MEMBER NEWS: CHSU Medical Student Enrollment Reaches 500

First CHSU-COM cohort to graduate

in spring as Class of 2024

The current session at California Health Sciences University that began in late July marks both the fourth cohort of its College of Osteopathic Medicine and the final year of its first COM cohort that graduates next spring.

The Clovis-based medical school now has 500 new and returning medical students enrolled.

“The campus has never been livelier now that we have all four cohorts of medical students at CHSU,” said John Graneto, DO, dean of the CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The Class of 2027 is the fourth COM cohort to date, with over 150 new student doctors beginning their first year of medical school.

And with about 25 percent from the Central Valley and over 90 percent from California, the university hopes most of its medical students will complete residencies here and practice locally, Dr. Graneto said.

Many of the CHSU medical students completed their undergraduate education in top California schools such as  University of California campuses at  Davis, Irvine, San Diego, Los Angeles (UCLA), Merced and Berkeley, as well as California State University campuses at Fresno and Stanislaus.

About 800 applicants were interviewed from the over 3,000 candidates who applied for fall 2023 admission to CHSU-COM.

“I am proud that our diverse medical students collectively speak 40 different languages with approximately one third who speak Spanish, which means they represent the patient populations they will serve,” said CHSU President Florence T. Dunn in her monthly newsletter Aug. 31.

Nearly 200 CHSU medical students have already completed the first two years of coursework. Now as third- and fourth-year students, they experience hands-on learning through clinical clerkships in Central Valley hospitals, clinics and private practices.

This spring, CHSU class of 2024 medical students will learn where they matched for their desired residency before graduating in May.

“Our inaugural class of students will graduate this May before beginning residencies to make an immediate impact on the health care provider deficit in the Central Valley,” stated Dr. Graneto.

“I’m excited that starting next year a steady stream of new CHSU-educated physicians will join the community every year,” he added.