A ‘new era’: Noorda-COM celebrates its inaugural class of medical students in graduation ceremony
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- A Noorda-COM student receives her degree in a graduation ceremony Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
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- The Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine class of 2025 is pictured.
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- Utah Sen. John Curtis receives an honorary degree at the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine class of 2025 commencement ceremony Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Orem.
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- Graduates are pictured at the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine class of 2025 commencement ceremony Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Orem.
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- Dr. Francis Gibson speaks to Noorda-COM graduates May 3, 2025, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
Called pioneers, trail blazers and guinea pigs, the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine’s inaugural class of 2025 made history Saturday.
The 71 members of Utah County’s first medical school class stepped across the stage at the UCCU Center in Orem to receive their doctorates of medicine, ushering a “new era” for medicine and health care in Utah, the school said.
“The truth is, you didn’t just attend a new medical school. You built one,” Dean and Chief Academic Officer Lynsey Drew said. “There were days around this journey that all any of us had was a vision and your trust.”
Founded in 2019, the Provo-based medical school received accreditation and the ability to recruit students in 2020. The first class of students arrived at the campus adjacent to Timpanogos Golf Club in 2021. The school has grown to 577 students to become the largest medical school in the state.
“We all decided to continue our journey at Noorda-COM, being thrust into a proverbial fire as we took our next step on our journey to become physicians,” 2025 Class President Ikaikaolahui Danner said. “We may not have understood every implication of going to a new medical school, but we decided Noorda-COM was going to be the fire that forged us into the physicians that we will be.”
The 2025 class boasts a 99% residency-placement rate, with the lone student not included pursuing a research opportunity. Nine of the graduates will also enter the military.
Among the graduates is Tanner Williford, a Brigham Young University alum who experienced an eventful medical school experience. During Williford’s third year of medical school, his wife delivered triplets at 32 weeks, and the babies stayed in the NICU for six weeks.
“During what Tanner describes as ‘The hardest year of my life,’ his daily routine became a testament of dedication, waking at 4 a.m. to visit his babies in the NICU, before driving to the hospital for scheduled surgeries, then returning home to care for his eldest daughter, while supporting his wife’s recovery from the C-section,” Noorda-COM President and CEO Dr. Norm S. Wright said. “Through these challenges Tanner maintained his academic and clinical responsibilities without missing a beat.”
Now, 19 months later, the triplets are healthy, and the family is expecting another daughter.
Also highlighted at the ceremony was Maria de los Santos, who pivoted from a career as an attorney to attend medical school. Santos moved to Utah from Texas with her husband and two daughters.
“She uniquely combined her legal expertise with medical education through Noorda-COM’s State of the Legislature, where she connected with (former) Utah Senator Mike Kennedy, a fellow physician and lawyer, who sparked her interest in advocacy and ethics,” Wright said. “A highlight of Maria’s medical school journey was participating in the World Medical Association’s meeting at the Vatican helping to revise the Declaration of Helsinki.”
Utah Sen. John Curtis also received an honorary degree Saturday, and Noorda-COM founding president Dr. Richard P. Nielsen was given the Founders Award Recipient.
Curtis, the former Provo mayor, did not speak at the ceremony but was recognized by Wright for the role he played in helping the medical school get off the ground.
“As a founding trustee of the Nordic College of Osteopathic Medicine, your vision proved instrumental in securing support for our institution during its formative years, both in capacity as mayor and as a member of Congress,” Wright said. “Your wisdom, leadership and business action helped Noorda-COM become the exemplary medical institution it is today. Your ongoing advocacy for health care legislation, medical education and residency programs will continue to strengthen osteopathic medicine throughout our nation.”
