Students and Faculty Team up to Provide Masks for their Healthcare Workers and Local Community

You’ll also read about how PCOM South Georgia is celebrating Women in Medicine month, DMU’s new campus groundbreaking, and more.

VCOM-Virginia Faculty Teams up with Local Community to Produce Masks for Healthcare Workers

Tiffany L. Carpenetti, PhD, an Assistant Professor for Anatomical Sciences at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine—Virginia Campus (VCOM-Virginia), recently teamed up with several members of her local community to make masks for the area’s healthcare workers. The mask-making group that Dr. Carpenetti and others have organized is now making about 1,000 masks a week, and 100 to 200 H600 masks. As of May 4, 2020, the group has donated close to 3,000 masks to local healthcare facilities personnel. Read more about this amazing partnership online.

PCOM South Georgia Celebrates Women in Medicine Month

September is the American Medical Association (AMA)'s Women in Medicine (WIM) Month, which serves to highlight advocacy related to women physicians and health issues impacting women patients. To celebrate, PCOM South Georgia is "passing the stethoscope" to students like Aliza Perez (pictured), class of 2023, and other members of the college’s student chapter of the American Medical Women's Association and asking them to weigh in on this year's theme—Advancing Equity and Creating Change. Follow their Instagram stories throughout the month as they share their perspectives and pass the stethoscope on to their colleagues.

PCOM Georgia Student Group Facilitates Free Flu Shots to Local Community

A team of dedicated student-doctors from PCOM Georgia worked with local establishments to offer free flu shots for uninsured adults. The student-run organization, known as the PCOM Georgia HEARTS Club, formed in 2019 by Andrew Morrissey (class of ‘23), aims to offer healthcare services to those who need them most. Read more about this student-run initiative.

DMU Holds Groundbreaking for New Campus

Des Moines University held a public groundbreaking event on Sept. 10 to commemorate the start of construction of its new campus on 88 acres in West Des Moines, IA. The university’s move to the new site is scheduled to occur in 2023, which will mark the 125th anniversary of the institution’s founding. Read more about the university’s plans for the new campus.

RVUCOM Class of 2024 Finds Unique Ways to Celebrate Their White Coat Ceremony

To mark the occasion of his white coat ceremony, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) first-year student Kurtis Hinton, OMS I, (pictured) ran the Southern Utah Half Marathon as his family cheered him on. Afterward, they watched the virtual ceremony from home. More details and photos can be found on RVUCOM’s Twitter feed.

West Virginia Governor Appoints Two New Members to the WVSOM Board of Governors

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has appointed Frederick Morgan, DO, and Todd Smith, DO, to the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) Board of Governors, the body that oversees the financial, business and educational policies under which the school operates. The new board members, whose appointments became effective July 1, succeed outgoing members Charles Davis, DO and Cheryl Schreiber.

NSU-KPCOM Student Delivers 1,200 Masks to Miami’s Overtown Community

Miami, FL, continues to be a COVID-19 hotspot, predominantly for minority areas in the city, which lack the funds to keep up with sanitation and protective equipment for its residents. From Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM), second-year student Yara Khalifa (pictured) assessed the historic Overtown community while working on a project in her NSU Master of Public Health degree program and came up with a mask initiative that resulted in 1,200 masks delivered to the community. Learn more on the school’s website.

AZCOM Creates Task Forces to Address Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

AZCOM is moving forward with Midwestern University’s commitment to increased diversity and representation through student and faculty partnerships.

Over the spring and summer, the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University (AZCOM) created four task forces, co-chaired by AZCOM faculty and students, to analyze and implement best practices for diversity, equity and inclusion in Admissions, Curriculum, Wellness and Outreach. The Task Force on Diversity in Admissions developed the new AZCOM Bridges Program, which provides a pathway for students to enter the Biomedical Science Program in the College of Graduate Studies and simultaneously receive admission to AZCOM for the following year.