MAKING HISTORY Medical school sends forth Liberty’s first doctors
On May 19, 126 student-doctors made history as they became Liberty University’s first class of osteopathic physicians. For the graduates of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM), it was a day four years in the making. For Liberty, it was a longtime vision that became reality. In 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony marked the first steps in building the Center for Medical and Health Sciences. Thanks to a $20.5 million
grant from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, the 144,000-square-foot, four-story facility was completed in 2014 to train medical professionals who would go on to serve underprivileged areas in southside Virginia. “Class of 2018, you were chosen to attend LUCOM based on your character, capacity, and motivation, and it was truly a divine appointment that guided you to attend this medical
school,” said Dr. Peter Bell, LUCOM dean, in his opening remarks at the college’s hooding ceremony. “I have seen you demonstrate your passion for medicine with a servant’s heart. ... I marvel at your accomplishments as student-doctors and soon-to-be colleagues in the high calling of osteopathic medicine.” According to Bell, two-thirds of the class will begin primary care residencies. The rest will enter several different specialties, including internal
KEVIN MAN GUIOB
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