The Chicago School is set to welcome its inaugural class of students to its new osteopathic medical school in fall 2026, marking a significant milestone as it will be the first such institution to open in Chicago in nearly 100 years.
With an urgent need for healthcare professionals, the school’s initiative aims to directly tackle the nationwide physician shortage, particularly focusing on Illinois, which is experiencing a critical lack of primary care physicians.
Michele Nealon, president of the Chicago School, emphasized the institution’s mission to integrate comprehensive mental and physical health education.
“We strive to be a leader in redefining what it means to train a physician in the 21st century, blending osteopathic principles with a mental and behavioral health foundation,” Nealon stated.
The school has recently achieved preaccreditation approval from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, solidifying its status as an official medical school authorized to confer doctorates of osteopathic medicine.
Currently, the school is in the process of recruiting and admitting students for its inaugural class, which will initially consist of 85 students.
Following the first two cohorts, the school is projected to increase its graduating class size to 170 students annually.
Located in the former Tyson Foods building in the West Loop, the medical school is under construction, with plans to open its doors by late 2023.
The facility will boast 247,000 square feet of space spread across eight floors dedicated to classrooms, laboratories, and collaborative study environments.
Nealon mentioned that the construction costs are estimated at around $48 million, with the anticipated economic impact for the surrounding community expected to reach $1 billion over the next decade.
This includes projected tax contributions of $4.8 million, indicating the school’s potential to significantly benefit the local economy.
The mission of the Chicago School directly addresses the prevalent mental health crisis in the U.S., aligning with discussions that began among the founders back in 2022.
According to Nealon, the timing of such an initiative is particularly critical given the severe physician shortage facing the nation.
The American Hospital Association reports that by 2033, the U.S. could see a deficit of up to 124,000 doctors, and Illinois requires an additional 1,000 primary care physicians by 2030 to meet escalating patient demands.
Osteopathic medicine, which emphasizes a holistic approach to healthcare encompassing both physical and mental aspects, is becoming increasingly relevant.
Currently, only about 25% of medical students opt for osteopathic medical schools, although interest is rising in this discipline.
Dr. Teresa Hubka, president of the Chicago-based American Osteopathic Association, asserts that the establishment of more osteopathic medical schools is essential to resolve the looming physician shortage.
According to 2024 statistics from the association, approximately 57% of osteopathic medical students are steering their careers toward general practice, often being the first healthcare providers patients encounter in hospital and urgent care settings.
Dr. John Lucas, the school’s founding dean, expressed a commitment to fostering a diverse group of future physicians, noting that only 12.2% of students enrolled in osteopathic medical schools in 2024 hail from underrepresented backgrounds, as per the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s annual report.
To support its students, the school aims to prioritize mental health, acknowledging the rising rates of burnout prevalent across various medical specialties.
Dr. Lucas remarked, “We’re losing a lot of physicians.
So we need to encourage students to seek care when they need it, and to not have a stigma around looking to get help for things.”
image source from：https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2025/06/02/chicago-school-illinois-college-osteopathic-medicine-physician-shortage
