Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine has been listed by U.S. News and World Report as No. 1 in 2020 for schools that produce the most primary care residents. The rankings are based on 2017-2019 data averages.
“We place compassionate, patient-centered care at the heart of our mission and are committed to doing our part in building the primary care workforce of tomorrow,” said Brian A. Kessler, DO, FACOFP, vice president and dean of the college.
DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine was established in 2007 in Harrogate, Tennessee, with the mission of placing primary care doctors in Appalachia and the surrounding area. Since then it has graduated 1,739 doctors, many of whom work in East Tennessee and the surrounding states. In July 2019, LMU-DCOM opened an additional location in Knoxville offering the same four-year, full-time academic and clinical curriculum granting the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree.
Approximately 72% of the members of the LMU-DCOM graduating class of 2020 will enter their first year of residency training in a primary care track, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, emergency medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine and transitional year.
“We are proud of our many alumni who are out there serving their communities and battling COVID-19, many of whom are working as primary care physicians,” said Kessler.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates a shortage of between 21,000 and 55,200 primary care doctors by 2032. According to the American Osteopathic Association, 57% of doctors of osteopathic medicine in active practice are primary care physicians.
Info: 1-800-325-0900, ext. 7082, email dcom@LMUnet.edu, or visit online.
Summer Martin is director of marketing and public relations, LMU Health Sciences.