LECOM Connection Spring 2012

THE

Spring 2012

ONNECTION

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

www.LECOM.edu

Message from the President “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see” — Winston Churchill

John M. Ferretti, DO As this publication makes its way to your mailboxes and doorsteps, I am proud to announce an approaching “benchmark” - an epoch in our footprint of educational history and a step upon the threshold of that which demarcates all prodigious institutions of higher learning.

The principal theme of this issue and the focus of this “Message from the President” centers upon our twenty-year benchmark – and by such measure, we celebrate our campus, our institution, and our legacy.

Since its convocation in 1993, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has played a vital role in defining the educational excellence, purposeful service, and economic growth in each community in which it has come to lay a cornerstone.

The approach of this, the third decade of LECOM, represents no less than the beginning of a new

era for the college and a precious gift to future generations of its graduates and to the communities that they serve.

As the realization of insightful discernment, resolute perspicacity, and indefatigable dedication, LECOM has come to represent the personal and intellectual apex for generations of alumnae and the highest standards and ideals of a medical education.

More than two decades ago, The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine was but a hopeful vision of an imagined ideal. Yet, three campuses and 16 graduating classes later, LECOM stands as a triumphant accomplishment that realizes an immense potential: blending multiple proud campuses and emerging stronger and better thanks to every one of them; honoring all of those faculty and students that came before - including the pioneers and innovators; and advancing ever onward to serve as the standard-bearer of academic excellence in medical and health care education. This issue highlights our staunch mission to become an even

better place to increase medical knowledge and to deepen health care understanding.

People drive the success of any outstanding organization. Such is the reason that people comprise the cornerstone of LECOM. Two of our greatest priorities are found in our scholarships and in our professorships. These assets allow us to recruit the best and the brightest students along with the most venerable, talented, and esteemed educators the people who spur discovery, who illuminate unseen opportunities, and who advance the well-being both of individuals and society alike.

Passion and intellect, ingenuity and perseverance - such are the qualities that lead to truly great breakthroughs in research; the sort that overcome assumptions, unearth discoveries, and quite literally - change lives.

The same characteristics contribute to academic experiences that enable learners to pursue new perspectives, modes of inquiry; and for increasing numbers of students - their own original scholarship.

Little of note happens without extraordinary people; however talent and dedication alone are not enough.

Our faculty and our students thrive among the most stateof-the-art campus settings that LECOM can offer – where students learn and work, perform and produce, practice and – yes, even play.

In the coming months, you will hear more from me and from the LECOM administration about our aspirations for the future. No matter our generation or our source of connection to LECOM, we share the bond of a superlative scholastic institution and of a commitment to a first rate medical and health care education.

Each of us has been touched by this place and by its people.

As we look forward toward a new era, we pay tribute to our past, to our solid foundation, to that which was created so that we may create further. Now is the moment to recall our legacy – and to throw wide the posterns into the infinite possibilities that rest within each one of you – and within all that is – LECOM.

Mission Statement The mission of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is to prepare students to become osteopathic physicians, pharmacy practitioners and dentists through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care and community service to enhance the quality of life through improved health for all humanity.

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine 1858 West Grandview Blvd.

Erie, PA 16509 814-866-6641 www.lecom.edu

Legacies Start Here

John M. Ferretti, DO President

Michael J. Visnosky, Esquire Chairman of the Board of Trustees

silvia M. Ferretti, DO

Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs

Hershey Bell, MD, M.s. (MedEd)

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of School of Pharmacy

LECOM’s Vision for the Future Expands with the LORD Property Acquisition Page 8

robert george, DO

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton

sunil s. Jambhekar, phD Associate Dean for Bradenton Operations

pierre Bellicini

Director of Communications

Michael polin

Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing, Bradenton

Star Athletes Train at LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center Page 12

rebecca A. Desimone, Esquire Editor-in-Chief

Eric nicastro

Contributing Writer & Photographer

Carmen Miller Photographer

The LECOM Connection invites you to contribute to our publication. If you have news of alumni achievements, research or student activities, please contact the Communications Department, at (814) 866-6641, or e-mail communications@lecom.edu.

Patricia Matto, DO Recalls the Inaugural Class Page 20

ON THE COVER

New York Knicks Jeremy Lin New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin played one game with the Erie BayHawks wearing the #17 Jersey with the LECOM logo on the front. When Jeremy Lin landed in Erie in January, he went straight from the airport to the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center basketball court. That night, Lin began training with the Erie BayHawks. Upon the heels of his one game with the NBA Development League team came a legendary turn-around for the yet unknown New York Knicks player. Cover photo credit: Rich Obrey. See page 12 for the story.

Contents Future Health Care Professionals Begin Learning Page 10

Vora Student Lounge Dedicated, Enriching Campus Life Page 15

LECOM Military Students and the Erie BayHawks Salute the Military Page 16

LECOM School of Pharmacy Garners Top Honors Page 18

LECOM Pathways ............................................................6

Creating the Future of Medicine in Florida ................ 22

LECOM Establishes New Foundation .............................7

LECOM Enriches Community Support of the Arts ... 23

LECOM Committed to Improve Veteran’s Care..............16

LECOM Pays Tribute to Board Members .................. 24

Hershey Bell, MD Recognized In Pharmacy Journal ....17

White Coat Ceremony ............................................... 25

James Lin, DO Helps Geriatric Patients ........................21

The Community Is Our Campus ............................... 26

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LECOM Legacy – Foray into the 21st Century

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, so states the familiar adage. There is prodigious truth to that maxim; yet, it is frequently the components of the “whole” that enrich and impel such a larger entity to its grand distinction. The moral of such an apothegm is not lost on LECOM. LECOM possesses a strong and honored history that began in 1992 when the Commonwealth charter launched “The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine”. At this moment, as the College stands upon the threshold of its third decade, this “LECOM Legacy” edition of “The LECOM Connection” celebrates the robust and vibrant institution that comprises “LECOM” and it anticipates the many accomplishments yet to be realized. LECOM takes this occasion to acknowledge the successes that have made this institution one of the preeminent and leading medical colleges in the nation.

The people and accomplishments about which this edition shall feature, have laid the cornerstone of an infinite future in more than a figurative sense.

Without these individuals, without their aptitude, their intellectual acumen, and their ready desire to collaborate, the story of LECOM would be decidedly different and unequivocally less captivating.

This issue of “The LECOM Connection” presents an emphatic affirmation and a creditable “hats off” to twenty years of visionary individuals and innovations that have become indicatively synonymous with this school and all that it represents. The history, faculty members, students, and alumni form an amalgam of faces, philosophies, and expertise that have come to evoke the spirit of a collaborative body that defies limitations or seeming constraints; a body of inspired optimism that looks toward an open array of possibilities.

Yet, as we celebrate past achievements, LECOM recognizes that the definitive and historic achievements of tomorrow are happening in the golden moments of today. For that reason, this issue shall relate and shall include as well the recent news about the development of breakthroughs in medicine, about accomplished educators and authors, and about educational programs unique to LECOM. Obviously, this institution is not solely about discoveries and innovations; it is about character, cooperation, and courage; those fundamental values that carry with them a principled quality of moral excellence. LECOM develops these qualities in increasing measure, integrating them into every part of its mission.

To be sure, the reader will find both personage and progress compose an indisputably remarkable “whole”.

Their stories define LECOM; they make LECOM exceptional – yet the stories yet to be written, the stories of tomorrow will ensure that it remains ever so.

LECOM Erie 1992

1992

2002

2012

LECOM Erie 2012

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The Path to 21st Century of Health Care – LECOM Pathways

Pioneering ideas and oracular thinking often transform the way in which societies exist. Innovations have transmuted the concept of mere existence into a model of lives enjoyed and of lives well-lived.

Forward thinkers have girded the populace from devastating illness and they have produced a plethora of opportunities in travel, in communication, and in increasing and expanding the comforts of a modern age unlike that of any preceding generation.

LECOM always has viewed its purpose and mission as one that is transformative. From its inception, as a College establishing itself when others resisted such undertakings, LECOM has moved forward with a fresh approach to medical education. Recognizing the individual needs of the student, LECOM developed and championed student-centered learning styles by offering three curriculum “pathways” for its medical students. This “pathway” process revolutionized the traditional approach to medical education by broadening the educational offerings to accommodate the varying needs of its students.

The traditional Lecture-Discussion Pathway (LDP) commences with a curriculum in core basic science and pre-clinical courses and it progresses to a systems-based program in the second year of study.

The lecture presentations and laboratories are the basis for the LDP. Students spend the morning in lecture sessions and they attend the afternoon in a combination of lectures, laboratories, tutorials, small cluster discussions and independent study. The Problem-Based Learning Pathway (PBL) offers small group training that follows actual patient cases; accentuating student-centered, self-directed learning through close group collaboration and with limited faculty involvement. The PBL has become an internationally recognized approach to medical education. The Directed Study Pathway (DSL) allows qualified students to use educational modules based upon the core and systems curricula. As a distinctive program for medical education, it begins with substantial daily classroom study in the first semester and subsequently, it allows adult learners, who are capable of learning with minimal classroom time, gradually to decrease their lecture attendance and to utilize specific “directed study” methods to complete the first two years of medical school.

These pathways have propelled LECOM to its status as a vatic leader in medical education and they have augmented the growth of the College to include three campuses and a host of teaching hospital affiliates. In addition, LECOM has expanded its exceptional offerings at every opportunity; recent studies show cross-campus medical programs have demonstrated first-rate rankings that far exceed the national averages with passing rates that well out-distance 6 | LECOM COnnECTiOn | spring 2012

the national mean.

LECOM introduced the Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP) in response to the field-wide declining interest in primary care, and in particular to the decline in family medicine practitioners. With the growing need for medical professionals in the 21st century, LECOM is well aware that the trend is changing with deliberate speed. To meet mutable needs, LECOM recently developed the Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway (APAP) as a program that enables certified physician assistants to graduate in three years from LECOM with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree that is equivalent to a four-year academic program.

This “pathway” process revolutionized the traditional approach to medical education...

In addition to the pathways that have come to define the signature sobriquet of the LECOM curricula, the College provides two Master of Science (MS) degrees as well as its two-semester, Health Sciences Post-baccalaureate on-campus certificate program. The MS in Medical Education courses impart the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to promote effective teaching, administration, and leadership to students who desire advanced training in medical education. The MS in Medical Education program is open to all health care professionals and offers a distance learning option. The Health Sciences and the MS in Biomedical Science Programs are designed to enhance the basic science credentials of students interested in medical college, pharmacy, or dental school. All coursework is conducted on the LECOM campus at the medical and pharmacy school facilities.

LECOM leadership has championed its mission to provide the best medical education through intrepid action and with perceptive methods. Through its capacity to see into tomorrow while balancing the long experience of those who came before, its leaders are committed ever to lay the firmest foundations both of accomplishment and of purpose. LECOM has not sought to out-distance other schools; rather, it has sought only and ever to out-distance itself. Every accomplishment begins with the decision to endeavor and every success inspires others to endeavor still more. For the students who have followed the “pathways” at LECOM – they have endeavored to learn more, to accomplish more, and to become more than the conventional or the average – they are leaders who know that their success in medicine comes as the result of an uninhibited mind and of a mindful resolve; and the 21st century of health care depends upon them.

“The Space Within” LECOM Establishes the Foundation of a Venerable Legacy Famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright once wrote that “the space within becomes the reality of the building”. So it is true with the structure that comprises the Erie campus of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. After 20 years of honing definition, of providing academic excellence, and of elevating opportunity and vision to higher standards through unbounded sights, the structure that once housed the former GTE Corporation Building has grown to redefine medical education in the 21st century.

“Fortune favors the bold” and in each age, men and women of vision undertake the ascent to pursue such goal, to face the tempests of naysayers and cynics fixed upon their mission and purpose. To Virgil – “fortune” was comprised of purpose, freedom, and the determination to realize ones full potential. Valued contributions to society demand such unflinching and persistent risks that create opportunities as well as leaders. LECOM is an organization replete with individuals who exercise leadership in support of its common purpose and in pursuit of the shared objectives of a noble calling. The early nineties were illustrative to anyone who is inspired by daring and visionary action.

The situation that prompted the 1988 venture to create LECOM came about as a bold response to community need. While research organizations such as the Pew Center were erroneously predicting a surplus of doctors across the country, the visionaries at the Millcreek Community Hospital saw a divergent trend. Observing a shortage of physicians during their recruitment processes, the Millcreek Community Hospital Board of Trustees took a courageous step – to establish LECOM and to further the practice of osteopathic medicine as a means to promote well-being and disease prevention.

LECOM completely rehabilitated and expanded upon what was an abandoned telephone headquarters facility, gutting the structure to remove asbestos and stripping from it a superfluity of raised floors and metal cased mainframe computers.

The growth of LECOM invigorated the community with its economic nourishment; as the campus grew, apartments to house LECOM students sprung up like blooming flowers along Grandview Boulevard. Privately operated businesses flourished as professors, employees, and students cast myriad resources into the local economy.

The result of LECOM’s foresight proved a testament to private innovation and to individual enterprise as a wellspring of American entrepreneurship.

To accommodate anticipated development, LECOM purchased the 73,000 square foot Erie Bayfront office building in 2007.

Formerly the headquarters of RentWay Corporation and once part of the Strong family estate, the three story building boasts almost 16 acres of waterfront property near Presque Isle Bay. The building houses offices and classrooms for its broadening postgraduate programs as well as for its research and clinical arms. The Bayfront office building is also the home of the corporate offices of

Medical Associates of Erie (MAE) which comprises the physician practice group within the Millcreek Health System. MAE manages physician offices throughout Erie County providing a broad range of medical specialties that include Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Orthopedics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Ophthalmology, as well as General Surgery.

Recently, as Lord Corporation released plans to relocate its Erie operations to nearby Summit Township, LECOM announced the purchase of Lord’s Grandview Technology Center property that lay just adjacent to the initial Erie campus. That acquisition propels the further expansion of the school. The purchase provides LECOM room for enlargement of its educational programs in Erie and it furthers LECOM’s purpose and mission to honor its continuing commitment to its hometown. LECOM’s procurement of the Lord building and of the surrounding land secures the promise of a better future and one that is built upon a solid foundation of education, research, and commitment to health care.

True it is then, that in less than two decades, the vision of an innovative era in medical education would grow to become the largest medical school in America.

The acquirement of Lord Technology Center includes 29 acres of land. The addition of that property links LECOM’s 20 acre Erie campus with the seven acres that the college owns just west of the LORD facility. With the purchase of the Lord site, LECOM holds almost fifty acres of land along West Grandview Boulevard with an added 187,000 square feet of building space for educational use by the College.

The expansion of the building coupled with the addition of the contiguous property enhances the broadening mission for LECOM. True it is then, that in less than two decades, the vision of an innovative era in medical education would grow to become the largest medical school in America. After a twenty-year dearth in the founding of new medical schools within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and after almost a decade of such pause in the nation, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has proven a farsighted pacesetter with its bold objective.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has expanded with profound alacrity to provide superlative instruction in medical education. With responsibly sound and geographically prudent extensions, the College now encompasses three campus locations, including a School of Pharmacy and locations in Erie, Pa.; Bradenton, Fla.; and Greensburg, Pa. A School of Dental Medicine opens in Bradenton in July 2012; and the future growth of LECOM promises to continue its indefatigably distinguished goal of preparing a new generation of men and women for a lifetime dedicated to health care. spring 2012 | LECOM COnnECTiOn | 7

LECOM’s Vision for the Future Expands “The opportunity to sell the Grandview facility to LECOM makes it viable for us to purchase the Robison Road facility – which will allow for both a gradual transition to an enhanced manufacturing space and co-location of our Erie employees,” said Rick McNeel, Chairman, President and CEO of LORD Corporation. “LECOM will be able to expand their school onto adjacent property. The collaboration between business leaders and state and local government agencies has resulted in a win-win solution for LORD, LECOM, our employees and our community.”

LECOM Board Chairman Michael Visnosky, Esquire explained that “the efforts of many good people working together are providing the opportunity for the growth and expansion of two of Erie’s home grown enterprises.”

The $17,960,000 purchase of the LORD property by LECOM provides LORD with a capital contribution that The LORD Grandview Technology Center on 2000 West ensures that the company retains a presence in Erie. “It also Grandview Boulevard was the site of a major press conference in provides LORD with adequate time to systematically develop December of 2011 that will be remembered as a seminal event in and to move to the Summit Township site,” Visnosky expounded.

LORD officials estimate that it will take 18 to 36 months the history of Erie County.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine joined the to relocate operations to Summit Township, during which time LORD Corporation in publicizing the plan in which LORD the company will lease space on Grandview Boulevard from will relocate and combine its operations in Erie to an existing LECOM. When LORD has completed its use of the property, one-million-square-foot facility in Summit Township. The the College will assess the research facilities to determine the joint decision will keep the industrial company in Erie County compatibility with the research needs of the LECOM faculty while providing the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and students to determine the best uses for the property.

“This property provides LECOM a guaranteed area for the property for future growth.

The LORD company decided to purchase the Summit expansion of its educational programs in Erie for many years to property at 2455 Robison Road from Bush Industries with come,” assured Visnosky. The purchase of the LORD facility LECOM agreeing to purchase the LORD Grandview Technology portends opportunities of great magnitude for LECOM in that it adds twenty-eight acres of land and well over 180,000 square Center property adjacent to the Erie campus.

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with Acquisition of LORD Property “The efforts of many good people working together are providing the opportunity for the growth and expansion of two of Erie’s home grown enterprises.”

Tesa Oechsle of LORD introduced the speakers: LORD CEO Rick McNeel, LECOM Board of Trustees Chairman Michael Visnosky, Pennsylvania Senator Jane Earll and U.S. Representative Mike Kelly.

feet of office and research space. As a leader both in medical education and in community commitment, the expansion underscores LECOM’s continuing pledge to its hometown.

The economic growth of Erie and the region has long been of pivotal import to LECOM as it has continued to enhance and to bolster the comprehensive economy of Erie County and the region. It must be noted that about one-third of LECOM graduates are practicing or continuing graduate studies within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Lord Corporation, with sites in Erie and North Carolina, had been considering an alternative national site to its

Erie location. LECOM was able to purchase the neighboring Lord Corporation property to facilitate its own expansion while demonstrating an indomitable fiscal responsibility. The LECOM and LORD compact was instrumental in retaining 800 jobs in Erie County.

The transaction guarantees not only new and better jobs for Erie in the present term, but it also safeguards a promise of a better tomorrow built upon a firm foundation of education, research, and manufacturing as LECOM continues in the vanguard of a visionary mission.

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Future Health Care Professionals Begin with

General McLane Academy of Arts and Engineering Launches

Richard Scaletta, General McLane School District Superintendent announces the new program.

At a press conference held on February 7th of this year, Richard Scarletta, Superintendent of the General McLane School District, introduced a new curriculum that has been developed by a task force culled from local colleges and engineering firms. In this formative campaign, the Academy of Arts and Engineering announced a series of math, science, and health care courses along with experiential opportunities to be offered at local hospitals and engineering firms.

LECOM is proud to be a partner with General McLane High School in Edinboro, Pa. as they offer students the opportunity to join the Academy of Arts and Engineering. At its outset, LECOM was founded to meet a physician shortage, particularly in under-represented areas of northwestern Pennsylvania. The mission of the College has been ever-expanding to educate excellent osteopathic physicians, pharmacists, and now dentists. As LECOM grew to become the largest medical school in the country, the College also became an innovator in education. To fill LECOM programs, the College must identify students who have a passion for medicine, 10 | LECOM CONNECTION | spring 2012

pharmacy, or dentistry.

Supporting the new program of basic science exploration were Scarletta and Daniel Mennow, Principal, of General

McLane High School; LECOM Provost, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Silvia M. Ferretti, DO; Associate Dean of Preclinical Education and Professor of Microbiology, Christine Kell, PhD; Dean of LECOM’s School of Pharmacy, Hershey Bell, MD; and Tyler Travis, Executive Director of the LECOM Health and Wellness Center; Jo Ann Carrick and Aimee Hagerty of Penn State University, the Behrend Campus; and Richard Cornwell of UPMC Hamot.

The Academy will familiarize and expose students to science, technology, engineering, and math. Statistics have shown that from a General McLane graduating class of just over 100 students, approximately 40% of those scholars continue along programs of study that are central to science and engineering. Among those graduates, approximately 29% enter the health care field.

LECOM understands that it is extremely important to develop partnerships with schools that share a

From L to R: LECOM medical student Habeeb Bello, OMS2, watches with General McLane High School students Allison Schultz, Evan Dillon (background) and Logan Gatenby along with medical students Kristi Braunlich, OMS1 and Nikhil Mohan, OMS2 as they are shown different sections of the brain.

Fundamentals of Learning Joint Program with LECOM

vision of excellence and innovation in education. By pairing with partners such as Edinboro University, Gannon University, and Penn State Behrend, LECOM increases opportunities to encourage students who demonstrate an interest in health-related fields and in other areas of science, technology, math, and engineering to follow their dream.

The program will provide LECOM many occasions to share resources and expertise with the General McLane students. Several of the General McLane faculty visited the LECOM campus last fall to speak with College faculty about the program.

Following that initial meeting, arrangements were made for Randy Kulesza, PhD, the Course Director for Anatomy, to visit General McLane to teach students about brains and lungs. By pairing with the partners, the high-school-level students become aware of the expectations of college-level work. Opportunities to discuss with the students various health-related careers provide students with a better understanding of the importance of a solid foundation in the sciences.

Some students may never consider a career in medicine because they have no family role models in the profession; perhaps viewing the field of medicine as unachievable. The objective at LECOM is to broaden their horizons, enabling students to understand that such a calling is achievable indeed. Many students, though familiar with nursing and medicine, think of pharmacy as a practice of merely counting out pills. The program offers an opportunity to expiate the myths and to share with students the reality of a pharmacist’s skills – with much of pharmacy training focusing upon patient care aspects as key players on the health care team in a modern world. By exposing the students in the Academy to a variety of science careers, LECOM hopes to encourage and to mentor them into a career that best fits their future goals and objectives.

The new Academy program, offered in concert with LECOM, incorporates both the medicine and engineering curricula into the standard course of study. LECOM, as a fresh partner with General McLane, will contribute approximately 15% of the new material and will provide an additional 15% of the learning experience at their on-site locations. General McLane projects that each year, 25 to 30 students embrace health care as their focus and many of those students will participate in sessions held at UPMC Hamot. Millcreek Community Hospital also is slated to join in the program.

LECOM anatomy faculty already are working with General McLane teachers and students, having presented a program entitled “Brain Talk” in January. In addition, instructors from General McLane have conducted an informative and educational “in-service day” with Tyler Travis at the LECOM Wellness Center. Travis works with students who have expressed interest in sports fitness training and sports medicine.

The comprehensive program with General McLane underscores LECOM’s continuing commitment to the advancement of medical education and to its purposeful pledge to bring the message of health care opportunities to a new generation of students.

Caroline A. Castrignano Memorial Scholarship Award “To impute our recovery to medicine, and to carry our view no further, is to rob God of His honor, and is saying in effect that He has parted with the keys of life and death and has placed our lives out of His own reach.” ~William Cowper

Theistic Realism: How Does Faith in God Underpin Your Calling to Medicine?

LECOM introduces The Caroline A. Castrignano Memorial Scholarship Award in tribute to the late mother of LECOM faculty member, Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire.

DeSimone established the Scholarship in honor of her mother stating “my mother was a woman of deep faith and of steadfast character; and during all of my formative years, she was to me a beacon that shone a conviction of conscience, a heart of compassion, and life of purpose”. LECOM’s Chief Writer and Editor-in-Chief of “The LECOM Connection” offers this $5,000 Scholarship Award to benefit the future of health care professionals who have found their purpose in the calling of medicine.

“Having lost my mom to lung cancer in 2009, there are few words that sum up the compassion and care that I observed in the medical professionals who tended to her throughout her battle against an unrelenting and brutal disease.” DeSimone adds, “I am profoundly aware of the immeasurable abilities and services that medical teams offer every day to thousands of people suffering from similar illnesses”.

This award, dedicated to excellence in education through a vision of compassionate care and indomitable courage will be awarded to a deserving third-year medical student whose essay, reviewed by DeSimone, addresses the thematic question of Theistic Realism: How Does Faith in God Underpin Your Calling to Medicine?

LECOM welcomes and recognizes this Scholarship Award in tribute to Caroline A. Castrignano and to all “moms” who have set the course for their children through example and faith. spring 2012 | LECOM CONNECTION | 11

“Famous Names” Star Athletes Train at LECOM The John M. and Silvia Ferretti LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center Draws Notables The $31 million health and wellness facility in Erie, Pennsylvania is the dream setting for total health and fitness, and apparently, it is also a training destination for the elite of the fitness world.

The John M. and Silvia Ferretti LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center offers a vast array of state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a bevy of skilled personal trainers, and a 1/9 mile indoor running track. The complex is replete with three pools, including a warm water therapy pool, an exercise pool, a lap swimming pool and it boasts executive-style locker rooms with whirlpools, dry saunas, and steam rooms. Spacious, calming, accessible, and open to the public, the LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center is an oasis for anyone who enjoys staying fit. And, according to recent

New York Knicks & BayHawks VP Alan Houston runs through the LECOM Wellness Center Functional Movement Assessment with center director Tyler Travis.

data collected by the LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center Management Team, there are many “famous” athletes who enjoy doing just that at the Wellness Center.

John Grabow, the left-handed relief pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs last season, wrapped up his workout sessions in January to head south for spring training. Shane Reese, the Junior League hockey player for the Cleveland Lumberjacks uses the Wellness Center as part of his fitness routine. Swimming

NBA sensation Jeremy Lin joined the BayHawks for one game in January. Arriving in Erie, he went first to the LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center where BayHawks Coach Jay Larannaga showed Lin how to run the offense. In late March, Lin’s phenomenal season with the Knick’s ended with an injury.

(Photo by Rob Frank)

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greats - Marie Georger, State Champion swimmer who took full scholarship to the University of Michigan, makes the Wellness Center pool her training waters; as does Josh Hanes, the AllAmerican University of Pittsburgh swimmer who broke a record last year stroking across Lake Erie.

Many of the Erie BayHawks have been regulars at the Wellness Center. Christian Eyenga, the Erie BayHawks notable slated for a turn with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Mychel Thompson, former BayHawk now teamed with the Cavaliers, have worked out at the Center. Former BayHawks, Don Sloan and Ivan Johnson, both now in the Atlanta Hawks lineup and Cory Higgins, presently with the Charlotte Bobcats, spent many hours making use of the facility’s equipment and offerings.

Even Dwayne Woodruff, the professional footballer who played cornerback for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers took time to lift some weights at the Wellness Center.

The conclusion: the LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center is a first rate place to enjoy a good workout and to set a solid course for comprehensive fitness. One visit to this remarkable facility and the assessment of the “famous athletes” become self-proving.

LECOM’s Medical Fitness & Wellness Center provides a depth of holistic and integrative medical care programs and

opportunities to establish and to practice healthy habits for life that exceed those found even at the most exclusive of spas.

The LECOM approach to medicine is a pioneering model of thoughtful and wide-ranging preventive care that incorporates the most effective and innovative practices; such preparation and care extends to its Wellness Center. Athletes, both “famous” and not so famous, know that exercise is essential for a healthy life. With specially designed and integrated sets of services that focus upon a detailed health concern or a personal goal, the multidisciplinary team of outstanding physicians, trainers, and health specialists conduct complete intake sessions and diagnostic testing to offer an inclusive wellness profile and to supply the knowledge and equipment to enjoy greater health and vitality. LECOM is pleased that its facility is part of the training regimen for so many notable athletes and equally proud to have played its part in the betterment of great American sports. Moreover, the recognition of this achievement and the pursuit to be ever the best stems from the ability to recognize challenges and to strive for excellence.

LECOM’s commitment to community and to wellness is the hallmark of its mission and the pledge of its founders as it excels on all fronts to indelibly etch its place in health and wellness history – and yes, even sports!

The BayHawks went on Ebay to auction off the jersey worn by Jeremy Lin in his one game with the team. The jersey sold for more than $13,000 and the team donated the proceeds to local charities including $3,000 to the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund. L-R: BayHawks Co-owner Owen McCormick, LECOM Provost Silvia M. Ferretti, DO and BayHawks President Matt Bresee.

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John Grabow: A Humble Spirit - and Plenty of Self-Discipline

There is an indescribable freshness when one comes upon a person who, while demonstrating great accomplishment, remains - solidly humble. Such is the case with sports luminary, John Grabow.

Almost unnoticed, major league baseball relief pitcher, Grabow visits the LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center. Quietly undetected, he navigates through his workouts with utter resolve as he prepares for spring training. There is a modest stillness in his humility coupled with unflappable self-discipline. Grabow knows that self-discipline requires every athlete to link the actions of today with the results of tomorrow.

LECOM provides the arena for that mission and the results are evidenced in Grabow’s commitment. The benefits of being physically fit, of learning about one’s abilities, and of pushing one’s own limits are benefits known not only to athletes, but to all who embrace osteopathic principles. No more plainly is the osteopathic principle evidenced than in the heart and spirit of a determined athlete.

John Grabow, who signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, was 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA for the Chicago Cubs last year.

The 33-year-old left-hander enjoyed his best year in 2008, with a 2.84 ERA in his 74 appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In order to compete for a roster spot at spring training, Grabow must be in top physical shape. Although a relief pitcher may throw only for an inning or two per game, he must be fully prepared to pitch every day. Such requirements place onerous demands upon the body, and Grabow understands that physical fitness is a way of life and a commitment to health. “You have to be ready to pitch every single day,” explains Grabow. “You have to be ready both mentally and physically.” The skillful southpaw has developed a daily routine that he maintains throughout the season as well as during his off-season downtime.

Grabow’s focus parallels LECOM’s spirit. Self-discipline is not an end in itself; rather it is part of a fully developed and resolute character.

Through a constant commitment to self-improvement, self-control, and self-knowledge - greatness of character follows. Sure footedness is attendant with having prepared for the unexpected. “Going to the field every day, you must have some type of routine; whether it’s in the weight room or in the training room,you must do whatever you can do to prepare yourself,” emphasizes the pitcher. “That way,” he continues, “when the phone rings, you’re not surprised and you’re ready to go.”

Grabow has a remarkably inspired spirit and he demonstrates that appeal, both as athlete and as teammate, each time that he steps onto the field.

Grabow is married to the former Karey Ann Mifsud, an Erie native whom he met while pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have a home in Erie where Grabow, Karey, and their son stay in the offseason.

Hearing about the LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center while working out in the team weight room with the Mercyhurst College baseball team, Grabow explains: “I was told, you need to go over to LECOM; that place is a pretty nice, new facility.”

Following the welcome tour at the Center, Grabow was markedly impressed, stating: “LECOM has the nicest facility that I’ve seen throughout the country and I’ve seen some pretty nice facilities at different spring training camps and baseball parks.”

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Pitcher John Grabow takes his off season training seriously and enjoys the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center as he gets ready for spring training. In March, he became a free agent.

“LECOM did a very good job when they built the center,” he continues. “With the amenities that they have here, I can get in a workout then drink a protein shake and get my protein in right away. If I want to sit in the sauna or in the hot whirlpool and try to get some therapy, I can do that too. If I need a trainer to stretch me out, there are always trainers who are available,” the pitcher comments.

Grabow’s offseason routine begins on the weight floor at the Wellness Center where he lifts heavier weights with shorter repetitions to build muscle. While the cardio-fitness treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines are close-by, Grabow prefers playing basketball in the gym or a game of racquetball to get his heart pumping.

Just before spring training, he modifies his workout routine to include lighter weights with more repetitions. “I want to start to burn some of the fat that I’ve accumulated during the offseason,” he explains. “The last month going into the season, I do more cardio with increased core exercise. I’m trying to get my stamina back and get the lungs working more,” he clarifies. Grabow has found that the LECOM Wellness Center meets all of these needs. “Everything is right here,” he affirms. “If I want to play basketball, basketball is right here; and the racquetball courts are right there,” he says, gesturing toward various locations around the Center.

He points out the other features at the Center, including the cycling spin room, the aerobic classes, the three pools, and physical therapy offerings. “Other than a major league baseball facility, there are not too many gyms that I’ve seen throughout the country that meet all of these fitness needs and that have all of these amenities,” Grabow concludes.

His wife Karey is also a great fan of the Wellness Center. She participates in many of the group exercise classes. As for Grabow’s fans seeing him workout at the Center - he likes to “keep a low profile”, attend to his workout, and head home to his family. “If someone wants to talk about baseball, that’s okay with me,” he says graciously, “but mostly, I like to get to work. I’m usually here for about an hour-and-a-half and that’s it; I get the workout in quickly, but with some good quality exercise.” All-in-all, not a surprising attitude for a star pitcher with patience, persistence, and plenty of self-discipline – and a humble spirit.

Vora Student Lounge Dedication Ceremony – Enriching Campus Life

Last year, the parents of LECOM graduate Monica Vora, DO, Class of 2010, provided a generous gift to aid in the expansion and enhancement of the LECOM student lounge. Seeing a need to refurbish the former LECOM fitness center as a student lounge extension, the Vora family leaves a cheerful luminosity upon the future of LECOM. They contributed toward the purchase of furniture and to the overall beautification of the lounge.

A dedication ceremony to mark the contribution and to announce the opening of the lounge was held on December 3, 2011 in Erie. LECOM President, John M. Ferretti, DO; and Provost, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Silvia M. Ferretti, DO welcomed Shashi Vora, MD and his wife Jayshri Vora, as the ceremony inaugurated the hospitable space. Student Government Association officers, Nikhil Mohan, OMS2, and Nikki Meyer, P2, were on hand for the event.

Vora Lounge Plaque

In recognition of the many challenges and rigors of LECOM’s superior programs of education, the Vora family helped furnish the study and relaxation space with the hope that their contribution “will make the lounge a quality campus facility that will help students achieve academic success.” As a result of their discerning and thoughtful gift, many conscientious and dedicated medical and pharmacy students will find new comfort as they study and unwind in a revitalized and newly appointed student

LECOM Student Government Association leaders Nikhil Mohan, OMS2 (far left) and Nikki Meyer, P2 (far right), thank Dr. and Mrs. Vora for the contribution to the College that enabled the renovation of the student lounge.

lounge. LECOM appreciatively values and recognizes the generosity of the Vora family for their timeless endowment to the future of medicine.

To honor the Vora family for their contribution a commemoration panel with their family photo and inscription was installed at the dedication event. The plaque marking the lounge area reads: “In estimable recognition of the Vora family - Shashi M. Vora, MD, his wife Jayshri Vora and their daughters, Sonali S. Vora, MD and Monica Vora, DO (LECOM 2010) - The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine wishes to express its deepest thanks for their generous contribution to expand, furnish, and to enhance the LECOM Student Lounge.

The Vora family made this quality space possible with the hope that future generations of medical and pharmacy students will find a comfortable and welcoming environment in which to study and relax. LECOM is grateful to this farsighted medical family as they inspire students to meet the challenges of 21st Century health care.”

LECOM recognizes that it is often the quiet moments that allow the mind to breathe and new thoughts to grow.

Relaxation can be as important as study, since it possesses the power to regenerate the mind and to recharge the soul.

LECOM notes, with great thanks to the Vora family, the benefits that the student lounge will offer to generations of scholars.

Theresa and Edward Faber Scholarship Award It is with estimable honor and with great pride that LECOM introduces the Theresa and Edward Faber Scholarship Award. This award, dedicated to excellence in education through a vision of compassionate care and determined fortitude is established by LECOM alumus, Edward Anthony Faber, Jr., DO, in recognition and tribute to his parents. The Scholarship emerges from a wellspring of lives altered by cancer - having lost his father to the disease and with his mother as a cancer survivor; Dr. Faber’s award will benefit the future of medical professionals. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to deserving second-year medical students whose essays, reviewed by the Faber family, exhibit a demonstrative compassion, unwavering determination, and thorough understanding of the affects that cancer has upon all whom it touches. LECOM, in welcome recognition to Dr. Faber, is proud to increase awareness of this devastating disease and to support the men and women of medicine who battle it against it.

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LECOM Committed to National Program to Improve Veterans’ Care

Salute the Troo

LECOM military students joined the active members of the US Armed S League game against Reno. A spe of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marin with military service stood at attent who have given so much to their co

Military Health Care – Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is among 130 medical schools and research facilities that have committed to improve care for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) sufferers.

In February, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the coordinated program with medical schools and research institutions to improve care for veterans afflicted with PTSD and TBI. The comprehensive design involves training medical students and current physicians to better diagnose and treat veterans.

It also contains plans for new research and clinical trials on PTSD and TBI. The goal is to integrate and to share best practices and findings with each other to advance the outcomes.

The national program was announced as a health initiative to combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

LECOM’s College of Medicine has already included PTSD and TBI medical care into the curriculum and LECOM’s faculty and students are strongly supportive of this initiative.

With 135 LECOM students currently enrolled in the Health Professions Scholarship Program which pursues and promotes military scholarships for medical students, LECOM confers degrees upon at least twenty DOs each year who then serve as Army, Navy, or Air Force physicians. LECOM trains all students to understand and to treat the two major health issues that affect military veterans: PTSD and TBI. The burdensome afflictions are addressed, studied, and fully covered in behavioral health and neurology courses. LECOM is one of nine Pennsylvania medical schools participating in the national program.

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LECOM military students marched with the

The Erie BayHawks wore special camouflage uniforms for the Salute the Troops game. The team auctioned off the one-of-a-kind jerseys and shorts, worn by players like Donald Sloan #12, to raise more than $3000 for military care packages that LECOM students will send to troops Members of the LECOM Military Club pr overseas.

Beauregard, OMS1; Regan Shabloski, DO, Grace, OMS2; and Katherine Jones, OMS2

Dr. Hershey Bell Recognized in American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education Article

ops.

e Erie BayHawks in saluting America’s military veterans and Services prior to the tipoff for the March 9 NBA Development ecial video tribute before the game recognized all members nes and Coast Guard. As their service songs played, fans tion while the other fans applauded these men and women ountry.

Professionalism of its practitioners is an area that those answering the calling of pharmacy have sought to improve for quite some time. As the role of the pharmacist has increased to include additional responsibilities in the arena of patient care and has less encompassed its more wellknown dispensing duties, the issue of professionalism has become a central aspect of pharmaceutical health care.

With the foregoing in mind, it seems a fitting development that Hershey S. Bell, MD, MS Med Ed Hershey S. Bell, MD, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of LECOM School of Pharmacy, was selected to serve on the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Professionalism Task Force to examine the current status of various pharmacy initiatives. The AACP Professionalism Task Force conducted its operational evaluation during the course of the last year. Along with academic colleagues from seven other schools of pharmacy, Dr. Bell represented LECOM as he conducted his examination and analysis of professional attitudes and behaviors in student pharmacists, the topics of which included: leadership, inter-professional professionalism, honesty, ethics, internet professionalism, and admissions. Recently, the Task Force completed a comprehensive assessment of the Task Force actions coupled with a 16 item compendium of recommendations.

This body of work was published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2011 and it provides a critical assessment of stratagems and programs designed to broaden the professional horizons of students and to facilitate the continued evaluation of pharmaceutical professionalism. LECOM takes great pride in the national import of the contributions of its faculty, as such participation underpins the groundwork of outstanding health care education. The academic proficiencies exhibited by LECOM’s incomparable faculty are evidenced in Dr. Bell’s accomplishments. LECOM pays tribute to his exceptional publication and to the forward thinking elements contained within his article as he continues to lead LECOM in the vanguard of pharmaceutical education.

e colors presented by the Erie Civil Air Patrol Cadets.

resented the game ball to the referee prior to the tip-off. L-R: Katie , Lt.Col, US Army National Guard; Referee Marcus Clayton; Christopher 2.

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LECOM School of Pharmacy Garners Top Honors in the First-Ever “Script Your Future” Medication Adherence Challenge The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine was among five schools of pharmacy recognized for public education efforts that aid patients in the understanding of the importance of taking medications as directed. The month-long program of patient-education has earned the students of the LECOM School of Pharmacy one of the top awards in the nationwide Medication Adherence Challenge.

The National Consumers League (NCL), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (NACDS), and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) selected the LECOM students as an award recipient of the inaugural Script Your Future Medication Adherence Challenge for student pharmacists.

The Medication Adherence Challenge is part of a public awareness campaign that was launched in 2011 by NCL and that involved more than 100 public and private stakeholder organizations, including NACDS Foundation and AACP. The campaign, titled Script Your Future, seeks to increase awareness of patients about the importance of taking medication as directed. More than 40,000 student pharmacists educated more than 250,000 individuals nationwide in this concerted public effort that highlighted the importance of medication adherence.

The National Challenge Award went to the LECOM student pharmacists who conducted an educational campaign both in Erie, Pa. and in Bradenton, Fla. during American Pharmacists Month in October. Students provided more than 2,000 in-person patient informational sessions to children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. They developed a special Facebook page for the campaign and they provided a link to the Script Your Future medication reminders program, whereby individuals may join to receive text message medication alerts. The students extended their Script Your Future efforts 18 | LECOM CONNECTION | spring 2012

to include the HIV/AIDS community.

Directed by student government leaders, Matthew Madurski and Dan O’Neill, the Erie students also held a Health Fair in Meadville, Pa. They also presented a Medication Adherence Awareness Day at the Therapeutic Riding Equestrian Center in Erie, where disabled children rode horses as the student pharmacists discussed with their caretakers the importance of taking medication as prescribed. To complete the program, the pharmacy students also collected thousands of unwanted medications during a Drug Take-Back Day. “This award brings national recognition to the LECOM School of Pharmacy,” said Janene Madras, PharmD, Director of Admissions and Student Services and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice.

“The Script Your Future campaign was an effort that brought together students and faculty from the Erie and Bradenton campuses for one purpose, which was to

promote medication adherence.”

Dean Hershey S. Bell, MD, noted that the College is extremely proud of the hard work and of the extended hours that the pharmacy students contributed to the project. Matt Madurski, a secondyear pharmacy student at the Erie campus explained that “as LECOM students, we have a unique opportunity to interact with the community and to apply the lessons that we learn in the classroom while helping to serve the health needs of the public. Script Your Future allowed our classmates in Erie and in Bradenton to work together and to develop programs and materials to educate the public, and we are grateful for the recognition that we are receiving for the hard work that we put into this effort.”

“Getting into the community and spreading the message of Script Your Future not only made me become more aware of the issue that we are facing as health care providers, but it also inspired me to become a pharmacist who will stress the

Pharmacy students in Bradenton proudly display Script Your Future posters that they used in their award winning program. L-R: Melinda Buchanan (P3), faculty advisor Katherine Tromp, PharmD and Shinelle Pierre (P3).

importance of helping patients understand their own disease states, medications, and also the impact that non-adherence can have upon their own lives and upon the lives of the people who care about them,” explained Melinda Buchanan, a thirdyear pharmacy student at the Bradenton campus.

Nearly three out of four Americans do not take their medications as directed and the results can be devastating, particularly for people with chronic conditions.

More than one-third of medicine-related hospitalizations and almost 125,000 deaths in the United States each year result from people failing to take their medicine as directed. Medication adherence can lead to improved health and to reduced total health care costs.

“The goal is to educate the next generation of pharmacists to take a proactive role in encouraging patients to follow the instructions for taking their medication through medication adherence education,” stated Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director.

“Script Your Future elevates the public expectation for medication education, of which the pharmacist is well educated to provide,” explained Dr. Lucinda L. Maine, Executive Vice President and CEO at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. “Student pharmacists work directly within communities to educate patients about medication adherence that leads to people living healthier lives as exemplified by the activities of the Challenge awardees,” Maine concluded.

Selected from eighty-one participating colleges and schools of pharmacy, the award recipients this year are: Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Harding University College of Pharmacy, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy.

“These health care providers in-training have developed and implemented creative solutions for one of the biggest obstacles to patient health – poor medication adherence,” noted NACDS Foundation President Kathleen Jaeger. “Medication adherence education initiatives via the community pharmacy assist patients in increasing their awareness of the importance of taking medications as prescribed, which helps improve health

Director of Admissions and Student Services Janene Madras, PharmD addresses the media and announces LECOM as the award winner in the nationwide Medication Adherence Challenge. Joining her are second year pharmacy students Daniel O’Neil (L) and Matt Madurski (R).

outcomes and prevent avoidable adverse events and unnecessary hospitalizations.

The Script Your Future Medication Adherence Challenge has advanced that goal while training the next generation of pharmacists to continue aggressively advancing the public health.”

LECOM is delighted to recognize and to pay tribute to the noteworthy achievement of its pharmacy students and to their enthusiastic participation in a cause that both improves and saves thousands of lives.

About NCL

Script Your Future is a campaign of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1899. NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information about the Script Your Future campaign, please visit www.ScriptYourFuture.org. For more information about NCL, please visit www.nclnet.org.

About AACP

Founded in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is a national organization representing the interests of pharmacy education and educators. Comprising 124 accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy with more than 6,000 faculty and 60,000 students, AACP is committed to excellence in pharmacy education. Visit www.aacp.org to learn more and stay connected with the Association on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About NACDS Foundation

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (NACDS) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization that serves as the education, research, and charitable affiliate of NACDS. NACDS seeks to improve the health and wellness of the people in America. It utilizes education, research, and charitable involvement to help people to improve their health and quality of life through an understanding of medication therapy and through an understanding of the importance of taking medications appropriately. For more information, please visit www.

NACDSFoundation.org.

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Discipline and Professionalism –

Hallmarks in the Legacy of LECOM - and its Progeny Patricia Matto, DO Recalls the Inaugural Class The imprimatur of LECOM – “discipline and professionalism” - were stressed early and often when the inaugural class reported to campus on August 9, 1993.

“When we crossed the threshold at LECOM, professionalism was immediately emphasized,” recalled Patricia Matto, DO, a member of the first class at LECOM. “I remember Dr. Silvia Ferretti sitting in the back of the classroom and taking attendance. The discipline began early in our medical school careers and it was impressed upon us every day,” reminisces Matto.

Dr. Matto, a family practice physician and Director of Medical Education at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, is one of the 37 students who were awarded the first DO degrees from LECOM in 1997.

Dr. Matto, a native of Erie, completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at Gannon University. She had heard about a new medical school being built in her hometown and she thought that it would be ideal for her to continue her studies at a college close to her home.

“I thought that having a medical school was great for the Erie community,” she stated. “It was important for me to attend a medical school in the place in which I wished to live; it was nice not having to leave the area,” she asserted.

As a member of the very first class of students, Matto notes that there were no upperclassmen “to look up to”. The foundation and the template for future students rested in the character, integrity, and actions of Matto and her colleagues.

As the first-comers, they began to build the foundation for future students. After completing two years of classroom study, Matto moved into two years of clinical rotations. “The reviews that came back from those rotations were very important,” Matto maintained.

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Patricia Matto, DO, class of 1997.

“We were trailblazers,” she continued.

“There weren’t any formal rotation sites like there are now. We would give rotation reviews; some good and some bad. It was wonderful that the administration accepted our feedback; and the information was also beneficial to the new students who were entering the school,” affirmed Matto.

Matto is impressed with the vision that the leadership at LECOM has shown, noting specifically the powerful direction and capable helmsmanship of President and CEO, John M. Ferretti, DO and Provost, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Silvia M. Ferretti, DO. From that first class of 37 graduates to becoming the largest medical school in the country, with over 2,000 medical students at three campuses, LECOM has been true to its inaugural template – “discipline

and professionalism”.

Matto has given back to her alma mater by serving as a preceptor. She lends her expertise to current LECOM students in the family medicine clinical rotations at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio.

“I am very excited and proud to be a LECOM alumna,” proclaimed Matto.

“When we first stepped foot onto campus, we had no idea what LECOM would become 20 years later. It has definitely lived up to its vision of graduating students who provide high-quality patient care,” she expounded.

Discipline, professionalism, principled purpose, and a wide view of community service are hallmarks at LECOM. Dr. Matto saw that groundwork at the beginning and the same holds true to this day.

James Y. Lin – Walking in His Shoes

LECOM Alum Assists Geriatric Patients

Since January of 2008, James Y. Lin, DO, has been the President and CEO of Oasis Footwear, LLC, which he describes as a place that “combines fashion sense with exceptional materials and advanced technologies to create wellness shoes unlike any others on the market”. The concentration and the focus of his product offerings have been centered upon the needs of the aging and upon those individuals who find special foot support essential. Dr. Lin employs a capable team of health care professionals and footwear experts who have collaborated to create footwear that provides relief from the effects of diabetes, arthritis, and from other foot ailments. Shoes and inserts presented by Dr. Lin are made by skilled crafts-people and they possess details normally found only in high-end fashion footwear.

As one explores the objectives of Dr. Lin’s “Oasis”, it is readily apparent that this doctor is a man committed to ensuring health from the bottom up – as evidenced by his commitment to health-conscious footwear, and from the inside out – as evidenced by his commitment to his geriatric practice – Dr. Lin is involved in both.

In apt extenuation of the pun, the “leap” from footwear to geriatric medicine is not all that great. In fact, it may be considered a logical “step” as a continuation of Dr. Lin’s objective to empowering the aging population to live vigorous, medication free lives through natural osteopathic care and healthy lifestyles.

Indeed, Dr. Lin is known for providing the full continuum of care for geriatric patients in Northwestern Pennsylvania at the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging. He has served as director of the Institute for the past several years. The LECOM Institute for Successful Aging is the leading academic center of excellence in providing education, research, and clinical services throughout the region.

Concurrently, Dr. Lin also serves as the Vice President of Senior Services and Adult Living for the Millcreek Health System where he is active as a Physician Product Line Manager, Attending, and Clinical

Educator. Dr. Lin notes that MHS through LECOM’s Institute of Successful Aging is the first health system in Northwestern Pennsylvania to provide the full spectrum of geriatric care.

As a graduate of LECOM, specializing in Geriatric Medicine, Dr. Lin finds the purpose of his calling in working with the increasing older populace of Pennsylvania and as such, he has been instrumental in developing a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship; a program designed to create an organizational structure of academic, clinical, and technical criteria to facilitate the education of physicians in Geriatric Medicine. Geriatric Medicine Fellows demonstrate an aptitude for providing appropriate, compassionate, and effective patient-centered care for the treatment of health problems and with a view toward the promotion of health. In addition, Fellows critically evaluate and use current medical information and scientific evidence to investigate, to evaluate, and to improve their patient care practices. The group stresses quality health care that is cost-effective and it advocates for patients within the health system. Dr. Lin welcomes practitioners who remain dedicated to life-long learning and to practice habits in osteopathic philosophy and manipulative medicine.

The Geriatric Medicine Fellowship is based out of Millcreek Community Hospital and it entails a one year training program that includes clinical, teaching, research, and administrative components.

The program focuses upon training geriatric medicine clinicians, by underscoring an in-depth knowledge of geriatrics and gerontology across the continuum of care. Dr. Lin works within the Millcreek Health System providing care to the elderly through an established Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit, and through a Transitional Care Unit (TCU) at Millcreek Community Hospital, as well as through skilled nursing and long-term care units at the Millcreek Manor. The Institute, located at the LECOM Wellness and Fitness Center, also provides ambulatory care for seniors, facilities for physical medicine, and rehabilitation; and through the hospital, a geriatric behavioral health unit, as well as surgical and emergency services for the elderly.

Dr. Lin treads in the footsteps of illustrious men, in receiving from the people that he serves and from the community that he cherishes the sacred trust of the eldest of its inhabitants.

There is no greater testament to a man’s purpose and no greater tribute to a doctor’s calling.

Dr. Lin conducts a balance test with Lynn McGrath.

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Creating the Future of Medicine – LECOM Provost Visits Wellington, Florida

Jeffrey Bishop, DO welcomes LECOM Provost Silvia M. Ferretti, DO to Wellington, Fla.

The future is not something that is entered; rather it is something that is created; and at LECOM, the most enduring traditions and purposeful missions are ever-developing and ready to respond to the needs of the community through growth and renewal.

Understanding that mission and carrying it ever-forward, Silvia M. Ferretti, DO, Provost, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM visited the community of Wellington, Fla. in January to meet with local officials and business leaders. The gathering discussed the clinical education program and the occasion to place more students at Wellington Regional Medical Center during third-year and fourth-year clinical rotations.

There are currently 27 LECOM medical students training at the Wellington hospital. LECOM is considering the opening of a satellite facility where students would live and meet for study and lectures.

The trip was intended to begin nurturing partnerships with a view toward shared programs and shared facilities.

The Wellington principal planner Bill Nemser appeared enthusiastic about the possibility of an alliance with LECOM and he appreciated the opportunity to discuss a future with the College.

LECOM intends to present the new campus for consideration in its budget in June of this year “Once that’s approved, they can go ahead and acquire space,” he said. “We anticipate them having a location here by the end of 2012.”

LECOM has been working with Wellington for the last three years and it has found it to be a community with a long-range vision.

Wellington is a village in Palm Beach County, with a population under 100,000 people and it has traditionally 22 | LECOM CONNECTION | spring 2012

relied upon the construction industry to support its economy.

Many of the people who enjoyed those jobs are among those suffering the most today. With construction and real estate aggrieved from the challenging economic situation, Wellington welcomes LECOM and the growth of its Medical Arts District.

Mayor Darell Bowen noted that Wellington has been working with Governor Rick Scott’s new Department of Economic Opportunity as well as Enterprise Florida to draw businesses into the area.

LECOM notes the attraction of visionary planning as a reason for its interest in Wellington. LECOM’s presence in Wellington will create sustainable employment with a variety of jobs.

“I think the meetings went very well,” said Mayor Bowen, who met with Dr. Ferretti during her visit. Bowen exhibited assurance that Wellington would have a LECOM presence solidly in its future. “I think they’re committed to Wellington,” he said. “They already have their students here, so the natural progression is to expand it.”

Councilwoman Anne Gerwig, also met with Dr. Ferretti offering encouraging words of welcome for a LECOM partnership indicating that it would be “ideal for Wellington’s time frame in developing its planned Medical Arts District.”

“LECOM will be vital to the Medical Arts District project”, Nemser echoed, “and a fantastic way to attract research and other uses to the area,” he said. “It provides a vital component,” Nemser continued. “We always knew that we would have an educational component, and it completes another portion of the Medical Arts District vision.”

Wellington leaders were impressed with LECOM and its dedication to the communities in which it has campuses.

“They really made themselves a part of the town in Erie,” Nemser explained. “They have a commitment to keeping people in their communities healthy and becoming a part of the community. They place a high value in developing the character of their physicians and students, and they feel it is reflected in the community.”

LECOM recognizes that its presence will not only attract medical professionals, but the citizens of Wellington will benefit from the presence of an institution of higher education and from an increase in constant and reliable employment. “LECOM will require support services, bringing additional employment to the area,” Nemser explained.

LECOM has been consistently instrumental in stemming the brain-drain and Mayor Bowen noted that the students would be likely to remain in the community and to support local businesses or open a medical practice.

Since its convocation in 1993, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has played a key role in defining the educational excellence, purposeful service, and economic growth in each community in which it has come to lay a cornerstone.

This occasion furthers the mission and continues the legacy of all that is LECOM.

Curtain Up – LECOM Enriches Community in Support of the Arts Michael Feinstein shines in “The Sinatra Project” Sponsored by LECOM at Sarasota’s Van Wezel LECOM Bradenton Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Robert George, DO (left) and his wife Goldie (right) met backstage with singer Michael Feinstein (center).

When an organization genuinely cares about its community and its people, it invests wholeheartedly in the future of that community. Such is a philosophy that LECOM embraces; and for that reason, LECOM chose to celebrate its commitment to its continued growth in Southwest Florida by becoming the sponsor of a major event performance during the 2012 Season at the Van Wezel Center for the Performing Arts in Sarasota, Fla. Music and the arts are not simply entities that bring about pleasure and good feeling; rather they serve to elevate the soul and to broaden the completeness of one’s character. It might be commonplace or even conventional for one to believe that institutions that focus upon medicine and health care may ignore the arts since the mission of the calling of medicine centers upon the monumental issues of life – preserving it, bettering it, and in many cases saving it. Perhaps to some, cultural intangibles seem esoteric. However, LECOM understands that a full life – and one lived within the osteopathic principles - includes an enriched and an elevated life from which derives a society infused with a cultural heritage.

It is for that reason that a house thronging with patrons at the Van Wezel offered a wonderful sight to LECOM administrators on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 as LECOM placards announced its program sponsorship. Attendees thrilled to the notable sound of entertainer, Michael Feinstein as the celebrated singer performed his “Sinatra Project” - a tribute to “Old Blue Eyes”.

The night was filled with song and swing as a 17-piece big band accompanied the renowned vocalist. Feinstein has performed at the VanWezel over the past decades to sold-out audiences and

LECOM was delighted to be able to sponsor this popular event.

“For years I’ve had the desire to celebrate Sinatra’s musical sensibilities, but I felt that no one needed to hear another knock off of the classic songs… I decided to reflect the Sinatra sensibility in romantic repertoire but applied a ‘what if ’ scenario to some of the arrangements by interpreting them in conceptually different styles from his own renditions”, explained Feinstein.

The night was replete with an exceptional body of musical mastery that revealed Feinstein as a consummate showman and as one of the most talented interpreters of a music genre of timeless standards from the Great American Songbook. “The Sinatra Project,” served as his loving tribute to the music identified categorically with the renowned “Chairman of the Board”.

The aim and the final end of all music is to refresh the soul as it carries a broadened awareness to our lives as wings to the imagination and as flight to the spirit. The charm and gaiety infused in the evening at Van Wezel was palpable. LECOM recognizes that music and cultural events such as the evening with Michael Feinstein draw people together, allowing society to share and to experience the same emotions - the unity in heart and spirit as music evokes - soothing the mind and giving it rest, healing the heart and filling the infinite space within the soul.

LECOM is fervent in its mission to care for the communities that it touches, knowing that only prodigious passions can elevate the soul to prodigious purpose. Music and the arts bring such majesty to the world entering into the soul to delight, to inspire, to elevate, and to fill it with noble inclinations – inclinations to which LECOM remains ever committed.

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A Profound Season of Purpose LECOM Pays Tribute to Board Members Betty Crandell How does one measure the immeasurable? How does one define the gifts of a life lived in the service to others?

The growth and progress of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine would not have been possible without having had the resolute dedication of the remarkable community leaders who serve, and who have served, on the LECOM Board of Trustees. LECOM will commemorate its 20th anniversary this year with the noticeable absence of John L. Johnston, DO and Betty Jean Crandell - two of its closest friends and colleagues.

It is with deepest regret and sorrow that the College community announces the passing of two of its esteemed Board members who have served the College since the early years of its development.

John L. Johnston, DO, 89, of Shippenville, Pa. died on December 22, 2011 at Clarion Hospital in Clarion, after a brief illness. He had been a surgeon at the hospital since 1976 and he had served with a noble strength of character and undisputed approbation as a member of the LECOM Board of Trustees since shortly after the college opened. Dr. Johnston received the LECOM 2010 President’s Distinguished Citizens Award for his consummate service to LECOM and to his profession.

Dr. Johnston received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1947 from Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa after completing four years of wartime military service in the U. S. Army. He received his Masters of Science degree from the State University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1949. From there, he traveled to the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine where he earned his osteopathic medical degree in 1952. After two years as a general surgeon in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area, he and his wife moved to Grove City, Pennsylvania, where he was a general surgeon at Bashline Hospital, before relocating to Clarion in 1976. At Clarion Hospital, over the course of his career, he served as Surgical Department Chair, President of the Medical Staff, and as a member of the Board of Trustees. During his career, he served as the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association State President, Vice President, and Secretary, and he was a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons.

Fellow Trustee, Betty Jean Crandell, 78, of Erie, passed away on January 24, following her courageous battle against Alzheimer’s disease. Crandell was among the first community leaders appointed to the Board of Trustees upon the opening 24 | LECOM CONNECTION | spring 2012

John L. Johnston, DO of the school. As an Erie Realtor, she contributed prominently to the growth of LECOM. Crandell received the President’s Award from LECOM in 2008 adding to her prodigious list of accomplishments. Her many honors included recognition as one of Pennsylvania’s “Best 50 Women in Business”, the prestigious “Pennsylvania Association of Realtors Excellence Lifetime Award”, and the Mercy Center for Women’s “1 of 12 Women Making History in Erie Award”.

During the 1950s, Crandell was one of the first female executives at AT&T. She moved to Erie in 1970 and she became a volunteer leader and a board member of many civic associations.

By 1981, Crandell began a career in real estate, forming her own agency with a partner in 1987 and later re-directing her talents into her own solo real estate agency. As sole owner of “Crandell and Associates”, her organization became one of the most immediately recognizable names in real estate as well as one of the largest woman-owned real estate agencies in the region.

There are few words that may properly convey within enumerated pages the indelible mark and the weighty contribution that were made by these two luminaries upon the institution that has grown to become the largest medical school in the nation.

John L. Johnston and Betty Crandell were two people, who, from the very inception, lived with a vision of the possible and with an understanding of the probable – and who, along the way, never lost sight of their community heritage.

Both Dr. Johnston and Betty Crandell possessed the unique gifts to make the complicated clear, to parse the dense prose of life’s ever-present entanglements and to reveal the core of a purposeful goal or objective. They offered curiosity and they demonstrated versatile minds. Moreover, both of them were incredibly kind human beings.

Hence - how does one measure the lives of these two matchless people? It is the hope of this institution that such question is answered thus: “by remembering them” – never forgetting the lives that have been changed because these two individuals were willing to serve their community and the larger world.

LECOM extends its heartfelt thanks to the families of Dr. John L. Johnston and Betty Jean Crandell with the pledge that these incomparable Board members shall ever be remembered as a part of the “LECOM family”.

White Coat Ceremony Class of 2015

The LECOM white coat ceremony for medical and pharmacy students is the point in their life when they mark the transition from classroom study to clinical education. It’s a tradition to inspire these future health care professionals to pledge to uphold professionalism and competence in the presence of their families, professors and peers. This is a time when students begin their pursuit of providing quality healthcare for the lifetime of their patients.

Bradenton Pharmacy students L-R: Samantha Milcarek, Michelle Sampson, Dina Azar, Andrea DeMarco, Nabila Sikder

LECOM Associate Dean of Preclinical Education, Christine Kell, PhD, was in Bradenton to congratulate her daughter, Elizabeth Sedell. L-R: James Kell, David Sedell, Elizabeth Sedell and Dr. Kell.

Erie medical students L-R: Paul Tran, Nicholas Torgerson, Jacob Seymour, Zackary Tushak

Erie Pharmacy students L-R: Amanda Tunall, Rachel Nicodemus, Elizabeth Rosenberger, Jessica Nicodemus

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The Community American Osteopathic Association DO Day on Capitol Hill

U.S. Congressman Mike Kelly heard about challenges that medical students face from his Pennsylvania 3rd congressional district constituents as LECOM medical students visited Washington, D.C. during the American Osteopathic Association DO Day on Capitol Hill. L-R: Sergei Robinson OMS1 Erie, Christine Chan OMS2 Erie, Representative Kelly, Leslie Schumacher OMS2 Erie, Amy Martin OMS1 PCOM.

Supporting the Fight Against Heart Disease On national Wear Red Day, LECOM Bradenton students, faculty and staff supported the fight against heart disease by donning red and forming a heart in the school atrium.

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LECOM Bradenton medical students visited Capitol Hill to meet with state legislators during the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s Annual Osteopathic Medicine Day in Tallahassee, Fla. From L to R: Jared Mickelson OMS2, Zachary Griggs OMS1, Gretchen Siefker OMS1, Matthew Bakos OMS1 and Anthony Dominick OMS2.

Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association District 8 Meeting Held LECOM 2006 classmates, Phil Miller, DO and Linda Ellis Yinkey, DO, compare notes during the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association District 8 Continuing Medical Education Conference at Nemacolin Woods, south of Uniontown, Pa. Dr. Miller teaches at LECOM at Seton Hill and Dr. Yinkey practices in Eagle River, Alaska.

is our Campus

Food Drive supports those in need

Integrative Medicine Day LECOM at Seton Hill fourth-year medical students Anthony Mustovich (L) and Jordan Powner (R) helped promote International Integrative Medicine Day at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville, Pa.

Before Thanksgiving, the LECOM Erie Student Society of Health System Pharmacists and the Medical Student Government Association ran a food drive.

Students, staff and faculty donated 515 items totaling 657 pounds, according to the Second Harvest Food Bank. L-R LECOM first-year pharmacy student Kevin Hansen, and second-year pharmacy students Daniel O’Neil, Matthew Madurski, Ashley Poli and Kelcey Noble.

Dodgeball Tournament benefits MS

The LECOM Erie Class of 2014 Pharmacy School Student Government Association raised $940 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society by holding a dodgeball tournament. Fourteen teams of medical and pharmacy students participated. L-R, presenting the check to the MS Society are first-year pharmacy students Joseph Conte, Christopher Bender, Thomas Roland, Colleen Szymczak, Development Manager National MS Society Erie Office, Kelsey Ray,National MS Society Intern, Rachel Ogden, PharmD, class advisor, Elizabeth Rosenberger, and Santina Scotti.

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Student STOP Tobacco Use

Students “STOP” Tobacco Use on Campus. Bradenton Medical and Pharmacy Student Government Associations encouraged students to sign the Students Tobacco Opposition Pledge (STOP).

L-R are second-year medical students Katherine Lambert, Anthony Dominick, Kimberly Feltner and Kelly Rosborough.

Operation Diabetes Awareness LECOM Bradenton American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter launched Operation Diabetes at three locations on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Twenty-eight student pharmacists, and faculty member Fallon Enfinger, PharmD, conducted screenings and raised awareness for 158 people at the “Step Out to Stop Diabetes” Walk and Run at the University of South Florida. Third-year pharmacy students Lucas Reinhartz and Kristen Ciccella check glucose levels at the Step Out to Stop Diabetes Health Fair.

Stethoscopes Passed to Class of 2015

The medical class of 2015 experienced a right of passage on Monday, January 23, 2012 as each student received their first stethoscopes. “A stethoscope is more than just a medical instrument, it shows a sign of confidence to a patient, it opens up the medical doors and displays a sign of responsibility” said Frank Tursi, DO, the President of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association. Dr. Tursi was on hand to present this class with their first stethoscopes. Photo left: Michael Albano and David Bitonte; Photo right: Katie Beauregard

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Student Notes Class of 2012

Class of 2013

Katelin Haley (OMS4 Erie) was nominated as Student DO of the Year for 2011-12. She will be representing LECOM as a nominee for Student DO of the Year for the AOA Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents at the national level.

Rachel Crosby (OMS3 Bradenton) earned the Advocates for Florida Osteopathic Medical Association Award.

Sean Larner (OMS4 Erie) is the recipient of the A. Archie Feinstein Scholarship from the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association Foundation and the LECOM Academic Excellence Scholarship for 20112012. He presented two research posters at the 2011 American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology & Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Annual Conference in Tucson, Ariz.

Hsin K. Le (P3 Erie) was published in the Journal of Anti-Microbial Chemotherapy. The article is titled: A comparative evaluation of adverse platelet outcomes among Veterans’ Affairs patients receiving Linezolid or Vancomycin.

Brandon Shutty (OMS4 Bradenton) volunteers with the American Cancer Society and teaches Suncoast residents about the dangers of skin cancer.

Arpit Mehta (P3 Erie) has been appointed to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) New Practitioners Forum as an Executive Committee Member.

Award and placed second in FOMA’s annual Research Poster Competition in the Student Experimental Research category.

Na Jen (OMS2 LECOM at Seton Hill) had her abstract “Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Rotation at the China Beijing International Acupuncture Training Center” published in the January edition of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Shinelle Pierre (P3 Bradenton) presented the poster: “A Systemic Approach in Improving Compliance with National Patient Safety Goal 03.05.01” to clinical pharmacists at Tampa General Hospital. She is studying how to determine whether the implementation of a recent regulation increased compliance with the National Patient Safety Goal to educate patients and their family about anti-coagulation therapy.

Benjamin Kelley (OMS2 Bradenton) was named Student DO of the Year for the LECOM Bradenton campus.

Anthony Sanchez (P3 Bradenton) and Ashley Poli (P2 Erie) were the winners of the local American Pharmacy Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists patient counseling competition at the Bradenton and Erie campuses.

Both represented LECOM at the APHA 2012 Annual Convention in New Orleans.

Gabrielle Soussan (P3 Bradenton) received a $3,000 scholarship from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation.

Joseph Leary (OMS2 Bradenton) co-authored the article: “Emergency Physicians as Anesthetists in International Medical Surgical Response Team: Training and Performance,” which was published in the February/March issue of the Emergency Medicine Residents Association Newsletter.

Katherine Trexler (P1 Erie) participated in the Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association’s fifth annual Government Relations Advocacy for Student Pharmacists (GRASP) program Feb. 2426 in Harrisburg, Pa. Michael Venezia (OMS2 Bradenton) received the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s Student Leadership Award.

Brian Ware (OMS3 Bradenton) received a $5,000 scholarship from the Osteopathic and Podiatric Foundation of Florida Hospital East Orlando.

Class of 2015

Class of 2014

Joseph Pepe (OMS1 Erie) was profiled in Northeastern University’s Pre-Health Sciences newsletter with an article titled: “What led you to an interest in Osteopathic Medicine?”

Sterling Haring (OMS2 Bradenton) received the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s Student Leadership Award, Seltzer Legislative

Faculty Notes College of Medicine Mark Andrews, PhD, Professor of Physiology and Director of Examination Management, Seton Hill was named as a 2012 Fellow for the National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators.

Larry Bunnell, DO, Professor of Family Practice Bradenton, received the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s District 7 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jan Hendryx, DO, director of Osteopathic Principles and Practice, Erie, has been recognized

by The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners as the 2011 Item Writer of the Year for the Comprehensive Medical Licensing Examination - USA Osteopathic Principles and Practices.

Christopher C. Keller, PhD, Director of Microbiology/Immunology, Erie, was named

as a 2012 Fellow for the National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators.

Randy Kulesza, PhD, Assistant Dean, Post Baccalaureate and Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences, Erie, served as primary reviewer for the European Journal of Histochemistry.

Ali Moradi, MD, MPH, Professor and Director of Public Health, Bradenton, was selected to the Evaluators Registry by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation in the area of Preclinical Education.

Richard Ortoski, DO, Professor of Family Medicine and Chair of the Primary Care Department, Erie, was elected Chair of the Erie County Board of Health and re-elected as a trustee to the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Family Physicians Society. Dr. Ortoski was named the Project Expert on the Accelerated Family Medicine Track, HRSA Predoctoral Training

in Primary Care Grant with the AT Still University, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Steven Sharkady, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Seton Hill, received a $2,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation’s Local Community Contribution Grant program.

Funding will be used to support LECOM at Seton Hill’s community health literacy initiative.

School of Pharmacy Kathryn Samai, PharmD, Assistant Professor, Bradenton, was published in the March issue of the American Pharmacists Association Transitions Newsletter. Her article is titled: “Incorporating Fitness into Community Service: Get Fit and Help Others!” Dr. Samai earned certification as a pharmacotherapy specialist.

spring 2012 | LECOM CONNECTION | 29

Janene Madras, PharmD, Director of Admissions and Student Services, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Erie, earned certification as an ambulatory care specialist.

Bojana Stevich, MS, PharmD, Assistant Professor, Erie, earned certification as an oncology pharmacist.

Danielle DeBias, PharmD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Erie; along with Adjunct Assistant Professors of Pharmacy Practice Jenna Banner, PharmD, and Danielle Stitt, PharmD, earned certifications as pharmacotherapy specialists.

School of Dental Medicine Francis M. Curd, DDS, DMD, Associate Dean for Preclinical Education, Bradenton, co-authored “The Declining Number of practicing African American dentists in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, 1970-2010” in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Article Published by LECOM Pharmacy Faculty stirs up FDA reporting issues.

A study on the effectiveness of US Food and Drug Administration medication reporting policies has generated a new debate of the FDA policies.

The prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine published an article written by Abby Powers, PharmD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, LECOM School of Pharmacy in Erie and former faculty member Elliott Cook, PharmD. Once the article appeared on the Archives web site, the story was picked up by the New York Times and other publications.

Since 2007, federal law requires the FDA to review adverse drug reports bi-weekly and issue a quarterly report on any new safety information or potential signal of a serious risk. Dr. Powers and Cook studied the quarterly reports between 2008 and 2010. They determined that half of the reported risks resulted in label changes, which meant the drug manufacturer had to report the risk on the medication, and in at least one case, the drug was removed from the market.

They noted that concern exists because the FDA does not recommend physicians take action on the potential signal of risk in these quarterly reports. According to the authors, this leads to confusion among health care providers. “It is time we better recognize the importance these are signals for the safety of the public even if it they are just a ‘potential’ signal,” the authors concluded.

Alumni Notes Class of 1999

Jarrod Frydman, DO is the owner of private family medicine practice in Plantation, Fla. He has two children: Corey (8) and Hannah (7).

Joseph A. Racanelli, DO was selected as one of the Top Docs in New Jersey Magazine 2011.

He received the Patient’s Choice and the Most Compassionate Doctor awards.

Class of 2000 Michael A. DiGiorno, DO is an attending nephrologist at a private practice in Yonkers, NY. Stanley J. Gorski, DO has been with the Integrated Medical Group for eight years in Pine Grove, Pa. He has two sons, Stanley (7) and Alek (5).

She is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.

Jason Rigoni, DO completed an American College of Surgery Fellowship and specializes in trauma and breast surgery. While with the US Army he served two tours in Afghanistan. He is currently a general surgeon in Lima, Ohio and teaches medical students from University of Toledo as an Associate Professor of Surgery.

Dr. Rigoni is married for 13 years and has four children.

Olga Selioutski, DO completed an epilepsy fellowship at Strong Epilepsy Center and has accepted a position of Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester, N.Y.

Class of 2003

Frederick C. Raiser, DO just transferred to Alegent Lakeside Hospital Emergency Department in Omaha, Neb.

Dana Rose Ambler, DO is specializing in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in Wilkes Barre, Pa.

Class of 2001

Geoffrey Ouma, DO is a Vascular Fellow at the University Of Pennsylvania Medical School Department Of Medicine Cardiovascular Division Vascular Medicine. He served as section editor of the Atlas of Vascular Medicine.

Paul C. Konitzky, DO recently was named medical director of the hospitalist group Butler (Pa.) Hospital Care Associates.

David Skolnick, DO is currently a practicing anesthesiologist in Cheyenne, Wyo.

Class of 2002 Jacqueline Weaver-Agostoni, DO is the program director at UPMC-Shadyside’s Osteopathic Family Medicine Residency in Pittsburgh, Pa. Shirley Jayakumar Dopson, DO is the Medical Director of Davita Oak Springs and Paris Southwestern Nephrology in Washington, Pa.

30 | LECOM CONNECTION | spring 2012

Jeffrey Louis Pay, DO is an Emergency Medicine physician and part owner of North Central Emergency Association. The company staffs two Ohio ERs: Fisher Titus Memorial Hospital in Norwalk and The Bellevue Hospital in Bellevue. He also works at St. John’s Westshore Medical Center in Westlake and is a flight physician with Cleveland Metro Life Flight. He is married with three children.

Gaurang Shah, DO practices integrative anti-aging and preventative medicine at BodyLogicMD of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2006, he completed his residency at the Akron City Hospital in family medicine. He is an active member of the American Academy of Antiaging Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine.

Michael Tunick, DO completed a sports medicine fellowship. He is the team doctor for SUNY Binghamton University athletics. He practices outpatient family medicine, OMT and patient medicine at UHS Wilson Hospital, Johnson City, N.Y.

Class of 2004 Ted W. Parcel, DO is the first DO surgeon with privileges at Carolinas Medical center in Charlotte, N.C. Jason P. Tomsic, DO was elected President of the Washington County (Pa.) Medical Society.

Dr. Tomsic is a general surgeon who resides in Washington County.

Michael Peter Verdon, DO is a Neurosurgeon with Tristate Neurological Surgeons in Erie, Pa. Michelle Victain, DO recently graduated with a West Penn Allegheny Hospital (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Gastroenterology Fellowship. She also spent an additional year during fellowship learning endoscopic ultrasound, which is a new procedure in GI. Andrew Mark Wilhem, DO is a member of the Pulmonary Critical care staff at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss. He

completed a pulmonary/critical care fellowship at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Class of 2005 Alice J. Briones, DO is the associate medical examiner for the office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Michelle Lee Cacek, DO completed a musculoskeletal radiology fellowship at West Penn Allegheny Health System in Pittsburgh, Pa. Lisa Michelle Galbraith, DO is board certified in OB/GYN with the American College of Osteopathic Obstetrics and Gynecology and practices in Grandview, Wash. Dr. Galbraith gave birth to a baby girl in May 2011. She is married with two girls.

Christopher Michael Gooch, DO is married and proud father of 10-month-old baby boy. He currently practices emergency medicine at Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, W. Va. Mary Frances Musso, DO completed a Pediatric Otolaryngology fellowship at Baylor University in 2011. She is currently an assistant professor at Baylor University and at the Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston.

Scott Nicholas Welle, DO completed a minimally invasive and bariatric surgery fellowship, Chicago Institute, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Evanston, Ill. He received a first place award for his poster, Effects of Osteopathic manipulative therapy on oxygen saturation in postoperative bariatric patient, at American College of Osteopathic Surgeons conference.

Class of 2006 Renee Michelle Mapes, DO is a board certified anesthesiologist and is currently finishing a cardiothoracic anesthesia fellowship in Buffalo, N.Y. She has two children, Ayden James Mapes Ellia Renee Mapes.

Charlie Payne, DO graduated from the Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine Residency at St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio.

Alan H. Shapiro, DO is an Emergency Medicine physician at University of Pittsburgh

Hospital’s inpatient adult psychiatric unit, teaching psychiatric residents and medical students in Ferndale, Mich.

Medical Center - Passavant, UPMC – Passavant, Cranberry, Pa., UPMC - St. Margaret, Pittsburgh; and at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown, Pa.

Class of 2008

Jacob Smith, DO completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Summa Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and a Spine Fellowship from the Florida Spine Institute in Clearwater, Fla.

Tony L. Waskey, DO is currently the clinical chief resident in anesthesia at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. and in July 2012, he will be a cardio-thoracic anesthesia fellow at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick, N.J. He will become one of only 69 cardiothoracic anesthesia fellows in the country.

Jared C. Storck, DO graduated from a general surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital. He is currently receiving specialty fellowship training to become a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the same institution in Ohio.

Christina J. Bertolami, DO is working in four emergency rooms in South Carolina and teaching at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, S.C.

Jesse Wickham, DO was accepted for a Nephrology fellowship at the San Antonio Military Medical Center/University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. She recently received the Air Force Commendation medal for her contributions as chief resident at Keesler Medical Center in Biloxi, Miss.

Charisse L. McCall, DO completed a family practice residency at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Rockaway, N.Y., where she was chief resident.

She is currently completing a dermatology residency at the hospital.

Class of 2009

Class of 2007 Michael T. Byrne, DO has started a hematology/ medical oncology fellowship at University of Florida in Gainesville.

Timothy John Cheslock, DO was featured in an article by the American Forces Press Service.

Dr. Cheslock, a Major in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, served a medical tour in Afghanistan attached to the 928th ASMC from the Colorado National Guard in 2011. He is currently an Emergency Medicine attending physician at Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pa. Dr. Cheslock was also appointed to a three-year term on the AOA Council on Continuing Medical Education as the uniformed services representative.

Gabrielle M. Koczab, DO is working at Portage Family Medicine in Streetsboro, Ohio. She also works locum tenens on weekends in urgent care.

Maria Villafuerte, DO received the Chief Resident Certificate, Leadership Track Certificate, and Resident Teacher of the Year Award upon graduation from the Henry Ford Psychiatry Residency Program. She is a staff psychiatrist at Henry Ford Kingswood

Amanda C. Elliott, DO was the 2010-2011 University of Iowa’s Junior Resident of the Year for Psychiatry. She has been accepted into a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the University of Iowa.

Sara A. Lucas, PharmD completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn. and a PGY-2 internal medicine-pharmacy residency at the University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. She is currently practicing with an internal medicine clinical specialist at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va. Gregory W. Yost, DO is in a cardiology residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. Yost is married to alumna Stefanie Puher, DO, who is practicing nephrology at Geisinger Medical Center.

Class of 2010

(Master’s in Medical Education) Steven Sherman, DO, Med. Ed. is currently the program director of the ophthalmology residency at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, Far Rockaway, N.Y. and Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Upcoming Events April 16 to 20

National Osteopathic Medicine Week

May 2 to 4

Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association Annual Assembly

June 3

LECOM Erie Commencement, Bayfront Convention Center

June 10

LECOM Bradenton Commencement, Manatee Convention Center

August 13 to 16 Primary Care Update, Las Vegas, Nevada

spring 2012 | LECOM CONNECTION | 31

1858 West Grandview Blvd. Erie, Pennsylvania 16509 (814) 866-6641 www.lecom.edu

The Palazzo Las Vegas, Nevada

Primary Care Summer Update CME Conference Sponsored by the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine August 13-16, 2012 The Palazzo Las Vegas, Nevada

LECOM faculty faculty will will present present updates updates on on clinical LECOM LECOM clinical care care for for primary primary care care physicians. physicians. LECOM anticipates AOACCME approval for 20 Category 1-A Credits. All lectures will be held anticipates AOA CCME approval for 20 Category 1-A Credits. All lectures will be held between between 8 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. leaving afternoon and evenings free. LECOM has arranged 8for a.m. and 1:15 p.m. at leaving afternoon andRegistration evenings free. has CME arranged for a block a block of rooms the Palazzo Hotel. feeLECOM will include conference ofand rooms the Palazzo fee will theBreakfast CME conference and a hotel hotelatroom for fiveHotel. nights.Registration Transportation notinclude included. and refreshments are included in Prestige Package. All reservations made by LECOM. room for fionly ve nights.

Transportation notroom included.

Breakfastwill andberefreshments are included in ForPrestige more information and registration visit http://lecom.edu/cme.php the Package. All room reservations will be made by LECOM. or email cme@lecom.edu.

For more information and registration visit http://lecom.edu/cme.php or email cme@lecom.edu.