Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine - MSUCOM

Established in the U.S. over 130 years ago, the osteopathic medical profession educates Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.s) who are licensed to practice all aspects of medicine and surgery in all 50 states, and numerous countries world-wide. D.O.s graduate from a college of osteopathic medicine and complete subsequent specialty training in residency programs and fellowships in hospitals, community health centers or other clinical settings. D.O.s have always utilized a holistic approach to providing medical care, an approach that seeks to first preserve health, and when necessary, treat disease.

Given these progressive tenets, the state of Michigan was particularly welcoming to osteopathic physicians. As a result, in 1965, Michigan D.O.s, obtained a charter to establish an osteopathic medical school in the state. In 1969, the Michigan legislature enacted Public Act 162, specifying that “A school of osteopathic medicine is established and shall be located as determined by the state board of education at an existing campus of a state university with an existing school or college of medicine.” Subsequently, the charter was transferred to the Michigan State University (MSU) Board of Trustees and the college was relocated to MSU’s East Lansing campus in 1971 becoming only one of two MSU colleges established by legislative decree.

With that act, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) became the first-ever university-based osteopathic medical school, a singular and profession-defining achievement that propelled the rapid expansion of the entire osteopathic profession nationally. Today, more than 25% of all U.S. medical school graduates are now graduating from one of 42 osteopathic medical schools nationwide.

Since 2009, the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine has annually matriculated ~300 medical students into its three sites – MSU’s East Lansing campus, the Detroit Medical Center in Detroit, and the Macomb University Center in Macomb County. In 2024, 99% of our college’s graduates placed into a residency, with 46% of graduates entering primary care specialties and 76% of all graduates entering residencies in the state of Michigan.

Indeed, over 25% of the currently licensed and actively practicing physicians in the state of Michigan are D.O.s, with the majority of these D.O.s also being alumni of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. Similarly, the majority of physicians currently practicing in MSU’s health clinics (via MSU Health Care) are faculty and/or alumni of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Moreover, despite not being the oldest nor largest medical school in Michigan, the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine has more physician alumni practicing in Michigan than any other medical school in the state. Furthermore, over 2,400 alumni of the college are currently practicing in critically needed primary care specialties in Michigan, which is greater than all primary care alumni from the other six Michigan medical schools combined. Additionally, MSUCOM has the largest number of its alumni practicing in medically underserved areas, with around 1,400 alumni – nearly matching the total number of physicians practicing in underserved areas who are alumni of the six other Michigan medical schools combined. To translate this impact to people, more than 1.7 million individuals residing in Michigan's rural areas, and over 4.3 million Michiganders currently residing in Primary Care Health Professional Shortage areas are receiving care from D.O. alumni of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The economic impacts of our college are equally amazing. Extrapolating from an American Medical Association (AMA) study, MSUCOM alumni physicians practicing in Michigan alone generate over $8.2 billion in economic output, create over 24,000 jobs coupled with over $5.4 billion in associated wages, salaries and benefits, and generate over $600 million in state and local tax revenues annually.