DOTHAN, Ala. – The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is pleased to announce it has been awarded the highest accreditation status, Accreditation with Exceptional Outcome, by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).

The 10-year re-accreditation for ACOM is the longest accreditation cycle COCA grants. COCA is the accrediting agency for colleges of osteopathic medicine, reporting to the U.S. Department of Education.

To earn re-accreditation, ACOM successfully underwent a rigorous evaluation to determine its compliance with COCA’s 12 accreditation standards and 80 elements, related to the school’s mission, resources, and curriculum.

“I want to thank our faculty and staff for their hard work and their contributions to ACOM’s strategic planning and accreditation process, especially for their focus on the well-being and success of our students,” said James C. Jones, DO, FACEP, dean of ACOM. “This accreditation status is a direct reflection of the critically important work being done at ACOM on a day-to-day basis.”

Dr. Jones said the medical school received the accreditation decision this week following COCA’s meeting on April 11-12. During that meeting, the Commission reviewed the comprehensive report ACOM submitted in September 2023, as well as the report of ACOM’s seven-year comprehensive site visit that was conducted in December 2023. ACOM previously received a seven-year accreditation.

“Our next comprehensive site visit will be held in the academic year 2033-2034,” said Carmen Lewis, PhD, MBA, vice president of Institutional Effectiveness at ACOM, who leads the accreditation readiness processes “We will continue our efforts to ensure high academic standards and continuous quality improvement through our strategic planning process and supplemental reports to COCA.”