Benedictine College Hires Leaders for Proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine

Posted May 5, 2025

Benedictine College has chosen two new hires who will lead the institution’s proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Marla DePolo Golden will join the school as dean of the Benedictine College School of Osteopathic Medicine and Dr. Kevin Tulipana will join her as associate dean. The two will begin their duties this summer, according to a Benedictine College release.

Most recently, Golden served as dean of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia. She graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988 and completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, Florida, in 1992.

Dr. Marla DePolo Golden has been appointed Dean of the Benedictine College School of Osteopathic Medicine. Photo credit: Benedictine College.

“Osteopathic medicine treats the whole person and is a great fit with the Catholic, Christ-centered approach at Benedictine College. The prospect of beginning a new project that creates doctors who recognize a patient’s pain and suffering and approach their care with love, mercy and compassion is very exciting,” Golden said in the release.

Tulipana joins Benedictine College from City of Hope in Phoenix, where he served as president for over two years. He grew up in the Kansas City metro, having earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Truman State University in 1996. He then completed his Doctor of Osteopathy degree at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine & Surgery in 2000. He served as chief resident of Family Practice at Mercy/Mayo Family Medical Center for a year.

Dr. Kevin Tulipana has been appointed Associate Dean of the Benedictine College School of Osteopathic Medicine. Photo credit: Benedictine College.

“Medicine is not just a career, but truly a vocation,” Tulipana said in the release. “Pursuing medicine as a vocation, physicians are answering a call to steward their talents to the service of the vulnerable, embodying healing as an act of love and faith.”

Benedictine College first announced its proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine in July 2024. The college dedicated a $4 million investment to the project. The new school would help train doctors for Catholic hospitals in rural areas where health care providers are scarce. The project would be an expansion of its campus in Atchison, Kansas.