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Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine ranked as a Tier 1 medical school for primary care, which is the school’s focus. The majority of its students go into primary care residencies and the vast majority of faculty have a background in that specialty. (Courtesy photo | Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine)
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Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine prides itself on serving the “whole health” of a person, and that mission is recognized in national rankings. 

TCOM, the medical school at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, scored Tier 1 status for best medical schools for primary care in the 2024 rankings of the U.S. News & World Report. While the nation faces a shortage of primary care doctors, the school is working consciously on training the next generation of doctors who can help improve health care access.

“Our TCOM faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to create an exceptional learning experience for the next generation of physicians,” said Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. “This year’s ranking is a testament to their continuous hard work. I could not be prouder of our TCOM students, faculty and staff as they continue to pave the way for the future of primary care.”

Fifteen medical schools around the nation achieved this highest status. In terms of the schools cited, TCOM was the most affordable for in-state students, with a tuition of $13,078, according to the ranking site. 

It was also one of two medical schools in Texas to make the cut, joined by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Other Tier 1 universities include medical schools at East Carolina University, Saint Louis University, University of Arkansas, University of California-Davis and University of Kansas, among others. 

Over the years, the osteopathic medical school has made a steep ascent up the medical school rankings for primary care. It was No. 72 in 2020; No. 57 in 2021; No. 36 in 2022; and No. 11 in 2023. This year, U.S. News changed its ranking system, from numeric rankings to placing schools in different tiers unranked. Tier 1 is for the highest performing schools.

And the numbers don’t stop there. This year, two-thirds of TCOM students matched for primary care residencies, and more than 75% of the school’s clinical faculty are primary care doctors, according to TCOM.

Frank Filipetto, the dean of TCOM, said that it’s no accident that the school is recognized at the highest level for its primary care training. The school’s vision — to change the way health care is delivered — attracts students who are committed to that mission and can help fix a broken health care system.

“I want the next generation of physicians to be able to tackle this problem,” said Filipetto, who practiced for nearly three decades as a family physician. “(They should) not just be good doctors in the traditional sense but be able to have the professional identity and develop a skill set where they themselves feel empowered.”

Primary care is often a patient’s first entry into the health care system. Providing more services like vaccinations and regular blood pressure screenings improve health outcomes, according to a CBS News report. Filipetto says the school trains students to have the skills and the necessary context to do their work. They’re able to treat disease and understand the factors that influence a patient’s health outcomes, such as where they live, their access to good food and ability to exercise.

“The reason why I chose family medicine was because I thought it was the specialty where I could make the greatest impact in someone’s health,” said Filipetto, adding that TCOM recruits students who share that goal. “We look for those life experiences where we think your purpose in life, your vision to become a physician matches ours.”

He hopes that students that come out of the program leave with the sense that they can help change the system — and they don’t have to adapt to it.