Students Hone Medical Skills in Peru, Get a Head Start on Their First School Year, Earn Emerging Leaders Institute Scholar Recognition and More
Published August 13, 2024
Campus Roundup Inside OME
FIRE Gives PCOM South Georgia Students a Head Start
Photo: Participants in FIRE, PCOM South Georgia’s pre-matriculation program, become acquainted with the campus simulation lab.
Fall term at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia Campus (PCOM South Georgia) began August 12, 2024, but about half of the incoming cohort of first-year students in the doctor of osteopathic medicine program spent two weeks on campus and in the community participating in the Fundamental Integration Required for Excellence (FIRE) program.
Jason Walker, PhD, PCOM assistant dean of transformational learning and an associate professor of physiology, created the optional pre-matriculation program to help participants gain an understanding of what medical school will be like. This summer was the third year for FIRE. Hear from incoming students about how the FIRE program helped their transition to medical school.
UNTHSC-TCOM Student Brittany Uebbing Selected as an AAFP Emerging Leaders Institute Scholar
A prestigious opportunity is on the horizon for Brittany Uebbing, a third-year student at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC-TCOM). She was selected by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation to join this year’s Emerging Leader Institute.
Brittany is one of just 30 new scholars that are comprised of medical students and residents chosen from around the nation to help grow the family medicine specialty. The scholars will be provided with valuable leadership experiences as they will be paired with a mentor throughout the year, and they will also receive a $1,000 scholarship to attend the AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. Read more about Brittany’s passion for serving in rural communities.
ICOM Welcomes Class of 2028 with White Coat Ceremony
The newest class of student doctors at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) took their first steps toward becoming physicians during the College’s seventh annual White Coat Ceremony on July 26, 2024. In the presence of family, friends, faculty and staff, each of the 162 student physicians were welcomed into the medical community and “cloaked” with their first white coats.
During the ceremony, Kevin Wilson, DO, dean and chief academic officer of ICOM, encouraged the student physicians to be the strongest advocates for their future patients. He also reminded them of what the symbolic white coat represents. Read more about ICOM’s white coat ceremony.
WVSOM Students Awarded $50K Through Maier Foundation Scholarship Match
Nine student doctors at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) will have decreased financial burdens following a luncheon celebrating their selection as scholarship recipients.
A total of $50,000 was awarded for the 2024-25 academic year through the West Virginia Emulation Endowment/Dr. Olen E. Jones Jr. Incoming Student Scholarship awards. Since 2021, the Maier Foundation—a private, nonprofit charitable corporation based in Charleston, West Virginia, that focuses on higher education—has challenged the WVSOM Foundation with an escalating scholarship match. The challenge grant required the foundation to raise funds for scholarship endowments or for current use. Upon completion of each challenge match, a matching contribution was made to the Dr. Olen E. Jones Jr. Scholarship at the West Virginia Emulation Endowment Trust to benefit WVSOM students. Read more about the impact the scholarship will have on this year’s recipients.
Tackling Global Health on Summer Mission to Peru
Photo: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine's global health team of students and faculty on their medical mission in Peru
Two professors of clinical medicine and ten Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Harlem Campus (TouroCOM-Harlem) students, including members of the school’s International Medicine Club, took their medical training to South America on a medical mission where they blended healthcare with cultural immersion. Read more about the journey to Peru from Saranda Kadriovski, MS, OMS II.
International Visiting Osteopaths Visit Midwestern Facilities, Exchange Techniques
The Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University (CCOM)’s Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) welcomed 15 international visiting osteopaths from Poland and Belgium. The visiting osteopaths toured the Midwestern University facilities, including the OMM lab. They exchanged ideas with Kurt Heinking, DO, professor and chair, osteopathic manipulative medicine, and the OMM student scholars.
Dr. Heinking reviewed principles of OMM and demonstrated techniques. Some of these are different from the way OMM is taught in Europe, allowing for an exchange of ideas about how best to use OMM to treat patients. They also reviewed the history of osteopathic medicine, practiced techniques demonstrated by Dr. Heinking and the OMM scholars and noted that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the field of osteopathic medicine.
VCOM-Carolinas Student Affairs Hosts 40-Yard Dash Race
On August 6, 2024, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus (VCOM-Carolinas) Student Affairs department hosted a three-legged, forty-yard dash race. Students, faculty and staff tied themselves together to compete against one another for a brief respite from hitting the books and labs. Read more stories like this on VCOM-Carolinas’ Facebook.