Carle Illinois College of Medicine

What Carle Illinois College of Medicine does

Carle Illinois College of Medicine is the world's first accredited engineering-based college of medicine, established in 2017 through a partnership between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Carle Health in Urbana, Illinois. The institution trains physician innovators through a proprietary curriculum that integrates engineering principles, design thinking, advanced technology, and clinical training from day one, supported by approximately 750 affiliated clinical and academic faculty across 150+ centers, labs, and research institutes, a Health Maker Lab network of 20+ design spaces and fabrication labs, and clinical rotations through Carle Health. Its core products span AI- and mixed-reality-powered procedural simulation (SpatialTutor), a translational oncology and regenerative medicine cGMP laboratory (TORM), 3D-printed personalized surgical guides and prosthetics (CIM3D), an AI-driven music therapy mobile application (Rubato Life), and the saliva-based SHIELD COVID-19 testing platform that expanded to 20+ universities.

The college's business model is that of a public medical school rather than a commercial enterprise: revenue is generated through tuition and fees for the MD and MD/PhD Medical Scholars programs, federal and foundation research grants (including NIH, Korea National Research Foundation, and Cancer Center at Illinois grants), and philanthropic donations from individuals and foundations (notably the H.D. Smith Foundation, Rick and Jeanene Stephens, Dave Downey, and the Butkus Foundation). Go-to-market is a traditional academic admissions process targeting prospective medical students through the institutional website, virtual visits, recruitment events, and a portfolio of diversity pathway programs (REACH, SpHERES, Doctor for a Day, Mini Medical School, Health Innovation Academy). Primary customer segments are prospective medical students, medical researchers, and healthcare training institutions, with the Global Consortium of Innovation and Engineering in Medicine (70+ partner schools across six continents) serving as the institution's international distribution channel for research collaboration and student exchange.

The institution holds full LCME accreditation (achieved 2023), operates under the governance of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in partnership with Carle Health, and is led by Dean Dr. Mark Cohen. Recent strategic activity centers on productizing its research portfolio into named platforms (SpatialTutor, TORM, Rubato Life) and expanding international and philanthropic partnerships, including a six-year AI/XR research collaboration with Chonnam National University and a cardiovascular screening initiative with the Butkus Foundation.

Name

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Legal name

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Website

https://medicine.illinois.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Carle Illinois College of Medicine is the world's first engineering-based medical school, training physician innovators at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign through a curriculum integrating engineering, AI, and clinical medicine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Schools (MD/DO Granting) (EDAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated) (EDAHAGAA), Healthcare & Clinical Simulation (Surgery, Nursing, EMT, Patient Interaction) (EDAFAJAC), Healthcare & Life Sciences (EDAAAPAA)

Keywords

• Medical education
• Physician innovation training
• Engineering-based medicine
• Medical research
• Clinical training

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Medical Education Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from tuition and fees for medical education programs including MD degree and MD/PhD Medical Scholars Program.
2. Research Grants and Funding: Federal and foundation grants supporting research programs including six-year Korea National Research Foundation grant, NIH funding, and Cancer Center at Illinois grants.
3. Philanthropy and Donations: Donations from alumni, foundations, and supporters including major gifts such as $2 million from H.D. Smith Foundation, $1.5 million from Rick and Jeanene Stephens, and $2 million from Dave Downey.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carle Illinois College of Medicine delivers an LCME-accredited MD program and MD/PhD Medical Scholars Program that integrates engineering, design thinking, and advanced technology with medical training to produce physician innovators. The institution combines case-driven active learning with early clinical immersion, a Health Maker Lab network of 20+ fabrication labs, and translational research programs in regenerative medicine, AI/mixed-reality simulation, 3D-printed surgical solutions, and AI-driven therapeutics.

Product overview

Carle Illinois College of Medicine operates as an integrated portfolio of educational programs and research facilities designed to train physician-innovators. The institution's product ecosystem centers on SpatialTutor (AI/mixed reality simulation platform), the Translational Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory (TORM), CIM3D (3D printing for surgery), and the Rubato Life music therapy app. Supporting infrastructure includes a Health Maker Lab network of 20+ fabrication labs, Innovation Pods, the Jump Simulation Center, and programs like Discovery Learning and the Global Health Innovation Challenge. The institution's research spans advanced medical imaging, digital pathology, cancer therapeutics, and regenerative medicine technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SpatialTutor AI and mixed-reality-powered simulation platform that augments traditional medical simulation tools with spatial 3D guidance, real-time hand tracking, and adaptive AI support for training medical students on high-risk procedures such as lumbar puncture.
• Translational Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory (TORM) First-of-its-kind research laboratory combining cancer treatment and regenerative medicine, engineering organs from fat-derived stem cells to develop cellular therapies for chronic endocrine conditions, with a cGMP clean-room for processing cellular therapies and 3D-printed structures.
• Rubato Life App AI-driven music therapy mobile application combining real-time physiological monitoring with personalized music interventions to reduce patient anxiety and stress markers during post-cancer surgery recovery.
• MD Degree Program Four-year LCME-accredited MD degree program integrating engineering, design thinking, and advanced technology with medical training, including early clinical immersion, case-driven active learning, and capstone innovation projects.
• MD/PhD Medical Scholars Program Combined MD/PhD dual-degree program for physician-scientist training at the intersection of medicine and research.
• Pixelated Spatial Gene Expression Analysis Novel chip-based gene expression tool that measures RNA levels directly from cancerous tissue samples while preserving spatial information across tissue, completing analysis in under two hours, developed with Mayo Clinic.
• SHIELD Saliva-Based COVID-19 Testing Fast, frequent saliva-based PCR COVID-19 testing method that bypasses nasal swab processes and produces results in as little as 30 minutes, deployed across 20+ universities and Illinois K-12 schools through the SHIELD T3 program.
• CIM3D (3D Printing for Personalized Medicine) 3D printing initiative producing patient-specific surgical guides, prosthetics, and orthopedic devices developed at Carle Illinois, moving from engineering labs into clinical practice.
• Health Maker Lab Network Network of 20+ design spaces and fabrication labs supporting student innovation and medical technology development integrated into the CI MED curriculum.
• Jump Simulation Center Advanced medical simulation facility for procedural training using task trainers, manikins, and virtual reality systems including the SpatialTutor mixed-reality platform.
• Global Consortium of Innovation and Engineering in Medicine International consortium of 70+ medical and engineering schools across six continents plus industry, government, foundation, and philanthropist partners, hosting an annual Global Summit and Global Health Innovation Grand Challenge Awards competition to solve healthcare problems globally.
• Global Health Innovation Challenge Annual international competition for student innovators showcasing engineering-driven medical innovations for startup and development funding, held under the Global Consortium with the 2026 edition in Taipei, Taiwan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13 CI MED teams advanced to semi-finals of 2026 Global Health Innovation Challenge in Taipei, Taiwan
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Consortium of Innovation and Engineering in MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026International network of 70+ medical and engineering schools across six continents, plus leading biomedical and biotechnology industry partners, government agencies, foundations, and philanthropists. Mission to break down barriers to solve hardest healthcare problems globally.
• The Grainger College of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Partnership to reengineer medicine through integration of engineering principles with medical education. Grainger College provides engineering expertise and facilities.
• Jump Simulation CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Jump Simulation team developed SpatialTutor system integrating AI and machine learning with hands-on simulation to help medical students safely practice medical procedures.
• Chonnam National University (South Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026International research partnership funded by six-year Korea National Research Foundation grant to develop AI and extended reality technologies for tracking and analyzing how medical students learn during immersive clinical simulations. Will establish global protocols for multimodal data collection and create XR simulations with digital avatars and digital twins.
• Butkus FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2025Partnership to advance life-saving cardiovascular screenings through Takes Heart initiative. Aims to create a center leveraging Carle Illinois' AI and advanced imaging to predict and prevent sudden cardiac death. Includes development of HIPAA-compliant cardiovascular health database powered by AI.
• Carle HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2025Partnership between University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Carle Health to operate Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Carle Health provides clinical training sites and healthcare system integration.
• New ZealandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021One of the first international partners to begin launching the Shield platform in their country.
• Champaign-Urbana Public Health DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Critical community partnership for SHIELD testing team success during COVID-19 pandemic response.
• Cities of Champaign and UrbanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Community leadership facilitated partnerships with local businesses and community groups during COVID-19 pandemic response.
• SHIELD T3 (Target, Test, Tell)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2020University-run organization to expand SHIELD COVID-19 testing ecosystem across the country. Has expanded to 20+ universities with growing number at press time. Bloom Energy also launched commercial enterprise from platform.
• Illinois SHIELDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2020Organization launched to spread UIUC's SHIELD testing approach across the state of Illinois, including efforts for K-12 schools.
• Mayo CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2018Collaboration on novel gene expression analysis technique. Mayo-Illinois Alliance for Technology Based Healthcare facilitated the research partnership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Osso VR: Commercial VR-based surgical and procedural training platform widely used in medical education and industry training. Adjacent peer — competes for medical simulation training budgets and could partner with or compete against SpatialTutor.
• FundamentalVR: Haptic-feedback VR surgical training platform used by medical schools and device companies. Adjacent peer to SpatialTutor in the AI/mixed-reality procedural training category.
• Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine: Newer (2019) medical school with an innovation-focused, small-cohort curriculum emphasizing integrated, equity-driven training. Comparable to CI MED as a recent entrant reimagining physician training rather than legacy-school peer.

Direct peers

• Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine: A leading U.S. medical school that emphasizes innovation, research, and cross-disciplinary training. Directly comparable to CI MED as a peer MD-granting school with strong engineering/technology research collaborations and a teaching hospital system.
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: Top-tier U.S. medical school with deep engineering collaboration through the Whiting School of Engineering and major translational research centers. Directly comparable in scale of clinical-academic integration and research intensity.
• Duke University School of Medicine: Top-tier U.S. medical school with an interdisciplinary curriculum and strong translational research focus. Comparable to CI MED's emphasis on cross-disciplinary physician training and engineering partnerships.
• Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania: Elite MD-granting institution with strong engineering-medicine collaboration through Penn Engineering and ITMAT. Comparable to CI MED's model of integrating engineering innovation into physician training.
• Stanford University School of Medicine: Top-tier U.S. medical school with deep engineering-medicine integration through Stanford Bio-X and Biodesign programs. Directly comparable to CI MED's engineering-innovation focus and hosts CI MED alumni for residency training.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: NYC-based medical school with a strong innovation and technology-in-medicine orientation and large affiliated research faculty. Comparable to CI MED as an MD-granting school that integrates engineering and computational approaches.
• Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine: Medical school known for its Western Reserve2 (WR2) curriculum emphasizing self-directed and interdisciplinary learning. Directly comparable to CI MED as a peer institution reimagining medical education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/illinoismed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@carleillinoiscollegeofmedi7394
• Facebookfacebook.com/illinoismed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinoismed
• Instagraminstagram.com/carleillinoismed

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carle Illinois College of Medicine