DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (DCOM) showcased its Knoxville campus in December with facility tours and a brief talk by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. The original DCOM campus opened 10 years ago in Harrogate, Tenn., on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University.
LMU board chair Pete DeBusk, for whom the school is named, welcomed Gov. Lee, along with friends and family of the 125 medical students enrolled at the Knoxville campus. They started classes this fall.
Dr. David A. Plundo is dean and chief administrator officer in Knoxville. Dr. Brian A. Kessler is vice president and dean of LMU-DCOM in Harrogate.
DeBusk was clear about the school’s mission: “We want primary care physicians in rural and under-served areas of Appalachia. Our mission is to help our area first, and we have good support in Nashville.”
Gov. Lee said he supports “the unique mission” of LMU and wants to boost economic development in rural areas of the state. He recognized Dr. Richard Briggs, who represents Knoxville in the state Senate.
DeBusk said the Knoxville campus at 9737 Cogdill Road roughly doubles the space for medical training. Its main building is over 110,000 square feet and features both labs and classrooms. It includes four auditoriums, 26 mock clinical exam rooms, two pod gross anatomy labs, eight high-fidelity simulation labs and a classroom with 46 osteopathic manipulation tables.
LMU purchased the 11-acre property in 2017. As an additional location, DCOM at LMU-Knoxville offers the same four-year, full-time academic and clinical curriculum at the Harrogate campus, granting the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Learn about osteopathic medicine here.
Former U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan talks with his son Zane and LMU Board of Trustees member Richard A. Gillespie during the open house of DCOM-Knoxville.
Katherine Treacy (Class of 2023) with mom Pamela Treacy at the open house. Of the inaugural class of 125, 63 are women/62 are men.