Students Host ShaDO Day, Pursue Passions with Global Internships, Start Garden Community Club and More

Student Doctors Host ShaDO Day for Pre-Med Students

Photo: Danielle Myara, MS (DO '25) demonstrates the Simulation Center's high-fidelity manikins during ShaDO Day.

Pre-medical students considering careers as physicians recently experienced life as medical students when first- and second-year doctor of osteopathic medicine students opened the doors of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia Campus (PCOM Georgia) to host ShaDO Day. Thirty-nine people registered for the event, which featured a full day of hands-on experiences, including anatomical specimen demonstrations in which students saw and touched specimens from multiple organ systems including the cardiopulmonary, nervous, reproductive, digestive and genitourinary systems.

Students were taught how to perform simple suturing techniques by medical student volunteers. They also encountered high-fidelity manikins in the Simulation Center when they worked together as teams of “physicians” to diagnose and care for their “patients,” similar to the way osteopathic medical students learn to solve cases during their first and second years. Read more about the event and what prospective students learned.

DMUCOM Students Pursue Passions with Global Internships

Erin Smith (left), a dual-degree student in Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMUCOM)’s doctor of osteopathic medicine and master of healthcare administration programs, and Michelle Vu (right), an osteopathic medical student, will dig into global health research topics with highly selective Distinguished Global Health Internships offered by DMU’s Department of Global Health. Smith will explore the correlations between the environment and health outcomes of marginalized communities, especially those affecting youth, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its Climate and Health Program. Vu will focus on the effects of climate change and natural disasters on human health with the U.S. Global Change Research Program.  Read more about Smith and Vu and what initially interested them in the internships.

PCOM Launches Its First Academic Journal, Focusing on Integrated Primary Care

With an emphasis on reaching the entire spectrum of allied health professionals working within primary care, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is launching its first peer-reviewed scientific journal, the  Journal of Integrated Primary Care (JIPC).

Covering primary care, internal medicine, family medicine, nursing, behavioral health, pharmacy, physical therapy, pediatrics, health education, healthcare administration and social work, JIPC aims to grow the evidence base related to integrated primary care professional education, practice and intervention.

“This combined topic, primary care with integrated care, is rarely considered by scientific journals,” said Jay S. Feldstein, DO ‘81, PCOM president and CEO. “Yet, bringing these fields together is intrinsic to the holistic approach to healthcare we, as a college, emphasize in our teaching.”

ATSU-SOMA Anatomy Department Introduces Augmented Reality Learning for First-Year Students

The Anatomy department at A.T. Still University-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) recently introduced an augmented reality pilot program into their curriculum, helping the University reach innovative new heights in student-centered education.

Anna Campbell, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Anatomy department, introduced the usage of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 into the curriculum of first-year medical students. The HoloLens 2 is an augmented reality (AR) headset which enables users to view computer-generated content overlaid against their real-world surroundings. Read more about the pilot program and what students learned.

Feeding Body, Mind and Spirit: ATSU-KCOM’s Community Garden Club

Since 2018, two small plots of land near A.T. Still University of Health Sciences - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM)’s Thompson Campus Center (TCC) have been blossoming—both literally and figuratively. These two plots of land serve as the Kirksville campus’s eight-bed community garden, where the ATSU Community Garden Club comes together to strengthen their gardening skills, serve the community and find balance in their lives as medical students.

“In the aspect of body, mind and spirit, gardening is very much aligned,” said club member and future co-president Haley Schuster, OMS I. “Getting outside and growing something and being able to produce something that you can actually physically eat just really feeds your soul. Garden Club makes you take a step away from school and take a pause … If you’re having a rough day, just getting outside and seeing the other club members in the garden is so uplifting.” Read more about the garden club’s initiative.

CHSU-COM Student, Samantha Lynch, Establishes the First National DO Day of Service

With a passion for serving the community, Samantha Lynch, a third-year medical student at California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM), initiated the first annual National DO Day of Service on Saturday, April 22, 2023. While serving as COSGP’s National Programs Representative, Lynch established this new tradition to be recognized nationwide on the last Saturday of National Osteopathic Medicine (NOM) Week in April.

The National DO Day of Service invites osteopathic medical students, student clubs, faculty and physicians from 46 colleges of osteopathic medicine across the nation to simultaneously volunteer collectively in their respective communities and fundraise for charity. Read more about Lynch’s eight-month journey to implement the new tradition.

VCOM-Carolinas Staff Member Donates Bone Marrow 

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus (VCOM-Carolinas)’s Student Affairs Coordinator Ellie Greene recently became a bone marrow donor. She joined “Be the Match” national marrow donor program as an undergrad at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Seven years later, she found out she was a match and began the process of donation. Greene hopes that her act of kindness not only saved the child's life but will inspire others in the VCOM-Carolinas community to consider becoming donors themselves. Read more about what it meant for Greene to donate and view more photos.

VCOM Administrators Attend AACOM Senior Leadership Development Program 

Photo (left to right): Dr. Sofia Abraham-Hardee, Dr. Mark Sanders and Dr. Andy Langley with their SLDP certificates.

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Virginia Campus (VCOM-Virginia) Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Sofia Abraham-Hardee, DO, PhD; Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana) Dean Mark Sanders, DO, JD, MPH; and VCOM-Louisiana Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs Andy Langley, DO, recently completed AACOM’s yearlong Senior Leadership Development Program (SLDP). The program, which is open to deans and potential future deans who are nominated by their institutions, provides in-depth leadership training specifically tailored to osteopathic medicine. 

VCOM-Auburn Campus Holds Disaster Training Event 

Photo: VCOM-Auburn students were able to practice surgical skills in a simulated hospital emergency room environment.

The morning of April 14, 2023, saw the opening act of a three-day campus Disaster Day/OMS II FEMA Training event at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Auburn Campus (VCOM-Auburn). In addition to working with allied healthcare students and professionals, VCOM-Auburn students learned and practiced valuable skills that can be used in the case of a natural disaster or mass-casualty event. View more photos from the event on VCOM-Auburn’s Facebook.