Schools Prepare to Open Safely as Students Return to Campus, and the Class of 2024 Begins its Studies
Published August 05, 2020
You’ll also read about PCOM Georgia’s Gold Humanism Honor Society, LECOM at Elmira’s inaugural class, and more.
Liberty Welcomes Seventh Class of Osteopathic Medical Students, the Class of 2024
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) welcomed its seventh class of osteopathic medical students on Tuesday, July 21. New student doctors from around the country entered Liberty’s Center for Medical and Health Sciences atop Liberty Mountain all with the same hope and goal—to be an osteopathic physician. Read more about LUCOM’s 2024 class.
CCOM Student Researcher Receives One Health Grant
Student researcher Mourad Kerdjoudj (pictured above) at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University (CCOM) received a Student One Health Research Grant to work on establishing the utility of two newly-discovered proteins, Cornulin and DJ-1. Mr. Kerdjoudj, under the guidance of his faculty mentor, Hilal Arnouk, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, is currently measuring Cornulin and DJ-1 expression levels in cell lines representing the successive tumor progression stages of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
WVSOM Students Return to Campus
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) students dusted off their textbooks, grabbed their stethoscopes, and prepared for labs as the new school year’s orientation began July 27. The medical school created a detailed plan to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 as first- and second-year students began the new school year and employees returned to campus during Phase 3 of the school’s reopen plan. Read more about how WVSOM students are returning to classes this fall.
ATSU-KCOM Welcomes Students to Kirksville
First-year ATSU-KCOM students Kasey Halila and Lauren Novick practice skills during Basic Life Support training on Tuesday in Kirksville, Missouri.
A.T. Still University—Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) welcomed 168 new osteopathic medical students from 26 states and US territories to Kirksville. The students arrived on campus masked and in small groups to complete new student orientation requirements, such as taking professional headshots, receiving informational and welcome packets, completing Basic Life Support training, and more. Take a closer look at how ATSU-KCOM is welcoming students to campus.
ICOM Unveils Plans for Fall Semester
The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) is ready to resume full campus operations for the fall 2020 semester, which includes a hybrid of in-person and online instruction. The health and safety of ICOM’s students, faculty, and staff is the college’s top priority, and a number of health guidelines will continue to be implemented as students return to campus.
Gold Humanism Honor Society Established at PCOM Georgia
Due to the efforts of osteopathic medical student Akila Raja and others, a chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society was recently established at PCOM Georgia. The merit-based honor society focuses on humanism and compassion in medicine and recognizes students who prioritize patient care and advocacy. Read more about the new chapter on the PCOM Georgia website.
LECOM at Elmira Ushers in Inaugural Class
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) welcomed the 2024 class to its Elmira, New York, campus July 24, marking the culmination of a years-long effort to establish a medical school in the state’s Southern Tier. LECOM at Elmira’s inaugural class, consisting of 120 osteopathic medical students, arrived on campus July 24 to complete registration before beginning the academic year and orientation programming on July 27. Read more about the inaugural class online.
RVUCOM Hosts Orientation Week for Class of 2024
This year, the Class of 2024's orientation week primarily featured virtual events such as workshops, wellness and diversity activities, Q&A panels, Spouses Orientation, and Family Friday events. Students were welcomed on campus one of those days to receive their white coats and Rocky Vista University (RVU) welcome box, all while following social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines. Read more about Rocky Vista’s orientation online.
PCOM South Georgia Students Take Learning to the Kitchen
The second-year students joined PCOM South Georgia faculty members Joanne Kakaty-Monzo, DO, Clinical Associate Professor and Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dennis Peffley, PhD, JD, Assistant Professor, Physiology and Pharmacology, to learn firsthand about special diets, nutritional value, the makeup of food, and how to advise future patients on healthy lifestyles.
“It’s tremendously important that physicians teach their patients about lifestyle modifications,” Dr. Kakaty-Monzo said. “What we eat is important to our overall health because nutrition and eating habits help prevent chronic diseases throughout our lifetime.” Read more about the program online.
AACOM Announces This Year’s Arnstein Scholarship Awardees
AACOM is pleased to announce the 2020 Arnstein Scholarship Award winners! This year, scholarships were given out to Lynn Allyssa Desire, first-year student at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine—New York (TouroCOM-NY), Heather Davis, an incoming student at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine—Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana), and Justin D. Miles, first-year student at Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM). Congratulations to this year’s Arnstein awardees!
PCOM Establishes Commission on Racial Justice
On Tuesday, June 23, Jay Feldstein, DO, President and CEO of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), announced the formation of the Commission on Racial Justice: Transforming Campus Culture.
Marcine Pickron-Davis, PhD, Chief Diversity and Community Relations Officer at PCOM, pictured, will be leading the commission. She is also co-chair of AACOM's Council on Diversity and Equity. Read more about the commission online.
ATSU-SOMA Students Experience Hands-On Learning on the Mesa Campus
Students from the A.T. Still University of Health Sciences—School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) returned to campus for their weekly osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) lab class after faculty and staff created innovative solutions to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Before the semester began and students started on-campus classes in small groups, faculty and staff members worked diligently to establish safety protocols that would keep faculty, staff, and students safe. Read more about ATSU-SOMA’s safety measures on the school website.
NSU-KPCOM Class of 2024 Welcomed with COVID-19-Related Curricular Modifications
On July 27, the class of 2024 students at Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM) began their osteopathic odyssey by opening their laptops and diligently watching lectures from their homes. To replicate the classroom experience in some form, they took to social media to document the process of getting their scrubs and white coats delivered, taking photos on campus, meeting their new academic society peers, and sharing their thoughts on their first week of medical school.