Students Share Medical Journeys, Celebrate White Coats, Support Hospital Patients and More

‘Do It Scared’: PCOM South Georgia Student Shares Her Journey to Medical School

Taking the Medical College Admissions Test and submitting a personal statement are standard parts of the medical school application process. But for one Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia (PCOM South Georgia) student, entering medical school was a deeply personal journey that she now shares online with thousands of followers.

Flora Heydari (DO ’29), a second-year medical student in the DO program in Moultrie, Georgia, spent her early childhood in a suburb of Paris, France, before moving to Marietta, Georgia, with her father. What began as a big move became an even harder chapter in Flora’s life as her family dynamic shifted after her father remarried.

Read more about Flora’s journey to medical school.

UNT Health – TCOM Student Builds Bridges to Better Health, Named Emerging Leader Institute Scholar

Rinka Ko knows what it’s like to be in a new country, all alone, having left her family on the other side of the world. She left China many years ago to come to Texas and is now pursuing her dream of becoming a physician at UNT Health – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNT Health – TCOM) in Fort Worth, Texas. Through her own understanding of what refugees and immigrants face and the barriers that can keep patients from accessing care in the first place, Rinka is committed to finding ways to help them overcome those challenges.

That commitment is at the heart of Rinka’s growing interest in family medicine and refugee health, and it is also the driving force behind a leadership project she is developing after being selected as a prestigious 2026 American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leader Institute Scholar.

Read more about Rinka’s interest in family medicine and refugee health and her selection as a 2026 Emerging Leader Institute Scholar.

ICOM Welcomes Historic Class of 2030 at Ninth Annual White Coat Ceremony

The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) welcomed its largest incoming class during the college’s ninth annual White Coat Ceremony, held on Friday, September 18, 2026.

In the presence of family, friends, faculty and staff, 231 student physicians—ICOM’s largest class to date and the largest medical school class in Idaho history—were ceremonially cloaked with their first white coats.

Kevin Wilson, DO, FACOI, FACP, dean and chief academic officer of ICOM, served as the master of ceremonies. He urged student physicians to serve as strong advocates for their future patients and reflected on the deep symbolism of the white coat.

Read more about ICOM’s historic Class of 2030 and ninth annual White Coat Ceremony.

WVSOM Receives ‘Great College to Work For’ Recognition for 11th Time

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) was recognized for the 11th time as a Great College to Work For in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s annual report on academic workplaces.

The 2026 report recognizes WVSOM in five categories: job satisfaction and support; compensation and benefits; professional and career development programs; mission and pride; and faculty experience.

WVSOM is also included on the publication’s Honor Roll for the ninth time, a distinction awarded to institutions that are cited most often across all categories.

Read more about WVSOM’s 11th Great College to Work For recognition and ninth Honor Roll distinction.

ACOOG Chapter at VCOM-Louisiana Hosts Toiletries Donation Drive for Patients at Local Hospital

The American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOOG) chapter at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Louisiana Campus (VCOM-Louisiana) hosted a donation drive for women’s and children’s toiletries for patients receiving care at St. Francis Medical Center, a VCOM-Louisiana core rotation site and community partner. The donated items will help provide comfort to patients during their stay.

View more photos from the toiletries donation drive on VCOM-Louisiana’s Instagram.

Touro Nevada Alumnus Receives Prestigious National Cancer Research Award

Daniel Thomas Jones, DO, MBA, MHS, a two-time alumnus of Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUNCOM), earning his Master of Science in Medical Health Sciences and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in 2025, was recently selected to receive a 2026 Conquer Cancer Merit Award from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, for his oncology research.

His cancer research focuses on using very large national healthcare databases to identify potential signals and associations in cancer across datasets representing hundreds of millions of patient encounters. Advances in computing power now allow him to investigate patterns involving cancer outcomes, complications, disparities and healthcare delivery at a scale that was previously difficult to achieve. These findings can generate clinically meaningful hypotheses that researchers can then explore more directly in subsequent studies.

Read more about Dr. Jones’ 2026 Conquer Cancer Merit Award and oncology research.