Foundation The medical school was founded in 1978 as The University of Dominica School of Medicine by
Robert Ross, as a provider of medical education offering
Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree programs, due to the scarcity of medical schools and physicians in the U.S. at the time. The university primarily serves students from the U.S. and Canada. In 1984, the university officially changed its name to Ross University School of Medicine. Ross University School of Medicine's charter class had 12 students. In 2013, the 10,000th graduate of Ross received their medical degree.
Early years and controversy In 1984, the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners ruled that the Ross University School of Medicine could no longer send students to hospitals in New Jersey for the hands-on part of their training due to significant weaknesses in the educational program. In 1985, California state medical licensing officials (the Board of Medical Quality Assurance) began investigating RUSM, along with other medical schools in the Caribbean. Those events prompted RUSM to agree to implement a number of changes the California board recommended. RUSM has since graduated over 11,000 physicians eligible to practice in all 50 states. On June 30, 1990, RUSM obtained recognition from the
Medical Board of California. In October 1999, the
New York State Department of Education approved RUSM students to complete more than 12 weeks of clinical clerkships in New York State. In the late 1990s, RUSM expressed interest in opening a medical school in
Casper, Wyoming, but accreditation was denied by the
Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the organization that accredits M.D.-granting medical schools in the U.S. Some locals welcomed the economic impact of a new medical school on Casper, but critics questioned the quality of education at a for-profit institution. In September 2017, the Category 5
Hurricane Maria made landfall on Dominica, causing severe damage to its infrastructure. The hurricane knocked out communications, effectively isolating RUSM from the outside world. Students and faculty were evacuated from the campus to the U.S. mainland. In October, the university resumed classes temporarily aboard the
GNV Excellent, an Italian ferry docked off the coast of
St. Kitts. In November, RUSM temporarily relocated to
Knoxville, Tennessee, to continue classes.
Lincoln Memorial University (LMU), based in
Harrogate, Tennessee, and with operations in Knoxville, provided the operational capacity and the technical capabilities to support RUSM faculty, students, and staff. Ross University School of Medicine permanently relocated from Dominica to
Barbados at the beginning of the 2019 spring semester due to extensive damage done in Dominica after Hurricane Maria. In 2019, Ross developed partnerships with
Dillard University,
Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science,
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and
Tuskegee University to "expand the black physician pipeline". It also added partnerships with
Cal State Dominguez Hills and
Oakwood University to increase enrollment. ==Accreditation and recognition==