Midwestern University (MWU) is an American non-profit graduate medical and professional school specializing in health sciences education, with a main campus located on 105-acres in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago, and an additional campus located on 156-acres in Glendale, Arizona. Midwestern University offers degrees in osteopathic medicine, podiatry, dental medicine, optometry, nursing, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, biomedical sciences, and veterinary medicine.
Founded in 1900 as the American College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine is the fourth-oldest medical school currently active in the state of Illinois. In 1995, it opened an additional campus in Glendale, Arizona, becoming the second medical school to teach students in the state of Arizona. The university over the years expanded beyond providing education in medicine and in 1993 it united these programs under the name Midwestern University. It offers degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, podiatric medicine, and other health professions. According to U.S. News & World Report (2015), Midwestern University's Downers Grove, IL and Glendale AZ campuses had two of the top physician assistant programs (tied #20) in the country.
The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The medical schools are also accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
History
What Do You Love about Midwestern University? Downers Grove, IL Campus.mov - Students from Midwestern University's Downers Grove, IL campus describe what they love most about the University.
The university was founded in 1900 as the American College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. The school was the fourth medical school in the world to grant the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree, and the first in the state of Illinois.
In 1986, the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine moved from its prior location in Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois to a new campus in the western suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois. In 1991, the Chicago College of Pharmacy opened. The College of Health Sciences began in 1992. In 1993, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a single educational mission for the institution, uniting the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Chicago College of Pharmacy, and the Chicago College of Health Sciences into Midwestern University.
In 1996, the university opened a new campus in Glendale, Arizona. The first college at the Glendale campus was the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, which began its first courses in 1996. The college joined the University of Arizona College of Medicine as one of only two medical schools in Arizona at the time. Similar to the growth of its Downers Grove campus, the Glendale campus expanded beyond solely training physicians by opening the College of Health Sciences in 1996, the College of Pharmacy-Glendale in 1998, the College of Dental Medicine in 2006, the College of Optometry in 2009, and the College of Physical Therapy in 2010.
In 2010, the university received a Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards from the Environmental Protection Agency for restoring 9 acres of wetland and oak-hickory woods.
In 2013, the Downers Grove campus began offering a Doctor of Psychology program, which received accreditation from the American Psychological Association. The following year (in 2014), the College of Veterinary Medicine opened at the Glendale campus, at a cost of $90 million, with a 109,000-square-foot veterinary teaching hospital, a 36,000-square-foot large animal teaching facility, and a 76,000-square-foot classroom building. The school is the only veterinary medical school in the state of Arizona, and was the 29th veterinary medical school in the United States.
Academics and accreditation
Through its six colleges, Midwestern University offers 16 academic programs at two locations. All programs are graduate, and focus on the health professions. The university is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Doctoral degree programs include the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Dental Medicine, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Optometry, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Several master's degrees are also offered, including the following: Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies, Master of Occupational Therapy, Master of Speech Language Pathology, Master of Biomedical Sciences, Master of Science in Cardiovascular Science, and a Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia.
Campuses
Downers Grove, Illinois
The Downers Grove campus is located on a 105-acre (42.5Â ha) site in Downers Grove, Illinois, a suburban area 25 miles west of downtown Chicago. It contains an abundance of green space, wooded areas, and a nature trail, in addition to classrooms, laboratories, a library, an auditorium building, and recreational facilities. The Science Hall is a 239,000 square foot building which consists of classrooms, more than 100 offices, and 25 laboratories. The Science Hall opened in 2011, and includes a gross anatomy lab, research labs and a clinical simulation lab for the dental school. Student housing is provided in three different facilities: Redwood Hall I, Redwood Hall II, and the Pines Apartments. The Traditional Residence Halls (consisting of five connected residence halls: Aspen Hall, Birch Hall, Chestnut Hall, Dogwood Hall, and Elm Hall) were demolished in 2015. The Downers Grove campus is home to over 2,500 students and five colleges, offering twelve fields of study.
Glendale, Arizona
The Glendale campus is located on a 156-acre (63.1Â ha) site in Glendale, Arizona, a suburban area 15 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. It contains facilities such as practice labs, lecture halls, classrooms, a comprehensive library, and outpatient clinics. Student housing is provided in the Student Apartment Complex, which consists of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Amenities provided exclusively for residents and guests of student housing include a swimming pool, volleyball court, and sand play area. The Glendale campus is home to over 2,900 students and five colleges, offering fourteen fields of study. Since the campus opened in 1995, the university has invested about $390 million into the Glendale campus.
Three on-campus clinics have been built on the Glendale campus to provide medical services to the local community while subsequently providing hands-on clinical experience to its students: the Midwestern University Multispecialty Clinic, the Midwestern University Dental Institute, and the Midwestern University Eye Institute. In July 2010, the Midwestern University Dental Institute opened its new facility which was designed together with Henry Schein. Construction of the Dental Institute began in November 2009 and includes 99,000-sq. ft. of space and 242 dental chairs.
Midwestern University operates a Companion Animal Clinic, which is equipped with 14 examination rooms, a pharmacy, oncology and rehabilitation centers, as well as a simulation laboratory for training students.
Patient care
Midwestern University operates several clinics, in Glendale, Arizona and in Downers Grove, Illinois. The Downers Grove Multispecialty Medical Clinic consists of a five story, 193,000 square foot building, which opened in 2012 at a cost of $112 million. The clinic includes a dental institute, a family practice clinic, speech & language institute, and an optometry clinic.
At the Glendale campus, Midwestern University operates a dental clinic, which opened in 2010 at a cost of $38 million. The dental clinic includes a pediatric wing, oral-surgery rooms, and 240 dental chairs.
The university hosts an annual charity run, which benefits St. Judes Children's Research Hospital.
Students
More than 6,000 students were in attendance at Midwestern University for the 2015-16 academic year (both campuses). At the Downers Grove campus, there are 2,392 students in attendance. 58% are female, 42% are male. 63% are white, 25% are Asian, and 4% are Hispanic or Latino. At the Glendale campus, there are 3,295 students in attendance. 51% of students at the Glendale campus are male, while 49% are female. 65% are white, 19% are Asian, and 6% are Hispanic or Latino.
Students at Midwestern University participate in a number of clubs on campus and an active student government association. There are several professional fraternities on campus, including Alpha Omega, Delta Sigma Delta, Kappa Psi, Phi Delta Chi, Psi Chi, Rho Chi, Rho Pi Phi, Sigma Sigma Phi, Phi Lambda Sigma. The behavioral medicine club hosts an improvisation show, which benefits charities. Additional clubs and organizations on campus include:
People
There are more than 6,000 graduates from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, practicing throughout the United States. Notable alumni include:
- John H. Finley, D.O. - team physician for the Detroit Red Wings from 1957-2003, and author of "Hockeytown Doc."
- Clinton E. Adams, D.O. - retired Rear Admiral of the Navy, former Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, and current President and CEO of Rocky Vista University.
See also
- List of medical schools in the United States
References
External links
- Official website
- Campus map
- Midwestern University Clinics