CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the world’s first engineering-based medical school, has received full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The college, which launched in 2017 and graduated its first class in 2022, operated under provisional accreditation until the LCME’s full review could be completed.
CI MED is a partnership between the U. of I. and Carle Health, based in Urbana. The pioneering curriculum integrates engineering, technology and problem-solving approaches with traditional medical practices, enabling future physician-innovators to leverage advancements in technology to improve patient care and health outcomes. The faculty include distinguished researchers and educators from across the Illinois campus and skilled physicians at Carle.
“Since its founding, CI MED has embodied the Illinois spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration. Students are trained not just as physicians, but as innovators capable of designing and implementing technology-driven solutions to improve health care systems, practices and patient outcomes,” said Chancellor Robert J. Jones. “Full LCME accreditation empowers the college to continue transforming health education and care delivery for generations of physicians to come.”
LCME is the accrediting body for medical education programs in the United States and Canada that grant medical doctorate degrees. Accreditation is a mark of excellence, indicating that a medical school meets the highest standards in educational quality and preparation for medical practice. Accreditation by the LCME is essential for medical schools to grant degrees recognized by medical licensing boards.
Photo by Fred Zwicky
“This is an extraordinary milestone not only for our college, as the world’s first fully accredited engineering-based medical school, but also for the future of health care. This achievement underscores our commitment to training the next generation of physician-innovators who will shape the future of medicine,” said Dr. Mark Cohen, dean of CI MED. “By integrating medical practice with engineering principles, AI and data science, human-centered design thinking and multidisciplinary team-based solutions, we aim to provide our students with a truly unique educational experience that prepares them to address the evolving challenges of modern health care with creativity, compassion and collaboration.”
The college’s mission to “re-engineer medicine” is at the core of its curriculum. Students engage in a comprehensive program that integrates the latest advances in engineering — such as artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering and data science — with the art and science of clinical practice, providing students with opportunities to engage in hands-on research and real-world clinical experiences from day one. CI MED also focuses on addressing health disparities and improving health care accessibility, particularly through technology.
“We are proud to have Carle Health providers, nurses and team members teach and work beside these medical students at the world’s first engineering-based medical school. Our collaboration not only benefits current patients but also creates a legacy in healthcare where innovation is central to finding the health solutions of tomorrow,” said Dr. Napoleon Knight, Carle Health Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President.
The college’s novel approach has already rendered results in its first years of operation. Intentionally designed for small cohorts, CI MED has 94 graduates across its first three classes, with 42 more pending degrees in 2025. Graduates have matched to residencies in more than 20 specialties — even the most competitive, such as orthopedic, vascular and neurological surgeries — and gone on to placements at top teaching hospitals.
More than 40 innovations have spawned from the students’ capstone projects, sparking patent applications and startup companies. Faculty and students have published more than 700 academic papers and presented at numerous conferences. And the college leads the Global Consortium of Innovation and Engineering in Medicine, an international public-private collaborative launched in 2024 bringing together researchers, leaders of industry and government, philanthropists and foundations worldwide to seek technology-driven solutions to global health problems.
“Our engineering-based approach to medical education allows our students to approach patient care with an entirely new lens, using technology to not only diagnose and treat, but also to predict and prevent disease,” said Dr. Kris Carpenter, interim associate dean for academic affairs at CI MED. “This accreditation signifies the success of our forward-thinking approach, which prepares students to become leaders at the intersection of medicine, technology and innovation.”
