South Dakota Board of Regents Recognizes Nettleman
Nettleman became the medical school’s first female vice president for health affairs and dean of the medical school in 2012. She plans to retire July 15.
In a special resolution adopted today by the South Dakota Board of Regents, Nettleman was honored for her work to establish the Frontier and Rural Medicine Program (FARM) at USD. The program offers medical students nine months of clinical training in rural communities, with a goal to increase the number of primary care physicians who practice in rural areas of South Dakota. The Sanford School of Medicine is consistently ranked among the top-10 medical schools in the country for rural medicine.
“Dr. Nettleman saw that access to professional health care was limited in rural communities, especially in South Dakota, so she took it upon herself to prioritize rural medicine,” said USD President Sheila K. Gestring. “The state has greatly benefited from Dr. Nettleman’s legacy and her esteem of rural health care.”
Under Nettleman’s leadership, the medical school’s class size increased from 56 to 71, and the school received national recognition for outstanding community engagement by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The resolution honored Nettleman for her exceptional leadership and dedication to the teaching and practice of medicine in the state of South Dakota. Earlier this month, USD announced that Dr. Tim Ridgway will become vice president of health affairs and Sanford School of Medicine dean Sept. 1.
