Des Moines University history

Born Salem, IL 1901, Merlyn McLaughlin, Ph.D., received his B.A. Sterling College and his M.A. and Ph.D from the University of Colorado.

A founding member of Associated Colleges of Osteopathy, Doctor Still served as the organization's president in 1902.

Doctor Becker was an instrumental figure who, in 1903, worked for the passage of osteopathic legislation in Minnesota.

In 1905, the school changed its name to the Still College of Osteopathy and continued to grow and prosper during the first part of the 20th Century.

In 1909, the College purchased the Iowa Sanitarium building and opened the Des Moines General Hospital.

In addition to his presidential duties, in 1912 he served as president of the Associated Colleges of Osteopathy.

In 1916, he purchased Des Moines General Hospital from the College and spent much time and effort improving both the Hospital and its Taylor Clinic.

By 1927, the College had outgrown its building and moved to 722 Sixth Avenue, just a few blocks north of the city center.

In 1939 he joined the Still College faculty as an instructor in the basic sciences (biology, physiology and embryology) and studied osteopathic medicine.

In 1941, he received an AOA distinguished service certificate in osteopathic education and college administration, osteopathic organization, and literary activities.

The College was renamed the Des Moines Still College of Osteopathy and Surgery in 1945 to reflect an expanding curriculum.

The name changed again, in 1958, to the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery.

The American Osteopathic Association presented him with a distinguished service award for osteopathic education in 1962.

Beginning in 1963, the College opened a number of off-campus clinics in Des Moines and the surrounding area.

He entered private practice in Dayton, Ohio, later moved to Des Moines and received the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery's (COMS) first M.S. degree in 1965.

Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) legacy of dramatically widening access to education for Central Iowans started almost immediately after the College began on March 18, 1966, as a vocational and technical learning center in metro Des Moines.

In 1967, the Hospital became the Harrison Rehabilitation and Treatment Hospital, the first center in the state of Iowa to treat the disease of alcoholism.

DMACC spent the 1960s and 1970s establishing its main campus in Ankeny (1968) and starting to expand. Its second campus was founded in Boone in 1969 when DMACC purchased the former Boone Junior College.

In 1971, the Dietz Diagnostic Center, located on Des Moines' south side, began operation as a major outpatient facility.

In 1986, the ten-story, Clinic building opened, which offered primary care, medical specialties and ambulatory surgery.

In 1987, the ten-story Tower Medical Clinic – now known as the DMU Clinic – opened.

Renamed Des Moines University in 1999, DMU has completed some major changes to campus over the last decade.

In 2005, he presided over the opening of the 150,000 square-foot Student Education Center, and DMU became the first college/university in the country to achieve the "platinum well workplace" designation sponsored by the Wellness Council of America.

The Iowa Simulation Center for Patient Safety and Clinical Skills, which opened in 2007, allows students to develop and improve their diagnostic and clinical skills and patient care abilities using cutting edge technology.

Consistent with its mission of preparing outstanding health professionals while also responding to the nation’s health needs, in 2018 the University launched the Purple & Proud Campaign, a $50 million fundraising effort and the largest in DMU’s history.