CCOM was founded in 1900 as the American College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery by J. Martin Littlejohn, Ph.D.,
D.O.,
M.D. (1865–1947). The school was incorporated as a non-profit in
Chicago,
Illinois, to train physicians. It was the fourth osteopathic medical school to open in the United States. The Downers Grove, Illinois, Campus was purchased in 1986, and the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM) moved from its prior home in Hyde Park, Illinois, to this western suburb. Following the relocation of the college, the board of trustees voted to begin the development of new academic programs within the health sciences. The Chicago College of Pharmacy (CCP) began in 1991, the College of Health Sciences (CHS) began in 1992, the College of Dental Medicine - Illinois (CDMI) in 2009, and the Optometry Program in 2014. In 1993, the board of trustees unanimously approved a single, educational mission for the institution, and Midwestern University emerged. In Spring 2013, the university opened the MWU Medical Campus. The Downers Grove campus is located on a site in
Downers Grove, Illinois, a suburban area 25 miles west of
downtown Chicago. It contains an abundance of green space, wooded areas, and a nature trail, in addition to classrooms, laboratories, a library, an auditorium building, and recreational facilities. The Science Hall is a 239,000 square foot building which consists of classrooms, more than 100 offices, and 25 laboratories. The Science Hall opened in 2011, and includes a gross anatomy lab, research labs and a clinical simulation lab. ==Campus==