Students Launch Glaucoma Screenings, Begin Residency Together, Secure Scholarships and More
Published August 19, 2026
Campus Roundup Inside OME
Two Mothers Share the Mission of Medical School
For first-year medical students Kanisha Hobgood (DO '30) and Simoine Kenya (DO '30) at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia (PCOM South Georgia), the COVID-19 pandemic propelled their medical school journeys.
Kanisha was working as a registered nurse while Simoine balanced two jobs, one at a medical clinic and another at a retail store. Though they never crossed paths during the pandemic, both say that period deepened their commitment to becoming physicians and strengthening access to care in their communities.
Read more about how the COVID-19 pandemic propelled Kanisha and Simoine on their medical school journeys.
CHSU-COM Alumna Receives San Joaquin Valley Medical Scholarship Foundation
California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) is proud to congratulate Marissa Monazzami, DO, a 2024 graduate of CHSU-COM, for recently receiving a scholarship from the San Joaquin Valley Medical Scholarship Foundation.
Dr. Monazzami was among four Central Valley physicians recognized during the foundation’s scholarship awards ceremony on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at the Fort Washington Country Club in Fresno, California. Each recipient received a $55,000 scholarship to help reduce medical school tuition debt while they continue their residency training in a primary care specialty.
Read more about Dr. Monazzami receiving a scholarship from the San Joaquin Valley Medical Scholarship Foundation.
Two UNT Health – TCOM Graduates Honored with TOMA Distinguished Service Award
A pair of graduates from UNT Health Fort Worth's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNT Health – TCOM) were honored by the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association (TOMA) with the Distinguished Service Award at its annual convention. Albert Yurvati, DO, PhD, DSc(hc), DFACOS, FICS, FAHA, CPPS, and Monte Mitchell, DO, JD, MS, MTS, received the award for their continued dedication to the association and the osteopathic community.
Dr. Yurvati, a 1986 graduate, is the chair of UNT Health – TCOM’s Department of Medical Education and Health System Sciences. A distinguished professor and renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, he pioneered the Yurvati Procedure—a surgical breakthrough—in 2012 after identifying the xiphoid process as a hidden cause of unexplained chest pain. The recipient of the 2025 TCOM Founders’ Award, the 2021 Mary E. Luibel Service Award and the 2011 President’s Award for Clinical Excellence, Dr. Yurvati is the first faculty member to hold the Dallas Southwest Osteopathic Physicians Endowed Professorship in Surgery.
Dr. Mitchell, a 1983 graduate, is an emergency medicine specialist and attorney based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with more than 40 years of medical experience. He serves as a leader in osteopathic medicine, including holding the past role of president for the TOMA from 2024-25.
Read more about Drs. Yurvati and Mitchell receiving the TOMA Distinguished Service Award.
WVSOM Medical Students Receive $99K Through Five Scholarships
Twenty-four West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) students will receive financial assistance through the generosity of five organizations that have provided scholarships through the WVSOM Foundation, the school’s nonprofit office responsible for charitable and philanthropic efforts.
The WVSOM Foundation hosted a July 30, 2026, reception on its Lewisburg, West Virginia, campus celebrating the Maier Foundation, Encova Foundation, Dr. William B. Mullen and Jennifer White Scholarship, Stephen C. Shy, DO, MBA, Memorial Scholarship and James F.B. Peyton Scholarship recipients. A total of $99,000 was awarded for the 2026-27 academic year through the five organizations.
Read more about the scholarships awarded to WVSOM medical students for the 2026-27 academic year.
White Coats Mark the Beginning for CCOM Class of 2030
For the newest students at Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM), the white coat is still brand new.
Over the next four years, it will accompany them into classrooms, clinical training and eventually patient care. But on August 7, 2026, surrounded by family, friends, faculty and classmates, members of the CCOM Class of 2030 put on their white coats for the first time, marking the beginning of their journey toward becoming osteopathic physicians.
The annual White Coat Ceremony capped a week of orientation at Midwestern University’s Downers Grove Campus.
Read more about the CCOM Class of 2030’s White Coat Ceremony.
Together Every Step of the Way: Drs. Ishani and Shivani Sharma, Class of 2026, Begin Residency Side by Side
For Ishani Sharma, DO, and Shivani Sharma, DO, the road to becoming physicians has always been one they have traveled together. From growing up in Dallas, Texas, to earning biology degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas and master’s degrees in medical sciences from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, the fraternal twins have shared every milestone of their academic journey. In 2022, they began the next chapter together as members of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana) Class of 2026.
Now, after four years of medical school, they have reached another remarkable accomplishment. Both matched into the family medicine program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, Texas, where they began their residencies this summer. The outcome was completely unexpected, making the moment more meaningful.
Read more about Drs. Sharma beginning their family medicine residencies side by side.
VCOM-Carolinas Student Tal Carmy-Bennun, Class of 2029, Launches Glaucoma Screening Initiative on Honduras Mission Trip
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus (VCOM-Carolinas) Class of 2029 student Tal Carmy-Bennun joined VCOM-Carolinas’ medical outreach team in Honduras this summer, where she launched a new glaucoma screening effort aimed at identifying eye disease before it leads to permanent vision loss.
Tal had previously volunteered with the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in South Florida and used that experience to help develop the screening effort.
View more photos from the glaucoma screening initiative on VCOM-Carolinas’ Facebook.
VCOM-Virginia’s Tiffany Carpenetti, PhD, Named IAMSE Medical Educator Fellow
Tiffany Carpenetti, PhD, an associate professor of anatomical sciences at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Virginia Campus (VCOM-Virginia), recently completed the 2026 International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Medical Educator Fellowship, joining a select group of just nine professionals worldwide to earn the distinction this year.
The two-year fellowship prepares medical education scholars to advance their expertise in curriculum design, teaching methods and strategies, assessment, educational scholarship and leadership.
Read more about Dr. Carpenetti and her approach to educating future physicians.