Joint investment will establish VCOM as a center of excellence for ultrasound education, in a first-of-its kind model combining 1:1 probe deployment and integrated education with longitudinal tracking from medical school through clinical practice in rural communities.
BURLINGTON, Mass. & BLACKSBURG, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--$BFLY #POCUS--The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) and Butterfly Network, Inc. (NYSE: BFLY), a pioneer and leader in semiconductor-based ultrasound devices, cloud software and AI, today announced a long-term alliance and joint investment in establishing VCOM and its students as a center of excellence for ultrasound education and community care. The first-of-its-kind program combines one-probe-per-student deployment, integrated education and longitudinal analysis through Butterfly’s cloud platform to connect ultrasound education with its real-world use and impact on imaging access, with a focus on rural care.
VCOM graduates approximately 660 osteopathic physicians each year, the majority of whom go on to practice in rural and medically underserved communities. Beginning with the 2026 incoming class, VCOM intends to give every first-year student a Butterfly iQ3 device to use throughout their training and beyond. Butterfly is investing alongside VCOM by offering the medical college meaningfully discounted Butterfly iQ+ devices for all of its remaining students, including every graduating fourth-year student to take with them into residency and clinical practice.
Unlike traditional education partnerships that conclude at graduation, the alliance follows physicians into practice through the Lighthouse Program: an initiative combining continuous learning, remote peer collaboration and real-world practice insights. Connected through Butterfly’s cloud software, participating physicians will contribute longitudinal data that can strengthen training, software development and AI innovation, while advancing understanding of POCUS adoption across diverse clinical settings. As each new class progresses from medical school into practice, the program will build an expanding longitudinal dataset to support future improvement and developments.
"Our mission has always been to prepare physicians to care for the communities that need them most," said Tom Lindsey, DO, FACOS, CHSE, Associate Dean of Simulation and Educational Technology, Lead Medical Education Specialist and Professor of Surgery at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. "By placing handheld ultrasound in our students’ hands from the beginning of medical school and ensuring they carry it into practice, we’re preparing generations of physicians who will bring POCUS to rural and underserved communities throughout their careers. Every graduating class will go on to care for millions of patients over the course of their careers. By creating a flywheel model where their experience helps inform the next, we’re multiplying the impact of every student we train."
"Healthcare is moving closer to the patient, and ultrasound is becoming an essential part of the physical exam," said Joseph DeVivo, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Butterfly Network. "Most education partnerships end at graduation. Ours is designed to grow with clinicians throughout their careers because that’s what’s missing today. Healthcare needs a better way to learn from how technology is used in real clinical practice – and turn those insights into better education, better technology and ultimately better patient care. By combining VCOM’s leadership in education and broad community reach with Butterfly’s imaging platform and unique cloud advantage, we’re filling that gap at a scale the industry has never seen before."
Additional information about the collaboration was published by VCOM at: https://www.vcom.edu/news/2026/10/12/vcom-equips-every-student-handheld-ultrasound-technology.
About Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is a private, nonprofit medical school based in Blacksburg, Virginia, with branch campuses in Spartanburg, South Carolina; Auburn Alabama; and Monroe, Louisiana. The college provides osteopathic medical education and conducts research aimed at preparing physicians to serve rural and medically underserved Communities. VCOM’s mission is to address physician shortages in the Appalachian and Delta regions by training patient-centered physicians who practice evidence-based medicine. The college places particular emphasis on recruiting students from rural and underserved areas who intend to return to similar communities to practice. To date, more than 82% of VCOM graduates have returned to the region, and over 60% are practicing in rural or medically underserved counties, including federally designated primary care shortage areas.
About Butterfly Network
Butterfly Network, Inc. (NYSE: BFLY) is a healthcare company driving a digital revolution in medical imaging with its proprietary Ultrasound-on-Chip™ semiconductor technology and ultrasound software solutions. In 2018, Butterfly launched the world’s first handheld, single-probe, whole-body ultrasound system, Butterfly iQ. The iQ+ followed in 2020, and the iQ3 in 2024, each with improved processing power and performance by leveraging Moore’s Law. The iQ3 earned Best Medical Technology at the 2024 Prix Galien USA Awards, a prestigious honor and one of the highest accolades in healthcare. Butterfly’s innovations have also been recognized by Fierce 50, TIME’s Best Inventions and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas, among other achievements.
Butterfly combines advanced hardware, intelligent software, AI, services, and education to drive adoption of affordable, accessible imaging. Clinical publications demonstrate that its handheld ultrasound probes paired with Compass™ enterprise workflow software, can help hospital systems improve care workflows, reduce costs, and enhance provider economics. With a cloud-based solution that enables care anywhere through next-generation mobility, Butterfly aims to democratize healthcare by addressing critical global healthcare challenges. Butterfly devices are commercially available to trained healthcare practitioners in areas including, but not limited to, parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America; to learn more about available countries, visit: https://www.butterflynetwork.com/choose-your-country.
Contacts
Media:
Andrea Heuer
AOx3 for Butterfly
andrea@12080group.com
917-914-5563
Investors:
John Doherty
Chief Financial Officer, Butterfly
investors@butterflynetinc.com
