Music with a Mission

Aleksandr Sinelnikov, M.D.

Clouds have gathered over the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) as the college family takes a heart-heavy note of the loss of Aleksandr Sinelnikov, M.D. who passed away on May 16, 2020. LECOM collectively extends its profound and most sincere condolences to the entire Sinelnikov family.

Dr. Sinelnikov was a long-time faculty member on the LECOM Bradenton campus, joining the LECOM family in 2007; he served most recently as Professor of Anatomy and Pathology. His energy and buoyant optimism propelled LECOM students to benefit greatly from his skilled experience. A native of Ukraine, Dr. Sinelnikov held American greatness close to his heart, becoming an American citizen in 2000. Perhaps it is not surprising that his birthday was July 4. After receiving his degree in medicine from the Kharkov Medical Institute in Ukraine, Dr. Sinelnikov pursued his residency training at the University of Tennessee in the Department of Pathology. He later served as Forensic Pathology Assistant at the Regional Forensic Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Not only a great man of science, but one steeped in the full understanding of the osteopathic principles, Dr. Sinelnikov demonstrated a steadfast and positive demeanor. His stalwart heart and dignified grace demonstrated to all who knew him, both sides of the patient care experience, proving that hope and determination are powerful tools in the human condition.

He sought nothing more highly than to continue to share his knowledge with his students as an anatomist and researcher.

A stream of condolences and anecdotal notes from LECOM scholars and colleagues echoed a unified and resounding sentiment – one of a master educator and of a caring and fully engaged mentor and friend who inspired the pursuit of knowledge and the betterment of humanity.

In the joys of his achievements, in the students that he touched with his gift of knowledge, and in the family that is LECOM, Dr. Aleksandr Sinelnikov will leave his legacy.

Music with a Mission

Hershey S. Bell, MD, Dean of Developing Initiatives, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine is a physician-educator with a resume rife with accomplishments. His awards, honors, and distinctions are many. As the first physician dean of a school of pharmacy in the United States, Dr. Bell brings an interprofessional education focus to the forefront of medical instruction. Truly, Dr. Hershey Bell is a man of achievement.

Perhaps, however, few within the LECOM nexus are aware of the prodigious musical talents possessed by this distinguished man of medicine. A self-described “home studio musician,” Dr. Bell joined with fellow School of Pharmacy faculty member, Dr. Dan Austin, and an international group of musicians to create an extended play collection entitled, San Ysidro. The musical array, an eclectic mixture of five selections, was the result of a songwriting course undertaken by Dr. Bell with accomplished Nashville musician, Joe Gilder. Arranged, produced, and mixed in Tennessee, the finished recording was mastered in the United Kingdom.

From the inception of the project, Dr. Bell’s mission was to create a fundraiser for the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund and to support students in their pursuit of professional degrees in medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry.

Released as a CD, San Ysidro debuted on all major music services earlier this year and it is now available through Nimbit for $6.00 (or $7.00 as a personally autographed copy), with all proceeds supporting the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

Just as Dr. Bell’s calling of purpose has been carried forth by his passion for education, his musical passions are furthering that mission.