BHSU celebrates new college of osteopathic medicine with ribbon cutting
Memphis, Tenn., April 6, 2024 – In front of more than 300 faculty, staff, board members, students and other officials, Baptist Health Sciences University celebrated the completion of $34 million in renovations for its new college of osteopathic medicine with a ribbon cutting on Saturday.
BHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine will be the first school for doctors of osteopathic medicine in Memphis and West Tennessee. Located in a 100,000-square-foot building in Memphis’ medical district, the building underwent major renovations from March 2023 through April 2024. The high-tech, modern facility will be immediately available to staff and faculty and will open to the school’s first class of students in August 2024.
This is an exciting day for Baptist Health Sciences University and the Mid-South. The addition of a second medical school in Memphis is a historic achievement and will go a long way in helping to meet the need for more physicians in our region, which will help increase access to quality health care.
The new building includes the latest technology and amenities popular among medical schools and features an anatomy lab with capacity for 30 anatomy tables; advanced simulation and display equipment, including digital Sectra tables for virtual dissection and matrix-style audio-visual capabilities that broadcast to any device or display throughout the building; an osteopathic manipulative medicine lab; four simulation rooms with high-fidelity patients; and 16 standardized patient rooms where students can interact with actors who simulate clinical scenarios.
It has been my honor to contribute to the design and development of BHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. I’m grateful for Baptist’s investment in this school and the future of medicine in the Mid-South. BHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine will help produce highly trained medical professionals who can help fill the gap for primary care and other medical specialties in the area. Like the rest of the U.S., the Mid-South is facing a shortage of primary care and family medicine doctors, and I am proud to join Baptist in offering a solution that will help increase access to quality care in our region.
According to projections published by the Association of American Medical Colleges in March 2024, the United States will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. Factors contributing to the shortage include population growth and aging, a large number of physicians reaching retirement age and access to health care for underserved communities. The majority of doctors of osteopathic medicine go into primary care and essential care specialties and tend to serve in rural and underserved communities, which could help with the shortage.
The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation granted Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine pre-accreditation status in April 2023, which meant the school could start accepting student applications for fall 2024. The school will accept up to 81 students in its first.
Baptist Health Sciences University (formerly known as Baptist College of Health Sciences) was started in 1912. BHSU offers 15 programs of study, including the College of Osteopathic Medicine, which will accept its first class of students in fall 2024. In 2017, the Memphis Business Journal ranked the college first among Memphis-area colleges and universities for the best return on investment. Based on a comparison of postgraduate earnings with cost of attendance, BHSU alumni earn more than graduates of any other college or university in the area. Visit www.baptistu.edu for more information.
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