New Xavier medical school aims to ease Ohio doctor shortage
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Xavier University is planning to open a new medical school next year. Photo: Courtesy of Xavier University
Xavier University is moving closer to opening Ohio's first new medical school in nearly 50 years.
Why it matters: The new school is part of a broader regional effort to keep more physicians in Greater Cincinnati as statewide and national shortages grow.
The big picture: Ohio was short about 1,200 physicians last year, per one federal estimate, while the national shortage could top 141,000 by 2038.
What they're saying: "The demand for care is rising as the population ages and more patients live with chronic disease, mental health needs, and complex medical conditions," says Philip Diller, a family medicine physician for UC Health.
- "At the same time, many physicians are retiring (and) burnout remains a major retention issue."
State of play: To help address those concerns, Xavier is expanding local medical education — as are the University of Cincinnati and the University of Kentucky.
- Xavier received pre-accreditation for its proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine, allowing it to recruit its inaugural class in 2027.
- Once fully enrolled, the college expects to serve more than 700 students.
The UC College of Medicine also plans to increase enrollment, said Diller, a senior associate dean at the school.
- And UK is building a new medical school campus in Covington that'll allow for larger class sizes, per Holly Danneman, associate dean for the UK College of Medicine-Northern Kentucky Campus.
- The new building will open in 2028.
Stunning stat: Roughly 40% of doctors who trained in Ohio still practice here.
- UK College of Medicine says about 80% of its Northern Kentucky graduates have matched into Ohio or Kentucky residency programs since 2023, with nearly 30% staying in Greater Cincinnati region.
Between the lines: Diller says residency programs haven't expanded fast enough in the specialties where demand is greatest, creating a "bottleneck for new physicians after medical school."
- All three universities say expanding training opportunities after graduation is just as important as adding students.
- Xavier is working with several Greater Cincinnati health systems — TriHealth, Cincinnati Children's, The Christ Hospital Health Network, HealthSource of Ohio and Mercy Health — to create clinical rotations and residency opportunities.
The last word: "If we want more physicians practicing here, we need more physicians training here," Diller says.