MSU Rethinking Health Sciences Programs

The Michigan State University (MSU) Health Sciences Council was created by President Kevin M. Guskiewicz to evaluate and recommend changes to the organization of MSU health sciences entities, including curriculum, professional education, clinical care, and research. The President believes the current MSU health sciences organization is inefficient because it duplicates efforts and misses many opportunities for internal collaboration.

The Health Sciences Council was tasked with exploring how Michigan State University could optimize its structure.  Most of the attention has been on its proposal to join MSU's College of Human Medicine with its College of Osteopathic Medicine, but the 61 page final report of the MSU Health Sciences Council covers much more ground, with an emphasis on becoming more of a research university than a training university:

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:us:ed2adc12-d1c6-404c-8170-6ca1f4674065?viewer%21megaVerb=group-discover

https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2025/02/27/msu-looking-to-revamp-the-way-it-trains-health-care-professionals/80531567007/

MSU looking at merging its two medical schools
M.D.s and D.O.s could end up studying together
By John Wisely - February 27, 2025

Michigan State University is looking to revamp the way it trains the next generation of doctors, including a proposal to merge two teaching approaches that have long been separated.

MSU is unusual in that it operates two medical schools.

The College of Human Medicine teaches what's known as allopathic medicine, sometimes called conventional medicine. Its graduates become M.D.s.

Its College of Osteopathic Medicine teaches the osteopathic approach and graduates there become D.O.s.

Combined, the two schools graduate about 500 physicians each year, making MSU one of the nation's largest training grounds for doctors.

Under an initiative dubbed One Team, One Health, the school issued a new report, examining several proposals that would lead to a more collaborative atmosphere, MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz told the Detroit Free Press on Thursday.

"One would be to take our two medical colleges ... and create a united College of Medicine, still offering the D.O. degree and the M.D. degree," Guskiewicz said. "We would be the only university in the country to do this."

Guskiewicz stressed that no plans have been finalized yet. Still, he sees a chance to improve the education through a more collaborative approach.

"This would allow us to produce what we think could be a better physician that is trained both through the allopathic approach and the osteopathic approach," Guskiewicz said.

If the changes are approved, they are like two to three years away and wouldn't impact current students, Guskiewicz said.

The osteopathic approach to medicine has long billed itself as more holistic in its treatment methods, which can include muscle and joint manipulation. Osteopaths tend to specialize in primary care roles at higher rates than do M.D.s, according to the American Medical Association.

Another proposal under consideration would make a similar move with the training of physical therapists, occupational therapists, audiologist and other care providers.

"The other thing that we would potentially do that's worth exploring is the creation of a new College of Health Professions," Guskiewicz said. "That would allow us to bring together some of the affiliated health and medical programs that exist in different colleges on our campus and under one roof, and so again, eliminating some of the silos."

If the plans go forward, future doctors could find themselves studying beside other health care professionals.

"There has been a push nationally to think about more inter-professional training in some of the entry-level courses that are important for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists," Guskiewicz said. "Would that create some economies of scale as we think about those courses in the first or second year of those programs?"