Stephen C. Shannon, DO, MPH
President

Osteopathic Medical Education Community Exemplifies Service in Wake of Tornadoes

The morning after tornadoes ripped through Kirksville, MO, and surrounding areas last month, we all sat waiting for news about the fate of A.T. Still University - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, the nation’s founding home of osteopathic medical education. News trickled in throughout the day: The campus had been spared. Approximately 20 osteopathic medical students found themselves homeless in the wake of the tornadoes, each having lost most if not all personal possessions. The home of ATSU-KCOM Dean Philip Slocum, DO, had been largely destroyed. But all had emerged unharmed.

The tragic news struck an emotional chord at AACOM headquarters and in every college of osteopathic medicine in the country, but the news that followed was as moving. The local and national osteopathic medical community had mobilized quickly and with incomparable generosity to provide what help and comfort could be given to those from ATSU-KCOM who had been affected.

In an electronic communication we received a few days following the tornadoes, Dr. Slocum wrote that he had received so many messages offering help and solace from his osteopathic colleagues from across the country that there was no way he could respond to all of them. Regarding his immediate situation, he wrote: “We were working at the house trying to clean as much as we could... First ten, later probably 40 students showed up.  Like locust travel, they took everything out of the house and cleaned all the debris in three hours. I am moved to tears recounting the blessings they showed us.”  

ATSU worked quickly to help its displaced students, establishing a special fund to which donors could send monetary contributions.  Donations began pouring in from osteopathic medical colleges across the country, including thousands of dollars from AACOM’s Council of Student Government Presidents, which had worked quickly to organize a student fundraising effort. If you would like to make a donation to the affected students, contact the ATSU Development Office at 660.626.2180 or via e-mail at development@atsu.edu.

The point of all of this is not to tell you about the tornadoes and their aftermath, but rather to share a shining example of something I have known for many years: The osteopathic medical education community is a family of dedicated, service-oriented individuals who truly care about and for one another and the people they serve. Every cloud has its silver lining. For me, the silver lining to this story is the way the community brought its service mentality to bear on its friends at ATSU. I am not surprised.