As medical director of St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, he began the planning for the university.

With the assistance of Lyle Williams, Congressman for the Ohio 17th district, a feasibility study was begun in concert with the Youngstown Hospital Association to address a regional need for primary care physicians and use existing facilities at the state universities and hospitals in the area.

The first class was selected in September 1977 and included 42 students from UA, KSU, and YSU in a combined B.S./M.D.

The third floor of the NEW Center is home to the Bio-Med Science Academy, a STEM public school for grades 7–12.

On the northern edge of campus, the university offers on-campus housing for professional students, faculty, and staff in The Village at NEOMED, which opened in 2014.

[15] In August 2012, Northeast Ohio Medical University opened Bio-Med Science Academy, a public high school with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum and an additional focus on medicine (STEM+M).