William Carey University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has been approved to expand its enrollment by 100 percent over the next four years.
The universities medical school currently accepts 100 students each year. The sizeof the incoming class will grow to 150 in the next academic school year.
If the program continues to go as planned the class size will grow to 175 in 2021, and to 200 in 2022. The effect of this change will increase the total enrollment from 400 students to 800 students.
The University received approval for this change on September 4th from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the agency that governs accreditation of all osteopathic medical schools in the United States.
Dr. Italao Subbaro, Dean of WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine shared four factors highlighting the expansion.
- William Carey demonstrated commitment to producing primary care physicians for underserved populations.
- The universities partnership with state level agencies are working towards the same goal.
- There are three buildings that will provide an additional 35,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and study space.
- There are ample financial resources to hire more faculty and provide other assistance to ensure a successful program.
The overall benefit to WCU expanding its program is to place more primary health positions in underserved rural areas, especially the Mississippi Delta.
“When the William Carey University School of Osteopathic Medicine was founded, we made a promise. It was a promise to graduate primary care physicians and have them practice in Mississippi, a state that ranks bottom in the country for access to care,” Subbarao said.
