About Us

Dear Carey Family,

It is my honor and privilege to welcome you to WCUCOM! There has never been a better time to be a part of the Carey family. We are now entering into our 11 ^th year since the COM was officially founded and at that time, a promise was made to Mississippi and the Osteopathic Profession. The promise of graduating primary care physicians and having them practice in Mississippi, a state that has historically ranked in the bottom of the country for access to care as well as other health related indices. A promise to improve the quality of care and increase graduate medical training in the state. A promise to innovate primary care and rural medicine.

WCUCOM is considered one of the top medical schools in the nation for meeting our mission of serving the underserved. WCUCOM was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as second in the nation for placing graduates into rural areas, fifth for placing graduates in to medically underserved areas, Carey placed fourth in overall percentage of our graduates going into primary care (32 ^nd in overall primary care production). WCUCOM also placed top tier in diversity and research. Carey has contributed to a significant increase in graduate medical education throughout the state; and hospitals in the state who participated have seen a greater quality of healthcare provided to those communities. Over a third of our graduates over the past seven classes have stayed in MS for residency training and practice. Many alumni are now coming back as faculty at WCUCOM and contributing as preceptors for our students.

Carey physicians and students have received significant recognition for innovative approaches to primary care and population health. This includes the development of ambulance drones, telemedical systems, and the use of augmented reality and virtual reality for education. This also includes award winning curriculum in the areas of Tobacco Prevention and clinical recognition of Interpersonal violence (Child Abuse, Spousal Abuse). Carey contributes to regional disaster planning and preparedness activities annually including Forrest County and Lamar County exercises.

So, as I said earlier, this is a great time to be at Carey! We have an exciting year ahead of us and I am pleased about where we have come and the promises we have delivered on. But I leave you with this challenge, ask yourself, what can you do to make a Carey difference? What can you do to shine that Carey light unto others’ lives? For while we have come so far in such little time, we have so much more yet to accomplish.

We are Carey Strong!

Italo Subbarao DO, MBA
Dean, WCUCOM

William Carey University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelors, masters, specialists, and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033- 4097, or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of William Carey University. All normal inquiries regarding the operation of the university, including admissions, financial aid, educational programs, and other operational matters should be addressed directly to the university and not to the commission. The commission should be contacted only if there is evidence of significant non-compliance with the requirements or standards for accreditation. The Mississippi Council on College Accreditation (MCCA) follows the recommendation of SACSCOC. When SACSCOC approves the Level V designation, the MCCA only requests that it be informed of the decision.

The American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) accredits all colleges of osteopathic medicine. WCUCOM received full accreditation on May 3, 2014.

With a primary aim to train physicians for careers in primary care medicine, the WCUCOM curriculum is based upon core competencies in medical education as identified by the AOA and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM):

The first competency, Osteopathic Philosophy and Practices (OP&P), is the lynchpin competency that holds the other seven competencies together, with integration.

Consistent with its mission and the osteopathic medical profession, the goal of WCUCOM is to provide high-quality medical education with the following objectives:

• Recruit and train students primarily from Mississippi and the Gulf South region in order to positively address the physician shortage in the region;
• Emphasize training in primary care through a high-quality, professional education program;
• Prepare students for lifelong learning through the involvement in scholarly activity;
• Provide an academic community in which the individual student is encouraged to develop his or her highest potential in scholarship, leadership, and service, and where the atmosphere will foster recognition of the infinite worth of the individual and acceptance of and respect for a variety of religious expression; and
• Engage faculty and students in research and scholarly activities in order to advance the body of existing knowledge in osteopathic medicine.

Complaints or grievances concerning WCUCOM accreditation standards and procedures should be submitted in writing to the Secretary, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, American Osteopathic Association, 142 East Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60611; Phone: 312.202.8097; Fax: 312.202.8397; predoc@osteopathic.org. Upon receipt of the complaint, the WCUCOM Dean will assign an ad hoc committee composed of the Associate Dean responsible for the area of accreditation concern, three faculty members, one which would be related to the academic concern, and two students selected by the Student Government Association (SGA).

The committee shall review the complaint(s) and determine whether the appropriate standards were met according to the most recent publication of the Accreditation of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: COM Accreditation Standards and Procedures. If the committee determines, in its opinion, that the academic standards are not in accordance with the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation standards, the committee shall provide corrective recommendations that will bring WCUCOM in accordance with the standards. The committee report shall be submitted to the WCUCOM Dean for consideration and corrective action.

The WCUCOM Dean will then provide the student with a written response within 30 days of receipt of the complaint. Should the student complaint related to accreditation be upheld and valid, WCUCOM will establish, as a method of performance improvement, a monitoring of the accreditation deficiency for a period of no less than five years to monitor the corrective action with yearly reporting to the WCUCOM Dean to ensure compliance. At no time will any adverse action be allowed against the student(s) reporting the adverse accreditation standard. Any reportable adverse activity against the student(s) will result in disciplinary action as delineated above.

Success on COMLEX Level 1 is essential for graduation. Passing the first time increases chances of procuring a residency. As WCUCOM matures, so do our COMLEX 1 First Time Pass Rates.

Testing for our students does not stop at level 1- They must also complete a COMLEX Level 2 CE. WCUCOM students have a solid success rate on first-time CE examinations. 

Finally, students must complete the COMLEX Level 3 examination. This is a huge milestone for the osteopathic graduate.

* Overall Student Debt includes both Undergraduate and Medical School Debt

Please note: Student default rates include all William Carey University undergraduate and graduate students.

* NSLDS: National Student Loan Data System

Dr. Italo Subbarao, Dean of WCUCOM, serves on the University’s Strategic Planning Committee to ensure the COMs growth and values align with the University Mission. WCUCOM’s Strategic Plan accounts for the unique needs of our osteopathic medical community and ensure that our robust program meets the needs of primary care physicians in Mississippi, the Gulf South, and around the globe.