At Lincoln Memorial University-West Knoxville, the next generation of health care professionals begins its journey long before they step into hospitals and clinics across the region. The site is home to a Knoxville cohort of the LMU-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, which first opened on LMU’s main campus in Harrogate in 2007 before expanding to Knoxville to grow the university’s mission of preparing physicians to serve rural and underserved communities. Medical students in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program spend their first two years on campus building a foundation in biomedical science, clinical skills and osteopathic principles before transitioning to clinical rotations during their final two years of training. The West Knoxville campus also brings together several other graduate health programs, including the LMU-School of Medical Sciences Physician Assistant program and the LMU-College of Mathematics, Sciences and Health Professions Doctor of Occupational Therapy (ODT) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs. Together, these programs create a collaborative environment where future physicians, physician assistants, therapists and other health professionals learn side by side in modern classrooms, laboratories and clinical training spaces designed to prepare them for patient-centered care across the region.
