The faculty, staff, and administration of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine are committed to the osteopathic philosophy and heritage, serving the needs of our students, faculty, and patients today as well as into the future, and advancing both the science and art of the practice of osteopathic medicine.

Working together, we recruit and educate talented individuals committed to becoming osteopathic physicians. We have as a goal the graduation of students who are prepared to succeed in any graduate medical education program they decide to pursue. In addition, we are committed to ensuring that our graduates have the foundation of knowledge, skills, and competencies that will enable them to meet the needs of the wide diversity of patients they will encounter in their professional careers. We are committed to producing physicians who are knowledgeable, skilled and competent, but also professional and ethical. The college is dedicated to producing physicians with the skills needed to remain lifelong learners, the desire to contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge, and the passion to be of service to their patients throughout their professional careers.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine prepares to accomplish these goals by:

• Providing experienced and dedicated professionals and faculty who demonstrate excellence in their knowledge, skill, and experience in the practice of medicine, professionalism, and ethics in their personal conduct and dedication for the education of medical students, to serve as the educators, mentors, and role models for our students.
• Providing the facilities and resources necessary to ensure that its students have access to, and the opportunity to acquire a state-of-the-art medical education in a positive learning environment.
• Providing the resources and support for research and scholarly activity that aligns the needs of our communities, students, and faculty.
• Providing opportunities for clinical experience under the supervision and guidance of talented, knowledgeable, dedicated, credentialed faculty that will allow our students to acquire the clinical knowledge, skills, and competencies required, while integrating these components within the core of knowledge acquired during the student’s preclinical education.

LUCOM’s dedication to a Continuous Quality Assessment and Quality Improvement Process serves to advance its mission and vision, benefit the education of its students, and assess the growth and development of its faculty and staff.

LUCOM is committed to seeking out and carefully evaluating the opinions and recommendations of our students, faculty, staff, and community and professional partners and to integrate them into our programs.

LUCOM is committed to our mission statement and reaching the goals established by the vision and values adopted by the Liberty University Board of Trustees and the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Statement¹ 

Liberty University is committed to an inclusive atmosphere where students can serve, lead, and learn without concerns of discrimination. The COM, as a member of the Liberty University community, is dedicated to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment in support of its mission statement. The University’s office for diversity, equity, and inclusion, titled LU ONE provides support and guidance for students to facilitate a campus environment of excellence for all and provides community and campus-wide events and programs to celebrate belongingness, acknowledge campus leaders in inclusion efforts, and raise awareness about critical issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. LUCOM’s Office of the Dean in collaboration with LU ONE is available to meet with students to discuss any DEI related issues pertaining to the COM.

Admissions and Recruitment to Create a Diverse Physician Workforce

Students will be selected based in part on their passion for training and caring for all people regardless of, but not limited to, the patients’ race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, religion, age, sex, national origin, pregnancy or childbirth, disability or military veteran status, as well as their willingness to address health disparities by focusing on the social determinants of health. The COM strives to contribute to a diverse and highly qualified physician workforce which begins with recruiting a diverse pool of candidates to fill student roles. Partnerships and early assurance programs will be integral components of the COM’s practice of systematic and focused student recruitment student recruitment strategy. For the COM to successfully meet its Mission, it will be essential to collaborate with local, regional, and federal and partners and programs. These partnerships and programs may include efforts and affiliations with, but are not limited to, faith-aligned institutions of learning, faith-aligned organizations, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). These systematic and focused recruitment activities will be evaluated by LUCOM leadership, relevant organizational departments, and other designated stakeholders to ensure that the COM is achieving mission appropriate diversity among qualified applicants. This will help to foster mentorship, which in turn will increase underrepresented populations in the health care professions.

Education and Retention Activities in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The COM utilizes curricular and co-curricular programming methods and strategies to ensure students are trained to serve and support patients across the state, nation, and world. These curricular and co-curricular efforts will be integral components of the COM’s practice of systematic and focused student retention activities. The methods employed may include, but are not limited to, formal content presented within the curriculum; development exercises through the participation in clubs, organizations, and/or COMPASS sessions; and focused academic and career counseling efforts. Within the curriculum, students will receive training on cultural humility, bias, the social determinants of health, and health outcomes in urban and rural underserved communities by race and income. Student development exercises will facilitate continued progress toward the COM’s strategic goals of inclusivity and mutual respect for all. The COM continues to enhance its culture of inclusion to foster diversity, further enhancing understanding and engagement while ensuring accountability and improvement. 

Impacting Urban and Rural Communities

The COM strives to contribute to a diverse and highly qualified physician workforce, that is passionate, educated, and informed regarding the social determinants of health, including health outcome disparities, which disproportionately affect individuals in urban and rural underserved populations and/or individuals in lower socioeconomic populations.

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5.2 Diversity