Nearly two decades ago, before there were lecture halls filled with medical students, before the first white coat ceremony, and before Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) became a nationally recognized institution, Dr. J. Michael Wieting arrived in Harrogate with a vision and a willingness to take a leap of faith.
Recruited by former LMU-DCOM Dean Dr. Ray Stowers to join the founding team in 2007, Wieting left a thriving position at Michigan State University to help build a medical school from the ground up. It was a rare opportunity in academic medicine and one he could not pass up.
“You do not get to help start a medical school very often,” Wieting recalled. “Not many people ever will. What excited me most was the chance to think about how medical education should be done and then actually do it. The founding dean told us, ‘Think about how you have always wanted to do it but could not. Let us agree on it and then let us do that here.’ That vision was exciting to me, and it is still the culture we have today. We are helping our future colleagues achieve their goals.”
Over the next 18 years, Wieting would hold many titles, serving as senior associate dean, interim dean on three occasions, director of program development, medical director of sports medicine, and assistant vice president for health sciences program development. He played a key role in launching the Physician Assistant program, a project that began when LMU Chairman of the Board Pete DeBusk told him simply, “I want a PA program here, and I want you to make it happen.”
Wieting remembers asking DeBusk what limitations he should keep in mind while recruiting. “Pete just looked at me and said, ‘You do what you do best and let me do what I do best.’ That was all the motivation I needed,” he said with a chuckle. He worked quickly to recruit a program director, spurred on by the chairman’s promise that Wieting himself would be the first program director until a new one was hired.
He also helped establish the DO-MBA program, forging an early partnership with LMU’s business school at a time when he was not sure the idea would succeed. It did, and it continues to thrive today.
Wieting’s titles and his drive to make the programs succeed stand out, but he says his proudest accomplishment is not tied to a title. “I think the single thing I am most proud of is that we started this school with a cultural foundation. Everything we do is about helping our future colleagues achieve their goals. That culture is still alive here today.”
That philosophy is rooted in his upbringing in rural Oklahoma. Growing up in the smallest county in the state, Wieting’s family physician was not only a skilled practitioner but also a fixture in the community.
“He was at Friday night football games. He was at the drugstore in the morning having coffee. He was at every festival and chamber meeting. He had by far the largest practice because people knew him, respected him, and trusted him. I thought, I want to do that,” Wieting remembered.
At LMU-DCOM, Wieting has modeled that same kind of presence. He has remained active in patient care
while teaching, showing students how medicine works in real communities. He has taught not only medical students but also undergraduate students and stays focused on helping them build the strongest possible foundation for whatever specialty they might choose.
When he first arrived in Harrogate, Wieting recalled his wife experiencing some culture shock after moving from cities of more than a quarter million people to a rural Appalachian town. He said the warm welcome from LMU and the community at large helped them settle into what would become their home for years to come.
“My roles evolved, the school grew, and I kept finding new ways to contribute. That is part of what kept me excited all these years,” he said.
His impact at LMU has not been confined to the walls of LMU-DCOM. He has served on and chaired several LMU committees and contributed to many task forces, program feasibility committees, and search committees. He continues to serve on the executive advisory board of the School of Business. He also helped improve the level of medical care provided to LMU athletes as the first subspecialist in sports medicine on the LMU campus.
Although he is stepping back from full-time duties, Wieting is not leaving LMU. He will continue to teach in classrooms and labs, advise students on career and specialty selection, serve as faculty advisor for several student organizations, and work with the continuing medical education and career services departments.
“I am not going away. I am just slowing down a bit,” Wieting said. “I still plan to be involved, and my future colleagues will probably still run into me at conferences and meetings. This has been a lot of fun, and I plan to stay connected.”
His advice to medical students is both practical and encouraging: “If you did well enough to get into medical school, you have what it takes to get out. Medical school is different from anything you have done before, so you may need to adjust how you work. Do not try to do it alone. Nobody gets through medical school by themselves. We are here to help you succeed, so let us.”
As LMU-DCOM continues to grow, Wieting hopes the school will hold on to the close-knit sense of community that has defined it from the beginning. “No matter how big we get, I hope we never lose sight of our shared mission. These students will soon be our colleagues. We owe it to them to help them get there, because someone did that for us.”
For almost 20 years, Wieting has helped shape LMU-DCOM through vision, dedication, and a commitment to service. His transition marks a new chapter for both him and the institution, but the culture he helped create will continue to guide the school for years to come.
The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, and at LMU-Knoxville in Knoxville, Tennessee. LMU-DCOM is an integral part of LMU’s values-based learning community and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of osteopathic physicians to provide health care in the often-underserved region of Appalachia and beyond. For more information about LMU-DCOM, call 1.800.325.0900, ext. 7082, email dcom@LMUnet.edu, or visit us online at http://med.LMUnet.edu.
