Students Win Fellowships, Travel for Global Service, Hosted a Summer Day Camp and More

Touro University California Students Awarded Fellowship for 2025

Photo (from left to right): Destany Habte Michael (TUCOM Class of 2028; MSMHS 2024 Graduate; Master of Public Health 2023 Graduate), Beatrice Ojekunle (TUCOM DO/MPH Class of 2028; MSMHS 2024 Graduate), Pooja Mhatre (TUCOM Class of 2028)

A trio of outstanding students from Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUCOM) have been awarded the 2025–2026 San Francisco Bay Area Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. Destany Habte Michael, Pooja Mhatre and Beatrice Ojekunle have been recognized for their commitment to improving healthcare access and education.

Destany and Pooja are collaborating to improve menopause care for women in Vallejo, California. Launching a wellness screening and peer support program at La Clínica, their initiative aims to address gaps in menopause education, screening and social support for women navigating this critical life transition. Participants will receive additional screenings followed by educational workshops and discussions. Destany and Pooja aim to empower participants with knowledge and resources while fostering peer connections. Beatrice will be collaborating with the Refugee Enrichment and Development Association in Sacramento, California, to expand access to culturally tailored health education and preventive cancer screenings for refugee women.

Read more about the students’ fellowship work and community impact.

PCOM Holds FIRE Program to Prepare First-Year Medical Students

Photo: FIRE participants learn the basics of suturing during a session led by Frederick Powell, MD, PhD (right) of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Colquitt Regional Medical Center. Dr. Powell is also an adjunct faculty member at PCOM South Georgia.

For the fourth consecutive year, incoming first-year medical students at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia Campus (PCOM South Georgia) participated in the two-week FIRE (Fundamental Integration Required for Excellence) program. Held on campus prior to orientation, the program introduced students to the academic rigors of medical school, fostered connections with classmates and faculty and offered opportunities to explore the Moultrie, Georgia community. Read more about how PCOM South Georgia prepares students for the transition to medical school from the Moultrie Observer.

ICOM Students Travel to Guatemala for Hands-On Learning and Humanitarian Service

A group of compassionate and driven medical students recently returned from a life-changing mission trip to Guatemala, where they spent a week providing care and support to an underserved community.

The team, which included 12 first- and second-year students from the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM), partnered with Global Brigades to offer basic medical services, assist with health screenings and help distribute medications in rural villages with limited access to healthcare. The students were placed in Sacala, a small, rural community of 2,000 individuals located outside the city of Chimaltenango, Guatemala.

View more photos from ICOM’s humanitarian mission to Guatemala.

VCOM-Louisiana Celebrates 2025 Inductees into Gold Humanism Honor Society

Photo: With the VCOM–Louisiana campus as a backdrop, 22 exceptional medical students were inducted into the prestigious Gold Humanism Honor Society.

Twenty-two exceptional Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana) medical students were inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) during a meaningful ceremony on June 4, 2025. Nominated by their peers and selected by faculty, these students were honored for exemplifying compassion, empathy and integrity in patient care.

Read more about the GHHS ceremony and the VCOM-Louisiana students.

Inspiring Future Healthcare Leaders: VCOM-Auburn Hosts Summer Day Camp

On June 10, 2025, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Auburn Campus (VCOM-Auburn) proudly opened its doors to a group of eager young learners during a special summer day camp, hosted in collaboration with the Auburn University Center for Educational Outreach and Engagement.

The event offered students a firsthand glimpse into the world of osteopathic medicine. Campers explored the inner workings of the human body through a hands-on bone anatomy lesson, tested their speed and knowledge in a skeleton race and got a look at cutting-edge healthcare tools during a simulation center demonstration. The day wrapped up with an insightful Q&A session, where students asked thoughtful questions about medical school and healthcare careers.

View more photos from the summer camp on VCOM-Auburn’s Facebook.

PCOM Perspectives: Lessons in Health Journalism with KYW Newsradio’s Brian McDonough

For this episode, Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, talked with Brian McDonough, MD, medical editor at KYW Newsradio and designated institutional official and chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee. They discussed his experience as a medical journalist in the digital era, his efforts to prevent the spread of health misinformation online and how mentoring resident physicians has made him a better doctor.

Read more and listen to the full podcast episode of PCOM Perspectives.

WVSOM Names Justin McAllister Chief Financial Officer

James W. Nemitz, PhD, president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), has named Justin McAllister the school’s vice president of finance and facilities and chief financial officer.

McAllister has more than 15 years of experience in finance, most recently serving as senior vice president for strategic finance, operations and chief innovation officer for West Virginia State University. Prior to that, he was an assistant vice president with the university, then vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer.

Read more about McAllister’s background and WVSOM’s new leadership appointment.

VCOM-Virginia Students Receive Recognition for Their Research

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Virginia Campus (VCOM-Virginia)’s Ashley Abramson ’27, Mehar Nasir ’27, Foyinsola Olaloye ’27 and their faculty advisor, Shannon Murray, PhD, received first place at the inaugural HCA Healthcare–LewisGale Montgomery Research Day poster presentation.

Their project, conducted in collaboration with the research of Andreas Lundqvist, PhD, contributed to the advancement of a model designed to support personalized immunotherapy through the screening of cancer-specific myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) responses and the evaluation of therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing MDSC levels.

View more photos from the research event on VCOM-Virginia’s Facebook.