A.T. Still University was founded in Kirksville in 1892 and is the founding school of osteopathic medicine in the world.
Osteopathic physicians are devoted to a holistic philosophy of medicine and are educated, tested, and licensed almost identically to those earning M.D.’s. However, they take an additional 200 hours in osteopathic manipulative medicine.
Jason Haxton, ATSU Museum of Osteopathic Medicine Director:
“So, I think it’s fascinating that one man – 130 years ago had this idea of providing better healthcare for people and today 58 institutions teach basically osteopathic healthcare for physicians. So, if a kid wanted to be a doctor and there were four of them, one of the four would go to one of our schools…that tells me we’re doing something right.”
Tom Wilmer, Journeys of Discovery Podcast Host:
“And when he started this, he wasn’t in Kansas City, he wasn’t in a major metropolitan, he was in a rural, small town.”
Jason Haxton, ATSU Museum of Osteopathic Medicine Director:
“A lot of people said – why don’t you come to Chicago, and he said you know what, my idea will grow best from a small community. It will stay pure, and people will see it grow from here. And to look at it today – almost every state has a school and hundreds of osteopathic institutions across the world. You go to almost any country and you’re going to find this philosophy of health.
In addition to the campus in Missouri and Arizona, AT Still University is in the process of opening a third campus in San Luis Obispo, California scheduled to open in summer of 2026.
This show was originally broadcast in 2021 and is reshared as a best-of-the-best Journeys of Discovery podcast in celebration of AT Still University's soon to open campus in San Luis Obispo.
You are invited to subscribe to the Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, and more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify
