HATTIESBURG — William Carey University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has been authorized to expand the size of its incoming class by 100 percent over the next four years.

The medical school currently accepts 100 students each year. The size of the incoming class will grow to 150 in the 2020-21 academic year, 175 in 2021-22, and 200 in 2022-23. The effect of this change will be to increase total enrollment from 400 students to 800 students.

The news was announced Monday morning, Sept. 9, during a press conference at the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine. It followed a Sept. 4 formal authorization for the change from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the agency that governs accreditation of all osteopathic medical schools in the United States.

“The College of Osteopathic Medicine has been a remarkable success, and this increase in class size will allow us to prepare even more physicians. I am so grateful to the medical school’s past and present leadership, as well as the faculty and staff for their hard work,” said WCU President Dr. Tommy King.

In meetings with COCA last month, Dr. Italo Subbarao, dean of the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine, highlighted four factors supporting the expansion: 1) WCU’s demonstrated commitment to producing primary care physicians for underserved populations; 2) its partnerships with state-level agencies working toward the same goal; 3) three buildings that will provide an additional 35,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and study space; and 4) ample financial resources to hire more faculty and provide other assistance to ensure a successful program.

“When the William Carey University School of Osteopathic Medicine was founded, we made a promise. It was a promise to graduate primary care physicians and have them practice in Mississippi, a state that ranks in the bottom of the country for access to care,” Subbarao said.

“Mississippi has 59 physicians for every 100,000 residents. The national average is 82. But for the last three years, William Carey has placed 78 percent of its graduates into primary care residency programs. In doing so, we have become a strategic repository and resource for the state – working with the Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce, Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program and Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association.

“We’re receiving calls from hospitals in the Delta, where the need is greatest, asking for more William Carey students. The increase in our class size will help us become the robust pipeline these healthcare providers require.”

Dr. Seger Morris, president of the Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association, was among the state-level healthcare officials present to offer their congratulations.

“We want to congratulate the Carey family on this tremendous opportunity to advance healthcare in our state. When William Carey accepted its first class of osteopathic medical students, there were fewer than 100 osteopathic physicians licensed to practice in the state – there are now more than 900,” Morris said.

“Think about what 800 more osteopathic physicians can deliver to our communities. True to longstanding traditions, we know that osteopathic physicians are more likely to deliver services in primary care specialties and in the most rural and underserved areas, where Mississippians need our care the most.”

Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker, city council members and other Hattiesburg civic leaders also attended the press conference.

“When you increase the number of healthcare practitioners, that’s a great thing for Mississippi,” Barker said. “This is going to be a win for the state, and it brings another layer of higher education to Hattiesburg.”