Why the IllinoisCOM Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program Stands Out for Future DOs

By Jala Byrd

Physician shortages are pushing healthcare systems to their limits, especially in communities where access has never been guaranteed. Responding to that reality, the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine (IllinoisCOM) built its Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program to train physicians who can handle the clinical demands of modern practice while still seeing the person behind the chart. Students don’t wait years to encounter the real world; they begin working in clinical and community settings early, where they see firsthand how environment, stress, family dynamics, and basic access to care shape a patient’s health.

IllinoisCOM’s curriculum takes the core ideas of osteopathic medicine—attention to the whole patient and respect for how the body functions as an integrated system—and combines them with contemporary tools and teaching methods. Technology, case-based learning, and collaboration with behavioral health and psychology students give future DOs a more complete picture of what care looks like today.

Why Osteopathic Medicine and DO Training Are Increasingly Essential

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) play a growing role in the U.S. healthcare system, particularly in primary care and community-based practice. DOs are trained to understand the relationships between structure, function, and health.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. could be short up to 86,000 physicians by 2034.

“There’s this enormous shortage of physicians,” explains John Lucas, DO, founding dean and chief academic officer at IllinoisCOM. “When the first IllinoisCOM class graduates in 2030, they won’t just be entering the workforce; they’ll be part of the solution to one of the biggest healthcare challenges of our time.”

Today, more than one in four U.S. medical students is enrolled in a DO program. IllinoisCOM offers a curriculum aligned with workforce needs.

How IllinoisCOM’s DO Curriculum Delivers Modern, Whole-Person Medical Education

IllinoisCOM designed its curriculum to reflect the conditions physicians encounter today, integrating technology, anatomy resources, and behavioral science into day-to-day instruction. Students work with simulation tools and case-based learning modules that mirror the clinical problems they will eventually manage.

“I’ve seen tens of thousands of electrocardiograms (EKGs) in my career,” says Dr. Lucas, “but AI tools can analyze millions. It would be substandard care not to leverage tools that help us perform better.”

Monica Kinde, Ph.D., senior associate dean of Pre-Clinical Education, says, “Why are we doing all these different methods? Students have to see and do things in multiple ways to ensure competency.” Her approach draws from extensive experience in student learning and academic support.

Key components of the IllinoisCOM DO curriculum:

• Mind and body medicine integration in every course, reinforcing the connection between physical health, mental health, and social factors
• Technology-enhanced learning, including plastinated specimens, which are real human bodies preserved for hands-on learning
• Interprofessional collaboration, where DO students train alongside psychology and behavioral health students

“We’re not trying to make all physicians also psychologists,” says Dr. Lucas, “but we are giving them the awareness and knowledge they need to be effective caregivers of the whole person.”

Early Clinical Experience at IllinoisCOM: Real-World Training for Future DOs

IllinoisCOM’s Early Clinical Experience program places students in real-world healthcare settings from the start of the DO program, not on pause until the third year.

“One of the most exciting components is our early immersion experiences,” says Dr. Lucas. “Students won’t be waiting until year three to make a difference. They’ll be out in communities almost immediately.”

Clinical Settings Where IllinoisCOM DO Students Train Early:

• Ambulance and emergency response through ride-alongs with EMS teams
• Correctional health systems, providing care within jail medical units
• Safety-net hospitals treating underinsured populations
• Mental health sites, including individual and group therapy environments

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s research reinforces that student success is closely tied to alignment in these three areas. IllinoisCOM emphasizes this through its student community model. One key component of this is the use of learning communities, small groups of peers led by faculty coaches who guide students through academic and personal development.

“AACOM did great by calling it GPS, or growth mindset, purpose and relevance, and sense of belonging,” Dr. Kinde says. “I reiterate those all the time, because if the experience doesn’t tap into one of those three areas, then we need to ask why we’re doing it.”

“We have a well-planned early identification and intervention process,” Dr. Kinde says. “If a student starts struggling, not just academically but in any way, we meet as a Student Success Team to give them the necessary resources.”

These structures support IllinoisCOM students as they move between classroom learning and real-world clinical environments.

IllinoisCOM’s Community-Based DO Training Model and the Impact of Physician Concordance

Rotation sites anchored in Chicago and extending to cities such as Los Angeles and Dallas demonstrate how cultural background influences patient care and treatment decisions.

Central to the mission of cultivating physicians who will shape a more equitable, accessible healthcare system is concordance, the idea that patients experience better care outcomes when they receive treatment from physicians who share or understand their cultural, linguistic, and lived experiences.

“I think one of the things we’re learning is how important it is to have physicians taking care of populations who come from those communities,” Dr. Lucas says. “There’s an inherent trust and understanding that elevates public health outcomes.”

Many studies support the concordance model. IllinoisCOM recruits students from a range of communities and encourages graduates to return to areas where physicians are in short supply. By doing so, the college will prepare DOs who can work in environments where cultural competence and local context influence clinical outcomes.

Developing DOs Who Deliver Compassionate, Whole-Person Osteopathic Care

At IllinoisCOM, you won’t spend your first years waiting to see how medicine works in the real world. You begin applying osteopathic principles early, working with patients, learning how behavioral and social factors shape health, and developing the clinical judgment you’ll need as a DO. Faculty mentors, structured feedback, and early clinical exposure help you strengthen your skills and understand what informed care looks like in day-to-day practice.

If you’re looking for a medical school where you’ll be challenged, supported, and trusted to engage with real patients early on, IllinoisCOM may be the right fit for you. To request more information, fill out the brief form below this article.