President's Message – New Beginnings

John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO

NEW BEGINNINGS

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny. – C.S. Lewis

Strength does not derive from hollow victories. Rather, it is triumph over struggles that develop our truest strength. The ability to endure adversity, deciding not to surrender - that is strength.

The unforeseen and globally devastating events of the COVID-19 pandemic will long be present in our collective memories. The hardships and challenges, the loss and trepidation caused by the events of 2020 will echo throughout our land for many days to come.

However, it is my fervent hope that we shall have drawn strength and inspiration from the dark days; that we shall reach beyond our bounds to excel and to break free from the seemingly daunting bonds of adversity.

As the new year greets us imbued with its attendant hope and optimism, we seek to draw together despite our imposed separation. We strive to maintain the closeness of our families and our communities; and we reach out to our extended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) family with a sincere entreaty to look forward with us as we continue to educate the next generation of LECOM medical professionals - those who will be fully prepared to lead in the evertransforming realm of medicine. For almost three decades, LECOM has been a national leader in providing medical education, specializing in student-centered learning through a collaborative curriculum and independent research. That mission did not halt, even momentarily, as the Pandemic loomed.

As the College - the core of the Health System - continued, across its multiple campuses, to educate students remotely, the LECOM Health System advanced key projects that support and sustain the LECOM mission - including finalizing the new partnership with the Achievement Center, a landmark operation in Erie, Pennsylvania which, for almost 100 years, has served children with emotional, social, physical, or behavioral challenges. The organization is now known as the Achievement Center of LECOM Health.

A further collaboration and partnership was implemented with Corry Counseling Services, a respected organization that for decades has assisted children and adults with mental and developmental disabilities.

These dual ventures reinforce the LECOM Health position as the largest provider of mental health services in the region, while expanding the ability of the Health System to deliver multifaceted, expert care to a broader range of residents. LECOM also moved forward with great enthusiasm and regional support to open the LECOM at Elmira School of Medicine, which is now completely and successfully underway. Truly, our strategic plan has spotlighted continued leadership and a steady hand that has navigated LECOM through more than a quarter century of success. Despite the setbacks of 2020 - setbacks of which few in any sector were immune - LECOM remains sound and growing.

I am perpetually honored, as President of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, to see this grand institution thrive as a beacon of learning that has been a source of educational advancement in medicine.

A perspicacious history and bold, innovative goals for the future provide the catalyst for our endeavors in 2021.

As we begin a bright spring, let us hold to these enduring truths and let us shape tomorrow in purpose, deed, and health.