OU School of Community Medicine

The OU School of Community Medicine located in Tulsa, OK is a branch of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. It is the first medical school of its kind in the nation. The OU School of Community Medicine is designed to serve the healthcare needs of entire communities, especially vulnerable and underserved populations. OUSCM is guided by the growing need for more physicians focused on serving vulnerable populations, the growing number of people without access to quality health care, and the relatively poor health status of Oklahomans.HistoryThe University of Oklahoma College of Medicine was founded in 1900 and is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. In 1974, the OU College of Medicine opened a geographically separate, community-based clinical campus in Tulsa, approximately 100 miles northeast of the main campus. At the Tulsa campus, known as the OU Tulsa Schusterman Center, programs are affiliated with three community hospitals: Hillcrest Medical Center, Saint Francis Hospital, and St. John Medical Center.In 2008 a $50 million transformational gift from the George Kaiser Family Foundation allowed the OU College of Medicine Tulsa to change its focus. The gift established the OU School of Community Medicine with the goal of improving public health in Oklahoma, where citizens face critical challenges in access to quality healthcare. The school is seeking faculty and students from within Oklahoma and around the nation who have a specific interest in public health and community service. Students learn the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of acute and chronic diseases in whole communities, as well as the full range of primary care and sub-specialties offered in traditional medical programs.