William Carey University announces that Dr. Italo Subbarao has been named dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, succeeding Dr. James Turner, who is retiring.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Subbarao as the new dean of the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. I am confident that he will continue the record of excellence established by the retiring dean, Dr. James Turner. Our prayers are with him as he assumes this new leadership role,” said WCU President Dr. Tommy King.
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, 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.”
The retiring dean, Dr. James Turner, has served at William Carey since 2011. He was associate dean of clinical sciences before being named dean of the medical school in November 2012.
Turner guided the COM through its early years and secured its initial accreditation and more recent reaffirmation for an additional seven years – the maximum granted by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). He was appointed as a COCA commissioner earlier this year and will continue to serve in that capacity as he enters retirement.
“I’m going to play with my grand-baby. I love camping and fishing and the outdoors. I’m going to take time to do these things and then we’ll see,” Turner said. “I’ll still be involved with William Carey as an adjunct faculty member.”
Under Turner’s leadership, the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine has earned many awards and distinctions, including two from U.S. News & World Report – No. 3 ranking for highest percentage of graduates entering primary care among all U.S. medical schools, and No. 3 ranking among private medical schools for lowest cost to students.
Dr. Italo Subbarao will be formally installed as dean during a ceremony on Jan. 11.