Students Gamify Anatomy Class, Welcome the Class of 2029, Serve Community and More
Published August 13, 2025
Campus Roundup Inside OME
Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine Welcomes Class of 2029
The Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM) proudly welcomes 145 new student doctors to campus as part of its Class of 2029. This milestone marks the official start of Welcome Week, a time for orientation, community building and celebration as these future physicians begin their four-year journey toward becoming osteopathic medical doctors.
These students, selected from a competitive pool of applicants, represent a diverse group of individuals who share a commitment to the osteopathic philosophy of whole-person care. Over the next two years, they will complete rigorous didactic training in foundational biomedical and clinical sciences. In years three and four, they will transition to hands-on clinical rotations at affiliated hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the region.
Read more about OCOM’s Class of 2029 and Welcome Week.
How Gamification Is Helping Medical Students Understand Anatomy
Philip Fabrizio, PT, DPT, EdD, professor of Physical Therapy at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia Campus (PCOM Georgia), is teaching anatomy outside of the box—literally. In his classroom, Dr. Fabrizio combines traditional teaching methods with analog games to enhance first-year physical therapy students’ understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy.
His game-based learning approach is hands-on and requires peer-to-peer participation, differing from AI/digital methods. He has developed various interactive games to help students understand the complex systems that make up the human body, turning anatomy lessons into puzzles. One popular activity has students line up as if an “arrow” passed through the spine, from front to back, with each student representing tissues, nerves, joints and muscles that would have been pierced by the arrow.
Read more about Dr. Fabrizio’s innovative teaching methods.
VCOM-Carolinas ACOOG and AMWA Participate in Back-to-School Period Packing Event
On August 3, 2025, members of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus (VCOM-Carolinas) chapters of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOOG) and the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) participated in a back-to-school period packing event with the Spartanburg Period Project.
Members of the Class of 2028 helped assemble menstruation kits for more than 70 schools in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Creating these packs not only improves access to essential items but also encourages classroom attendance among girls who may otherwise stay home.
View more photos from the event on VCOM-Carolinas’ X/Twitter.
VCOM-Louisiana and Centenary College Expand Pathway for Future Doctors
The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana) continues to strengthen its commitment to identifying and preparing students who are aligned with its mission to serve rural and medically underserved populations. A recent articulation agreement with Centenary College, a selective liberal arts college in Shreveport, Louisiana, enhances this effort by offering eligible Centenary students preferred admission to VCOM.
This new agreement builds on an existing partnership formed in 2021, which guaranteed interviews for qualified Centenary students. Under the expanded agreement, Centenary students who meet the criteria can receive preferred admission to VCOM as early as the end of their sophomore year. To be eligible, students must meet all technical and general admission requirements, complete a set of required prerequisite courses and maintain an overall science and cumulative GPA of 3.7. They are also required to perform community and volunteer service.
Read more about the VCOM-Louisiana and Centenary College articulation agreement.
Dr. John Licciardone Provides Research for New York Times Articles on Osteopathic Medicine
John Licciardone, DO, MS, MBA, FACPM, regents professor in the Department of Family and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at the UNT Health Fort Worth's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNT Health Fort Worth – TCOM), was recently quoted in the New York Times article titled “So Your Doctor is a DO. Does That Matter?” The article highlighted the recent growth of osteopathic medicine, including that the number of DOs in the United States has grown more than 70 percent in the past decade and that more than a quarter of all medical students are training to become DOs.
Read more about Dr. Licciardone’s contributions to the article.
Public Invited to WVSOM Bio in August
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is declaring research a priority with WVSOM Bio, a two-day event that will feature a ceremonial groundbreaking for the $35 million expansion of WVSOM’s Fredric W. Smith Science Building and an economic forum.
WVSOM Bio focuses on raising awareness of WVSOM, the Greenbrier Valley and West Virginia among companies and organizations in the biosciences and biotech realms. During the next two years of construction, WVSOM will encourage private and public research partners to locate lab operations in the facility, as the school is dedicating the third floor of the expanded building to private and public research space.
Read more about the WVSOM Bio event and expansion plans.