Edward Via Virginia College Of Osteopathic Medicine

TO PROVIDE OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION, OUTREACH OR MEDICAL SERVICES AND (CONTINUED ON SCH O.) RESEARCH THAT PREPARES PHYSICIANS WHO WILL PROMOTE HUMAN HEALTH IN MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREAS.

VCOM IS AN OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL COLLEGE GUIDED BY A MISSION THAT WILL PRODUCE THE PHYSICIANS THIS COUNTRY NEEDS.EDUCATION:AS A MEDICAL SCHOOL, VCOM CONTINUES TO MAKE EXTRAORDINARY PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPROVING HEALTHCARE IN RURAL AMERICA THROUGH THE WORK OF STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND RESEARCH. THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THIS YEAR ARE LANDMARK STEPS IN EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHYSICIANS. VCOM HAS NOW GRADUATED 4,574 PHYSICIANS AND IS IN POSITION TO BE ONE OF THE LARGEST SOURCES OF PHYSICIANS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. WHILE VCOM HAS GROWN INTO ONE OF THE LARGEST MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY, EACH CAMPUS MAINTAINS THE FEEL OF A SMALL PRIVATE COLLEGE FOR THE STUDENT, WITH A DEDICATED FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY, STATE, AND MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED REGION THAT THE CAMPUS SERVES.FROM THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS TO GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, THE VCOM MISSION FOCUSES ON RURAL AND MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IN STUDENT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND IN ALUMNI OUTCOMES. THE COMMITMENT TO RURAL HEALTH IS EVIDENT IN THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS, WITH 22% OF OUR STUDENTS COMING FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES OF LESS THAN 10,000 AND 47% FROM COMMUNITIES OF LESS THAN 30,000. DIVERSITY OUTCOMES ALSO DEMONSTRATE THIS COMMITMENT. ACROSS THE FOUR CAMPUSES, VCOM IS A LEADER FOR BLACK AND HISPANIC STUDENTS ENROLLED. PRESENTLY 62% OF VCOM GRADUATES NOW WORK IN MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AFTER RESIDENCY AND 64% PRACTICE IN A TARGET AREA IN AN APPALACHIAN OR DELTA COUNTY OR CITY. VCOM'S PROVEN PHILOSOPHY OF TARGETING RECRUITMENT OF STUDENTS MOST LIKELY TO RETURN TO THE REGIONS OF OUR MISSION PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE FROM RURAL AND MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES TO BECOME PHYSICIANS IN THOSE AREAS. THE COMPASS THAT GUIDES SUCCESS IS THE STRENGTH OF THIS MISSION AND A VISION FOR HEALTHIER APPALACHIAN AND DELTA REGIONS. IT POINTS TO A FUTURE WHERE EVERY PERSON HAS ACCESS TO GOOD MEDICAL CARE AND GOOD HEALTH, REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE OF THE COMMUNITY WHERE THEY LIVE, THEIR DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS OR THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.VCOM'S INITIAL VISION WAS TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND OTHER MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED REGIONS AND THE GREATER APPALACHIAN REGION AND TO PROMOTE JOINT BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH WITH VIRGINIA TECH. UNDER A PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN VCOM AND VIRGINIA TECH, THE COLLEGE OPENED ITS DOORS TO THE FIRST STUDENTS IN BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA, IN THE FALL OF 2003 AND GRADUATED ITS FIRST CLASS IN 2007. THE VIRGINIA CAMPUS HAS NOW GRADUATED 2,721 PHYSICIANS.IN 2010, VCOM FOUNDED THE SECOND CAMPUS IN COLLABORATION WITH SPARTANBURG REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM TO ADDRESS THE HEALTHCARE SHORTAGES IN THE UPSTATE REGION OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THE FIRST STUDENTS BEGAN THEIR MEDICAL EDUCATION AT VCOM-CAROLINAS IN THE FALL OF 2011, AND THE CAMPUS GRADUATED ITS FIRST CLASS IN 2015. THE COLLEGE HAS THE MOST STUDENTS IN CAROLINAS ENROLLED IN FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCIES. THE CAMPUS HAS GRADUATED OVER 1,243 PHYSICIANS.AUBURN UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION LEARNED OF THE SUCCESS OF THE VCOM/VT COLLABORATION AND THROUGH A PUBLIC/PRIVATE COLLABORATION, OPENED A VCOM CAMPUS AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY. VCOM-AUBURN'S INAUGURAL CLASS BEGAN IN 2015 AND GRADUATED IN MAY 2019. VCOM AUBURN HAS OVER 610 GRADUATES TO DATE, WITH A LARGE NUMBER COMMITTED TO PRACTICING WITHIN THE STATE WHEN RESIDENCY IS COMPLETED. VCOM AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE (ULM) FORMED A PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND OPENED ITS FOURTH CAMPUS TO STUDENTS IN 2020. THE LOUISIANA CAMPUS CURRENTLY HAS 462 STUDENTS IN ITS THREE CLASSES. THIS CAMPUS IS WORKING TO ADDRESS THE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE IN LOUISIANA, WHICH RANKS 39TH IN THE U.S. FOR PER CAPITA PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS. 81% OF THE STATE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREA BY THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, LEAVING ROOM FOR FUTURE VCOM GRADUATES TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE FOR THE HEALTH OF ITS CITIZENS.

RESEARCH:PART OF VCOM'S MISSION IS TO ADVANCE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE THROUGH MEDICAL RESEARCH. VCOM STRIVES TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF FACULTY GROWTH AND INSTITUTIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH SUPPORT FOR FACULTY RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND SCHOLARLY WORK TO IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH.MEDICAL RESEARCH PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR DISCOVERIES THAT WILL BENEFIT HUMAN AND ANIMAL POPULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD. IT CAN ANALYZE DISEASE TRENDS, RISK FACTORS, PROVIDE NEW TREATMENT OPTIONS, DEVELOP NEW MEDICINES, CREATE OR IMPROVE MEDICAL DEVICES, REDUCE HEALTH CARE COSTS AND PROVIDE NEW DIRECTIONS FOR PATIENT CARE. FOR THOSE SUFFERING FROM DISEASE, IN ONE WORD-RESEARCH PROVIDES HOPE. NEVER BEFORE HAS THIS BEEN MORE EVIDENT OR IN THE SPOTLIGHT GLOBALLY THAN IN 2020 AS THE WORLD FACED NEW UNKNOWNS SURROUNDING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.IN THE WAKE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE NEED FOR NEW, INNOVATIVE MEDICAL ADVANCES IS MORE APPARENT THAN EVER AND VCOM'S RESEARCHERS ARE ON THE FRONTLINES. SINCE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS RESPONDED BY DEDICATING MORE FUNDING FOR COVID-19 RESEARCH, VCOM HAS SEEN MANY NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS FUNDED FROM THESE EFFORTS, AND THE VCOM RESEARCH DIVISION IS PLEASED WITH THE SUCCESS OF ITS MEMBERS.DURING THE MOST RECENT YEAR, VCOM MADE IN EXCESS OF $1.1 MILLION OF SEED FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR ITS FACULTY AND PRODUCED MORE THAN 120 ACTIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS AT THE COLLEGE. THERE WERE 102 PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS GENERATED IN 2022, WITH MORE THAN 60 VCOM STUDENTS NAMED AS CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS, WITH OVER 200 STUDENTS BEING LISTED AS CO-AUTHORS ON POSTERS PRESENTED AT LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES. ADDITIONALLY, OVER 200 STUDENTS WERE INVOLVED WITH RESEARCH PROJECTS DESPITE PANDEMIC LIMITATIONS. VCOM PROUDLY ENJOYED A SUCCESS RATE OF 27% WITH EXTRAMURAL APPLICATIONS.VCOM'S SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE STUDENT RESEARCH, THE D.O. WITH RESEARCH DISTINCTION PROGRAM, HAS COMPLETED ITS THIRD CYCLE AND CONTINUES TO GROW RAPIDLY. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES RESOURCES AND TRAINING TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO BECOME CLINICIAN-RESEARCHERS. STUDENTS ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM COMPLETE A DESIGNATED CURRICULUM AND DESIGN AND CONDUCT A RESEARCH PROJECT WITH A FACULTY MENTOR. UPON COMPLETION, THE DO WITH RESEARCH DISTINCTION PROGRAM AWARDS STUDENTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH WITH AN ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATION AT GRADUATION. SUCH OUTPUT INCLUDES SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT TO A PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL. IN THE INAUGURAL YEAR 2020, TWO STUDENTS GRADUATED WITH THIS DISTINCTION. IN 2021, TWELVE STUDENTS RECEIVED THIS DISTINCTION, AND SIXTEEN IN 2022. THUS FAR, IN 2023, TEN STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED THE DISTINCTION. CURRENTLY, 120 STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM, AND THERE ARE 60 FACULTY MENTORS INVOLVED.THE MOST RECENT ANNUAL VCOM RESEARCH RETREAT WAS HELD IN DECEMBER 2021. THIS EVENT HAS BECOME A CORNERSTONE FOR THE CONTINUOUS GROWTH OF THE VCOM RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT. IT PROVIDES AN IDEAL SETTING FOR FACULTY TO BECOME BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH THE UNIQUE RESEARCH CAPACITIES, RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS THE VCOM FOUR-CAMPUS SYSTEM.KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE 2021 RETREAT INCLUDED BUILDING NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY NETWORKS AND ENHANCING COLLABORATIONS AMONG SCIENTISTS AND CLINICIANS AT VCOM'S AUBURN, CAROLINAS, LOUISIANA AND VIRGINIA CAMPUS LOCATIONS, CLINICAL PARTNERS, AND COLLEAGUES AT ASSOCIATED HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS. FOLLOWING A RETURN TO IN-PERSON RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES AFTER A HIATUS DURING 2020, THE GOAL OF THE 2021 RETREAT WAS TO BRING GREAT MINDS TOGETHER ACROSS VCOM'S GEOGRAPHIC REACH, TO INSPIRE INNOVATIVE NEW RESEARCH VENTURES, AND TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK THAT WILL SUPPORT AND SUSTAIN THESE CROSS-CAMPUS PARTNERSHIPS MOVING FORWARD.OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, EACH RETREAT WILL BE HOSTED ON ONE OF THE VCOM CAMPUSES TO GIVE FACULTY THE CHANCE TO VISIT THE OTHER CAMPUSES AND STIMULATE POTENTIAL COLLABORATIONS. THE NEXT RETREAT WILL BE HELD AT THE CAROLINAS CAMPUS IN SPARTANBURG, SC, THIS NOVEMBER.

OUTREACH:AN IMPORTANT PART OF VCOM'S PURPOSE AND MISSION IS ENSURING THAT ITS STUDENTS ARE "GLOBALLY-MINDED [AND] COMMUNITY-FOCUSED." VCOM'S GOAL OF SERVING THE UNDERSERVED DRAWS STUDENTS FROM ALL ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. OUR STUDENTS ARE COMMITTED TO BECOMING PHYSICIANS THAT SERVE THOSE MOST IN NEED. THIS IS PERHAPS MOST VISIBLE IN OUR ONGOING OUTREACH EFFORTS, BOTH IN THE APPALACHIAN AND DELTA REGIONS, AS WELL AS INTERNATIONALLY. THE OUTREACH PROGRAMS BUILT INTO THE CURRICULUM PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH REWARDING SERVICE EXPERIENCES IN SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES AND BEYOND.THESE PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO ADDRESS HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES INCLUDING THOSE RELATED TO RURAL LOCATIONS, MINORITY POPULATIONS, POVERTY AND ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE. AN EMPHASIS ON THE TEACHING OF PREVENTIVE CARE THROUGH OUTREACH EXPERIENCES ALLOWS VCOM FACULTY AND STUDENTS TO NOT ONLY TREAT PATIENTS, BUT ALSO GUIDE STUDENTS IN IMPROVING THE OVERALL HEALTH OF RURAL AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, REINFORCING THE VCOM MISSION. TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS' EFFORT TO FULFILL THE MISSION, VCOM WORKS YEAR-ROUND TO DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS, RESEARCH ENDEAVORS, CLINICAL OPPORTUNITIES AND FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS TO ENSURE STUDENTS AND ALUMNI CAN FOLLOW WHERE THEY ARE LED.