College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Italo Subbarao joined the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2012, serving as associate professor of clinical sciences and later senior associate dean. He is a leader in domestic and international disaster response and has provided field and technical support during large-scale emergencies like earthquakes in Haiti and Pakistan, shootings in Mumbai, and hurricanes like Katrina – which brought about his first visit to Mississippi in 2005.

Seven years later, having worked as an emergency room physician and disaster fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of Public Health Readiness for the American Medical Association, Dr. Subbarao arrived in Hattiesburg.

“I have had the honor of serving next to Dr. Turner as we met the challenges of accreditation, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and natural disasters like the January 2017 tornado that did so much damage at William Carey University,” Subbarao said.

“Through it all, I have seen the hand of God intervene, and watched the growth of an amazing medical school, one that is highly respected and absolutely necessary to improving the health of Mississippians and the Gulf South. WCUCOM is doing what many other medical schools have been unable to do – graduate students who go into primary care and serve in the areas of greatest need, as our mission directs us.”