The U.S. News & World Report ranked the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM) first in the nation for graduate placement in rural areas. WCUCOM also placed fourth for graduate placement in at-needs areas and for graduates choosing to work in primary care.
William Carey officials held a press conference on March 29 to announce the recognitions to the public.
“We are making history not just for William Carey but for the state of Mississippi,” said Italo Subbarao, WCUCOM Dean. “Our strategic goal for William Carey University College of Osteopathic medicine is to graduate servant physicians. Physicians with compassion and empathy. Physicians who will practice where others refuse to go. These are areas in Mississippi and the Gulf South where patients are the sickest and the doctors are the fewest.
“That is our mission: to train and educate Carey graduates and inspire them to practice in primary care in rural and underserved communities of Mississippi and the Gulf South. Today, I am proud to say that we have been recognized among the best medical schools in the nation at meeting that mission.”
Bill Mayo, former president of the American Osteopthic Association (AOA) and the Mississippi Osteopathic Medicine Association (MOMA), said that William Carey is leading the growth of osteopathic medicine across the state.
“I graduated in 1981 and returned home to my native state (Mississippi) to begin my residency,” Mayo said. “Mississippi was the last state to recognize D.O. To put things into perspective there are only 10 Doctors of Osteopathy that have had a license to practice in Mississippi longer than I did. We now have over 1,300 D.O.s practicing across the state.”
Mayo helped William Carey secure MOMA funding to cover the cost of the COM’s school accreditation application. The school officially opened in 2010.
William Carey President Tommy King said that the COM school is on-track to be officially named the largest medical school in Mississippi next year, surpassing the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
“We have done all of this without soliciting funding from the (Mississippi) legislature,” King said.
Katherine Pannel, who is the first D.O. to serve as the MS Medical Association Board of Trustees Chair, also said that she was encouraged by the William Carey COM growth and achievements.
“I was testifying for the Senate Public Health Committee about the importance of physician led care,” Pannell said. “I remember walking up to begin my testimony, looking out to the crowd and not seeing one open seat or one place to stand on the wall because the room was filled with so many medical students from the COM. It literally gave me chills. This is the future of medicine, and I could not be more proud,”
Also in attendance were Robert Cain, the President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine; Kevin Klauer, the CEO of the AOA; Toby Barker, Mayor of Hattiesburg and members of the WCU Board of Trustees.
Klauer said, “This is a profession based on selfless service, and you’re providing greater access to care so that we can provide modern medicine to patients in your communities. I want to absolutely congratulate you for the wonderful accomplishments.”
To learn more about the William Carey College of Osteopathic Medicine, visit www.wmcarey.edu.
