Touro University

Touro University is a Jewish-sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, located on Mare Island in Vallejo, a city in the northern San Francisco Bay Area. Touro College, located in New York City, is the parent institution. Touro University is jointly administered with Touro University Nevada, located near Las Vegas, NV. The Touro Campus is comprised of 40 acres of the former Mare Island naval base. The colleges of Touro include the College of Osteopathic Medicine which offers the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), the College of Pharmacy (offering a degree of Doctor of Pharmacy), the College of Health Studies which offers a Physician Assistant degree(MSPAS) as well as the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, and the College of Education, which offers a Master of Arts in Education.

While sponsored by a Jewish organization, Touro University, Mare Island has students and faculty from many religious backgrounds. The Judaic values of commitment to social justice, intellectual pursuit, and service to humanity are expressed and encouraged, regardless of faith.

Geography
In the area known as the Pacific Northwest, there are only 4 medical schools north of San Francisco and south of Canada, a distance of nearly 900 mi (1,400km). They lie in the three western states of California, Oregon and Washington. There are no medical schools in the northwestern states of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming or Alaska. These four medical schools are:
 * University of Washington School of Medicine
 * Oregon Health & Science University
 * UC Davis School of Medicine
 * Touro University

The third and forth years of medical school are usually spent in clinical rotations and sub-internships. Touro uses a system of preceptors and rotation sites distributed throughout the Pacific Northwest (link), as well sites in southern California, Michigan, New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.

For a state of its size and population, California has a relatively limited medical education and training system. Only 15.9 medical students per 100,000 were trained in California during the years from 1985 to 2005, in contrast to a U.S. average of 28.5 medical students per 100,000 population. When adjusted for population growth, California medical school enrollment per capita experienced a 5% decrease during this time.

Research
In July 2007, Touro University announced, in a press release, plans to begin construction on a Particle therapy cancer treatment center. The center would be the first such facility to offer the treatment in the United States. The center is part of Touro's 1.2 billion dollar plan for Mare Island.

In October 2007, Touro University received a four-year National Institute of Health (NIH) research grant of $1.4 million to study the impact of diet on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that now affects about one third of Americans.

GLBT controversy
In September of 2006, Touro University was criticized for revoking the charter of the schools LGBT student group, the Touro University Gay-Straight Alliance. Under pressure from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the Vallejo City Council, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association , and the American Medical Student Association the school quickly reversed its decision and restored the group's funding.