LECOM Connection Fall 2016

THE

LECOM

ONNECTION

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine FALL 2016

LECOM – Setting the Standard THE DISTINCTIVE MEDICAL EDUCATION

LECOM.edu

In this issue, we shall meet students and scholars, practitioners and professionals, who, in their academic explorations, and in their daily work stir the people of their communities to feel as one. In their dedication and commitment to a noble calling they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

This issue also chronicles and features the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) as the engine of medical education, preeminent in creating the very paradigm of osteopathic training, and inculcating at the highest level; and LECOM as the cultivator of character and the companion of community.

In this same issue, LECOM welcomes the arrival of a new class of LECOM learners. Each class holds a special place in the history of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and each finds a special place in creating a lasting legacy.

LECOM welcomes, supports, and offers well-wishes to its newest class. As the

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine 1858 West Grandview Blvd.

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

In ancient days,

men looked at stars and they saw their heroes in the constellations.

In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are everyday men and women of flesh and blood; students who become scholars; the scholars who become medical professionals seeking to heal, cure, care for and comfort.

John M. Ferretti, DO President/CEO Marlene D. Mosco Chair of the Board of Trustees Silvia M. Ferretti, DO Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs John D. Angeloni, DO Vice Provost, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Bradenton Hershey Bell, MD, MS (MedEd) Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Pharmacy Matthew J. Bateman, PhD Interim Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Robert George, DO Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton Pierre Bellicini Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Eric Nicastro Assistant Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Stephanie Bruce Communications and Marketing Specialist

march forward envisions the possibilities attainable in the coming years, LECOM will ignite in these new students the lamp of learning - one that shall burn brightly and ardently.

Attendant to having been educated at a superlative institution of first rate academics and medical acumen is kindled

the passion of the practice and an enduring pledge to ensure the betterment of each community in which has been laid the LECOM cornerstone.

Nick Blake Public Relations Specialist Joel Welin Communications and Marketing Specialist, Bradenton Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire Chief Writer/Editor-in-Chief

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 & Marketing Department, at (814) 866-6641, or e-mail communications@lecom.edu.

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John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO 04 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

From Acorns Grow the Mighty Oak We rise each morning to a purpose. To the betterment of our communities and to our greater region, we find common ground; fertile soil that sits ready to be tilled into fruitful results.

The beginning of all promising enterprises, undertakings, or accomplishments starts with an idea. With that idea usually follows a set of circumstances which, in retrospect, appear to have forecast a prophetic outcome. Such is the case with the history of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM).

Throughout all of its formative years, and in the years hence, LECOM has held fast to its principles based upon sound values, purposeful leadership, and the pinnacle objective to offer the best in superlative medical education at a cost affordable to those who would wish to practice the noble calling of medicine.

More than two decades later, principle and purpose remain just as vibrant and steadfast; and mission, determination, and educational excellence are the flourishing result.

Just as Dr. Andrew Taylor Still pioneered osteopathic medicine in 1874, the osteopathic physicians of this modern era serve as present-day medical pioneers. Osteopathic physicians continue the tradition of delivering health care to areas of greatest need.

Steeped in that objective and focused upon its results-driven endeavor, LECOM has become the epicenter of the new medical paradigm.

As the core of the only academic health center in the osteopathic profession, LECOM – the educational amalgam of excellence and community service – thrives in an environment unlike any other in the medical field. That paradigm, that untrodden territory, is LECOM Health; a highly innovative health care and education system that strives to add to the quality of life of our neighbors by bringing a totality of health care to the community at large.

Members of LECOM Health include the College, Millcreek Community Hospital, Corry Memorial Hospital, the clinical practices of Medical Associates of Erie, LECOM Senior Living Center, LECOM Senior Living Communities, LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center, LECOM at Presque Isle Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, LifeWorks Erie and Visiting Nurses Association of Erie County. This collective of medical and community-service entities offer a vast educational network for students while simultaneously providing first-rate medical care and unparalleled quality access to the region.

By redefining comprehensively the entire model of education and health care, through its unique approach to education; by expanding health care delivery; and by incorporating hospitals and agencies, LECOM, its progeny and professionals, its alumni and alliances, its

nexus and network - indeed, its very credo and calling, never cease in championing the unwavering through-line of excellence and attainment.

Whether one spotlights the training, professionalism, or expertise of accomplished LECOM graduates - from honor code to honored calling; whether one emphasizes the stunning economic impact that LECOM has afforded community, state, and nation - from stimulating employment to regional growth; or whether one examines the panoptic effect that LECOM has had upon the profession of osteopathic medicine as a whole, the conclusion is irrefutable - LECOM is leading the charge on every front.

Growing with success entails a deepening responsibility. That responsibility has been soberly appreciated and reflected in the way in which LECOM has remained ever committed to its students and to the superlative quality of education provided to them by highly-trained professors and educators.

Like the acorn that quietly works its roots deep into the firmament, LECOM has grown. From season to season, with an enlivening purpose and a ceaseless strength, climbing ever upward to its towering heights, the College and its illustrious complex of health care and community offerings have thrived.

Now, like the spreading oak, limbs of which stretch wide and high, LECOM has come to serve as a sheltering oasis of medical exceptionalism in a field that is rapidly changing.

As this issue of the LECOM Connection highlights the College of Medicine, we recall our acorn roots, we take pride in their unshakeable foundation and vibrant growth, and we look upward to the new expanses of their reach.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 05

IN THIS ISSUE 07

Credos of Our Calling

08

Follow-up from the Fairway

12

LECOM Welcomes New Students

16

Studies Underway for Master of Medical Science Inaugural Class

18

A Day in the Life of a LECOM Student

20

Prolific Writer - Propitious Career Path

21

Publishing Abounds for LECOM Class of 2019 Student

25

LECOM Medical Educators - Advancing the Process of Living

27

Fortune Favors the Bold

29

LECOM Receives Helping Today Grant

30

LECOM Service

31

Jump Back to School

32

LECOM Student Scholarship Dinner and Auction Gala

COVER STORY 22 LECOM – Setting the Standard

The Distinctive Medical Education In eager anticipation of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) 25th Anniversary – a celebration that will highlight the LECOM years from nascence to national renown – this issue of the LECOM Connection will set the scene with a welcoming look at the School of Medicine. Join us as we venture inside of the school that changed the paradigm of medical education and that set the standard for superlative medical training in the 21st century.

DEPARTMENTS 34

Community is Our Campus

36 Student, Faculty, and Alumni Notes

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. The professional programs are dedicated to serve all students through innovative curriculum and the development of postdoctoral education and interprofessional experiences.

06 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

CREDOS OF OUR CALLING •OPTIMISM•

The ability to be confident of the future or of the success of obtaining a desired result connotes the basic attribute of optimism. Adopting an optimistic view of the world and of life, in general, can be astoundingly advantageous to an individual. Because of one’s uplifted approach to life, an optimist experiences more happiness and less distress than one who lacks optimism. This attitude allows one to adjust well to difficult situations. Whether one embraces humor, notices opportunities, or chooses not to surrender in the face of hardships, an optimist accepts the situation and works toward accomplishing goals. Psychologists believe that optimism can be learned; others posit that such an attribute also can be genetically inherited. If an individual is taught to see the positive aspect of each situation, optimistic behavior becomes habitual to the ultimate benefit of the optimist.

Though there exists a difference between hope and optimism, the two words are imbued with a transcendent and forward-moving energy necessary for one to derive the most benefit from life. For truly, optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be achieved in the absence of hope and confidence.

The optimist seeks to develop strategies to achieve goals and to strive for excellence in the face of obstacles. Optimism embraces the belief that the future will be brighter and hope works within the framework of reality to make manifest that belief.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~ Winston Churchill

Indeed, no one can go back and start at a new beginning; but anyone can start today and create a new ending. One cannot alter the direction of the wind, but one can adjust one’s sails to reach the desired destination.

Those who call their troubles experiences, and who remember that every experience develops some latent force within oneself, will grow vigorous and happy, regardless of how adverse one’s circumstances may seem to be.

Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power. One can alter one’s life by altering one’s thinking. Optimism has the power to unleash the hopeful vision hidden deep inside one’s heart to find the purpose waiting in one’s dreams.

To enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat; to concentrate upon strengths, rather than upon weaknesses; upon powers, instead of problems - this is optimism.

LECOM knows that teaching is the greatest act of optimism. Optimism is essential to educational achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress, both academically and as one ventures forth into the community.

Optimism encompasses elements central to the osteopathic core; fundamentals and attributes that it hopes to impart upon all who will come to call LECOM their “alma mater.” Thus, this LECOM Connection edition recognizes and pays tribute to an essential and all-embracing word; and for this reason, Optimism is the Credo of Our Calling.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 07

FOLLOW-UP FROM THE FAIRWAY LECOM Tees Up for Hole-Body Health and Student Scholarship Fund LECOM Health stood proudly as the title sponsor of the new PGA and Web.com Tour event at Peek’n Peak Resort in neighboring Western New York as the highly-publicized event took place during the week of July 4, 2016. The Tour furthered the purposeful role of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) as an unabashed leader in advancing the powerfully healing principles of osteopathic medicine while simultaneously blending its mission-driven objective of benefiting its Student Scholarship Fund.

This internationally-televised event was spotlighted as the LECOM Health Challenge - a collaboration with notable partners from New York and Pennsylvania - to emphasize

the significance of health and wellness in the field of sports. The LECOM Health Challenge highlighted the full spectrum of health and wellness through the multifaceted sporting event that garnered international media coverage as it benefited the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

At the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, great pride is taken in its heritage and in its unparalleled ability to recruit, to educate, and to train first-rate osteopathic physicians and health care professionals; those whose competent, compassionate, and holistic approaches to clinical, didactic, and other professional responsibilities are prepared for the health care and scientific

08 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

environments of the 21st Century. The LECOM Student Scholarship Fund serves as an integral instrument in assisting students to accomplish these noble goals. Two-thirds of the proceeds raised at the estimable charitable event benefited the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund. The Student Scholarship Fund assists deserving students who cannot otherwise afford the burdensome cost of a medical education. Even though LECOM boasts the second lowest tuition cost in the nation, students still come away with indebtedness. The Scholarship Fund has allowed countless scholars to attain a life’s dream in the calling of medicine.

Proceeds from the LECOM Health Challenge also benefitted Mikey’s Way Foundation (MWF). MWF received its vision from its founder, Michael “Mikey” Friedman. The group seeks to enrich the lives of children suffering with cancer and with other lifethreatening illnesses.

Another LECOM Health Challenge beneficiary was The First Tee, an international youth development organization that introduces the game of golf and its inherent values to young people. Through after-school and in-school programs, The First Tee helps to shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values of integrity, respect, and perseverance through the game of golf.

Rounding out the recipients of the charitable proceeds from the LECOM Health Challenge is the United Way - an organization that improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.

The LECOM Health Challenge was played at the Peek’n Peak Upper Course and it boasted a weeklong schedule of events that included a Pro-Am play session, followed by four official rounds of tournament competition capped off with a $600,000 tournament purse. The final rounds on Saturday and Sunday welcomed more than 5200 spectators and guests to the event.

According to PGA TOUR officials, the first few days of tournament play surpassed all of the other Web.com Tour events offered this year.

LECOM distributed almost 1000 tickets to its LECOM Health partners.

Golf Channel televised the event in the United States; and the tournament was viewed in 192 countries and territories, having a potential reach of 93 million households via PGA TOUR international broadcast operations.

Golf Channel provided superb event coverage and they continued to broadcast live coverage beyond 4:00 pm, until play ended on the final tournament day. The LECOM news-tracking service recorded more than 50 LECOM stories per day via the Golf Channel and through local TV stations.

“We were delighted to partner with the PGA TOUR and the Web.com Tour to encourage health and wellness,” stated John M. Ferretti, DO, President and CEO of LECOM. “There is no better example to highlight wellness than with the young Tour professionals, who, like our LECOM students, commit themselves to an extraordinary amount of work to achieve their career goals,” he averred. “We united to advance the LECOM mission to aid our students and to give strong philanthropic support to them,” noted President Ferretti.

“While LECOM offers one of the most affordable tuitions in the nation, we deeply

valued the LECOM Health Challenge pledge to help these students by providing scholarship dollars from the tournament proceeds,” concluded Dr. Ferretti.

The Web.com Tour is The Path to the PGA TOUR, with all 50 PGA TOUR cards for the following TOUR season passing through the Web.com Tour annually.

Noticeably important - LECOM reached a worldwide audience through Golf Channel interviews, player comments, news media articles, and the excitement of watching the tournament live. From vendor exhibits, skybox participation, to overall tournament operations, the entire event was a resounding success.

LECOM, as the title sponsor of this estimable sporting event, demonstrated yet again its unswerving commitment to educational advancement as it supports scholarships for LECOM osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and dental students through its Student Scholarship Fund and fundraising endeavors that reinforce the noble calling of osteopathic medicine.

LECOM is proud to be the title sponsor of 2017 LECOM Health Challenge which will take place July 3-9, 2017 at Peek’n Peak Resort.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 09

Rick Lamb, of South Bend, Indiana - in just his third start of the Web.com Tour - won the inaugural LECOM Health Challenge, held in July at the Peek’n Peak Resort Upper Course.

LIVE FROM THE LEADERBOARD Here’s to the Winner!

In only his third start this season on the Web. com Tour, Rick Lamb, of South Bend, Indiana, significantly improved his standing as he bested the field at the Peek’n Peak Resort Upper Course in beautiful Chautauqua County, New York.

Lamb’s dramatic, four-way playoff win at the inaugural LECOM Health Challenge concluded with his shooting a course-record 9-under 63.

Entering the tournament - one which he nearly missed - the rookie was not even viewed as a blip on the Web.com Tour radar; and he was not part of the field when the week of play commenced. Lamb’s week started with the Monday qualifier on the Lower Course, where he shot a 63 to earn one of the 156 spots.

Merely one week later, Rick Lamb found himself ranked at Number 21 on the Web.com Tour Top 25 Money List after he claimed the $108,000 purse. The top 25 finishers at the end of the regular season will earn their PGA TOUR card.

Lamb’s performance on that hot July Sunday left him ranked at 19-under par and waiting nearly an hour for the final group to finish their rounds for the day.

At the culmination of play, Dominic Bozzelli, Rhein Gibson, C.T. Pan, and Rick Lamb were knotted at 19-under par; and a four-man playoff on the Par-5 18th hole ensued.

All four players made par on the opening playoff hole and they ascended the hill from the green to face the tee at Number 18 for a second time.

On the second playoff hole, Lamb’s second shot bounced passed the back of the green, leaving a difficult chip from above the green. Lamb flubbed his third shot, the ball trickling down to the fringe on the back of the 18th green.

He would remain unflappable as he chipped in from that spot for a birdie; forcing C.T. Pan to make his birdie putt to continue to a two-man playoff. Pan, however, was unable to convert his birdie attempt and Lamb was thrust into the Web.com Tour spotlight.

“It’s completely life changing,” said Lamb of the win. “The money puts me in the top 25 of the Money List and now sets me up for the final stretch to potentially get a (PGA TOUR) card.”

His was the first Monday qualifier to win on Tour since Sebastian Cappelen triumphed at the 2014

10 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

Air Capital Classic. Lamb will now focus upon remaining in the top 25 through the rest of the season, which concludes at the end of August.

The LECOM Health Challenge, the first of a four-year partnership between LECOM and the Web.com Tour, could not have shone brighter, according to Tim Iley, Senior Director of Tournament Business Affairs for the Web.com Tour.

“What a way to kick off the inaugural LECOM Health Challenge,” beamed Iley. “Great weather, great crowds, and a four-man playoff with a chip in the difference! It was almost as if it were scripted.”

LECOM, as the title sponsor of this thrilling sporting event, proclaimed its steadfast commitment to educational advancement in support of its Student Scholarship Fund and fundraising endeavors that reinforce the noble calling of osteopathic medicine, as the tournament propelled the LECOM Health Challenge into the global spotlight. LECOM extends hearty congratulations to the event champions and to the sportsmanship of skilled competition and genuine camaraderie.

LECOM HEALTH SPORTS MEDICINE TEAM Caring for the Pros As the title sponsor for the Web.com Tour LECOM Health Challenge event, LECOM was thrust into the national and international spotlight as the Golf Channel aired live coverage of the tournament, during the multiple days of play.

Throughout the week, LECOM personnel were in attendance at the Peek’n Peak Resort Upper Course in Chautauqua County, New York, promoting health and well-being to all who gathered at the grand sporting event.

Along with LECOM, the Sports and Orthopedic Medicine Team from LECOM Health occupied the spotlight as they provided medical care for the tournament players, including offering treatment for their families and spectators.

Patrick Leary, DO, Sports Medicine Specialist and Director of the LECOM Sports Medicine Fellowship Program, and Christopher Rial, DO, served as Sports Medicine Co-Directors at the event. Together, they worked to create an Emergency Action Plan for the tournament. The Plan was used as a guide to ensure the safety of those in attendance, including the players, staff, event personnel, and spectators. “We had to plan for lightning strikes and for heart attacks; we had to have ready access to the ambulance and to work closely with the EmergyCare team,” explained Dr. Leary.

“We saw about 20 players,” recalled Dr. Leary.

“We helped them to stretch and to hydrate, and we presented sports medicine information to them to aid in their future care,” he furthered.

In addition to offering medical care to the players, Dr. Leary treated Golf Channel broadcaster, Kay Cockerell, who had been suffering with shoulder pain before Dr. Leary’s treatment relieved her discomfort.

“She had neck and back problems so we treated her with manipulation,” said Dr. Leary. “We gave her a crash course in the benefits of osteopathic medicine,” he stated.

“Having an opportunity to showcase the skills and training of the LECOM Sports Medicine Team at an internationally acclaimed event was an incredible plus,” commented Dr. Leary.

“I received a call from a friend in San Francisco who was intently watching the tournament and he asked if I was there. I told him: ‘I’m the Medical Director’,” chuckled Dr. Leary.

Dr. Leary welcomed the challenge of assembling a comprehensive medical plan for an entire golf

tournament. He and everyone on his highlytrained team were prepared and they are now eager for future tournaments.

“We seized the opportunity that was given to us; and we did exactly that which the PGA had prescribed. I think that we did it like we always do - LECOM does it right,” he concluded.

Dr. Leary and his team of physicians treat players from the Erie BayHawks, Mercyhurst University, Corry High School, and regional varsity sports teams. Dr. Leary is a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Advisory Board, and he is a Fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, and American Academy of Family Physicians.

No matter where these skilled physicians choose to work, sports medicine doctors enjoy the deep gratification of helping active, often health-conscious people recover from sportsrelated injuries and return to the lifestyles that they love. Remarked Dr. Leary: “That’s the beauty of Sports Medicine and that’s LECOM Health.”

Under the auspices of Dr. Leary and Dr. Rial, EmergyCare and Peek’n Peak Ski Patrol also participated to provide medical care or first aid as needed.

Fortunately, no serious medical emergencies arose over the course of the week, but the LECOM Sports Medicine Team was at the ready throughout the duration of the tournament.

To supplement their work, the Sports Medicine Team hosted a Continuing Medical Education Workshop that focused upon the prevention and treatment of injuries common to golfers.

An area was set up on the Peek’n Peak grounds for the purpose of treating the players and families. The treatment center was well attended by golfers seeking ways in which they might loosen a tight back or relieve hamstring discomfort.

The LECOM Health Sports and Orthopedic Medicine Team, led by Patrick Leary, DO, (far left) was on site at the LECOM Health Challenge to provide medical care to players and spectators. Tyler Travis and the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center staff were also on-hand to perform fitness demonstrations.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 11

LECOM WELCOME Oleg Desyatnikov Oleg Desyatnikov, of Venice, Florida, was born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. At the age of five, he immigrated with his parents to the United States, settling in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“My father took employment driving trucks and he was fortunate to travel through a large portion of the country,” Oleg said. “During his excursions, he met family friends who urged him to come to Venice,” elaborated the LECOM student. The weather in northeastern Oklahoma “was not very favorable,” Oleg noted, and his father welcomed the Florida beaches and the friendly people; so he moved the family to the Gulf Coast.

Oleg attended Venice High School (VHS), graduating in 2011. In his senior year at VHS, Oleg enjoyed an opportunity to shadow Alan Glover, M.D., of Professional Anesthesia Associates. As Oleg walked through the Operating Rooms at the now Venice Regional Bayfront Health Center, he was charged with ensuring that patients were comfortable and well attended. This experience affirmed to Oleg that the calling of medicine was to be his life’s pursuit.

Oleg graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in biology (and with minors in the Russian language, and in Business Administration). “To better prepare myself for the rigors of medical school, I earned a master’s degree at the University of South Florida in their Post-Bac Program; and I decisively chose LECOM for the quality of its curriculum and because it is close to my Venice home,” he furthered. “I would like to practice near Venice or somewhere in that general area.”

Some of the most profound influences in Oleg’s life have been those of his parents, who continuously encourage him to do his very best. The opportunities that they may have lacked now lay ahead of a grateful Oleg as he plans to work determinedly to fulfill his dream of becoming a physician.

In light of Oleg’s family history and background, he exudes an evident and deeply held passion to care for and to heal those who find themselves in medically underserved circumstances.

Areeg Hussein Areeg Hussein, 23, was born in Chicago, but she quickly added, “I’m from Bradenton, Florida.” Clearly, the new LECOM student views Florida as her home. I graduated from Lakewood Ranch High School, which is just across the street, so I guess that I haven’t managed to make it very far,” jested Areeg.

“I am Sudanese and I grew up in a Sudanese household. We speak Arabic at home. When I was at Lakewood Ranch High School, I became involved in various programs sponsored by LECOM. I participated in the Medical Science Academy over the summer and I was involved in the Human Body Explorers Program during the school year,” explained Areeg. That particular Program truly solidified her desire to become a doctor. Areeg graduated from University of South Florida in Tampa, where she majored in Biomedical Sciences and minored in the Chinese language. Subsequently, Areeg went into the LECOM Post-Bac Program in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was fortunate to gain experience on the main campus. “I was introduced to the various styles of learning; and the educators there were supremely knowledgeable and amiable,” noted the new student. “It took some time to adjust to the snow,” admitted Areeg.

Areeg selected the Problem-Based Learning Pathway, choosing Bradenton to undertake her studies.

Areeg’s father (Mohamed Osman Hussein, DVM, PhD) is a Physiology Professor at LECOM, and he introduced to Areeg the idea of osteopathic medical school as a way in which she could develop and expand medical understanding and education to include OMM and OPP. Areeg’s experience in sampling the PBL groups provided to her an eye-opening experience. “I learned so much from my PBL experience and from seeing the OPP,” Areeg beamed.

Areeg plans to pursue a DO degree, and at the moment, she finds oncology to be her greatest area of interest. “During my time in undergraduate school, I had an opportunity to volunteer with the American Cancer Society and I had the chance to become involved with many cancer patients.

I observed the processes and the treatments that they undergo and I hope to ease their sufferings and to heal them,” she remarked. Providing comfort and care in the time of someone’s worst life experience is a fulfilling and rewarding endeavor and it is part of the noble calling that Areeg wishes to pursue.

12 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

ES NEW STUDENTS Matthew Carney It is no doubt a truism that the brave man carves out his fortune, and every man is the son of his own works.

That very maxim resounds for first-year, LECOM at Seton Hill medical student and Medical Service Corps Officer, Matthew Carney.

Carney, who is now beginning his journey to earn his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree from LECOM, spent six years as an officer with the Army, serving as a member of the Medical Service Corps and the 10th Mountain Division. He served in two tours of duty, deploying to Iraq in 2009, as a Medical Platoon Leader and to Afghanistan in 2013, as a Medical Company Commander.

The passion of his calling to serve now brings him to LECOM. For Carney, personal gratification has been attained through service to others and through personal sacrifice. That deeply held belief has wholly shaped and defined his career - and it is that very credo which prompted his decision to attend LECOM. Carney’s path to the Army made its way through the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point. With a strong desire to serve, Carney signed up for West Point when he was 17-years-old. He volunteered to join a unit that deployed on a regular basis, hence the 10th Mountain Division selection.

“I volunteered into a unit that was deployed frequently and I sought out the responsibility of going to combat with soldiers who could trust their leaders and who could be assured that they were in responsible hands so that they could fight,” Carney said. “I feel that I provided that service,” he remarked.

Carney, who had no medical training (and therefore, who did not provide any medical care), was a strategist in the Medical Service Corps.

He was responsible for deciding where an aid station would be located on the battlefield and the way in which that aid station and its medics would support the soldiers who were fighting. He had to ensure that the medical units under his watch were ready to go when needed.

It was working within those aid stations and being exposed to the doctors who manned them that inspired Carney to become a physician himself.

“I worked with many doctors in the six years that I was an officer and I was inspired by them,” recalled the dedicated patriot. “I decided that medicine was my calling,” he affirmed.

In 2014, after completing six years of service and two deployments, Carney left the Army and he returned to school to begin his journey to medical school.

After making the decision to become a DO, Carney learned about LECOM and he was intrigued with all that the school had to offer.

“LECOM stood out to me, first and foremost for the Problem-Based Learning Program and because LECOM has the purest approach in its application,” noted the new student. “LECOM has a great reputation and I feel that aspect is very important,” Carney averred.

The Albany, New York, native who, already has answered one call to serve, looks forward to answering yet another in the calling of medicine.

He hopes to pursue a Primary Care path where his experiences will allow him the depth and breadth of practice to handle a “little bit of everything.” LECOM extends its collective thanks to one who has so bravely served a grateful nation. Leadership, sacrifice, and dedication - all LECOM hallmarks that underpin the courageous calling of this medical student

To speak in public, to think in solitude, to read and to listen, to inquire and to answer inquiries, is the business of the scholar. ~ Samuel Johnson @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 13

LECOM WELCOME Tarun Ahuja The Community is our Campus credo was embraced straight away by first-year medical student, Tarun Ahuja, as he spent the summer before his first year of medical school volunteering in the Bridging the Gaps Program. The Program helps area seniors remain active and pursue a healthful lifestyle.

Bridging the Gaps is a statewide, community health partnership that places first-year medical students in social service sites within the Erie community. The students identify a healthrelated need for the community site and they use the seven-week Program to develop and to implement a project that addresses that need.

Ahuja, who was accepted to the College of Medicine via the LECOM Post-Baccalaureate Program, was one of 22 students who participated in Bridging the Gaps during the summer.

Entering his first year of medical school, Ahuja was eager to become involved in community service as soon as possible.

Ahuja’s designated site was St. Joseph’s Apartments in Erie, a senior living apartment complex, where he organized a Shuffleboard Day for the residents.

He began his on-site project by meeting with the residents and learning of their interests with a view toward establishing a healthful activity.

“Consensus showed me that they wanted to do something outdoors,” Ahuja said. “It was nice weather and they wanted to leave their rooms,” he furthered.

The new student noticed the shuffleboard courts in the center courtyard of the apartment complex. It was clear that the courts rarely were used. After talking with one of the residents who was intent upon playing shuffleboard, Ahuja dusted off the sticks and pucks and he recruited approximately 25 residents for amiable play.

“Even though some residents were not able to play due to their physical limitations, they were able to support each other and to have an enjoyable opportunity to visit with their friends,” remarked Ahuja.

While Ahuja found it a rewarding experience to provide this opportunity for the apartment residents, his experience with the Bridging the Gaps project plumbed even greater depths in his commitment to the senior community.

He has now discerned an interest in possibly pursuing a career as a geriatrician, an interest that resulted from his empathetic interaction with the residents and in getting to know them.

“I truly enjoyed the experience; I welcomed the chance to listen to them and to spend the time with them,” he recalled.

“As future doctors, often we do not have much time to spend with our patients. We seek out important facts quickly. But, I feel as a geriatrician, that process must include a two-way conversation. They’ll say, ‘yes my doctor does give me medicine and he does tell me what is wrong, but he is also my friend.’ I feel that bond is very important to them because one never knows who they have or do not have in their lives as far as family members are concerned. You don’t know who is listening to them. As physicians, among the many things that we do, we can offer that comfort,” he concluded.

Tarun Ahuja plans always to buttress the LECOM Pillar of Service to the community. His instant bond with area seniors and his desire to improve their health and wellness portends a bright future in compassionate care for this new LECOM student.

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ES NEW STUDENTS Ronald White The word, rodeo is not generally one that comes to mind when one mentions the state of Wisconsin. Perhaps it is even less so when associated with the field of Osteopathic Medicine. However, for Ronald White, a first-year medical student at LECOM at Seton Hill and a native of America’s Dairyland, rodeo was a way of life.

White, who grew up in the small, rural town of Mount Hope, Wisconsin (population 300), has an estimated 15 years of rodeo experience. He is adept in the techniques of lassoing and he finds riding bareback a relaxing pass time.

White hails from a family of farmers; the majority of his aunts and uncles on his mother’s side of the family were, or are, involved with rodeo.

While many backyards boast swing sets or trampolines, White’s yard was different. “My backyard was a roping arena,” he said. “After basketball or football practice every night, I would come home and rodeo. My sister and I would practice every night, starting in May and running through September,” he expounded.

“My mom told me that I was ‘on a horse at the age of two’,” related White. “Growing up, we didn’t have many neighbors, so my sister and I would throw a bridle on the horse, no saddle, and we would just ride out through the pasture - bareback,” he furthered.

Throughout his youth and teenage years, White participated in the Wisconsin Little Britches Rodeo Association, the Wisconsin Junior High School Rodeo, and the Wisconsin High School Rodeo.

He participated in calf roping, both individually and as a member of a team.

White also participated in steer wrestling, which is exactly that which the name suggests. The rider, who is on horseback, rides up alongside a steer, jumps onto its back, and wrestles it to the ground by its horns.

White, who was also a three-sport scholastic athlete in football, basketball, and track, gave up steer wrestling after suffering an elbow injury during summer football practice.

“I hoped to avoid any further injury to my elbow, so I stopped steer wrestling,” said White. “Roping is much safer than that,” he assured.

White seemed destined to live and to work on the farm, and although it was his mother and her family that introduced him to rodeo, it was his mother who also encouraged him to take a different career path.

White explained that he was inspired by an uncle who is a physician. The LECOM student reveled in the stories that his uncle would tell of the way in which he made a difference in the lives of the people whom he treated.

When researching medical schools, White came across LECOM and he was intrigued by the Problem-Based Learning Pathway.

As he follows a new course to become an osteopathic physician, White hopes to use his osteopathic training to practice Family Medicine in an area much like that in which he was raised.

“Whether I stay in Pennsylvania, in a rural area for a while, or whether at some point down the line, I actually practice in that little corner of Wisconsin, I’d like to see myself finding my niche by building trust in the farming community and with farmers in general,” mused the LECOM student.

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The newest academic program offered by LECOM welcomed 78 students who plan to pursue Medical and Dental careers.

LECOM Master of Medical Science Studies Underway for Inaugural Class With the start of classes on Monday, June 13, 2016, the newest academic program at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) saw its first students begin their pursuit of the Master of Medical Science (MMS) Degree.

The one-year MMS Program is intended to academically, scientifically, and professionally prepare students to become candidates for the LECOM College of Osteopathic Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, or the School of Pharmacy.

The LECOM MMS Program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to develop lifelong strategies for professional and career development, to enhance written and oral research presentation skills, and to learn principles and strategies for becoming effective team members.

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“Our goal was to accept 75 students into the first class,” said Ronald Berezniak, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs at LECOM Bradenton. “We actually accepted 78 students into the Program,” he noted. Of the 78 MMS candidates, 59 of them have their sights set upon entering medical school, while 19 scholars will seek entry into dental school.

“In addition to the preparation for further education in the health professions, the Program provides to these students the further benefit of earning a master’s degree,” Dr. Berezniak expounded.

Reginald Floresca, 26, of Austin, Texas, said that he will use the Program to prepare for his future, stating, “I graduated from the University of Texas in microbiology, so I had all of the prerequisites completed; but I wanted to enroll in the MMS Program to better prepare for medical school.”

James Diep, 27, of Pasadena, Calif., said that he also plans to apply to the LECOM College of Medicine. “I was in the working world already, working full time as a pharmacy tech and then as a medical coordinator. I decided that I wanted to focus upon a career in medicine. This MMS Program is a fabulous opportunity to take medical school classes with the structure necessary to prepare for medical studies,” concluded Diep.

LECOM assures a college interview for all MMS candidates who successfully complete all of the academic requirements and who apply to one of the LECOM professional degree programs.

“I was attracted to LECOM because the MMS Program offered classes in which I had excelled as an undergraduate at the University of West Georgia,” explained Chris Johnson, 23, of Fayetteville, Ga. “These classes

emphasize anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and pathology. The fact that I had performed well in those areas made me feel as though I would thrive here,” he furthered. “The rigors of the MMS Program, an extra year of training, and a master’s degree will prepare me for a better experience in medical school,” concluded Johnson.

The Program, accredited by the Commission for Independent Education of the Florida Department of Education, encompasses 38 weeks of study, in three sessions: a summer session with eight weeks of study; a fall session with 15 weeks of study; and a spring session, also with 15 weeks of study. All coursework for the MMS Program is conducted by faculty members at the Lakewood Ranch Campus.

Sciences; Health Care; Biopsychosocial Aspects of Medicine; and an Introduction to Research.

Initially, students take classes in structural anatomy, physiology, biostatistics, and research basics. The second set of classes includes health disparities, biochemistry, epidemiology, and microbiology. In the final selection of classes, students study biochemistry, evidence-based medicine, functional anatomy, pathology, and behavioral medicine.

The Master of Medical Science (MMS) Degree Program is yet another academic advancement offered by LECOM and dedicated to their unremitting commitment to superlatively educate the next generation of health care professionals.

The academic format of the Program focuses upon four primary areas of study: Basic

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 17

A Day in the

Life of a

LECOM Student

Much has been reported about the role of physicians in our society. One has read and learned about the indispensable impact that doctors have upon those whom they treat and upon the community as a whole.

Yet, despite all of these reports and colloquies, few commentaries exist as to the way in which the student becomes the physician.

To start this adventure, it is first important to understand that becoming a physician is no easy task. It begins with a four-year college degree; often requiring that the student be graduated with at least a 3.5 grade point average.

Between acceptance into the largest medical school in the nation (LECOM) and the beginning of residency, students embrace the journey of the climb. Few people truly comprehend the rigors of the medical school undertaking. Perhaps, it may be only fully knowable by those who experience it.

The students begin their journey on the LECOM campus, immersed in the academic experience in innovative classrooms as they learn the core curriculum.

Five Pathways to achieve that end are offered at LECOM Erie: the Lecture Discussion Pathway (LDP), the Problem-Based Learning Pathway (PBL), the Self-Directed Study Pathway (DSP), the Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP), and the Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway (APAP).

The students attending LECOM Bradenton and LECOM at Seton Hill are educated through the PBL learning model.

Upon completion of that portion of their studies, the students move into their third- and eventually, their fourth-year clinical rotations. This period constitutes the point at which they enter the hospital and clinic setting, interacting with the community directly.

The students who will become the next generation of physicians - like anyone else - have families, enjoy hobbies, and pursue interests outside of school. The delicate balance and the ever-present juggle of medical school demands remain unremitting as they press on toward the attainment of a profoundly noble calling.

Just what is it that constitutes a typical day in the life of a student at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine? As these LECOM scholars will explain, there isn’t one. The rewards and challenges to which they look forward each day are as varied and as unique as are they, themselves.

Christopher Kordick, OMSII, is the President of the LECOM Erie College of Medicine Student Government Association (SGA). He is matriculating through the Lecture Discussion Pathway and his week is copiously supplied with lectures and labs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While most of Kordick’s fellow students are away from their significant others while on campus, Kordick spends time in the same building as does his wife, Elly Kordick. Elly is an Administrative Coordinator in the LECOM Erie Office of Student Affairs.

“I’m fortunate to have a chance to see my wife during gaps in our day,” commented Kordick.

The onslaught of material keeps me very busy, but those moments are a breath of fresh air,” he stated. Kordick finds the warm and caring atmosphere at LECOM reassuring. “It’s a challenging path but, one always has the sense that LECOM is solidly in one’s corner,” Kordick affirmed.

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Jordan Spencer, OMSII, serves as the Vice President for the College of Medicine Student Government Association. He is a Primary Care Scholars Pathway student. The PCSP is designed to superlatively educate students to become Primary Care physicians, particularly focusing upon family medicine where there is a pressing need for such professionals. The PCSP students receive the equivalent of four years of academic and clinical training in just three years.

Students in the Pathway complete the first two years of basic science and preclinical education in less than 20 months by attending class year-round and by using the Directed Study Pathway learning strategy. They begin early clinical training and students must complete core competency-based clinical rotations that meet all of the educational requirements necessary for Primary Care medicine.

The demanding coursework can be exceptionally time consuming, but Spencer, who like Kordick, is married, finds time to enjoy life away from his work.

“The PCSP is a fabulous and demanding program and it requires complete dedication,” explained Spencer. “On those occasions when I have some down time, I find it important to take a break a walk, a book, some time with family or friends,” he said.

Brittany Colosimo, OMSII, is the Student Government Association Secretary and she maintains a weighty workload as a Lecture Discussion Pathway student. Her day begins at 6 a.m. as she reviews that which was taught to her during classes from the previous day. Upon the completion of her review, she delves into another 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. class day. Her day does not end there however, as often, she heads to a meeting of one of the many clubs of which she is a member.

“Usually, I have some meeting to attend at least once a week; whether it be the SGA, the Internal Medicine Club, where I am the Treasurer, or the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, where I serve as the OPP Director,” she explained. “Later in the evening, it’s back to studying either at my apartment or at Coffee Culture Cafe,” she furthered.

Colosimo credits her family and friends for helping her to balance her life outside of medical school. “It hasn’t always been easy, but I have learned and grown more in these last three years than I have in my entire life,” she beamed. “It’s all about finding one’s own balance; studying hard, then also relaxing. You study for three hours, you get to take a Netflix break. It’s helpful to have something enjoyable awaiting you,” she instructed.

One of those enjoyable activities is the “Family Dinner” that she holds monthly with her friends.

“I am so fortunate to have amazing friends here who are like family to me,” she noted. While Colosimo is not married, she does have a boyfriend of five years and theirs is a long-distance relationship. Even so, being apart and being busy does not preclude them from sharing their experiences with each other.

Despite the apparent hurdles, juggernauts, and seeming impediments to the normalcy of life, Colosimo is embracing the journey to earning her medical degree.

“The road to medical school has been a lengthy one, but being here has been truly rewarding,” she averred. “There is no better feeling than working determinedly for a dream that one has been chasing for the whole of one’s life,” Colosimo affirmed.

Indeed, the experiences noted in the words of these students offer a powerful affirmation.

Students engaged in learning abound, education thrives, and LECOM stands true to all that has underpinned a profound mission. LECOM ever has been at the threshold of excellence, keeping faith with those who have entrusted to it the future of medicine and welcoming the hand of Providence to guide its progeny as they travel this grand journey.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 19

PROLIFIC WRITER

PROPITIOUS CAREER PATH Unequivocally, the rigors of a medical school education are demanding; and one’s time spent in pursuit of a medical degree is wrought with challenges.

Lengthy hours of study, attending classes, and taking exams are followed by clinical rotations that will prepare these future physicians for the residencies that await them upon graduation.

While these tasks and the accompanying effort may seem more than sufficient to some, there are those students who strive even more assiduously to further their education outside of the classroom. Such efforts are undertaken on their own time and they entail a plethora of additional research and essay writing.

One of those avidly motivated scholars is Jun Elegino, a third-year medical student attending the LECOM at Seton Hill campus.

Elegino, the 2016 Student DO of the Year from LECOM at Seton Hill, has been published a total of eight times. His poster presentations have been reviewed both nationally and internationally.

His published works have been included in peer reviewed journals, such as SpringerPlus; in Inner Strength, a book written by the 2016 Student DO of the Year Awardees from each of the colleges of osteopathic medicine across the nation; in newsletters, and in other journals.

Elegino’s body of work has spanned a variety of topics. Rather than viewing his many undertakings merely as more work piled upon his already weighty and abundant school requirements, he found the tasks to be salutary, advancing his medical understanding and furthering his interest. Elegino found writing the essays to be particularly beneficial.

“I was involved in conducting research and in essay writing, and I found that I enjoyed the essay writing more than the research aspect,” noted Elegino. “Not only did the essays serve as therapeutic relief from medical school, they also allowed me to reflect upon my learning

20 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2016 | LECOM.edu

experience, as well as upon my personal journey through medical school,” he furthered.

“Since one is inundated with medical science information on a daily basis, self-reflection becomes a critical skill for any learner or future physician to possess. I found writing essays to be a perfect medium through which I could self-reflect,” elucidated the LECOM scholar.

Elegino also found a desired career path through his foray into essay writing.

“Through this self-reflection and critical thinking process, I found a true interest in bioethics. After medical school, I should like to pursue a bioethics degree with the hope of becoming a bioethicist,” he affirmed.

Research and essay writing has proved to be a truly rewarding experience for Elegino, and he believes that it constitutes an indispensable part of being a physician.

Elegino encourages his fellow and future medical students to participate in research; understanding that it is something that they will utilize as physicians.

“As future physicians, we shall be active consumers of the evidence provided by the research field,” explained Elegino. “Having experience in biostatistics, research writing, and in the submission process refines one’s understanding of the research methodologies and improves one’s ability to critically appraise journals that we, as medical professionals, use every day,” Elegino stated.

“Contributing to the body of research is our duty as physicians. I highly recommend that students explore the research side of medicine,” concluded Elegino.

The world is changed by example and by the avidity of scholars such a Jun Elegino. His commitment, determination, and unabashed willingness to deepen and develop his comprehensive medical understanding and awareness underpins a healthful society and a robust health care profession.

PUBLISHING ABOUNDS for LECOM Class of 2019 Student

The journal, and the impact factor of the journal to which a work is submitted (and ultimately accepted), usually indicates the quality of the research and the quality of the manuscript; the higher the impact factor, the more times the manuscript is cited.

Student research and publication is growing by leaps and bounds! The number of LECOM students submitting Research Day abstracts has been increasing consistently; and LECOM is making an indelible mark in the arena of scholarly publications.

For one LECOM scholar, Michael HarlanderLocke, 2016 proved to be a banner year. The College of Medicine student has co-authored 19 manuscripts and two book chapters.

Another four manuscripts are being prepared for publication presently.

The Saint Cloud, Minnesota native earned a BA in Chemistry from San Diego University and a Master of Public Health degree from Drew University of Medicine and Science.

He is interested in pursuing a career in surgery (specifically vascular) or a career in cardiology.

Indeed, much of Harlander-Locke’s work has been focused upon vascular surgery. “All vascular surgery-related manuscripts have been submitted to the Journal of Vascular Surgery, the specialty’s highest-impact journal,” explained the LECOM scholar.

“Liver transplant-related articles upon which I have worked have been published in Annals of Surgery, one of the top surgical journals worldwide,” he furthered.

One may ask, just how does one generate such an abundance of erudite material?

Generating research questions is an area that has evolved and changed since HarlanderLocke first began engaging in research. “In the beginning, I was an undergraduate college student and I was in no position heretically or knowledge-wise to formulate my own research questions,” Harlander-Locke noted.

“My mentor, Dr. Peter F. Lawrence, Professor and Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery at UCLA, would discuss various topics and ideas that he found probative. Such topics would include areas in which current medical literature was lacking because of decreased incidence, or areas concerning a new treatment modality where outcome data was lacking,” he clarified.

Now, as a LECOM student, Harlander-Locke’s breadth of knowledge and understanding has expanded significantly. Harlander-Locke defined his new approach to producing such scholarship: “I have become more involved in generating research topics and in directing the course of my research projects; understanding fundamentally that the most important aspect of any research undertaking is to define from the outset that which makes it different and that which sets it apart from all others,” he concluded.

Indisputably, the discipline required to launch and to sustain such profound work is great.

“To work at something for eight or nine months without any guarantee of acceptance is challenging,” admitted the assiduous researcher. “Ultimately, an idea or a concept that one believes is worthwhile might be perceived to be completely the opposite by colleagues, and thus the project requires one to believe wholly in the undertaking,” Harlander-Locke remarked.

Of the many writings that the 27-year-old, Michael Harlander-Locke has produced, two manuscripts stand out for him: The first, A Novel Prognostic Nomogram Accurately Predicts Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence after Liver Transplantation: Analysis of 865 Consecutive Liver Transplant Recipients was published in the Journal of American College of Surgeons.

Another noteworthy piece of scholarship of which the academic is rightly proud is entitled: The Impact of Ablation of Incompetent Superficial and Perforating Veins on Ulcer Healing Rates, published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

Continued On Page 38

GETTING TO KNOW Michael Harlander-Locke

• The youngest person to take the stage at the Society for Vascular Surgery at the Vascular Annual Meeting (in 2011) and to offer a podium presentation of his research study; • Completed the Javalina Jundred 100 km Endurance Run in 2014, which takes place in McDowell State Park, Arizona; • Completed the Coldwater Rumble 100 Mile Endurance Run through the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Seven months later, he completed the 2015 Coeur d’Alene Ironman Triathlon; • Certified in Open Water Scuba Diving - Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI); • Enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Katelyn, reading, weightlifting, and playing with Rufus (his Goldendoodle).

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 21

FEATURE

LECOM - SETTING THE STANDARD The Distinctive Medical Education For almost a quarter of a century, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has been training students to become osteopathic physicians.

Today, serving as a pinnacle of profound and penetrating academics and inculcating on the cutting edge of medical innovation and excellence, LECOM reminds readers that the road to this auspicious place was formed by the lengthy and arduous journey of its medical predecessors.

The practice of medicine in the United States

harkens to colonial times. At the beginning of the 17th century, medical practice in England was separated into three distinct groups: the physicians, the surgeons, and the apothecaries.

The physicians were viewed as the elite members of the practice and most often, they held a university degree. The surgeons were trained in hospitals, undertaking apprenticeships as they developed their skill and expertise. Interestingly, surgeons often served in the dual role of barber-surgeon. The apothecaries prescribed, compounded, and

22 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

sold medications; frequently establishing their marketplace within the hospitals.

The distinction among the arenas of medicine, surgery, and pharmacy did not survive in colonial America. When university-trained physicians from England arrived in America, they were expected to also perform surgery and to prepare medicines. By the late 1700s, the class distinctions rapidly changed as professional societies began to regulate the practice of medicine by examining and licensing practitioners.

Hope is an expensive commodity; it makes better sense to be prepared. ~ Thucydides

Fast forward through the seemingly fractious years of allopathic and osteopathic growing pains to meet the quintessential standard bearer in health and wellness - the osteopathic physician. Attune further to the leader in that very field of medical training, education, and health care - and one with the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation - the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Coupled with its superlative curriculum, the character of those who practice their noble profession is at the heart of a LECOM education. Those in leadership understood that a physician embodies honor, professional appearance, purposeful action, and responsible behavior. The College adopted an honor code, a dress code for classroom and clinic, and professional policies that inculcate respect for the faculty.

It is from this point that we explore that which is contained within the world of superlative osteopathic medical education and that we understand the reason that LECOM has come to be known as the preeminent leader in the field.

The visionary leaders of medicine who founded LECOM sought to develop the core attributes of that which defines a physician: the credo of the calling; the intrinsic purpose of the healer; and the foundation of that which carries a physician to seek the best version of himself or herself - for each defines the future of medicine.

Yet, it is indeed the superlative LECOM standard of exceptionalism in all categories that sets the College of Medicine apart from all other osteopathic educators. From the five individually designed student-centered learning pathways that recognize and reflect the various student learning styles to the lowest tuition of all private colleges, LECOM carries the banner in distinction as a transformative force in medical education.

LECOM doctors are practicing throughout the nation, from city centers to needful rural areas.

These accomplished osteopathic physicians provide complete medical care to millions of people throughout the United States. Although DOs can specialize in every recognized area of

Certainly, 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

LECOM educates osteopathic physicians, pharmacists, and dentists to practice at the consummate level of competency and professionalism. Although this issue of the LECOM Connection will focus upon the medical college, LECOM, throughout its educational platforms, inculcates the values of academic exceptionalism, leadership, and service. These attributes are advanced, not solely through educational training, but in community service and through awareness of the human condition. Not only is LECOM a leader in education, but the College and LECOM Health - the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation - are inextricably linked partners, providing for an extensive and full range of medical education and health care needs.

medicine, from neonatology to neurosurgery, approximately 65% of practicing osteopathic physicians specialize in primary care areas, such as pediatrics, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine.

Many DOs receive additional training in specialty areas such as psychiatry, surgery, ophthalmology, and cardiology.

The College established its venerable place in medical education through a multiplicity of attributes; one of its most noteworthy offerings focuses upon its student-centered learning pathways. LECOM became one of the first institutions to present its curriculum in multiple learning styles designed to address the specific educational needs of its students and it accorded to them a choice of three- or four-year programs.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 23

FEATURE its two-semester, Health Sciences PostBaccalaureate Certificate Program. The Master of Science 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 Health Sciences Program is designed to enhance the basic science credentials of students interested in medical college or in pharmacy school.

medical education. Valuing the individual needs of the student, LECOM developed and championed student-centered learning styles by offering multiple 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 preclinical courses and it progresses to a systemsbased program in the second year of study. The lecture presentations and laboratories are the basis for the LDP. 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 (DSP) allows qualified students to use educational modules based upon the core and systems curricula. As an outstanding 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 offerings at every opportunity. LECOM introduced the Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP) in response to the field-wide need for primary care physicians, and in particular to address 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 Primary Care Scholars are graduated in three years from LECOM Erie with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree that is equivalent to a four-year academic program.

LECOM also sought to train more physicians by developing the Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway (APAP) - a three-year program designed to educate certified PAs who wish to increase their medical knowledge and practice independently as fully licensed physicians.

In addition to the pathways that have come to define the signature sobriquet of the LECOM curricula, the College provides its well-received program in offering a Master of Science in Medical Education as well as

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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 of accomplishment, and of purpose. LECOM has not sought to outdistance other schools; rather, it has sought only and ever to outdistance 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.

LECOM students taking national medical Board Examinations consistently have maintained a first-time pass rate at, or above, the national averages. Indeed, in some cases, 100% of the students tested have passed the exams. These facts wholly and irrefutably support and elucidate the gleaming imprimatur of quality education that is offered at LECOM. LECOM students have achieved these superlative test results by rigorously maintaining professional and educational standards as inculcated by the College.

LECOM DOs are able to combine modern medical technology with the personal aspects of care - listening caringly to their patients, viewing their patients as whole persons, and using hands-on methods to diagnose and to treat injury and illness. Osteopathic medicine is emerging as one of the fastest growing health care professions in the United States, largely due to the commitment of primary care and prevention. DOs are becoming the physicians of choice for an increasing segment

Continued On Page 38

LECOM MEDICAL EDUCATORS

ADVANCING THE PROCESS OF LIVING “Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself,” explained American philosopher, psychologist, and educator, John Dewey. “Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living,” he expounded.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has long echoed this prudent observation in providing the full and profoundly penetrating education of its students. Indeed, it is from this perspective that one may understand fully the reason that LECOM has come to be known as a first rate academic institution; one that is unyielding in its commitment to graduating some of the foremost osteopathic physicians, pharmacists, and dentists, in their respective fields Matthew Stantspainter, DO, is one such LECOM graduate who has galloped apace into the very forefront of medicine. Dr. Stantspainter is the Osteopathic Program Director at Washington Health System (WHS) and he serves as Medical Director of the WHS Family Medicine Center in Washington, Pennsylvania.

As a distinguished member of a rapidly expanding assemblage of LECOM alumni, Dr. Stantspainter has ventured forth into the health care field to utilize and to share his training and skill as a community leader in 21st century health and wellness. For Dr. Stantspainter, and for many similarly situated LECOM progeny, this auspicious attainment is attributed in no small measure to the superlative education offered and the knowledge imparted upon its students in LECOM classrooms, clinical rotations, and residency sites.

Nary a LECOM graduate would hesitate to delineate a spate of professors and educators who have been instrumental in placing the calling of a lifetime within the grasp of these dedicated scholars.

In fact, many of those LECOM graduates have, themselves, become the medical educators that will shape future health care professionals.

In addition to having an active practice of his own, Dr. Stantspainter (LECOM 2003), oversees students on clinical rotations. He also works with students and residents in providing osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) training. Dr. Stantspainter further ensures that the residency program is compliant with various regulations.

During his Family Medicine residency training, Dr. Stantspainter searched for an area of medicine that would most interest him.

Realizing that many students share such struggle, Dr. Stantspainter was propelled to become a medical educator.

“Family medicine is quite broad, as far as the areas of medicine that it touches,” explained Dr. Stantspainter. “In residency training, I had a difficult time deciding upon an area that I preferred, or perhaps more particularly, upon an area that I did not wish to pursue. That quandary actually is that which prompted me toward academic medicine; one has the opportunity to do a little bit of everything,” he noted.

“Not only do I favor the academic portion of teaching, but I enjoy the constant challenge of making sure that I am on top of my game; and the students help me to achieve that goal,” assured Dr. Stantspainter.

The students who so readily keep Dr. Stantspainter on his toes often are LECOM scholars, with whom he decidedly shares the special alma mater connection.

“For me, having a tie to LECOM truly offers a profoundly insightful perspective, since I understand the rigors of the sound LECOM training. Students may hail from many places, but I am always certain of the quality LECOM training and all that they carry with them when they undertake their programs,” averred the learned doctor.

“LECOM definitely provides a solid base,” he affirmed.

While he continues to learn by working with his students, Dr. Stantspainter also is furthering his own formal education in the LECOM Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA) Program.

“Through the Program, I hope to enhance and to build upon the knowledge that I have gained, providing even further options, long term,” remarked Dr. Stantspainter.

If Dr. Stantspainter could offer any advice to medical students, it would be to ever continue the learning process in the osteopathic profession.

Echoing the wisdom of those sage philosophers who so astutely characterized the nature of the truly educated, Dr. Stantspainter understands indeed that education is not simply a preparation for life; education is life itself. For the direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life. Much like the fertile ground in which the roots of Dr. Stantspainter’s own medical education thrived, LECOM continues to cultivate the best and the brightest, providing the most favorable conditions in

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 25

which they can learn and providing the expert educators who will light their lamp of learning.

A Twig is Bent LECOM Medical Educators Abound Steve Wolfe, DO, Assistant Dean LECOM Clinical Campus/Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and Director of Osteopathic Medical Education for the Forbes Family Medicine Residency Program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is another estimable LECOM graduate who evinces the momentously valuable leadership aspect found in the field of Medical Education.

Dr. Wolfe (LECOM 2002), oversees the education and clinical experience of the LECOM students who rotate through the AHN in Greater Pittsburgh. The Network welcomed 65 clinical campus students this year; a number that will increase to 78 next year. In addition, there are 20 to 25 students who rotate throughout the AHN. Supplementing his clinical supervision work, Dr. Wolfe also ensures the quality and breadth of the educational experience in Family Medicine for osteopathic residents.

From an early age, Dr. Wolfe possessed an interest in teaching and it was through his experience in coaching swimming and springboard diving that he built a foundation for becoming an educator.

Who is wise, one who learns from all men. ~The Talmud

“During my undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, I decided that I wished to be an educator,” he recalled. “I spent all of my teenage years and my early 20s coaching swimming and springboard diving. I adapted the qualities that worked well at the pool to aptly fit medical education,” he explained.

the care of my patients and to better guide my teaching along individualized paths,” he explained.

It was during Dr. Wolfe’s third-year of Family Medicine residency that it became clear that his calling was to be that of a Teaching Physician. Following his residency, Dr. Wolfe pursued a Faculty Development fellowship; a program that he credits with truly honing his teaching and guidance skills.

Stated Dr. Wolfe: “Their success is my success.” Truly, that very statement seems to sum up the LECOM educational credo; for as leaders are created in a thriving environment that values lifelong learning, the very future of health care reaps the benefits of the highly skilled Deans, Program Directors, Chief Medical Officers, and Residency Guides that are the LECOM legacy. For, as the twig is bent, so grows the tree in a veritable forest of first rate educators and scholars

Dr. Wolfe has since turned his desire to teach into a profound and purposed reality. He serves as an integral contributor in preparing the next generation of physicians who continue their learning through his site.

That is an undertaking that he finds quite gratifying.

“It is most definitely rewarding,” affirmed Dr. Wolfe. “I rarely hear my friends or family say that they love their job 100 percent. I do!

Anything that I can do to help learners realize their maximum potential makes me smile from ear to ear,” he beamed.

Dr. Wolfe gained his medical education from LECOM; and he credits his alma mater with inculcating on a broad spectrum. Just as the students who, in him, place their trust, Dr. Wolfe sees the full circle of comprehensive education.

“It is really the osteopathic philosophy at LECOM that encouraged me to see outside of the box,” he commented. “To think innovatively, cognitively, and beyond a narrow perspective helped me to be creative with

26 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

Of course, as an alumnus of the largest medical school in the country, Dr. Wolfe shares a special bond with the LECOM students in his charge.

Fortune Favors

A New Model in Health Care Delivery

LECOM

H E A LTexercise H leadership in support of its common

From nascence to national renown, from services (Visiting Nurses Association), an active humble beginnings to hallmark of excellence aging-education and health-service agency MILLCREEK COMMUNITY HOSPITAL the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LifeWorks), and the clinical practices of Medical (LECOM) demonstrates that all who have Associates of Erie (MAE). accomplished purposeful victories have held a high aim, have fixed their gaze upon a goal As the tempestuous seas of an uncertain which was towering - one that sometimes future of health care wash over the nation, as HEALTH E A LTH EC Land EC O Mpractices seemed impossible - for this is theL code of O M Hhospitals merge clinical close, MILLCREEK COMMUNITY HOSPITAL LAKE ERIE COLLEGE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES OF ERIE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE leadership.

LECOM is building a thriving model medical education and health care delivery system.

Holding high the standard of this ever-fixed code stands LECOM, proudly positioned at the very This novel and sagacious stratagem is not center of an entirely new paradigm in health unusual for LECOM. Recall that it was, as its care. very genesis two decades past, a wistful idea that crossed the minds of a few bold dreamers LECOM is the core of the only academic health as they envisaged the future of osteopathic center in the osteopathic profession; an integral medicine. and inextricably linked part of LECOM Health - a highly innovative health care and education “Fortune favors the bold,” and in each age, men system that strives to add to the quality of life of and women of vision undertake the ascent its neighbors by bringing total health care to the to pursue such goal, to face the tempests of community. naysayers and cynics, remaining fixed upon their mission and purpose. To Virgil – “fortune” Offering a new model in health care delivery, was comprised of purpose, freedom, and the LECOM is wholly unique among osteopathic determination to realize one’s full potential. medical schools. No other school of its Valued contributions to society demand such kind can boast two hospitals, two skilled unflinching and persistent risks that create nursing facilities, a state-of-the-art fitness and opportunities as well as leaders. LECOM is wellness center, three independent senior an organization replete with individuals who living communities, along with home-health

purpose and in pursuit of the shared objectives of a noble calling. Just as LECOM came about as a bold response to community need, so too has its vision been set upon ever understanding that need.

L E C Oallows M HEALTH This almost intuitive understanding SENIOR LIVING CENTER LECOM to bolster the community-based education necessary to prepare medical, pharmacy, and dental students. Cutting-edge health care facilities provide training for LECOM students under the guidance of medical educators, many of whom are graduates of the LECOM post-graduate residency programs and who have completed the LECOM Master’s of Science in Medical Education Degree.

Indeed, the model is visionary. It is the template from which others will take the cue; a model formed in the crucible of community commitment and professional exceptionalism.

What wakes LECOM leaders each morning?

It is as much the credo as the calling; a common ground, fertile earth that remains to be tilled.

It is the belief that the community’s need is a vessel to fill; the knowledge that excellence is never an option, rather it is a standard. What is the foundation of a legacy? It is LECOM Health.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 27

Why choose a Why choose a

Join the LECOM Health

LECOM Health LECOM Family doctor? doctor? of Physicians Treating Erie’s Families LECOM Health doctors belong to the only academic health

We are the physicians of Medical Associates of Erie - the center headquartered in northwestern Pennsylvania – LECOM Health doctors belong to the only academic health Clinical Practices of LECOM. Our goal is to provide to our LECOM Health. center headquartered in northwestern Pennsylvania – patients the very best osteopathic, wholeHealth. person care – LECOM mind, body and spirit – for a lifetime of optimal health.

LECOM Health doctors provide medical care and teach at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, the nation’s LECOM Health doctors provide medical care and teach

You can become part of the only Osteopathic Academic at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, the nation’s largest medical school.

Health Center in the nation led by the Lake Erie College of largest medical school.

Osteopathic Medicine.

LECOM Health doctors accept all major insurances.

LECOM Health doctors accept all major insurances.

Currently, we are seeking physicians in Anesthesiology; LECOM Health doctors’ primary hospital Millcreek Community Ear, Nose, and Throat; Neurology; Orthopedics; isPain LECOM Health doctors’ primary hospital is Millcreek Community Hospital, the region’s leading hospital for geriatric care, Management and Psychiatry for our expanding practices.

Hospital, the region’s leading hospital for geriatric care,

behavioral health, rehabilitation, wound care and orthopedics. behavioral health, rehabilitation, wound care and orthopedics.

Please contact Dennis Styn at (814) 868-2504 LECOM Healthtodoctors can refer patients for specialty care or dstyn@lecom.edu learn more about LECOM or Health doctors canfor refer anywhere – Cleveland, Pittsburgh, wherever is best thepatients for specialty care available opportunities.

anywhere care and convenience of the patient.* – Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or wherever is best for the care and convenience of the patient.*

LECOM Health doctors belong to Medical Associates LECOM Health doctors belong to Medical Associates of Erie and practice Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, of Erie and practice Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Geriatrics, Integrative Medicine, General Surgery, Geriatrics, Integrative Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Orthopedics, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Podiatry and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Podiatry and Primary Care and Medical Specialties.

Primary Care and Medical Specialties. *Specialty care insurance coverage depends upon a patient’s insurance company. *Specialty care insurance coverage depends upon a patient’s insurance company.

E A LTH WELCOME TO WELLNESS L E C OL MEHC OM

H E A LT H

MEDICAL ASSOCIATES OF HOSPITAL ERIE ASSOCIATES MILLCREEK COMMUNITY WELCOME TO LECOM HEALTH MEDICAL OF HOSPITAL ERIE MILLCREEK COMMUNITY

LECOM Health Doctors. Become one todaydoctors. to join aChoose health one today to join a health LECOM Health Visit LECOMHealth.com/clinical-practices Visit LECOMHealth.com/physicians system with a focus on overall wellness for system that will focus onlife. your overall wellness, for life.

Care. Compassion. Community.

28 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

In July of 2016, the LECOM School of Dental Medicine Erie Dental Offices received a $10,000 Erie Community Foundation Grant to benefit the DENTCOL Project.

LECOM Receives Helping Today Grant The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has been ever at the threshold of excellence. From the early 1990s to the dawn of a new millennium and beyond, LECOM consistently has responded to need. Often, LECOM has teamed with its partners from community agencies and governance to carry forth its visionary mission as a leader in health care and education.

That community leadership paradigm was repeated yet again in July of 2016, as the LECOM School of Dental Medicine Erie Dental Offices received a $10,000 Helping Today Grant from the Erie Community Foundation and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA).

This mission-driven, need-based pledge of resources furthers the outreach of education and dental care to underserved populations.

The Grant will benefit the Dental Education Network and Treatment for Community Oral Health (DENTCOL) Project, which will offer free educational programming during monthly outreach events held at various community sites. Certain sites also will offer dental screenings.

The Project, partially funded by the Helping Today Grant, is intended to address the

critical need for accessible and affordable oral health care in Erie County. The resultsfocused program directly advances the LECOM mission through community betterment in the areas of dental health and oral hygiene.

The Project, which is helmed by students, faculty, and staff from the LECOM School of Dental Medicine, will be coordinated with local community organizations that serve the in-need and the at-risk area populations.

ECGRA Grants Manager, Tom Maggio, presented the Grant at the Erie Community Foundation Second Quarter Grant Reception, which was held at the new home of the Lake Erie Ballet, at 1020 Holland Street, in Erie. “Thank you for the work that you do; we are pleased to be a part of this,� enthused Maggio as he noted the positive community impact of the LECOM Erie Dental Offices.

The majority of the work to be completed in the DENTCOL Project will be undertaken

by LECOM School of Dental Medicine students, using educational and promotional materials that the Project team will develop.

Those materials will be distributed to

community organizations to serve as many people as possible.

The DENTCOL Project will expand the Healthy Smiles Program currently under the auspices of the Dental Offices. Sponsored events and additional free treatments beyond screenings are planned.

To date, the LECOM Erie Dental Offices have provided more than 70 charity care cases in which patients have paid less than half of the actual cost of their treatments. Cumulative patient savings exceed $100,000.

The LECOM School of Dental Medicine Erie Dental Offices welcomed the public in June of 2015; and immediately, the practice began offering charity care to qualifying patients. In August of the same year, the Dental Offices began participating in a number of community outreach activities under the LECOM Dental Health Community Outreach Project.

No more evident is the LECOM credo: The Community is Our Campus, than when current and future health needs of the region are served by the professionals educated and trained at LECOM.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 29

LECOM Service Not for Ourselves, but for Others Leadership in service is comprised of many attributes: integrity, self-discipline, purpose, preparedness, common-sense, and compassion to name a few. Service leaders are not born; they are made - through hard work, through sacrifice, through determination.

LECOM students have led the way, serving on mission trips to provide medical treatment and care to those suffering in tattered villages of distant lands; and LECOM volunteers have served in the shadows of the inner-cities, right here, in the United States.

LECOM stands stalwartly in the vanguard of promoting wellness for the communities that it touches. The College sets an example by supporting service organizations such as the Bridging the Gaps Program as it promotes health care, wellness, education, and improves the wellbeing of underserved children and adults within the community. Each summer, LECOM students sacrifice their only break in four years of medical school to venture into more than twenty social service and health care agencies where they make a difference in the lives of people in need.

LECOM dental students pose for a photo after teaching children proper dental hygiene at the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Erie.

When the Board of Trustees of Millcreek Community Hospital founded the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in the early 1990s, it became the sixteenth college of osteopathic medicine in the nation.

Since that time, the indefatigable efforts of faculty, staff, and student alike have propelled LECOM to its place as the largest educational institution of its kind. The tremendous growth of LECOM is one of the top entrepreneurial American success stories; further fulfilling its mission it has become the core of LECOM Health, the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation.

LECOM educates osteopathic physicians, pharmacists, and dentists to practice medicine at a superlative level. It inculcates the values of leadership excellence - not solely in educational training, but in community service and through awareness of the human condition.

Marking Safe Kids Day, LECOM students taught youngsters at Villa Maria Elementary School in Erie about poison prevention.

To what can one attribute this LECOM success? In a word – Service!

30 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

The principle of service leadership has brought LECOM to generously support organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Wellsville, the YMCA, the Erie Housing Authority, the Erie Bayhawks, and countless outreach programs that work in the areas of health and wellness.

LECOM has established the 31-million dollar John M. Ferretti and Silvia M. Ferretti Health and Wellness Center in Erie, Pennsylvania as a state-of-the-art facility offering a bevy of personal trainers, an indoor track, and three pools - including one for warm water therapy.

Through the joint service leadership of the LECOM family - faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends - the LECOM Auction raises significant sums annually to aid students in attending medical school. The cycle of service continues as the students raise thousands of dollars each year by participating in the fund-raising efforts of many health service organizations such as the Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Heart, Diabetes, and other associations.

Service begets service.

JumpBack to School LECOM recognizes that service leadership centers upon building a community of leaders at all levels of society. A leader is best when people scarcely know that he exists; so that when his work is complete and his aim fulfilled, they will say: “we did this ourselves.” That is the mission of LECOM. To instill leadership into the capable and well-trained hands of the physician, pharmacist, and dentist such that they will have the ability to lead and to serve.

LECOM students volunteer over 30,000 community service hours annually. The TOUCH Points Program, supported by the LECOM Student Government organizations is a reward program based upon student participation in service-based events and undertakings. Mentoring clubs and outreach programs abound, resulting in LECOM students being recognized repeatedly for service-based awards.

LECOM celebrates service leadership, for it is essential to fueling passion, to valuing people, and to creating a sense of progress through which may be confronted many issues and challenges. Service leadership is not a one-day activity; rather it is a constant commitment to excellence - a habit and a daily practice.

The noble principle of service: the code of practice that each student finds honed through protracted hours of study and through tireless determination of single-minded purpose; the awareness that to be able to lead others to serve, one often must be willing to go forward alone; the realization that service leaders do not wait - they shape their own frontiers, seeing challenge as opportunity rather than impediment - these attributes comprise the LECOM tenet: Non Sibi sed Aliis - Not for Ourselves, but for Others.

In the realm of medical education and community service, the pledge to a cause beyond oneself underscores the essence of all that comprises the LECOM mission. The promise and the possibility that is stirred in the heart of those most committed to the purpose of this noble calling is evidenced in the result and in the accomplishment of each day in service.

LECOM School of Dental Medicine students provided free dental screenings to more than 900 children at the Annual JUMP Back to School Expo.

The Erie Dental Offices of the LECOM School of Dental Medicine (SDM) continued its ever-present mission to improve dental health for the community as students from the SDM participated in the JUMP Back to School Expo held on August 14, 2016, at the Penn State Behrend Junker Center.

The event, which was hosted by WQLN Education, provided children in kindergarten through high school an experience that featured services and resources designed to advance their academic success. For the first time in its four-year history, the event was presented at no cost to the public.

School supplies and academic resources were provided to attendees by various area organizations and businesses. The LECOM Erie Dental Offices and the LECOM SDM students offered free dental screenings for children in attendance.

More than 1,500 families and children were aided by the Expo; and more than 900 children were screened by LECOM dental students.

“I am very pleased with the event turnout and I am so proud of our LECOM Erie SDM students,” stated Amber Pascuzzi, a Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioner with the LECOM Erie Dental Offices.

The LECOM mission underscores its stalwart commitment as an active participant in community betterment and this project served as yet another example of its unyielding pledge to that purposeful mission.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 31

LECOM Student Scholarship Fund Auction Galas Promise Evenings of Philanthropic Purpose The always eagerly anticipated LECOM Student Scholarship Fund Dinner and Auction Gala is fast approaching! The impressive duo of events, held in Erie, Pennsylvania and in Bradenton, Florida, bring together an estimable contingent of community leaders and notables to dine and to bid during two important evenings that benefit the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

Despite the fact that LECOM boasts the second lowest tuition in the nation, the challenges of a new climate in the medical field coupled with uncertainty and instability in the economic forecast make the monies raised at the yearly event even more welcome and necessary for these deserving students as all proceeds from the event benefit the Scholarship Fund.

32 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

The Galas, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota on October 29, 2016 and at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie on November 5, 2016, welcome guests to join in the purposeful mission to advance medical and health care education.

As is ever the trend at the LECOM Auction Galas, many interesting and unusual items

draw the attention of the bidders. This year, we offer a sneak peek into a couple of the enthralling bid items to provide to our guests sufficient preparation time to plan and to discuss that superb vacation getaway or exquisite item.

In Bradenton - A trip to Paris, France and a week in the English Cotswolds highlight some of our featured travel packages this year.

A Week in Paris for Two! $2,000 Travel Voucher included Total Value: $3,000

Delight in the City of Lights, stroll the Parisian streets, visit the iconic Eiffel Tower, and the Champs Élysées. Sip a café au lait at a street-side café and drink in the sights and sounds of a place that evokes romance, oozes history, and beckons any discerning world traveler again and again.

A cozy and elegantly romantic getaway studio apartment overlooks the city; situated in the 8th Arrondissement on Boulevard Haussmann, a tree-lined gem in the heart of Paris, and offering a short walk to the Place du Concorde, Champs Elysées, the Presidential Palace, the American Embassy, and the Arc de Triomphe on one side of the flat and the Opera House and the most fashionable department store of Paris on the other side. The memorial of Louis XVI is just steps from the accommodation in a lovely park setting.

A Week in the Cotswolds, England! $2,000 Travel Voucher included Total Value: $3,500

Drink in the history, culture, and charming Cotswolds countryside as you enjoy an unforgettable week in the heart of old England! A fabulous, newly renovated, heart-of-the-city flat awaits you in quaint and historic Cheltenham. Perfect for two people, the lovely cedar-clad apartment is short steps from Town Center. Nestled into a quiet, private lane this newly built unit is contemporary and bright; it is an ideal place to stay and to explore The Cotswolds or to shop in Cheltenham - The English Regency era town is replete with boutiques and fine dining.

London or the surrounding Cotswold villages, such as Burford, Burton-on-thewater, Morton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Winchcomb are reached by a short bus ride. Cheltenham is a bustling and beautiful town with festivals galore: Literature, Jazz, Food and Wine, and Science to name a few. The Gateway to the Cotswolds, use this great apartment as a place to explore the heart of England In Erie - A getaway sports package and a spanky new car highlight some of the featured items.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Tickets (4) with Two Nights Lodging Total Value: $2,200

Treat your Fighting Irish fan to home game tickets and a weekend on the renowned Notre Dame campus. The package includes four tickets to a Notre Dame home game in South Bend, Indiana along with a two-night stay at the Country Inn and Suites, in nearby Mishawaka, Indiana.

Interstate Mitsubishi Leased Vehicle 2016 Outlander Sport Total value: $15,500

Plan to scout out some new wheels and to consider a 2016 Outlander Sport! Interstate Mitsubishi is providing a delightful Rally Red Sport to the Auction for display, but the successful bidder may select a color of choice. This fabulous contribution by Interstate Mitsubishi represents their second year of participation in the Gala. Dealership owner, Joe Bizzarro, explained that: “Interstate Mitsubishi is committed to this important event and to the indispensable purpose of supporting higher education for the future of deserving students.” A $1,500 gas card is included in the offering.

The inexorable commitment that LECOM has to its students and to the promise of a better tomorrow in health care stands the test of all trials. In addition to the superlative philanthropic results of a grand pair of evenings – both north and south – the LECOM Board of Directors will match the amounts raised, providing substantial scholarships for deserving medical, dental, and pharmacy students. Many LECOM students serve as floor volunteers at the Auction; visibly moved and vocally appreciative of the hundreds of guests and donors who make each of the nights a resounding triumph. Please join us - sponsor a table, plan ahead for travel or for that special item - and please know that YOU are making a palpable and positive difference in the very fabric of American health care. See you at the Gala!

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 33

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Bradenton Hospital Day

Safe Kids Celebrate Erie

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students from LECOM Bradenton met with physicians, residents, and administrators from hospitals and medical centers in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Mississippi at the Annual LECOM Hospital Day.

LECOM Safe Kids Erie was at the Annual Celebrate Erie in August promoting safety and well-being for children and for their families.

LECOM student volunteers were present at the event to educate children about home safety, poison prevention, and about other safety concerns.

Pharmacy Career Day

MCH Golf Outing

In July, LECOM Erie held its Pharmacy Career Day, which provided LECOM pharmacy students an opportunity to meet with potential employers and to participate in on-site interviews.

The LECOM Health/Millcreek Community Hospital 12th Annual Golf Scholarship Classic was held in August at Lake Shore Country Club in Fairview, Pa. Forty-eight teams registered for the tournament, with the proceeds benefitting the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

34 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

MASH

LECOM 5K

Students from area high schools gathered at LECOM Erie to participate in the Medical Applications of Science and Health (MASH) Program, which is an unique opportunity for a select group of students to spend one week during the summer learning about the world of medicine.

Students attended lectures and they were introduced to anatomy, dental, compounding, and other labs.

In August, 223 runners finished the LECOM 5K Scholarship Run/Walk.

The purposeful community event encourages the pursuit of a healthful lifestyle, promotes physical fitness, and it improves the health of the Erie community. All proceeds benefit the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support for medical, pharmacy, and dental school students.

Bradenton Pharmacy Exploration Academy

SGA Orientation

Students from high schools across Manatee and Sarasota counties participated in the week-long Pharmacy Exploration Academy Program at LECOM Bradenton. More than 20 students took part in the Compounding and Toxicology Laboratories and they sampled the Problem-Based Learning approach via a Patient Counseling Lab and case study.

The LECOM Erie College of Medicine Student Government Association and second-year students hosted their 2016 Orientation Luau for firstyear students. The July event gave first-year students an opportunity to meet second-year students and a chance to learn about the numerous student organizations offered at LECOM.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 35

NOTES

STUDENT NOTES College of Medicine Erie Campus

Tarun Ahuja, OMSI, and Jeffery Taylor, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project with Erie Housing and Neighborhood Development Service (HANDS). The LECOM students educated residents of the HANDS properties about the importance of smoking cessation and about the way in which to live healthfully.

Katie Alsheimer, OMSII, organized a Kids Safety Day at a local YMCA. Approximately 35 children made first-aid kits. The children also learned about sun safety and exercise safety.

Hasan Aoun, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project with the YMCA Kids Club, where he worked to improve health-related activities for children at the Club.

Susannah Boulet, OMSI, and Carly Chamberlain, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at the LECOM Senior Living Center.

The LECOM students developed an activities curriculum to enhance the lifestyles of the Senior Living Center residents.

Jonathan Brach, OMSII, and Kaylin Strauser, OMSI, completed a Bridging the Gaps project with the Health Care for the Homeless Partnership Initiative, a sub-group of the Western Pennsylvania United Methodist Alliance Health as Wholeness Team. The LECOM students developed an outline for a sustainable monthly health program for the residents at Community Shelter Services.

Megan Church, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at the Mercy Center for Women.

Church created an information book that addresses various medical problems. The book is intended to enhance the knowledge of mothers about their children’s health.

Kaeli Freeborough, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at Brevillier Village.

Freeborough implemented a program that encouraged the senior living facility residents to spend time out-of-doors. She also conducted personalized restorative therapy exercises.

Anthony Holst, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at the Northwestern Pennsylvania Branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Minju Hwang, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at Mercy Hilltop Center. Hwang created a comprehensive summer health program focusing upon daily exercise, physical health, and nutrition in older adults.

Hannah Mirzakhani, OMSII, was appointed as the Director of Financial Affairs for the Student Osteopathic Medical Foundation.

Allison Montgomery, OMSI, and Morgan Wardrop, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The LECOM students conducted a veteran survey about current tabacco use and oral health. Data obtained was used to develop an informational brochure about the health risks associated with smoking.

Vishesha Patel, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at the Erie Homes for Children and Adults. Patel helped to create and implement a yoga class for individuals who attend the Making Opportunities for Volunteerism and Exploration (MOVE) facility.

Brendan Paull, OMSII, and Katlyn Roginsky, OMSI, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at the Barber National Institute. The LECOM students aided the staff of the Adult Mental Health Partial Hospitalization Program through facilitating daily physical and mental health activities.

George Rollins, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at Voices for Independence, a nonprofit organization that promotes independent living for the disabled.

Maneck Saran, OMSI, and Mary Seroka, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project at Millcreek Community Hospital. The LECOM duo provided dental supplies and oral hygiene health pamphlets to the ER. Suzanna Sellars, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project for Erie DAWN – Dwellings and Advocacy for Women in Need, in which she assisted with writing, modifying, and teaching a curriculum to local families in the Erie community.

Thomas Tuyen, OMSII, completed a Bridging the Gaps project through SafeNet, which provides services for victims of domestic abuse.

Tuyen created an oral health brochure and he developed activities for children to address healthy eating, hand washing etiquette, and physical activity.

36 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

College of Medicine Bradenton Campus Vincent Anagnos, OMSIII, was awarded the 2016 American Osteopathic Foundation Welch Scholars Grant.

College of Medicine Seton Hill Campus Michelle Singh, OMSIII, was awarded the 2016 American Osteopathic Foundation Welch Scholars Grant.

School of Pharmacy Bradenton Campus Robbie Christian, P4, was elected Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) National Vice President at the 2016 SNPhA Conference.

Margaret Emerson, P4, had an article entitled: Heat, Humidity and Asthma Management, published in The Bakersfield Californian.

Elizabeth Faville, P4, Stephanie McKinney, P2, and Kierra Murray, P4, placed second in the National Association of Student Affairs Personnel Administrators/National Medical Association (NASPA/NMA) Quiz Bowl.

Melissa Holehouse, P3, placed third in the Student Patient Counseling Competition offered by the Florida Pharmacy Association.

Anna Marsakova, P4, placed first in a poster presentation for the Florida Pharmacy Association.

Amanda Peebles, P3, was awarded one of six $2,000 scholarships presented by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee Scholarship Committee.

Priscilla Sakyi, P4, had an article entitled: Metformin and Alzheimer’s: A Potential New Therapy? published in Diabetes in Control.

Kaylee Toole, P4, placed third in a poster presentation for the Florida Pharmacy Association.

FACULTY NOTES College of Medicine Erie Campus

Erika Allen, PhD, Mathew Bateman, PhD, and Leah Labranche, MSc, were awarded a $5,000

NOTES research grant from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation/American Association of Colleges for Osteopathic Medicine.

Patrick Leary, DO, offered a presentation entitled: Mental Health Considerations in College Sports at the 67th National Athletic Trainers’ Association Clinical Symposia and at the AT Expo in Baltimore, MD.

College of Medicine Bradenton Campus Santiago Lorenzo, PhD, was featured in an article entitled: Humidity - Work With It or Against It, published in RunWashington.

School of Pharmacy Erie Campus Thomas Corso, PhD, was appointed Director of the Pharmacy Post-Baccalaureate Program.

Kristen Gawronski, PharmD, wrote an article entitled: Vitamin A Supplementation for Prevention of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: Cornerstone of Care for Futile Therapys, that was accepted for publication in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

Abbey Krysiak, PharmD, was named to the 40 Under 40 list published by the Erie Reader.

Fallon Enfinger, PharmD, presented a session for the Bayfront Family Medicine Residency Program, discussing Federal and State laws as they relate to the prescribing of controlled substances.

Deepak Gupta, PhD, wrote a study entitled: The Role of Phospholipid as a Solubility and Permeability – Enhancing Excipient for the Improved Delivery of the Bioactive Phytoconstituents of Bacopa Monnieri, which was published in the European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Sunil Jambhekar, PhD, presented a lecture entitled: Pharmaceutical Calculations to Pharmacy Technicians at the Annual Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists Meeting.

He was appointed to serve on the Biology and Biotechnology Advisory Committee of St. Petersburg College and he was appointed by BioLEAGUES as a member of the Organizing Committee for the Global Summit on Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Trials.

Christopher Lynch, PharmD, offered a live Continuing Education Presentation at the Bayfront Family Medicine Residency Program.

His presentation was entitled: Leading a Multigenerational Workforce.

Class of 1998 Marydonna Ravasio, DO, was named Distinguished Fellow at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians (ACOOG) and Gynecologists. The distinction is the highest honor achievable for osteopathic OB/ GYNs. Dr. Ravasio also is on the ACOOG Board of Trustees.

Class of 1999 Heather Vega, DO, has been named the Area Medical Director for MedExpress Urgent Care, covering centers in Southwest Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She also works with Gateway Rehabilitation Center in field of addiction medicine.

Class of 2000 Stephen Renzi, DO, received the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society (PATS) Team Physician Honorary Membership Award at the PATS Annual Conference in Grantville, PA. The Award recognized his more than 15 years of dedicated service to the Commonwealth.

Class of 2004

Bojana Stevich-Heemer, PharmD and Alice Hudder, PhD, wrote a study entitled: Genomics in Modern Medicine: Preparing the Future Healthcare Providers. The piece was published in Symbiosis - International Journal of Genetic Science.

Kelly Scolaro, PharmD, co-authored: Transitioning Pharmacogenomics Into the Clinical Setting: Training Future Pharmacists. The piece was published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.

She also co-authored: The Heart of the Matter: Improving Collaboration and Communication through Interprofessional Education, which was accepted into the 17th International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare.

Jamie Burrows, DO, has joined Wuesthoff Medical Center – Rockledge, in Rockledge, FL, as an OB/GYN.

Rebecca Wise, PharmD, listed an informative post entitled: Multiple Sclerosis, posted on Pharmacists Care.

Katherine Tromp, PharmD, was appointed Assistant Dean for the Distance Education Pathway.

Class of 2009

Inna Miroshnyk, PhD, was appointed Director of Student Promotion and Graduation.

ALUMNI NOTES

School of Pharmacy Bradenton Campus Hershey Bell, MD; Mitchelle Rodriguez, PharmD; Katherine Tromp, PharmD; and Julie Wilkinson, PharmD, jointly authored a poster entitled: IPPE Performance Comparison Between Distance Education (DE) Entry Level PharmD and Four-Year Traditional Pathway Students with Amanda Kelley, P3, a Distance Education pharmacy student. The piece was presented at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting.

Class of 1997

Patricia L. Matto, DO, has been named Vice President of Medical Education for Southeastern Health, located in Lumberton, N.C. She also will serve as the Health System Director of Student Medical Education and Dean for Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, in Lillington, N.C. Frances Thomas, DO, and Stephen Thomas, DO, have joined Ali’i Health Center, in KailuaKona, HI, as family medicine physicians.

Class of 2008 Dabanjan Bandyopadhyay, DO, has joined the University of Maryland Community Medical Group - Surgical Care Practice.

Christopher Betz, DO, is an orthopedic surgeon at Bristol Hospital Center for Orthopedic and Spine Health in Bristol, CT. He is performing a new, minimally invasive procedure to repair rotator cuff tears.

Shane Maxwell, DO, joined the Sports Medicine Department at the Essentia Health – Duluth Clinic in Duluth, MN.

Class of 2010 Mohammed Awad, DO, has joined the OSF Medical Group – Streator Orthopedics Practice in Streator, IL. Monica Vora, DO, has joined the neurology team at OhioHealth in Marion, OH.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 37

NOTES

Kristy Wolfel, DO, has joined Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, PA. She is working in the diagnostic imaging field.

Class of 2012 Kathleen Noss, DO, has joined Geisinger Health System Pittson, PA. As a Pediatrician, she will care for children from infancy through the age of 18.

Matthew Sniezek, DO, has joined Heritage Valley Medical Group in Beaver, PA.

Class of 2013 Breanna Gawrys, DO, received the 2016 Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) Family Medicine Resident Award for Advocacy and the North American Primary Care Research Group Family Medicine Resident Award for Scholarship.

Jeremy Morrison, DO, has joined Putney Family Healthcare in Putney, VT, in the field of Primary Care.

Class of 2015 Matt Dreher, PharmD, has become the owner of his family’s drugstore, Linmas Drugs, in Emlenton, PA, where he has been serving as the Chief Pharmacist.

Alyssa McKinney, PharmD, married Michael Dodd on September 25, 2015, in Kittanning, PA. McKinney works as a pharmacist at Rite Aid Pharmacy.

- Continued From Page 21

- Continued From Page 24

In assembling his diverse body of work and through conducting his attentive examinations, Harlander-Locke has maintained a slow and methodical process.

“I spend the time to write a high-quality first draft, with a few read-throughs as I go. Much of the rewriting comes after colleagues or co-authors have had an opportunity to review the manuscript draft,” he commented.

of the population and LECOM is leading the charge.

It is decidedly true that the most determined of souls find great purpose in their missions.

Michael Harlander-Locke has proven this concept time and again. Moreover and conversely, he has found great mission in his purpose as evidenced by his body of work and study. The battle against the unremitting scourge of cancer is one that forms a basis of his passion. No mission could be more requiring of ceaseless determination and tireless commitment; both qualities that abound in Harlander-Locke.

He credits his accomplishments to being challenged by others whom he believes are visionaries; and he is grateful to LECOM for the superlative education and for providing the very educational foundation that underpins his meaningful work.

Profound and prolific writing is an undisputed area of expertise for Michael Harlander-Locke – and LECOM recognizes this industrious and indefatigable scholar as an undisputed tribute to his calling.

A LECOM Osteopathic Medical Degree affords its graduates substantial benefits.

From training students to become primary care physicians to learning to practice a whole-person approach to medicine; from focusing upon preventive health care to gaining a facile and adroit understanding of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) as it is incorporated into the training and practice of osteopathic physicians, LECOM DOs offer to their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.

LECOM-educated physicians enhance the state of health care available in America, bringing about an extra dimension and benefit to a family’s health care and becoming the next generation of exceptionally capable, competent, and caring health care professionals.

As Thucydides pointed out, hope is an expensive commodity; it makes better sense to be prepared. That preparation is precisely the unabashed goal and the triumphant result at LECOM as its highly reputed College of Medicine sets the standard in medical education.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine continues to expand rapidly; attracting some of the brightest candidates for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, and School of Pharmacy. LECOM maintains the second lowest private medical school tuition in the country.

Yet, medical students face mounting debt as they complete their education.

Class of 2016 Alexandra Danakas, DO, married Joshua Kirsch on October 17, 2015, in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Danakas is a pathology resident at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY.

Each year, the College conducts fundraisers solely for the purpose of providing scholarships to LECOM students.

Through these efforts and with support from the LECOM community, LECOM students were awarded more than $4 million in scholarship aid during this current academic year.

Since beginning the LECOM scholarship fund, the College has awarded more than $25 million to dedicated scholars.

Domenic G. Lombardi, DMD, has assumed the leadership position at Lombardi & McCamant Dental in Sharpsville, PA.

Your support of the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund will help deserving students to fulfill their dreams of becoming physicians, dentists, and pharmacists.

Help the students of today . . . . . . become the health care professionals of tomorrow.

Donate online at lecom.edu/alumni or by sending your contribution to: LECOM Student Scholarship Fund 1858 West Grandview Blvd.

Erie, PA 16509

38 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2016 | LECOM.edu

The

LECOM St u d e n t S c h o l a r s h i p Fu n d

PRIMARY CARE

CONFERENCE

2017

Peek’n Peak Resort and Conference Center, Clymer, NY

March 3-5, 2017

Presented By:

Register Online at LECOM.edu/CME Early-bird Registration Ends: February 1, 2017

Conference Information

CME Credits

Primary Care 2017 offers a unique learning experience for

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine anticipates

physicians and health care professionals seeking to learn

Primary Care 2017 being approved for up to 20 AOA

the latest information about medical advancements and

Category I-A CME credit hours pending approval by

treatment options. LECOM faculty and guest lecturers will

the AOA CCME. LECOM anticipates this activity will

present topics pertinent to primary care physicians as well

be approved for up to 20.00 prescribed credits by the

as to specialists.

American Academy of Family Physicians. An application

Primary Care 2017 will focus upon health problems commonly seen in the offices of primary care physicians.

The objective of this three-day seminar is to provide participating physicians with information about new medical advancements in order to increase the scope of

for CME credit will be filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending.

Primary Care 2017 will include up to 5 hours devoted to patient safety and risk management requirements.

treatment options available to primary care physicians and

Resort Information

to enhance the physicians’ existing knowledge of topics

The conference will be held at Peek’n Peak Resort and

that will be covered.

Conference Center, 1405 Olde Road, Clymer, NY 14724. To

Two hours will also be devoted to the education and training

reserve a room, call (716) 355-4141 or visit pknpk.com.

on child abuse recognition and reporting approved by the

Attendees are eligible to reserver a room at a discount

Department of Human Services in accordance with Act 31.

using the promo code LECOM.

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NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ERIE, PA PERMIT NO. 968

.

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

Twitter @1LECOM

@1LECOM

LECOM Student Scholarship Fund Auctions The LECOM Student Scholarship Fund helps deserving students manage the high cost of medical, dental, and pharmacy school.

Since the inception of the auction events, LECOM students have received more than $25 million in scholarship funds.

Visit lecom.edu/alumni for the latest auction news and items.

Saturday, October 29, 2016 Hyatt Regency Sarasota, Florida

Saturday, November 5, 2016 Erie Bayfront Convention Center