VCOM 2021 Annual Report

ONE COLLEGE, FOUR CAMPUSES

Making a difference in our communities VCOM canceled all International Medical Outreach and Community Outreach programs this academic year due to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local health departments’ restrictions. With a heart for caring and a desire to help, VCOM students and faculty volunteered in COVID-19 vaccine clinics across all campuses. They also provided medical outreach to give routine vaccines to children who had missed them due to the pandemic. These efforts have benefited many thousands of people in the communities supported by our campuses. With these vaccination projects and other initiatives, our public/private partnerships with non-profit healthcare organizations, hospitals and community health departments have expanded as we joined together in helping to keep people in our communities safe. As one College with four campuses, VCOM works together every day to provide the best medical education and outreach experiences for its students. This results in the College training and graduating physicians who will be leaders with a heart for service. Our graduates

the College’s graduate totals to over 4,100 alumni, with 67% practicing in the Appalachian and Delta regions where the physician primary care shortage is substantial. Over 99% of graduates who matched to a residency demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the mission, with 62% matching to a residency in our target region and 69% entering primary care residencies. We are proud of all of our graduates, especially those committed to our region and mission. VCOM has a tradition of graduating from 30 to 50 new physicians to serve our country in the military each year. In the past year, our world has witnessed the importance of medical research to bring new treatments, pharmaceuticals and vaccines to help COVID-19 patients. Our faculty, students and alumni have rapidly expanded existing research projects and launched new ones to address the global pandemic’s challenges and unknown factors. One project at the forefront of safety, research and technology is MyHealthTracer.com. VCOM researchers developed an online screening application to track the spread of the virus during the pandemic. All students and employees answer questions daily for signs, symptoms or exposure to COVID-19 or weekly if they are fully vaccinated. The reports of COVID-19 symptoms dropped dramatically across all campuses since early February 2021. Medical research is making a difference across the globe

go into the communities they serve, prepared to make a difference. ■

Our Mission has attracted more students who want to serve and help bring healthcare access to their communities.

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