Joseph Flaherty, MD was Dean Emeritus at Ross University School of Medicine from 2011 to 2017, after previously presiding as Dean at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, one of the largest medical schools in the US. During his tenure at RUSM, Dr. Flaherty created the 'One School, One Mission' initiative, streamlining and strengthening the student experience through their basic sciences and clinical training, helping them prepare for residency. Under his directed improvements in the student curriculum, RUSM began to dramatically flourish. Students began to consistently perform on par with US medical students and routinely place at competitive residencies at teaching hospitals across the US. Also, with his irrefutable reputation in the medical field, Dean Flaherty was able to help open doors to top teaching US hospitals to RUSM students.

In 2020, 91% of RUSM students passed the initial step of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) on the first attempt. And in 2022-2023, results show yet another strong year for RUSM with a 98% first-time residency attainment rate* thus far. Located on the island of Barbados and with a network of more than 15,000 alumni, RUSM is one of the largest providers of doctors for the U.S. healthcare system. RUSM graduates practice in all 50 states and in Puerto Rico.

*First time residency attainment rate is the percent of students attaining a 2023-24 residency position out of all graduates or expected graduates in 2022-23 who were active applicants in the 2023 NRMP match or who attained a residency position outside the NRMP match.