State Representative Todd McKenney (R-New Franklin) has announced the passage of House Bill 139 from the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 92-1.

House Bill 139 changes the name of the “Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine” to the “Northeast Ohio Medical University.” The legislation includes an emergency clause to allow the new designated title to be utilized on upcoming graduation diplomas. The first class of pharmacy students will graduate in May. The legislation enables the charter class of pharmacy students to graduate under a new name that is not the “College of Medicine” and to award students a doctoral degree in the College of Pharmacy at the Northeast Ohio Medical University.

“I am pleased this legislation is moving forward,” McKenney said. “The new Northeast Ohio Medical University will soon play a major role in the economic development of Rootstown, Portage County, and all of northeastern Ohio. Renaming NEOUCOM as NeoMED is an important step in the school’s expansion process. The expanded university will drive local investment and new economic opportunities in the emerging field of biotechnology. This is a very exciting opportunity for our area.”

The Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) is a community-based, public institution offering both a doctor of medicine (M.D.) and a doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. The colleges’ educational partners include teaching hospitals, community pharmacies, boards of health and four northeast Ohio public universities.

Through these and other collaborative arrangements, the colleges participate in the Consortium of Eastern Ohio Master of Public Health program and offer graduate-level coursework and research opportunities leading to master’s and doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences and biomedical engineering. NEOUCOM is a founding member of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron.

House Bill 139 now moves to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.