Midwestern University

Main entrance to the Downers Grove campus.

Cardinal Hall on the Downers Grove campus.

Science Hall on the Downers Grove campus.

The university was founded in 1900 as the American College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery.[4][5] 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.[6] Originally located on Washington Boulevard in Chicago, the school moved to Hyde Park in 1918.[7] In 1913, the school changed its name to the Chicago College of Osteopathy.[4]

In 1986, the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine moved from its prior location in Hyde Park to a new campus in the western suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois.[5] In 1991, the Chicago College of Pharmacy opened.[5][8] The College of Health Sciences began in 1992.[5] 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.[5][9][10] In 2009, the College of Dental Medicine-Illinois opened, followed by the Chicago College of Optometry in 2014[11] and the College of Graduate Studies in 2018.[5]

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.[12][13] The college joined the University of Arizona College of Medicine as one of only two medical schools in Arizona at the time, and it remained the only osteopathic medical school in the state until AT Still University opened in Mesa in 2007.[6] In 1997, a physician assistant program was established at the Glendale campus, followed by the College of Pharmacy the next year. In 2006, the College of Dental Medicine-Arizona opened, then the Arizona College of Optometry opened in 2008, and the College of Veterinary Medicine opened in 2012.[5]

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.[14][15] In 2012, the Downers Grove Multispecialty Clinic opened in a five-story, 193,000 square foot building at a cost of $112 million.[16][17] In 2013, the Downers Grove campus began offering a Doctor of Psychology program, which received accreditation from the American Psychological Association.[18] The following year (in 2014), the College of Veterinary Medicine opened at the Glendale campus, at a cost of $90 million,[19][20] 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.[21] The school is the only veterinary medical school in the state of Arizona,[22] and was the 29th veterinary medical school in the United States.[23]

Through its twelve colleges, Midwestern University offers 17 academic programs at two locations. All programs are graduate-level and focus on the health professions. The university is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[24] Doctoral degree programs include the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Dental Medicine, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Optometry, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.[25][26]

Several Master of Science (MS) programs are offered, including physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, biomedical sciences, clinical psychology, perfusion technology, and nurse anesthesia.[25][26]

Midwestern University operates several clinics on both its Downers Grove and Glendale campuses. The Downers Grove Multispecialty Medical Clinic opened in 2012 and includes a dental institute, a family practice clinic, speech & language institute, and an optometry clinic.[16][17][56] Through four community clinics located on the Glendale campus, the university provides medical, dental, podiatry, optometry, mental health and veterinary services.[57] The Companion Animal Clinic is part of the larger Animal Health Institute, which also includes an Equine and Bovine Center and a Diagnostic Pathology Center.[58]

More than 6,000 students were in attendance at Midwestern University for the 2019–20 academic year (both campuses). There were 2,970 students in attendance at the Downers Grove campus, with 61% female, 39% male, 60% white, 25% Asian, and 5% Hispanic or Latino.[2] At the Glendale campus, there were 3,910 students in attendance, with 55% male, 45% female, 60% white, 18% Asian, and 10% Hispanic or Latino.[3]

Students at Midwestern University participate in numerous clubs on campus and an active student government association. There are several professional fraternities on campus, including Alpha Omega,[59] Delta Sigma Delta,[60] Kappa Psi,[61] Phi Delta Chi,[62] Psi Chi,[63] Rho Chi, Rho Pi Phi, Sigma Sigma Phi,[64] Beta Sigma Kappa,[65] and Phi Lambda Sigma.[66] The behavioral medicine club hosts an improvisation show, which benefits charities.[67] Additional clubs and organizations on campus include:[68]

Centennial Hall (left) and Science Hall (right) on the Downers Grove campus.

More than 25,000 alumni have graduated from Midwestern University.[69] Notable alumni include:

• Clinton E. Adams, D.O. – retired Rear Admiral of the Navy, former medical school Dean (Western University), and current President and CEO of Rocky Vista University.[70][71]
• Victor Lindlahr, D.O. – radio presenter and health food writer[72]
• Joseph Mercola, D.O. – an alternative medicine proponent[73]
• Rudy Moise, D.O. – former colonel of the United States Air Force, lawyer and politician[74][75]
• Richard Scheuring, D.O. – NASA flight surgeon.[76][77]
• Emily Temple-Wood, D.O. – 2016 Wikimedian of the Year[78]
• James N. Weinstein, D.O. – Microsoft executive and former president and CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system[79][80]

• List of dental schools in the United States
• List of medical schools in the United States
• List of optometry schools
• List of pharmacy schools in the United States

• Berchtold, Theodore (1975). To Teach, to Heal, to Serve!: The Story of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine: the First 75 Years (1900-1975) (First ed.). p. 239.

• Official website