Meeting the Mission

OSU-COM, Cherokee Nation work to improve rural medicine

By partnering with Native American tribes in Oklahoma, OSUCHS and the College of Osteopathic Medicine are building a physician workforce for rural Oklahoma and tribal communities by recruiting talented men and women from these areas, training them in these communities and having them return to practice medicine there.

“This partnership is an example of the tremendous good that can occur when trust is the foundation of a relationship,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “My hope is that future physicians who train at the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation will strive to emulate the special relationship that we are blessed to share with our good friends at the Cherokee Nation.”

In 2020, the country’s first tribally affiliated medical school opened — the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation— with an inaugural class of 54 students. Two years later, a total of 159 medical students are enrolled at the OSU-COM campus in Tahlequah.

“The opening of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation is a historic achievement for all of Indian Country as we produce more Native and rural doctors for our people. Through these efforts and our partnership with Oklahoma State University, we will continue to make advances in our tribal health system,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

The 84,000-square-foot-medical school building houses an anatomy and neuroanatomy labs, clinical skills lab, osteopathic manipulative medicine lab, standardized patient rooms, and a Simulation Center with the latest computer programmable manikins and technology. The site also includes lecture halls, classrooms, study spaces, offices and wellness center.

The OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation campus participates in several interprofessional education partnerships including with Connors State College’s nursing program and Northeastern State University College of Optometry. These learning partnerships allow OSU medical students and students from the different programs the opportunity to learn from each other and interact with each other as they would in a clinical setting.

In collaboration with Oklahoma’s tribal nations, OSU-CHS is fostering change to improve the health of all Oklahomans.

Enrollment by the numbers

INAUGURAL CLASS

54

Students TWO YEARS LATER

159

Students