VCOM 2023 Annual Report

The VCOM-Auburn campus is in the Auburn University Research Park. The first VCOM Auburn class graduated in 2019. Many successful relationships have been established with Auburn University, including those with the nursing school and the pharmacy college to serve many of the unmet needs of populations in Auburn, Opelika and the surrounding area. In addition, research relationships were established with Auburn University’s School of Kinesiology and College of Engineering. Today, many of the VCOM-Auburn graduates who are finishing residency are returning to the East Alabama Medical Center hospital in Opelika and to hospitals throughout the state where they experienced their clinical education. In 2015, VCOM-Carolinas graduated its first class and received full accreditation for the Carolinas campus. The campus maintains the primary care

and rural mission focus with more VCOM-Carolinas graduates practicing in medically underserved areas than the other two medical schools within South Carolina. In 2019, VCOM-Auburn graduated its first class and received full accreditation. In 2017, VCOM was approached by Nick Bruno, PhD, president of the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) and ULM leadership about the possibility of a VCOM campus in Louisiana. The unmet needs of Northern Louisiana were indeed evident and the Rural Hospital Coalition joined ULM in the proposal. By 2020, with all state and national accreditation approvals met, the new VCOM-Louisiana building was constructed on the ULM campus and the first class enrolled. In 2024, the first class will graduate from the VCOM-Louisiana ULM campus.

2018 After initial licensing and

2019 Averett University and VCOM collaborate on an exclusive two year online Master of Science in applied healthcare data analytics program. As compared to the other Averett data analytics master’s program, this additional program offers a specific focus on the complex data needs of healthcare organizations.

The first Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences (MABS) program, in partnership with Bluefield University, opens to students. MABS is a one-year program when most programs are two years. The program elevates a student’s potential for success in applying to medical school or healthcare fields.

VCOM-Auburn’s inaugural Class of 2019 graduates at Auburn Arena. U.S. News and World Report listed that VCOM ranked highest with 93% of VCOM graduates admitted to their first choice of residency specialty.

approvals, ground is broken for VCOM’s fourth location at the University of Louisiana Monroe campus. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards was in attendance among many other state and local dignitaries. Ray Morrison, DO, becomes founding dean.

THE HISTORY OF VCOM 13