Campuses and Programs
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine promotes a diverse and inclusive environment that provides excellence in education, access to high-quality health care, and transformative research to improve the health and wellness of Kentuckians and beyond.
One of the most critical barriers to improved health and wellness for the Commonwealth is the shortage of physicians serving in community settings across the state. To address that need strategically, the college is expanding student physician training opportunities to include the Lexington Campus, the Rural Physician Leadership Program in Morehead, and the four-year regional campuses in Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky.
See below for more details about the distinctive experiences at each campus location.
Main Campus - Lexington, KY
The College of Medicine’s main campus in Lexington, Ky., has set the standard in medical training. It offers a single location where education, research, and clinical care are provided in a close network of facilities. This provides students with easy access to physician and research mentors. Students benefit from the college’s innovative Kentucky Integrated Curriculum, which emphasizes evidence-based medicine and early clinical experiences.
In addition, the college is a recognized leader in biomedical research focusing on innovative, transformative, and collaborative discoveries that are brought from the bench to the bedside. Through this approach, the institution is training our learners to become physicians that align evidence-based practice with the delivery of advanced clinical care. The Lexington Campus accepts 124 students per year, and offers three combined degree programs in addition to the MD program which are MD/MBA, MD/MPH, and MD/PhD.
Bowling Green Campus
The University of Kentucky, in partnership with Western Kentucky University (WKU) and The Medical Center at Bowling Green, opened in 2018 and graduated its first class of medical students in the spring of 2022. The campus provides the same Kentucky Integrated Curriculum as provided in Lexington, but in a smaller, more intimate setting. The program admits 30 students per year, who spend all four years at the Bowling Green Campus. Students are part of a cohesive class and have close relationships with the faculty providing on-site teaching.
The curriculum is provided through live stream from the Lexington Campus in addition to interactive group teaching by WKU faculty and local physicians from The Medical Center. With the new medical school building located on the campus of The Medical Center, students have numerous opportunities to integrate into the health care setting.
The College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus offers two dual degree programs in addition to the MD program which are MD/MBA and MD/MPH.
Morehead Campus
The UK College of Medicine, in partnership with Morehead State University and St. Claire HealthCare, opened the Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) in 2010. The educational program is designed to train future physicians to provide high-quality health care and leadership to rural communities. The RPLP admits 12 students per year. Students spend the first two years at the Lexington Campus.. The third and fourth clinical years are spent in Morehead, Ky., and the surrounding communities, immersing students in a rural clinical setting.
The RPLP emphasizes outpatient and continuity care as well as rural and community health issues. This is accomplished through cooperative arrangements with St. Claire HealthCare, other regional hospitals, and local physician practices. Students experience the breadth of rotations for preparation to enter any specialty field, because all are needed in the rural areas of Kentucky and beyond. Students also have the option of earning a Certificate in Health Systems Leadership from Morehead State University College of Business and Public Affairs. This certificate provides a foundation in information technology, financial issues, debt management, and community engagement to impact health policy.
Northern Kentucky Campus
The UK College of Medicine, in partnership with Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and St. Elizabeth Healthcare, welcomed the inaugural first-year class at the Northern Kentucky Campus in August 2019. The campus admits 35 students per year, who spend all four years on the Northern Kentucky Campus. Students are part of a cohesive class that has close relationships with the faculty providing on-site teaching.
The curriculum is provided through live stream from the Lexington Campus, and interactive group teaching in conjunction with faculty at NKU and local physicians from St. Elizabeth Healthcare. Students spend the preclinical years at a newly remodeled facility on the NKU campus. The clinical years are spent rotating through the St. Elizabeth Healthcare facilities and local physician practices.
