Students Publish Article Highlighting the Value of Empathy, Hold a Leadership Symposium and More

PCOM Georgia Medical Student Helps Turkish Earthquake Victims

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia Campus (PCOM Georgia) medical student Inara Patton, DO ’26, traveled to Turkey with a group of volunteers less than three weeks after the country's devastating earthquake to assist victims in need of medical aid.

“As soon as I heard about what happened, I started looking for opportunities to volunteer. On Friday night, February 24, after my finals, I was in the Atlanta airport on my way to Istanbul. Our team met in the Adana airport in Turkey to catch a van to Hatay Province, ground zero of the earthquake. There were five of us, all from different states, and all with different backgrounds. We had two nurses, two paramedics, a middle school teacher, and a cardiac catheterization lab technologist/medical student.”

Read more about her trip and background.

Annals of Family Medicine Publishes UNTHSC-TCOM Students’ Article Highlighting the Value of Empathic Doctors

The Annals of Family Medicine recently published an article written by students from The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC-TCOM) that shows patients with chronic pain value empathic doctors who validate their concerns and communicate clearly.

The four students, Salman Patel, Prathima Kandukuri, George Beeton and Ramyashree Nyalakonda, worked with Dr. John Licciardone, executive director of the UNTHSC-TCOM Osteopathic Research Center and a UNT System Regents Professor. The study, “Patient Satisfaction with Medical Care for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pain Research Registry Study,” included 1,352 participants from the center’s Pain Registry for Epidemiological, Clinical, and Interventional Studies and Innovation, also known as the PRECISION Pain Research Registry. Read more about the study.

WVSOM Vice President Contributes to Establishment of West Virginia First Foundation

Drema Hill, PhD, MSP, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM)’s vice president for community engagement and development, has served as a consultant to West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s Office on issues related to the distribution of funds from litigation settlements resulting from the opioid epidemic. West Virginia’s governor, Jim Justice, has now signed a bill that creates the West Virginia First Foundation to manage those funds. Read more about the legislation and WVSOM’s involvement in the foundation.

Fremarek Named AAO Resident Physician of the Year

Photo: VCOM-Virginia faculty with Dr. Fremarek (left to right): David Harden, DO; Luke Robinson, DO; Nicole Fremarek, DO; Hope Tobey, DO; and Al Kozar, DO, FAOASM, RMSK.

Nicole Fremarek, DO, a resident of Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Virginia Campus (VCOM-Virginia), was named AAO Resident Physician of the Year at the 2023 American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO) Convocation. Not only was she presented this prestigious award, she also won first place for her poster, "That’s the Way We Have Always Done It: Resetting the Hips." Congratulate Dr. Fremarek and share this story from VCOM-Virginia’s Facebook.

VCOM-Carolinas Holds Leadership Symposium

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus (VCOM-Carolinas) Student Osteopathic Medical Association held its annual Leadership Symposium on March 10, 2023. This year's keynote speaker was Karen J. Nichols, DO, MA, MACOI, CS, a college of osteopathic medicine dean for 16 years and the first female president of the American Osteopathic Association. View more photos on VCOM-Carolinas’ Facebook. 

Cadavaliers Win Oozeball Tournament 

Photo: Members of the Cadavaliers (left to right): Brooke Barber, OMS I; Alyssa VanCardo, OMS I; Connor Wilfawn, OMS I; Karson Munson, OMS I; and Tyson Hillock, OMS II.

A group of first- and second-year Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana) medical students capped off finals week by participating in the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM)’s annual Oozeball Tournament and taking home the gold. The team, cleverly dubbed the “Cadavaliers,” competed against teams of students, faculty and staff from ULM in the mud volleyball event. Congratulate the Cadavaliers on VCOM-Louisiana’s Facebook.

DMU-COM Students Lead Girls’ Exploration of Medicine and Science

Telling girls that they can be doctors and scientists is important, but empowering them to do science has an even greater impact. That’s what 115 Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM) students, faculty and staff did on a recent Saturday during the university’s annual Girls Exploring Medicine and Science (GEMS) event. DMU hosted 120 girls in fourth through seventh grades at this year’s GEMS, organized by the community relations department and DMU’s Women’s Medical Alliance. Participants rotated through 16 stations for hands-on activities such as using ultrasound and simulation technology, scrubbing into the operating room, casting their feet, analyzing the DNA of oranges and learning about human anatomy, nutrition and many other topics in health and science. Read more about the event and hear the organizers’ favorite parts.

High School Medical Academy Students Immersed in Simulated Experiences at CHSU-COM

Photo: Aaron Huntington, OMS II student from the CHSU Simulation Interest Group, guides a Hanford West High School Medical Academy student on starting an IV for a manikin.

California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) Simulation Center welcomed students from Hanford West High School’s Medical Academy for a day of hands-on learning, rotating through stations where they learned various patient care skills.

These high school students, who plan to pursue a healthcare career, rotated through multiple stations including blood pressure checks, administering breathing treatments, performing CPR, inserting IVs into manikin arms and holographic anatomy. At the end, they participated in a birthing simulation with CHSU-COM’s childbirth simulator manikin.

“The most exciting thing we got to do was dealing with the manikins in the simulations because they blink, breathe and talk—and I wasn’t expecting them to talk,” said Vincent Hernandez, Hanford West High School Medical Academy student. Read more about the event and hear from more students.

Butterflies Land at MSU International Center

A community art exhibit led by Michigan State University AgeAlive, in the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM), commemorates the third anniversary of COVID-19, remembers its victims, honors essential workers and celebrates life moving forward. This exhibit also now takes on new meaning in the aftermath of the recent violence the MSU community experienced.

Four thousand vibrant, unique butterflies with optimistic colors and individualized messages make up the whimsical sight you see when you step into the MSU AgeAlive paper butterfly garden at the MSU International Center.

The garden exhibit is a tangible, public reflection of the core values of MSU AgeAlive, whose goal is to promote health and well-being among all people through beauty, healing arts and fostering a sense of belonging, community and engagement in meaningful activities. Read more about the exhibit and the MSU AgeAlive program.