Medical school enrollment on the rise at UNTHSC and osteopathic medical colleges nationwide

Medical school enrollment at UNT Health Science Center has increased by 63 percent since 2006, positioning the Fort Worth osteopathic college to help address a growing shortage in primary care physicians.

Fall enrollment in UNTHSC’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) is at 907 students, up from 857 a year ago. Fall enrollment in 2006 was 555 students, said Don N. Peska, DO, Dean of TCOM.

This fall, there are more than 22,000 students enrolled at osteopathic medical colleges in the United States, an increase of nearly 5 percent from a year ago, according to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). New student enrollment at osteopathic colleges increased by 11.1 percent nationally from 2012. More than 20 percent of all U.S. medical students are now enrolled in osteopathic programs.

The rising number of osteopathic medical school graduates at UNT Health Science and elsewhere should help address a growing shortage of primary care physicians, especially in family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. By 2025, the primary care physician shortage nationwide is expected to hit 50,000, according to AACOM. Texas ranks 45th in the nation in the number of physicians per population, according to the Texas Medical Association.

“About 65 percent of our alumni practice primary care medicine, helping reduce the shortage of physicians in Texas communities and beyond,” Dr. Peska said. “Although clearly attracted to primary care practices, our graduates train in a broad range of specialties serving in both underserved communities and in the nation’s top tertiary medical centers.”

Recent News

Siddarth Vyas
  • Community
|Jun 18, 2025

From finance to medicine: UNTHSC graduate charts bold new course

Siddarth Vyas was working as a corporate financial analyst when he decided to shift his focus — and his future — toward health care. This transition started with “significant reflection” and a long journey that included volunteering, shadowing and completing the prerequisite courses f...
Image
  • Our People
|Jun 18, 2025

Changing the flight plan: UNTHSC student redirects from aviation to health care

Taylor Harden was in a high-flying profession when she decided to reroute to a new destination. Her successful landing into health care moved her from an exciting career in aviation and travel into the business of healing and improving the lives of others. Harden recently completed the online Bac...
Eun-Young Mun
  • Our People
|Jun 16, 2025

Dr. Eun-Young Mun receives national award for advancing prevention science

  Eun-Young Mun, Ph.D., a regents professor and associate dean for Research and Innovation at The University of North Texas Health Science Center of Fort Worth’s College of Public Health, has received the Nan Tobler Award at the 33rd annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Researc...
Dr. John Licciardone
  • Research
|Jun 12, 2025

Long-term study shows better chronic pain outcomes in patients treated by osteopathic physicians

The first long-term study involving three years of follow-up of osteopathic medical care for chronic pain has been published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. The research team was led by Dr. John Licciardone, executive director of the Osteopathic Research Center and regents professor at T...