Message from Dr. Curtis Galke

The Office of Rural Medicine Education offers in-depth experiential learning to prepare students for medical practice in rural settings. The osteopathic philosophy is analogous to rural life, emphasizing family, home, and whole health, rural physicians offer great value to their communities within and outside their clinic walls. Our curriculum emphasizes understanding the perspective of rural residents and the importance of including their voices in development of patient-centered solutions to improve health outcomes.

Rural Scholars alumni can be found just about anywhere! From military installations foreign and domestic to residency programs at Johns Hopkins and Yale, to small rural Texas towns where they sit on the bench as the team doctor. We are proud to be part of the equation for accessible and equitable healthcare in areas that are under-resourced. We are humbled by the trust the communities place in our graduates to help them become healthier.

Being part of this innovative program is competitive and yet richly rewarding. While solid academic performance is expected, we look for the student who is called to service, who wants diverse days and starlit nights, whose eye is on the patient, not the clock and whose happiness is measured in relationships not wealth.

I and the ROME faculty and staff are available to answer any questions or provide further information about our passion for rural medicine. Please do not hesitate to contact us!

Curtis L. Galke, DO FAAFP
Professor and Chair
Department of Family Medicine and OMM
UNTHSC/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine