The new president of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima is focused on the school’s mission of serving rural and underserved communities.
Dr. Michael Mittelman started work as the school’s seventh president on Aug. 1.
“Good health care drives all the things we talk about with the social determinants of health,” Mittelman said in an interview. “A lot of that we can drive through this school.”
He takes over for interim President Dr. Robbyn Wacker, who assumed the role after PNWU’s sixth president, Dr. Michael Lawler, died in 2024 at age 61 of cancer.
PNWU opened its doors in 2008 in Yakima, and has about 650 students. The university offers degrees in osteopathic medicine, physical and occupational therapy and a master of arts in medical sciences. It recently started a new School of Dental Medicine.
“Everything about (Mittelman) was perfect for PNWU,” said Kevin Van Nortwick, chairman of the university’s board. “He made it clear he was interested in the mission, and that’s very important to us.”
PNWU’s mission emphasizes service in rural and underserved communities, and educating students to stay in the area and improve health care access in those communities.
During Mittelman’s optometry training, he worked at the Rosebud Indian Health Service hospital in South Dakota. Serving the population there early in his career had an effect, he said.
He spent 33 years in the Navy, retiring from military service in 2013. He was president of Salus University in Pennsylvania for 12 years before coming to Yakima.
From military medicine to university president
Mittelman said he’s always wanted to be some sort of doctor. He grew up in Long Beach, New York, in a family of dentists, but didn’t want to become a dentist himself.
His desire to help people started at a young age. He recalled raising money for a local hospital with a group of friends when he was 10 years old.
Mittelman joined the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps in the 1980s, after being inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s service in World War II.
“I started as a clinician, then I transitioned into health care administration and ultimately policy and oversight,” Mittelman said.
One of Mittelman’s most memorable moments was when he served as the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command surgeon when Japan suffered an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
The National Centers for Environmental Information said the incident resulted in more than 18,000 deaths and impacted multiple countries in varying degrees, including the U.S.
The earthquake and tsunami damaged a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, causing the release of high levels of radioactivity.
“I was responsible for our medical response to (those events) on a national basis,” Mittelman said. “That was rewarding, educational and inspirational at the same time.”
Presidential leadership
At Salus University, Mittelman was essential to the school’s strategic growth and innovation, strengthening its financial position, infrastructure and accreditation standards.
He doubled the university’s endowment and oversaw the institution’s merger with Drexel University. The merger expanded health science programs, research and collaboration for students between both universities.
“Much like PNWU, Salus University is a health sciences, community-based (institution),” Mittelman said. “Our mission was to serve the communities and those underserved.”
Patients are having their lives changed directly by health care professionals at clinics, but on an academic level, patients’ lives are being changed through vision, he continued.
“My job is to bring PNWU to the next level,” Mittelman said. “We’ve got gifted staff, faculty who are motivated and students who are here for the right reason.”
Mittelman hopes to expand what his predecessors already built at PNWU and work closely with the state for support to help offset tuition costs.
“His whole resume is all about success and supporting health care institutions,” Van Nortwick said.
Barriers to health care access
Barriers to health care access are multifaceted, but it’s something that PNWU hopes to address through its mission, Mittelman said. He pointed to a shortage of health care providers across all parts of the industry.
“It’s not just physicians, it’s physician assistants, nurses, counselors and behavioral health,” he said. “It’s all across the board.”
The other piece is education, he said.
“People need to know where to access the health care system and how they do it,” he said. “The American health care system does not make that easy.”
Students play a role in not only returning home to provide health care, but also in helping people and patients navigate the health care system to help increase health care access.
“It’s unfortunate in the country today, you can live in one zip code and your life expectancy might be 65,” Mittelman said. “And then you can go to two zip codes over and your life expectancy is 85 years old.”
