History
East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine serves along with the
College of Nursing, College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences, Gatton
College of Pharmacy, and College of Public Health as the region's health sciences
center. In fact only 2 universities in America can boast of the same mix of health
care programs on the same campus.
In just three decades, the College has developed into one of the nation’s leading
schools for rural and primary care medicine, an honor consistently recognized by U.S.
News & World Report.
Founded in 1974 on a mission to train primary care physicians and to increase the
number of doctors in rural communities, the Quillen College of Medicine, with more
than 1,500 graduates, has remained true to its original mission. Thirty-five years
later, Fitzhugh Mullan published his innovative “social mission” research in the Annals
of Internal Medicine, demonstrating that Quillen is ranked first in the nation for
primary care graduates. Read more about the college history
Mission
The primary mission of the Quillen College of Medicine is to educate future physicians,
especially those with an interest in primary care, to practice in underserved rural
communities. In addition, the College is committed to excellence in biomedical research
and is dedicated to the improvement of health care in Northeast Tennessee and the
surrounding Appalachian Region.
The Quillen College of Medicine endeavors to meet community and regional health needs
by identification, creation, and execution of the necessary programs through utilization
of its diverse resources. The college is a major health care provider for East Tennessee.
In view of this responsibility, the college emphasizes primary care as the focus of
medical practice and training programs. The primary care physician is defined as the
physician of first and continuing contact, coordinating the entire care of the patient.
Primary medical care is a function rather than a discipline. This care is provided
by family physicians, general internists, general pediatricians, and obstetricians/gynecologists.
In addition to meeting the clinical and service responsibilities, the college also
supports a significant research endeavor.
The Quillen College of Medicine has an experienced and qualified faculty in the biological,
behavioral, and clinical sciences. In addition to the full-time faculty, a number
of practicing physicians in the community participate in the educational process as
both part-time and volunteer faculty.
See the Summer 2018 Quillen Magazine (PDF)
Quillen is unique in many ways. Every school can accurately make that same claim.
Some of the assets that make Quillen most attractive to some are the small class size,
the collegiality, camaraderie and team work between students faculty and staff, the
location in the beautiful foothills of the Smokies, the smaller town environment,
the individual attention available from faculty and staff, the smaller but modern
and well equipped hospitals, the excellence of the training and the Quillen experience
or the safety and serenity of the environment. The PRIDE we take in our students and
graduates. Any or all of these things might make Quillen the best school for you or
maybe not.
We invite and encourage all prospective students to visit our campus, talk with our students and graduates, look around the Tri-Cities and just see how the school feels to you. Ask lots of questions. Find out the answers to the questions that are important to you and don't let anybody tell you what is important. Four years after matriculation at any school, most all students are awarded two new initials after their name (M.D.) and a new first name that goes with them for the rest of their life (Doctor). All schools teach Anatomy, Biochemistry, Surgery and Pediatrics most use many of the same text books. Thus it seems to follow that you will cover much of the same information wherever you choose. The differences come not in what you get, but in how you get it, who you get it from and who you get it with. You need to be comfortable in your medical education environment---it makes a huge difference. Find out for yourself!
We invite and encourage all prospective students to visit our campus, talk with our students and graduates, look around the Tri-Cities and just see how the school feels to you. Ask lots of questions. Find out the answers to the questions that are important to you and don't let anybody tell you what is important. Four years after matriculation at any school, most all students are awarded two new initials after their name (M.D.) and a new first name that goes with them for the rest of their life (Doctor). All schools teach Anatomy, Biochemistry, Surgery and Pediatrics most use many of the same text books. Thus it seems to follow that you will cover much of the same information wherever you choose. The differences come not in what you get, but in how you get it, who you get it from and who you get it with. You need to be comfortable in your medical education environment---it makes a huge difference. Find out for yourself!
List of Departments:
| Basic Science Departments | Clinical Departments |
| Biomedical Graduate Program | Family Medicine |
| Department of Biomedical Sciences | Internal Medicine |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
| Pathology | |
| Pediatrics | |
| Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | |
| Surgery |
| Anatomical Gift Program Call 423.439.2000 / 866.968.3668 |
Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity |
|
Center for Experiential Learning / |
|
| Division of Laboratory Animal Resources |
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Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility |
The College of Medicine has several different initiatives and endowments that would benefit from your financial contributions. Please click the "Give Now" button to be directed to the online giving system of the ETSU Foundation. By selecting the radio button under "Designations," you can specify which area will receive your contribution.
Your gifts are accepted by the East Tennessee State University Foundation, which is the official 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that exists solely to support and advance the objectives of the university. The foundation is a separate legal entity operated as a tax-exempt corporation chartered within the State of Tennessee and is considered a component unit of the university.
