BURLINGTON, Mass. — Butterfly Network, Inc. (NYSE: BFLY) and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) have announced a long-term partnership to expand ultrasound education and improve access to medical imaging in rural and underserved communities.
The initiative will provide handheld ultrasound devices to medical students and establish a program that tracks the use of ultrasound technology from medical school through residency and clinical practice.
Beginning with the incoming class of 2026, VCOM plans to provide every first-year medical student with a Butterfly iQ3 ultrasound device for use throughout their education and professional careers.
Butterfly Network will also provide discounted Butterfly iQ+ devices for the college’s remaining students, including fourth-year students preparing to enter residency programs.
VCOM graduates approximately 660 osteopathic physicians annually, many of whom pursue careers in rural and medically underserved communities.
The partnership is designed to integrate point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training into medical education while helping future physicians use portable imaging technology in clinical settings where traditional ultrasound equipment may be less accessible.
“Our mission has always been to prepare physicians to care for the communities that need them most,” said Tom Lindsey, Associate Dean of Simulation and Educational Technology and Professor of Surgery at VCOM.
“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,” Lindsey said.
A central component of the partnership is the Lighthouse Program, which will provide continuing education, remote collaboration and opportunities to gather information about how physicians use ultrasound technology in clinical practice.
Through Butterfly’s cloud-based platform, participating physicians will contribute data and insights that may help improve ultrasound training, software development and artificial intelligence applications.
The program will also create a growing dataset examining the adoption and use of point-of-care ultrasound across different healthcare environments.
Unlike traditional medical education partnerships that end when students graduate, the VCOM and Butterfly initiative is designed to continue supporting physicians throughout their careers.
“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,” DeVivo said.
Butterfly Network develops semiconductor-based ultrasound devices, cloud software and artificial intelligence technologies designed to make medical imaging more accessible.
The company said the partnership will combine VCOM’s medical education programs with Butterfly’s imaging technology and cloud infrastructure to create a long-term model for ultrasound training and clinical adoption.
The organizations expect the initiative to support future improvements in medical education and imaging technology while expanding access to point-of-care ultrasound in communities with limited healthcare resources.
