Students Honor Family’s Osteopathic Medicine Memory, Celebrate Commission as a U.S. Navy Officer and More

ICOM Pediatrics Club Sparks Interest in Medicine

Photo: Aspynn Owsley, OMS II, helps a second-grade student use a stethoscope.

Members of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine's (ICOM) Pediatrics Club sparked interest in medicine at a local elementary school. The future physicians showed elementary students how to listen to heart and lung sounds using a stethoscope and gave an anatomical overview of the human heart as part of the school's STEM Night. View more photos from the event on ICOM’s Instagram.

Kendall Wilson Estate Provides Third Gift to WVSOM Foundation

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) Foundation, which provides support to WVSOM, received a $65,000 gift from the estate of Kendall Wilson Jr., DO, a graduate of the school’s Class of 1981 who also taught at WVSOM and served on its Board of Governors. The gift is the third from Dr. Wilson’s estate.

Donette Mizia, WVSOM’s executive director of foundation relations, said the school is thankful for Wilson’s gifts and that it will help medical students for years to come.

“This gift is a direct result of an alumnus who valued his education so immensely that he chose to remember WVSOM in his estate planning,” Donette said. “Dr. Wilson had such a strong connection to the school that he ensured his generous gift was in perpetuity. This gift will bolster two scholarship endowments at the WVSOM Foundation, giving both the ability to provide more meaningful awards.” Read more about the generous gift and Dr. Kendall’s legacy.

Daughter of UNTHSC-TCOM Alumnus Honors His Legacy and That of Her Family in Osteopathic Medicine

For Tara Nicolette, DO, it was never a question of if she was going to be an osteopathic physician, but what specialty she’d choose. Growing up with a father and grandmother who were both physicians—her grandmother being one of the first female osteopathic physicians—it was a no brainer when Tara decided to follow in their footsteps and attend the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. While Tara didn’t attend The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC-TCOM) like her dad, she is no stranger to the program.

Her dad, the late Harold Nicolette, DO, graduated from UNTHSC-TCOM in 1981. At the time he hoped to pursue a surgical residency but had two kids at home and one on the way. He chose to complete his family medicine residency, which at the time was only a year long, so he could start making money to support his family. Read more about Dr. Tara Nicolette’s actions to support her father’s memory.

VCOM-Carolinas Student Commissioned to U.S. Navy

Congratulations to Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus (VCOM-Carolinas) Class of 2028 member Stephen Ames! Stephen was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy on Friday, January 31, 2025. View more photos and stories like this on VCOM-Carolinas’ Facebook.

VCOM-Louisiana Students Sharpen Laparoscopic Skills in Hands-On Training

Photo: VCOM-Louisiana student Marley McCartney hones her laparoscopic skills under the supervision of Ray Morrison, DO.

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana) student chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently hosted a laparoscopic workshop. The workshop, led by VCOM-Louisiana faculty members Ray Morrison, DO; Gwenn Jackson, MD; and Jed Robinson, DO, provided students with hands-on practice in laparoscopic techniques. This valuable experience helps students explore potential specialty interests and equips them with knowledge from surgical faculty that will benefit their future careers. View more photos from the event on VCOM-Louisiana’s Facebook.