POMONA, CA--(Marketwire -03/28/12)- Dr. Kay Kalousek, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) associate dean and associate professor at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., is the first COMP graduate to become dean of an osteopathic medical school.

A.T. Still University (ATSU) announced on March 27, 2012 that Kalousek had been appointed dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (SOMA) in Mesa, Ariz. She will begin her duties on July 1.

Kalousek, who earned her DO degree from COMP in 1989 and her Master's in Health Professions Education in 1994, has been involved with COMP and WesternU for nearly 27 years, ever since she walked onto the campus as a student in 1985.

"Being involved in teaching and facilitating groups and getting more involved in academic medicine during my career has prepared me for my new role, because I've worn many different hats at COMP," Kalousek said. "Under the leadership and mentorship of COMP Dean Clinton Adams, who in my opinion is the best dean in all of the country, I've been able to learn what I would do as a dean and how to make a college successful. COMP certainly has become very successful."

Kalousek, DO, MS, MSHPE, AAHIVS, FACOFP, joined COMP part-time in 2000 and became full-time faculty in 2007.

Kalousek regularly volunteers her time for the underserved and has guided many students by teaching and being a preceptor. She has served several roles in non-profit organizations, including past service as chair of the board of the Foothill AIDS Project.

The City of Montclair named her Volunteer of the Year in 1993, the DO Class of 2006 honored her as Most Inspirational Faculty Member, and she has received many other awards.

In 2010, the California chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) presented her with its Physician of the Year award.

Since COMP's opening in 1977 (the college became Western University of Health Sciences in 1996), the college's graduates have held or are holding many prestigious positions, but this is the first time a graduate of COMP will become dean of an osteopathic medical school, Dean Adams noted.

"Dr. Kalousek has prepared long and hard for this opportunity, having been a leader in the complete revamping of our curriculum to enhance our student-centered lifelong learning experience," said Adams. "She has frequently said 'I came back to COMP because I wanted it to be better than when I was here.'"

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Kalousek First COMP Graduate to Become Dean of an Osteopathic Medical School