Arizona’s largest medical school, the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM) at Midwestern University, was founded in 1995. The College resides on a 156-acre campus in Glendale that features state-of-the-art facilities and advanced resources for the purpose of training the healthcare teams of tomorrow. Utilizing advanced simulation techniques, encouraging research and innovation at all levels, providing opportunities to students to use their new skills in hands-on environments, and fostering a spirit of community involvement and volunteerism, AZCOM and Midwestern University have established themselves among the top healthcare education institutions in the nation.
AZCOM trains an average of 250 students per four-year class and has over 1,000 students in various states of training at any given time. The College and University also provide a continuum of postdoctoral programs in primary care disciplines through the Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institute, with internship and residency programs offered at several hospitals throughout Arizona. AZCOM students and graduates provide much-needed healthcare services all across the state.
AZCOM faculty and students are actively engaged in community service through University-sponsored events, alliances with healthcare organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, and work study programs. AZCOM volunteers can also be found participating in a wide variety of outreach programs, including Health Outreach through Medical Education (H.O.M.E.), which offers health screenings and advice to Arizona homeless shelter residents; the annual Health Careers Institute for High School Students, giving Arizona high school students a hands-on look at healthcare careers; providing health screenings and education throughout the state; hosting numerous fundraising and awareness events in the community; and offering expert faculty advice through the Midwestern University Community Health Lecture Series.
Outside of the classroom, Midwestern University continues to build on-campus community clinical facilities that offer comprehensive, affordable healthcare and provide training to advanced students under faculty supervision. The MWU Multispecialty Clinic offers treatment in specialty areas including Clinical Psychology, Family Medicine, Foot and Ankle Services, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Pharmacy Services. The Dental Institute and Eye Institute provide quality dental and vision care at affordable rates. The Animal Health Institute offers community veterinary care through its Companion Animal Clinic, Equine and Bovine Center, and Diagnostic Pathology Center. Each clinic is outfitted with cutting-edge equipment and employs experienced clinical faculty along with advanced third- and fourth-year students, offering at once a caring, patient-centered treatment setting as well as a dynamic learning environment for future healthcare professionals.
The University has also established the Institute for Healthcare Innovation, which is dedicated to advancing and supporting research initiatives in human and animal healthcare. The Institute is staffed by professionals with industry, academic, and clinical backgrounds and provides a comprehensive setting to conduct clinical trials, translational medical research, and technology development.
AZCOM is one of seven Glendale-based colleges at Midwestern University, alongside the College of Pharmacy-Glendale (CPG), the College of Health Sciences (CHS-Glendale), the College of Dental Medicine-Arizona (CDMA), the Arizona College of Optometry (AZCOPT), the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), and the College of Graduate Studies (CGS). Medical students at AZCOM have the advantage of being able to leverage the interdisciplinary expertise of faculty experts from all of the University’s Colleges, as well as work together with students from other disciplines in service and research opportunities.
Midwestern University was founded in 1900 in Illinois and established its presence in Arizona in 1995 with the founding of AZCOM. Since then, the University has expanded to offer 17 graduate-level career programs encompassing a wide variety of healthcare specialties and disciplines. Midwestern practices the principles of One Health, which holistically integrates human and animal healthcare with environmental sciences and research to train its students to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Midwestern University can be found online at http://www.midwestern.edu, and information about Midwestern’s Dental Institute, Eye Institute, and Multispecialty Clinic is on the Web at http://www.mwuclinics.com. Information about the Animal Health Institute is available at http://www.mwuanimalhealth.com.
