is a private

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

focused primarily on health professions and located on

Mare Island Mare Island ( Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the ...

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to th ...

. It is part of the Touro College and University System and is jointly administered with its sister campus

Touro University Nevada Touro University Nevada (TUN) is a private university in Henderson, Nevada. It is part of the Touro College and University System. Touro University Nevada is a branch campus of its sister campus Touro University California. History Touro Unive ...

. The university was founded in 1997 and was originally established in San Francisco as an independent, Jewish-sponsored institution, but relocated to Vallejo. Today, the university confers degrees in graduate studies of various disciplines including

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

osteopathic medicine Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in ...

, pharmacy, physician assistant studies,

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

, and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

. The school's campus consists of and 23 buildings of the former Mare Island naval base located east of the

San Pablo Bay San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water c ...

. Although sponsored by a Jewish organization, the school has a diverse student body of about 1,400 students as well as 100 faculty members.

History

Established in 1997, Touro University California was originally located in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

with its inaugural class composed of 67 students. In 1999, officials decided to relocate to the southern area of Mare Island due to its large capacity and restored two naval quarters buildings originally built in the 1930s and had the lease option to renovate ten other buildings intended to become diagnostic and research laboratories. Touro University California's main buildings are Farragut Inn, named in honor of Commander David G. Farragut, Wilderman Hall in honor of Commander Alvin Wilderman, and Lander Hall named in honor of Dr. Bernard Lander, the founder of the Touro College system. After Western University of Health Sciences'

College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) is a private, non-profit medical school for osteopathic medicine located in downtown Pomona, in the U.S. state of California. The college opened in 1977 as the only osteopathic medica ...

received accreditation in 1982, Touro University California's College of Osteopathic Medicine became the second osteopathic medical school program to open in the state of California.

Academics

The colleges of Touro University California include the College of

Osteopathic Medicine Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in ...

which offers the

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...

(D.O.) degree, the College of Pharmacy which offers the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), the College of Education and Health Studies which offers three types of degrees, including a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in Education, a Physician Assistant degree currently offered as a dual degree (MSPAS/MPH), and a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree. Additionally, students may pursue dual degrees such as D.O./M.P.H. or Pharm.D./M.P.H. Since 2010, Touro University California has offered the Master of Science in Medical Health Science degree (MSMHS) which provides specific training towards the preparation for the College of Osteopathic Medicine. In contrast, the Master of Science in Medical Health Sciences degree with emphasis in research in pharmaceutical sciences is now offered with the aim of preparing students for the College of Pharmacy. Tuition for full-time students in 2012 was $43,090. The

World Directory of Medical Schools The World Directory of Medical Schools is a public database of institutions that provide medical education. There are over 3,600 medical schools listed in the directory. The directory is published as a collaboration of the World Federation for Med ...

lists the College of Osteopathic Medicine as a ''US medical school'' along with other accredited US M.D. and D.O. programs.

Research

Faculty members of Touro University California's Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Pharmacy specialize in a wide range of basic and applied research in fields including: aging,

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

and clinical imaging, cognitive aging,

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see the ...

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...

s, ion channels, longevity,

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...

metabolism Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run c ...

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...

, and

vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.

research. Touro University California has established research partnerships with

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It con ...

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Showa University, and

University of Sao Paulo A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. Research at Touro University California is funded by the American Diabetes Association, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Accreditation

The Touro University seal surrounded by succulents on Mare Island

Student life

Touro University Sign on Mare Island in Vallejo, California

Touro University California also sponsors the Touro Student-Run Free Clinic, an interprofessional

free clinic A free clinic or walk in clinic is a health care facility in the United States offering services to economically disadvantaged individuals for free or at a nominal cost. The need for such a clinic arises in societies where there is no universa ...

organized and staffed by student volunteers. The student-run free clinic was designed to improve access to healthcare for low-income Vallejo residents and to further improve the clinical skills of Touro University California students. A licensed clinician provides direct, on-site supervision. Touro University California students also volunteer at the Suitcase Clinic in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

, a clinic that offers free health and social services to the underserved of the area. The College of Osteopathic Medicine hosts an active chapter of

Sigma Sigma Phi Sigma Sigma Phi ( or SSP), is the national osteopathic medicine honors fraternity for medical students training to be Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). The National Osteopathic Medicine Honors Fraternity is a group united in the interest of ...

, a national Osteopathic Medicine Honors Fraternity that emphasizes community service and scholastic achievement. Each year, Touro University California hosts the Teen Life Conference to educate Vallejo high school students on matters of health with lectures, health screenings, informational booths, and interactive physical fitness activities to foster student participation.

Touro University Rainbow Health Coalition

Touro University Rainbow Health Coalition Touro University Rainbow Health Coalition (RHC) is a group of students, faculty, and staff who promote health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people at Touro University California. The group was formally recognized by the ...

is a group of students, faculty, and staff who promote

health equity Health equity arises from access to the social determinants of health, specifically from wealth, power and prestige. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these three determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequiti ...

for lesbian,

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

, bisexual,

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

, queer, and

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bin ...

, (

LGBTQI ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

) people at Touro University California. The group was formally recognized by the Student Government of Touro in September 2002 as the Touro University Gay-Straight Alliance (TUGSA) and has been a University sanctioned club since that time. The Rainbow Health Coalition is deeply committed to preparing each new class from the College of Medicine to be prepared to provide high quality healthcare services for patients of all genders and identities while recognizing and celebrating the unique needs of the community.

Notable faculty

* Walter Hartwig * Jean-Marc Schwarz

References

External links

* {{authority control Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Touro University California Osteopathic medical schools in the United States Pharmacy schools in California Schools of public health in the United States Educational institutions established in 1997 Medical schools in California Mare Island Schools in Vallejo, California 1997 establishments in California Private universities and colleges in California