Medical school receives national recognition for developing residencies

Dr. John Kauffman, dean of Campbell’s medical school, at the AOA’s House of Delegates meeting, where he received a Strategic Team Award and Recognition (STAR) on behalf of the school.
CHICAGO — The American Osteopathic Association presented Campbell University’s Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine with the Strategic Team Award and Recognition (STAR) during the organization’s annual House of Delegates meeting in Chicago on July 19.
The award recognizes state associations, specialty colleges, medical schools and osteopathic postdoctoral training institutions that make significant contributions to enhancing the osteopathic culture. Campbell received the award for creating 363 new residency positions in 19 programs at seven affiliate hospitals in North Carolina since the medical school opened in 2013.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from within the profession,” said Dr. Robert Hasty, the medical school’s associate dean for postgraduate affairs. “I think we have effectively aligned strategic initiatives with our mission and are advancing toward our goal of a residency position for every graduate.”
Studies have shown physicians are more likely to remain in the communities where they train, and Campbell is working with community hospitals and clinics to establish new residency positions as part of fulfilling its mission to train the next generation of primary care physicians for rural and underserved communities.
The residency positions recognized by the STAR award are at six North Carolina community hospitals: Southeastern Health (Lumberton, North Carolina); Cape Fear Valley Health (Fayetteville, North Carolina); Harnett Health (Lillington, North Carolina); Sampson Regional Medical Center (Clinton, North Carolina); First Health (Pinehurst, North Carolina); and Novant Health(Huntersville, North Carolina). Additionally, Campbell has a Sports Medicine Fellowship and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine residency located at the medical school.
“We want our graduates to remain in North Carolina to complete their medical education and go into practice,” said Dr. John M. Kauffman, dean of Campbell’s medical school. “The establishment of residency programs with our affiliate community hospitals and clinics will lead to more access and greater quality of healthcare for rural and underserved communities in North Carolina.”
Sampson Regional Medical Center welcomed the first dermatology resident, and Campbell University welcomed the first Sports Medicine Fellow in 2014. This month, Southeastern Health welcomed 25 residents completing their medical education in the areas of internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine. The residents live and in the communities surrounding these North Carolina hospitals; in addition to being more likely to remain and practice in these communities, studies show they will also increase patient satisfaction, decrease costs, and shorten hospital stays at these hospitals.
Through the creation of these programs, Campbell is already increasing access to specialists in rural and underserved areas.
“According to North Carolina workforce data, prior to the establishment of the Dermatology residency program with Sampson Regional Medical Center, there was no practicing dermatologist in Sampson County. Now, the patients in Sampson County have access to dermatological care at their local hospital which will lead to early detection, better access to treatment, and lower healthcare costs,” Hasty said. “This is one example of improvements in North Carolina healthcare produced by our residency programs.”