The Chicago School's Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine, set to start enrolling students in fall 2026, will be the first medical school to open in Chicago in nearly 100 years.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the school has received its preaccreditation approval from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, making it an official medical school able to grant doctorates of osteopathic medicine. The Chicago School is part of a private, nonprofit higher education system.
The medical school will be housed in the former Tyson Foods building in the West Loop area of the city. The 247,000-square-foot space has eight floors of classrooms, laboratories and collaborative study spaces.
The Chicago School is spending about $48 million in construction costs, according to Michele Nealon, president of the Chicago School.
Osteopathic medicine focuses on a “whole person” approach to health care, including physical and mental health. Only about 25% of all medical students choose to go to osteopathic school, but it is a growing field.
The school is now undergoing the recruitment and admissions process to enroll its inaugural class. The first class will be 85 students, but after the first two cohorts have enrolled, the school’s goal is to graduate up to 170 students each year.
Nealon says that addressing the country’s mental health crisis and a physician workforce shortage was at the forefront of the school’s mission.
Dr. Teresa Hubka, president of the Chicago-based American Osteopathic Association, says more osteopathic medical schools are needed to address the physician shortage. According to the association’s 2024 statistics, about 57% of all students of osteopathic medicine go into general practice, where they will often be the first point of contact for patients in hospitals and urgent care clinics.
