THE
LECOM
ONNECTION
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Fall 2013
CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF HEALTHCARE
LECOM.edu
MORE THAN JUST A PIN IN THE MAP
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s our nation faces a health care tempest unlike that which it has ever known, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine stands in the vanguard of the promise of our time. The shifting sands of health care and the entire medical climate have generated a national discussion that leads daily news coverage and weighs heavily upon the minds of countless Americans. Through all of the turmoil and dissimilitudes, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has grown ever more solid; superlative in education; in the forefront of clinical care, community outreach, and developing research. LECOM offers a bastion of assurance in a time
of ambiguity, a port in the storm of opacity, and the hope of a better health care future for generations to come. The cover map signifies a changing landscape – a landscape awash in health care confidence; a bedrock of certainty. LECOM notes more than 5,252 of its graduates are making a difference in the lives of countless Americans as alumni traverse the map in practice and patient care. Each pin noted on the map signifies a LECOM alumna who has established a practice or who is practicing in an American town, city, or rural community. Each pin connotes the butterflyeffect of improved health care that is provided by that medical professional; further signifying economic growth in the employment of aids and staff, a community in better health, and a comprehensive betterment to the society of which we are a part. The flags highlight physicians such as: James Rossetti, DO – a doctor assiduously helping
those who battle a disease that ravages the lives of so many. Dr. Rossetti practices in Pittsburgh as an Oncologist. Sidney Coupet, DO, is the Founder and Executive Director of Doctors United for Haiti. He began the non-profit organization to improve Haiti’s health care system through an integrated medical delivery system. LECOM alum, Joseph Racanelli, DO, is a Board Certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon with offices in New York City and Brooklyn as well as in New Jersey. His skilled work in aiding those with disfigurement has unambiguously changed lives for the better. Jan Gorniak, DO, is the Coroner of Franklin County, Ohio; while Kristina Snyder, PharmD, joined the United States Public Health Service Corps. Their work in serving the public is both demanding and estimable.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine 1858 West Grandview Blvd. Erie, PA 16509 814-866-6641 www.lecom.edu
John M. Ferretti, DO President/CEO
Michael J. Visnosky, Esquire Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Silvia M. Ferretti, DO
Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs
Hershey Bell, MD, M.S. (MedEd)
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Pharmacy
Robert F. Hirsch, DDS
Dean of the School of Dental Medicine
Robert George, DO
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton
Pierre Bellicini
Institutional Director of Communications
Eric Nicastro
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing
Michael Polin
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Brian Kessler, provides valued leadership at Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine in North Carolina while his wife, Ioanna Kessler, is on the team at Wake Specialty Physicians. These LECOM Alumni – each of them – along with so many others, are crisscrossing our many states as the new landscape in health care beckons LECOM to respond to new challenges. Indeed, our alumni are not unacquainted with change or with challenge, for our college has stood ever in the forefront during times of such transformation. It is often during momentous strife and change that true leaders are born. So
it has been with LECOM; and so it will remain with our alumni. Our vision remains as it has been – the bold, unabashed, steady pursuit of educational excellence and the determined mission to provide to our students superlative medical training at an affordable cost; to endeavor always to serve our communities; to create the positive advancements in innovative clinical training; to be the standard bearer holding high the banner of attainment in a world of increasingly diminished expectation. We see tomorrow as a world filled with the possible - our history has borne out our vision and our future awaits still greater, still brighter, and limitless in its results. Truly, LECOM leads in the landscape of care! The pins that dot this map are many; they are powerful and they change lives for the better. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine takes great pride in the alumni who have made their mark in a favorable way to better the health of each community in which they have come to serve.
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing, Bradenton
Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire Chief Writer/Editor-in-Chief
Nicholas Pronko
Social Media Recruitment Specialist/ Contributing Writer
The LECOM Connection invites you to contribute to our publication. If you have news of alumni achievements, research or student activities, please contact the Communications Department, at (814) 866-6641, or e-mail communications@lecom.edu.
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John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO 4 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
THE TRIUMPHANT PARADOX I
“If you want to find your life, you must lose it.”
t has been said that one must invest one’s life in something, or lose it on nothing. That “something” must be the charge of a calling greater than oneself. For many, that charge is centered upon the aims of Providence where one finds a mission in the magnificence of serving in the world of the First Healer.
For some, my message may be construed as subjectively dogmatic; yet to assume this interpretation would be to misread my intent. For as doctors – healers in the osteopathic tradition – ours is to reach farther than the ordinary to restore the whole person, from body to spirit.
There exist many principles that we know to be true; yet we struggle to fully understand them, muddling through our days in trepidation of actually living out life’s truisms. Can the reason for this hesitation be because our healing heart struggles to see that which is impossible to see from a human point of view? As humans, we see dimly, understanding only a part of a greater whole. As doctors and as members of a calling whose very essence is to heal, we seek the wisdom to find our fuller selves – our better selves – and to serve the betterment of mankind. Thus, paradoxes such as the theme of this President’s Message have the power to strip the patina from our eyes to aid us in viewing life as it could be lived. Not only does this paradox compel us to see our place in health care differently, rather it further imposes upon us the obligation to resolve an ostensible contradiction. “If you want to find your life, you must lose it” are words that offer discordant harmonies that yearn to be resolved; and the gaps between the dissonant tensions in our society and within our daily lives call to us to find our purpose in its meaning.
In this way, LECOM has served always to imbue within its scholars the fuller essence of health care. Medicine is comprised of an all-encompassing doctrine possessed of multifaceted components of life-giving wisdom and of comprehensive understanding. Each day, there will be advancements; each step may prove rewarding. Yet, there will lay before every student an ever-expanding, ever-rising, ever-enlightening path. Knowing that one never will find the conclusion of the journey is a realization that is far from disheartening as it only adds to the glory of the climb. To that end, we must remember that in decades from now – when we are gone from this world – our legacy remains as our contribution to the benefit of man.
At LECOM, we seek to lose our lives in service to our fellow man. Our goal is a full and complete understanding and training within the health care professions such that we may venture into our neighborhoods and into far off communities with an outstretched hand to heal and to comfort.
Interestingly, the phrase: “if you want to find your life, you must lose it,” is repeated in varied ways six times throughout the Bible. It is the premise of great books, the subject of Latin oratories, the center of Greek writings, and an ageless axiom that transcends all incarnations. In a culture where “winning is everything” the lesson of this “losing” paradox is profound. LECOM has stood ever in the vanguard of triumph, therefore to suggest “losing” anything would seem contrary to its comprehensive charge. Yet, this “loss” is a paradox of the highest order and to succeed in its objective engenders the most triumphant of victories. In sum, to our scholars in the midst of medical training and to our incoming Class of 2017: I welcome you to “lose” yourselves to find the purpose of your lives.
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
14 FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
pg8............ ALL CLASSES UNDERWAY pg12........... LECOM SPONSORS CHAUTAUQUA HEALTH CARE FORUM pg14.......... LECOM SENIOR LIVING CENTER
pg20 STUDENT NEWS pg26 COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS pg28 PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT pg30 FACULTY, STUDENT AND ALUMNI NOTES
pg18.......... LECOM CHAMPIONS HEALTH CARE EDUCATION WITH POST-BAC PROGRAM
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. 6 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
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CREDOS OF OUR CALLING “COMPASSION”
s the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine boldly steps into its third decade of excellence in education, the College remains ever mindful of the charge of its resolute mission. Indeed, there have been many changes over the course of these many years, yet the abiding principles embraced by LECOM have never changed. As a dedicatory plaque affixed to LECOM’s new School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, Florida unequivocally reminds all who cross its threshold – “Non sibi, sed aliis”: “Not for our self, but for others” – all are called to serve. Placed by LECOM’s President, John M. Ferretti, DO, the inscription upon the commemorative plate offers the through-line of the comprehensive mission of the College, and undeniably, it reflects the essence of the Credo of our Calling in this edition of the “LECOM Connection” – that of “Compassion”. Teaching a triple truth to all of its progeny, LECOM has demonstrated that a generous heart, a profound
knowledge, and a life of service and compassion are the elements that renew humanity. Compassion underscores the real and ultimate source of power for success in life, for service and compassion are necessities of living rather than luxuries of life. Without them, humanity cannot survive. A human being is called by Providence to widen the circles of compassion to care for and to embrace others; truly the foundation of health care in its most basic form. This mission – to educate and to inculcate compassionate care – began as the vision of LECOM’s founders and it is one that grows ever stronger and reaches ever outward with each passing year. The principles that personify the compassionate character of an institution have come to define distinction in health care education and commitment to community service; principles that are central to the practice of one of the most noble callings to which an individual may aspire. To all such principles belong the essential building-blocks of compassion.
There is great sincerity in the belief that an academic institution possesses a particular “compassion”, for such educators personify distinctive attributes; a set of intrinsic qualities or sum of qualities by which the school may be distinguished from other such institutions. It rises to moral and to ethical worth to imbue within its graduated posterity a vision of the cherished heart of human empathy. Such qualities represent the heart and soul of an ideal nurtured within the mind as well as a focused integrity promulgated through action. Compassion is essential to the calling of medicine and to all of the health care disciplines. It encompasses elements central to its 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:
“COMPASSION”
“Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men” ~Confucius @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 7
Pictured L-R, P1’s: Annie Livit and Julia Livit
LECOM SPOTLIGHTS ALL CLASSES ACTIVELY UNDERWAY
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he doctors are in” and so are the LECOM medical and pharmacy students across the three campus locations. The new classes collectively include a host of students with interesting stories. Medical students began their respective programs in late July. These few, but formidable “LECOM Connection” vignettes mark the arrival of a plethora of noteworthy and accomplished men and women, including a former Captain in the U.S. Army who is now beginning medical school; a student from one chilly and noncontiguous U.S. state who decidedly focused upon osteopathic medicine above any other discipline; a scholar-athlete who played football at the renowned Division I – Ohio University; a medical student who became interested in LECOM after having shadowed a LECOM graduate; and one student who is the daughter of two doctors. The diverse student backgrounds of the Class of 2017 are plentiful, as is the success of the Seton Hill campus as evidenced by 8 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
its newcomers. Matthew Strohmeyer, a new student in the LECOM at Seton Hill class of osteopathic medicine, is an individual who personifies the growth of the College on a national level. Although Matthew is the son of orthopedic surgeon, Richard Strohmeyer, who “grew up” in Erie, Matthew, himself, hails from Wasilla, Alaska – the same city in which Sarah Palin served as Mayor before she was elected to the position of Governor of Alaska. Matthew was graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in computer science. Like many LECOM students, he is active in community service, having participated in a mission trip to Africa. Given the fact that both his father and brother became MDs, it may seem quite “the untrodden path” that Matthew would seek to pursue osteopathic medicine. However, the new scholar is clear in his focus. “In my experience, osteopathic medicine allows for closer connections with patients,” Matthew explained. “I appreciate the philosophy of treating the whole person as opposed to treating only the symptoms,” he
affirmed. He found the osteopathic philosophy compelling to his selecting LECOM as the school to direct his studies. Matthew’s classmate, Ashley Fritz, holds the rank of Captain in the United States Army. She has served both in Iraq and in South Korea. Ashley recently began classes as one of the “more than 100” incoming students in the new School of Osteopathic Medicine at LECOM at Seton Hill. As a veteran, having enlisted with the United States Army at the age of 17 years, she recalls, with sober memory, her fellow soldiers who were killed and wounded. Her year of service in Iraq, though intensely traumatic at times, served to motivate her to become a physician. “I knew then that I wanted to do everything that I possibly could do to help people; and I thought that the best way to achieve that goal would be to pursue a career in medicine,” Ashley pronounced. The seasoned veteran chose LECOM, in part, because of its Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Pathway; a method of learning
that uses patient cases to aid medical students in developing critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. In addition, LECOM’s emphasis upon training physicians for work in rural and underserved areas profoundly appealed to her; perhaps so, in great measure, due to the fact that she was raised in the rural town of Millville, Pennsylvania. “LECOM understands just how very important it is to serve in these areas,” noted Ashley. Fellow learner, Alan Goff is a LECOM medical student, whose footballing prowess brought him to the celebrated Ohio University, Division I football team where he excelled both in academics and athletics before finding his place at LECOM. Answering the same calling as his fellow notables, Michael Corti developed a keen interest in LECOM after having observed and tracked a LECOM graduate during which time he gained keen insight into the field of osteopathic medicine. Michael became acutely aware, both in discernment and understanding, of the valuable and inseparable mind, body, spirit connection.
Matthew Strohmeyer (OMS1)
Ashley Fritz (OMS1)
Of course, the newly arrived “noticed and notables” are found in abundance at LECOM, where there is even one medical student, Nevin Body, who is the daughter of two physicians. As the students in the Schools of Medicine began their courses of study, so too did the 2016 Doctor of Pharmacy Class. The LECOM School of Pharmacy 2016 Class is comprised of a diverse and interesting group of students, including twins, Annie and Julia Livit. Classmate, Issouf Kone, was born in the Ivory Coast of Africa finding LECOM an august and significant educational opportunity; and similarly, Teresa Still, a devoted mother of five children, took this time in her life to dedicate to the exactitudes of pharmacy school as she begins a new phase in fulfilling the journey of her purpose.
Pictured L-R, OMS1’s: Michael Corti, Alan Goff and Nevin Body
Classes for the School of Pharmacy commenced in mid-August and the estimable assemblage includes a total of 286 students (143 members in Erie and an equal number of students in Bradenton). The varied and superlative credentials of the new PharmD Class, is demonstrative of the rigorous and selective admissions process that accepted only ten percent of all applications that were admitted after submission. Truly, each of the forgoing men and women represents the accomplishment, determination, selflessness, and purpose that are the symbolic golden threads of the tapestry that is LECOM. With their fellow scholars, the hearty collective of LECOM learners weave together the future of a grand legacy in the betterment of those whom they will come to serve.
Pictured L-R, P1’s: Teresa Still and Issouf Kone
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 9
ROAD TO “DREAM” BEGINS FOR LECOM BRADENTON CLASS OF 2017
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ach year, LECOM welcomes its incoming classes as each burgeons with students who have set themselves apart or who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement prior to their crossing the thresholds of the schools at the various campus settings. For most of these entering students, the pursuit and noble attainment of a medical calling is a lifelong dream about to begin. A few monographs highlight the many and varied histories of the amalgam of students who comprise the LECOM Bradenton 2017 Class; and one, like that of its companion campuses, that arrives as a brilliant tapestry, richly woven with the brightest and the best both of mind and spirit. The deep and abiding connection that LECOM shares with its support of those in the military is reflected in its student body. This year,
10 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
LECOM Bradenton first-year medical students, Joshua Fonzi and Matthew Smilek, join a host of those with military credentials in service to the nation. Joshua Fonzi served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) . He completed a tour of duty in Iraq in 2004. In the two years between his USMC tours, Joshua worked at a Naval Hospital in Oak Harbor, Wash. where he was mentored by a physician with whom he remains in touch to this day. After spending almost a decade wearing the nation’s colors, Joshua attended the Commercial Diving Academy in Jacksonville, Fla. There he trained to become a commercial deep-sea diver and advanced diver medical technician (DMT-A). Attending night school at the local community college, he dove his way through an Associate’s Degree and he gained acceptance to the University of Florida. Also a member of the United States Marine
Amanda Peebles (P1)
Kristen Ramirez (D1)
Josh Fonzi (OMS1)
Corps, Matthew Smilek of Akron, Ohio, served two tours of duty; one in Iraq and another in Afghanistan. The momentous dedication, fortitude, and focus required for such profound responsibility and potential personal jeopardy has honed a character prepared to face the rigors of a medical education. In addition to its estimable military connection, LECOM is ever cognizant of its deep impact upon, and close connection to, each community that it calls “home.” It is with much pride that LECOM notes the arrival into to the Class of 2017 of several Bradenton “locals”. First year pharmacy student, Amanda Peebles hails from Bradenton, having been graduated from Braden River High School. Amanda attended LECOM’s Human Body Explored program for high school students. While still a student at Braden River High School, she was featured in a local newspaper
Matthew Hanewich (OMS1)
Matthew Smilek (OMS1)
article in which she stated that her goal was to attend the LECOM School of Pharmacy. After receiving an Associate’s of Arts Degree from the State College of Florida while still in high school, Amanda now finds her goal becoming a reality as she begins her LECOM journey. First-year dental student, Kristen Ramirez, is a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota. She is also a graduate of the University of Florida. “I can’t believe that I am finally here at LECOM. I have wanted to be a dentist since I was a little girl and this is a dream come true,” proclaimed Kristin. “I enjoy the Problem-Based Learning curriculum and the way in which students work and learn in groups. The case studies provide real-life opportunities for learning,” she noted with an almost tangible enthusiasm. Another “local” – Matthew Hanewich is a first-
year medical student who was graduated from Lakewood Ranch (LWR) High School. With his home only two blocks away from LECOM while at Lakewood Ranch High School, he lived in the very same neighborhood as LECOM third-year medical student, Morgan Pyne – also a Lakewood Ranch High School graduate. Matthew’s girlfriend, Tyann Floore, is a secondyear medical student at LECOM and she is also a LWR High School alumna. Matthew completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Miami. “Beginning medical school is both daunting and exhilarating; I am excited and raring to go,” declared Matthew. Indeed, the entire Class is “excited and raring to go” as the very air permeating the trio of campus settings is palpably electric with the sense of the comprehensive and single-minded educational journey that awaits those who have found the calling of their lives. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 11
LECOM SPONSORS CHAUTAUQUA HEALTH CARE FORUM
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othing so conclusively proves one’s ability to lead others as that which one does during each day to lead oneself. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine encourages and endorses this conclusion in the concatenation of its unyielding purpose to set the course of health care in the 21st century. All who come to know LECOM understand that leaders are not born, they are made; and like anything worthwhile, they are made through hard work. LECOM educators understand that an indefatigable spirit and an unmatched effort is the price to be paid to achieve such a goal. They have demonstrated that “leadership” is an opportunity to serve, rather than a trumpet call to selfaggrandizement.
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With the theme of the fall issue of the “LECOM Connection” decidedly focusing upon LECOM’s leadership role in the changing health care climate, it is significant to realize that service comprises the essence of that leadership position. A key objective in the pursuit of such health care leadership is one that seeks to cultivate one’s ability; that takes the extra step to raise the aspirations of others toward all that is attainable, and that seeks to release their energies so that they will aspire to a similar standard. For indeed, high standards and successful attainment of those standards emerges from one’s willingness to meet vigorously the challenges of our time. LECOM is committed to this objective; and for decades, it has achieved that goal with great aplomb. The serious issues facing the health care field are requiring of a full awareness and analysis; for indeed, they are the issues of our time. To that end, LECOM was the major sponsor of the program week ending the 2013 Season at the Chautauqua Institution, in Western New York. Week Nine of the 2013 Health Care Forum drew lecturers and attendees from across the nation. LECOM contributed by providing speakers and inviting members of “LifeWorks Erie” (a group that provides older adults with programs and services to enhance lifelong learning, independence, and quality of life) to spend a day on the lakeside grounds of the nationally renowned education center. From August 19 - 23, thousands gathered to attend lectures about deeply probing topics central to the issues affecting health care and the public. Three LECOM speakers presented various sessions that resulted in large audience attendance. The morning session welcomed almost 400 attendees; a lunch presentation found 300 people gathered; and the afternoon session boasted nearly 500 listeners. LECOM has partnered with one of the nation’s oldest and leading educational programs to advance the fuller understanding of health care issues affecting the communities throughout our region. Each week, the Chautauqua Institution attracts approximately 8000 people. From across the nation and across the globe, many of these people are community and business leaders in their own hometowns. The LECOM-sponsored event was an opportunity to provide a quality educational experience for these visitors. In keeping with its mission of better health for all humanity, the role of LECOM was highlighted by educational lectures by Gregory W. Coppola, DO, a faculty member at LECOM and a physician with Medical Associates of Erie, and by James Lin, DO, Vice President of Senior Services and Adult Living and Director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging. Dr. Coppola noted that more patients are seeking alternative forms of treatment that include integrative medicine. Dr. Coppola and Dr. Lin each lectured to standing-room crowds of several hundred people, including nearly 100
members of “LifeWorks Erie”. In addition, both Dr. Coppola and Dr. Lin fielded questions from profoundly engaged audience members who lingered in the lecture halls well after formal remarks had been concluded by the presenters. The Forum, with nearly 30 comprehensive lectures addressing topics such as health and wellness and the impact of the Affordable Care Act, offered an in-depth look at the current system as well as the future of health care in the United States. “Living longer and healthier lives requires an understanding of concepts like wellness and prevention, which are the keys to osteopathic medicine,” explained John M. Ferretti, DO, President and CEO of LECOM. “We teach our students to take a holistic approach to treating the ‘whole person’ – mind, body, and spirit. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is excited and grateful for the opportunity to help enlighten the minds and spirits of the Chautauqua Community,” Dr. Ferretti averred. That same holistic philosophy clearly was evident in the 2013 Health Care Forum. Through the enthusiastic participation of Dr. Coppola and Dr. Lin, the Chautauqua Community and the “LifeWorks Erie” members were able to learn about integrative medicine, the aging process, dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Coppola, board certified in family medicine, sports medicine, neuromusculoskeletal medicine, and acupuncture offered a lecture entitled, “Acupuncture to Zinc: A Holistic Approach to Healthy Living,” during which he provided insight into numerous alternative treatment options that do not involve surgery or medication. “Some people continue to experience pain even after surgery, and some struggle with side effects from medication,” Dr. Coppola said. “It is important for patients to understand all of the options available to them. Osteopathic medicine and integrative medicine give people therapeutic options for pain and stress related disorders,” he expounded. Dr. Lin, a specialist in geriatric medicine, discussed the aging process in his lecture. He detailed the way in which aging impacts one’s cognitive abilities; emphasizing that while aging is an inevitable part of life, people have the ability to influence how rapidly they age. “People who understand the aging process are better able to slow it and to add to their quality of life,” Dr. Lin stated. “People who do not lead socially active and engaged lives may feel isolated, which in turn, may lead to depression,” Dr. Lin noted. In addition to the lectures by Dr. Coppola and by Dr. Lin, Hershey Bell, MD, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of the LECOM School of Pharmacy, and Associate Dean of Faculty Development, presented a lecture centering upon leadership to a group of clinical faculty preceptors. Dr. Bell’s lecture was presented by LECOM and by the Lake Erie Consortium for
Osteopathic Medical Training (LECOMT). Dr. Bell discussed critical principles essential to all leaders, including that of earning the trust and respect of one’s followers, the importance of having a vision and being able to effectively communicate that vision to others within the organization. “Great leaders are guided by strategic vision,” he asserted. Dr. Bell also emphasized to the preceptors the importance of being enthusiastic and engaged when working with students. “Be a model for your students,” he advised. Following the lecture, the preceptors dined with Dr. Bell and with other LECOM administrators after which, they attended a vocal concert offered by The Tenors. The historic Chautauqua Amphitheater resonated with musical standards, arias, and melodic hymns as the gathering watched the performance in delight. The grand success of the 2013 LECOM sponsorship of Health Week does not end with the Chautauqua Season as LECOM and the Chautauqua Institution will continue their partnership with a similar sponsorship in 2014 and beyond. “The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is committed to service, as evidenced by its credo, ‘not for ourselves, but for others;’ and LECOM is looking forward to continuing its partnership with the Institution,” proclaimed Dr. Ferretti. “For nearly 140 years, Chautauqua has been extremely successful in promoting life-long learning among its thousands of visitors each year,” he said. “LECOM has committed to work with the Institution through 2015, and we are eager to identify speakers who will not only address the most pertinent health care issues, but who also will educate people about healthy living,” announced the LECOM President. “At LECOM, we believe not just in adding years to one’s life, but in adding life to one’s years through a focus upon health and wellness,” Dr. Ferretti concluded. LECOM has long been a leader in the advancement and development of the best in human values through a commitment to programs and undertakings that encourage important medical, educational, and serviceoriented excellence in our time and that stimulate a comprehensive community involvement. Such peerless level of expertise and dedication promises excellence and attainment in the teaching of the health care disciplines. That superlative commitment is paramount to the LECOM tradition as the College continues to be a resource in the enriched understanding of the obligations to medical excellence and to community by fostering educational experiences in an atmosphere of participation by all who seek enlightenment in health care education.
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 13
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LECOM SENIOR LIVING CENTER LECOM LEADS IN THE CHANGING HEALTH CARE SCENE The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. ~William James
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 15
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o accomplish great things, one must not only dream, rather one must also act; not only plan, but also believe. So it was that with a ceremonial toss of soil from their collective shovels, LECOM leaders and local elected officials broke ground for the LECOM Senior Living Center; a facility that will wholly embody the next generation of care for older adults. Appropriately, the manifestation of the magnificent vision heralds the beginning of an innovative center of excellence for adult nursing care. After two impregnably solid decades of unremitting dedication to exceptionalism in the field of medical education coupled with the very same staunchness to its commitment to community service, LECOM has proven itself a trailblazer in providing comprehensive health and wellness. LECOM is investing more than 42 million dollars into the 151,000-square-foot, skillednursing facility. Construction has begun on land that is situated just south of the Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH), on Peach Street in Erie, Pa. The five floor facility is scheduled to open by the summer of 2015. It will offer 144 private rooms, grouped in “neighborhoods” of 18 rooms throughout four of the five levels. The Senior Living Center will draw together an amalgam of stimulating and innovative, patient-centered health care opportunities and it will advance the education of future physicians, pharmacists, and dentists. The LECOM Senior Living Center far outshines the standard in senior residences and, as with the prior community offerings undertaken by LECOM – such as the multimillion dollar John M. and Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness and Wellness Center – the new Senior Living Center will be the undisputed gem in the crown of adult care options. For its residents, the LECOM Senior Living
Center will provide the “feel of home” while simultaneously ensuring a superlative level of care for the growing elderly population in the region. “The Center will be in keeping with LECOM’s historical focus upon osteopathic medicine and caring for the whole person – mind, body, and spirit,” explained James Lin, DO, Director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging. “We are very excited because the LECOM Senior Living Center will establish us as the only health system in Northwestern Pennsylvania that is able to provide a true continuum of care. Our goal will not just be adding years to seniors’ lives, but adding life to their years,” he affirmed. The LECOM Senior Living Center is expected to create more than 200 employment positions. As a further benefit, both to the educational expansiveness at LECOM and to the community at large, the facility will allow the medical, pharmacy, and dental students at LECOM to work in a collaborative setting and to learn more effectively the complexities associated with the care of the elderly. LECOM has long been aware that the shared relationship between county governance and the innovative opportunity creators of the community forms an important aspect to advancing the economic growth of the region that it calls “home”. To that end, the accord that resulted between LECOM and Erie County facilitated the transfer of 88 skilled nursing beds from the county-owned Pleasant Ridge Manor to Millcreek Manor - the 50-bed skilled nursing facility affiliated with Millcreek Community Hospital. The agreement enabled the county to combine two nursing homes into one facility in Fairview, and it further qualified LECOM to build its own facility that soon will enhance senior residential living prospects to an unmatched prominence. Undoubtedly, the next generation of senior living care starts and ends with the LECOM
Senior Living Center. LECOM has ever responded to the needs of the community, and the comprehensive design and layout of the living accommodations within the Center exemplifies the compassionate care of a leader in health and wellness. Understanding that many older adults in residential living situations wish for more privacy, LECOM ensured that each of the 144 residents of the facility will enjoy private rooms with ensuite bathrooms. The living spaces have been thoughtfully designed with the all-inclusive requirements of the residents in mind; offering superior comfort, privacy, and abundantly ample living quarters. Rooms are arranged in 18-bed units that are established as neighborhoods. This small community living arrangement allows staff to know residents more intimately. In addition, each floor will offer communal dining and activity areas – features that allow residents to better know their neighbors and to create ease of access for staff to better support the individual needs and interests of each resident. Each “neighborhood” will have wellequipped, living room-styled areas for group activities, for dining, and for meeting guests outside of the patient rooms. A dedicated rehabilitation area for physical, occupational, and speech therapy will attend to the osteopathic philosophy and to the whole body wellness aspect of the Center. A geriatric clinic will be housed on the first floor for aid in diagnostic and treatment services. The conveniently located clinic will allow patients to avoid unnecessary travel to outside physician offices. As a further benefit, physician services will be available at all times. The on-site pharmacy will make medications available to residents, thereby decreasing the number of delays and treatment errors usually associated with other care facilities. Such a feature is especially welcome for late day admissions to the Senior Living Center. Medication dispensing will be available in the private resident rooms and delivered at bedside. This procedure increases confidentiality, decreases errors, and obviates the need for the heavy medication carts so frequently observed in traditional nursing facilities. A full-service pharmacy, spa, beauty salon, and restaurant will address a range of needs and wishes of the residents. The offerings allow residents and family to share in normal, routine activities that they may have enjoyed previously in their relationships.
From L-R: LECOM Board of Trustee Marlene Mosco; Vice-President of Acute Care Services at Millcreek Community Hospital, Danielle Hansen, DO; Director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging, James Lin, DO; LECOM President and CEO, John Ferretti, DO; LECOM Provost, Silvia Ferretti, DO; and President and CEO of Millcreek Community Hospital, Mary Eckert.
16 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
In addition, geriatric outpatient services will be available for enabling and expediting added care. An indoor corridor connecting the facility to Millcreek Community Hospital will protect residents from inclement weather if the need arises for auxiliary hospital visits. Moreover, the close proximity of the Center to MCH will allow for a continuum of care if residents require acute hospitalization and transitional care. A further plethora of unique and “Cadillac” offerings will be the standard at the LECOM
Senior Living Center. Festive meals and special hosting of activities will enhance the quality of life for the population. On-site security personnel will provide peace of mind; the existence of physical barrier security, such as security locks and elevator limitations, will further secure the facility. Ceiling lift mechanisms will be installed in resident rooms such that those residents who experience difficulty in ambulation will have the support of state-of-the-art equipment to gain mobility. In addition, the staff will not be exposed to injuries associated with the lifting of patients. Ceiling lift mechanisms will be installed in the therapy gym as well as in the common bathroom spa. Emergency generators will serve all of the skilled nursing home functions, ensuring that all systems will be maintained during any electrical outage. LECOM has contracted ERDMAN of Madison, Wis. to plan, develop, and to construct the facility. ERDMAN is a national leader in health care consulting, facility development, and design; and the company has been working with LECOM to envision a facility focused upon both quality of care and operational efficiency. “We are very pleased and excited to have been chosen by LECOM as a strategic partner and we look forward to helping the College meet all of its goals for the Senior Living Center,” assured Brian Happ, President and CEO of ERDMAN. In May, the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging and MCH launched the NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) program, which became the first Erie health care organization recognized for its commitment to improving health care for older adults. The training gained and garnered through this program will prepare the LECOM Senior Living Center staff and physicians to provide optimal care at the new Senior Living Center. LECOM has ever committed the great use of its existence in selfless and magnanimous dedication to creating something that will outlast it. The pledge that the institution has made to the wellbeing and advancement of all who have come within its sphere has changed countless lives for the better. In each endeavor, LECOM has set sail away from the safe harbor of the commonplace, into the vast oceans of possibility and purpose. The journey has been requiring of great courage, of tempered patience, of dogged persistence. Yet, on the day in 2015, when the LECOM Senior Living Center welcomes its first resident, the heartfelt joy found in the service of others, the poignant and profound delight in a purposed mission, and the knowledge that a happy and healthful home exists for those in the golden years of life, will serve as a beacon for all to know. For indeed – it is not the years in one’s life but the life in one’s years, that truly counts.
Artist Rendering: Main Lobby.
Artist Rendering: Activity of Daily Living Space.
Artist Rendering: Resident Room.
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 17
RUNNING THE RACE
- LECOM CHAMPIONS HEALTH CARE EDUCATION
WITH POST-BAC PROGRAM
W
ilma Rudolph, the first American woman runner to win three gold medals at a single Olympics, once explained that she ran every day, indefatigably and relentlessly, and that she acquired the sense of unconquerable determination; a sense of spirit that she would never, never give up, no matter the travails that befell her. That same passion of the “possible” is found in all who commit themselves to great attainment; in all who find purpose in service, and in all who keep faith with the depth of that purpose to be the best that they can be in the field of medical accomplishment. Superlative attention to scholarship and to service defines the people of LECOM.
18 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
LECOM has demonstrated a truism that scholarship combined with service must be more than the act of performing a job efficiently and honestly. It entails a complete dedication to the patient and to the community with a full recognition that the entire field of health care is predicated upon the way in which those in service carry out that mission. That LECOM dedication is not only to be expected, moreover it is to be sought - because of that which LECOM symbolizes as an institution and for all that its progeny embody in serving the public. Exemplifying this undisputable tenet of education is the Post-Baccalaureate Program at LECOM. The Post-Bac Program is a one year platform recognized for placing quality, wellprepared graduates into the medical, pharmacy, or dental option at LECOM. The Post Bac curriculum covers many courses encountered during the first year of professional schools. Students take courses in physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, cell biology, critical thinking, histology, pathology, anatomy, pharmacology, virology, and an introduction to osteopathic medicine. Overall, the course work covers 30 credit hours (15 per semester). It is an educational paradigm designed to further the scholastic underpinnings and preparedness of those students who seek a medical education, but who may find themselves slightly deficient in the LECOM required health science background to properly advance initially through the rigorous courses of study. The growth of the Post-Bac program has been tremendous, with the current year showing enrollment at its highest number of students since the inception of the curricula. This year, the sheer number of students who are seeking the Post-Bac degree compelled the classes to be relocated from the former location at the Bayfront site to the main campus to accommodate the need for more space. LECOM also has added a separate Post-Baccalaureate Program in Pharmacy and now, it even boasts a plethora of students who are interested in a dentistry option. The 2013 Post-Bacs who entered the program in September number 118 strong. Included in that group are six Dental Post-Bac students and 15 Pharmacy Post-Bacs. To be sure, their grade point averages (GPAs) are outstanding as well, with the overall GPA cataloguing at an impressive 3.18. Post-Bac students exhibit higher GPAs as medical students compared to those in the rest of the medical school class – a success, perhaps due in part to the fact that the program eases the transition into medical school; prepares students for the course content and work load; helps students to develop sustainable study strategies that they will use as medical students; and for the medical and pharmacy students, familiarizes them with Erie, the campus, the faculty, and the educational resources.
Campagna completed the Post-Bac Program, studied medicine at Pikeville Medical School, and returned to her LECOM roots for her residency at Millcreek Community Hospital. The Post-Bac augured well for Christian Mosebach and Richard Missett; both medical students entered LECOM through the program and both scholars volunteered in a humanitarian health care mission earlier this year in Central America. Although it may appear that the landscape of expectation and of attainment is being eviscerated by a modernity of continually slacking standards, the inestimable effort put forth by LECOM in pursuit of utmost achievement in the calling of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry and in the betterment of the whole of the heath care scheme offers refreshing reassurance to a disillusioned public. Similarly, the collective commitment and effectiveness evidenced by those faithful to LECOM scholarship have proven to be key attributes in highlighting the fact that LECOM vigorously maintains those superlative standards with unremitting resolve. As a result of the fine work put forth by LECOM learners, the school remains ever a trailblazer in its pledge to educate and to serve. In grateful recognition of all who value the pursuit of accomplishment, LECOM holds true to that mission. The exceptional placement rate exhibited by LECOM coupled with the fact that LECOM accepts a large number of Post-Bac students into doctoral programs places the school squarely in the forefront of improving the rapidly changing health care paradigm. The growth of the Post-Bac Program further suggests the comprehensive educational output and all that LECOM is teaching is playing a pivotal role in furthering the ability of students to enter a doctoral program or to enter into some other health or science-related field. This fact is inestimably important, given the
shortage of medical professionals in the current arena of health care. In only one academic year (from 2011-2012), the number of students entering the PostBac Program doubled. Upon completion of the spring interview in 2013, 58 students matriculated to LECOM, to a master’s degree program, or to another DO or MD program. In total, 625 students have earned their certificate in the Post-Bac program – 313 of them continued at LECOM to earn a degree. In total, there have been 286 DO graduates and 27 PharmD graduates from the Post Baccalaureate program; a testament to the fact that this admirable program has resulted in making the dream of a medical, pharmacy, or dental profession accessible to those who may otherwise have been wholly unable to undertake the rigors of the respective program disciplines. While the pursuit of, and the aspiration to, the pinnacle of attainment in athletics are notable and worthy ends, often the supreme commitment and dogged discipline required in the achievement of arduous intellectual pursuits – such as those necessary to attain the venerable calling of medicine – are not viewed with the same incandescent intensity. It is important to note that just as the athlete of superior training is devoted to a goal of paramount performance, so are those who train their minds in the quest of that zenith of intellectual and educational excellence. The “race that they run” will be determinative of the health care outcomes for countless thousands of people. As was the case with Wilma Rudolph, the scholars who indefatigably and relentlessly hold fast to their unconquerable determination and sense of spirit create the future of medicine and the health care standards of the next generation.
Pictured above, Saber Hussein, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology/Biochemistry
Indeed, success stories abound: Jessica @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 19
STUDENT NEWS
Richard Missett (OMS2)
Christian Mosebach (OMS2)
STUDENTS EMBRACE LECOM MISSION THROUGH INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERISM
“S
ervice” - the word is synonymous with all that is “LECOM”. The art of blending skills, of combining traditions of the past with modern innovation, of adding the generosity of spirit, the discipline of training, the imagination of the possible, and the warmth of human compassion carry LECOM’s mission to a superlative level of excellence. The men and women of LECOM have inherited transformative legacies, the sense of hospitality, and of unfailing ability to participate and to meet the needs of the next generation of health care with a genuine and unflinching attention to detail. LECOM people function at a level that marks the routine with a sense of greatness, and one that turns simple services into real life experiences. Christian Mosebach and Richard Missett, students of osteopathic medicine at the Erie campus, know this mission well. The two scholars were part of a group of LECOM students who spent two weeks in Costa Rica 20 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
during the summer. The students worked with the extremely indigent residents of the capital city of San Jose. The LECOM volunteers focused upon meeting the locals and transporting them to a health clinic. The needful circumstances suffered by many of the people in San Jose precluded them from being seen by a doctor for a number of years. The same mission of international volunteerism and service initiative found LECOM Erie medical student, Judith Lau, partaking in a trip to Belize. She was a participant in the wellregarded “Bridging the Gaps” program that assists countless underprivileged individuals through community outreach. Mosebach and Missett are members of the International Medicine Society (IMS); and together with Lau, this noted trio of LECOM volunteers have evidenced their unremitting commitment to service that is in keeping with LECOM’s mission. LECOM is proud to recognize these scholars for their selfless desire to “give back”
throughout communities in need. The work of these modern day medical missionaries further reflects LECOM’s commitment to aiding underserved areas. The students made considerable personal sacrifices having independently financed their respective trips. In addition to the laudatory service aspects of this undertaking, Mosebach and Missett both entered LECOM through the Post Baccalaureate program. Both students completed the program and both are performing well as medical students. Their triumphant accomplishments shine a light of LECOM pride upon the Post Baccalaureate Program. Seeking the exceptional in every task; creating a better tomorrow - “giving back” – this is the spirit of LECOM; the depth and breadth of learning that kindles the spark of knowledge and the understanding that all share in the common bond of humanity.
STUDENT NEWS
Pictured from L-R: Domantas Mikonis (OMS2), Patrick Memari (OMS2) and local physician Dr. Andrea Vargas.
Pictured are all of the volunteers from LECOM with their Spanish translators and Costa Rican doctors.
Pictured: Christian Mosebach (OMS2)
Pictured from L-R: Tyler Rigney (OMS2), Shoja Rahimian (OMS2), local patient, Domantas Mikonis (OMS2), Christian Mosebach (OMS2), Grant Arzumanov (OMS2)
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 21
STUDENT NEWS
LECOM BRADENTON/DOCARE TRIP TO NICARAGUA
- STUDENTS AND FACULTY MAKE A DIFFERENCE AT HOME AND ABROAD
I
t was a sobering sight; the Chacraseca District of Nicaragua is a place devoid of opportunity and largely one devoid of hope. It is desolate – sound-tracked by the call of scavenging birds; rows of ramshackle houses slumped dejectedly against the lush environs. While the surroundings may be dotted with the jaunty colors of childhood imaginings – bright yellows and greens against the summer sky – they are belied by the deeply provincial privation of the residents. The average daily family income in the area is less than two American dollars, yet the cost of gasoline is higher than that of the USA as is the overall cost of living. Most of the rolling fields are plowed by horse or oxen, since few residents can afford a tractor or the fuel to operate it. The indigent and medically underserved agricultural region reveals no paved roads; and even the unpaved passageways are in poor repair. Much of the transportation throughout the sprawling eleven county rural area is accomplished by foot, horseback, bicycle, or oxcart. For long days, during the last full week of July, this was “home” for the students and professors 22 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
from LECOM Bradenton College of Osteopathic Medicine and School of Pharmacy. Joined by students from other osteopathic medical and pharmacy schools, the LECOM assemblage dedicated five days to direct patient care as the group examined and treated 1,136 patients comprised of 591 adults and 545 children. The volunteer medical team additionally performed vision screenings and they dispensed 300 pairs of eyeglasses. Each day, the group divided itself into three smaller treatment parties. The teaming plan resulted in allowing the individual units to provide medical care to patients in fifteen sundry villages. Osteopathic manipulation frequently was performed upon the patients by the students who worked under the supervision of DOs. LECOM faculty members, Thomas Quinn, DO and Kathryn Samai, PharmD, served as oversight members to facilitate the trip operations and medical care. During the LECOM Bradenton/ DOCARE trip to Nicaragua, the group was joined for two days by a contingency from the American Osteopathic Association, led by AOA President, Norman Vinn, DO, who dedicated the “DOCARE Continuity of Care
Center” as the new Chacraseca Clinic. As a DOCARE Continuity of Care Center, the Chacraseca clinic will now have osteopathic residents, interns, and students rotating through the center for four-week periods. This practice will allow patients to receive adequate follow-up care for chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Prior to DOCARE involvement, the area was medically served by a single Nicaraguan physician who was employed by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health and who was able to commit only two days each week to direct patient care. DOCARE and the LECOM team clearly made a difference! The comprehensive learning experience gained by the students during the trip transcended the classroom to effectively evidence the practical aspect of patient care while simultaneously demonstrating to the students the needful surroundings upon which their selfless volunteerism made a profound and lasting difference. LECOM lauds all who participated in this noble and significant endeavor; for they embody the “spirit of LECOM” – one committed to its mission and resolute in its promise to serve and to educate at a superlative level.
STUDENT NEWS
Pictured from L-R: Bradenton medical student, Jenna Culp (OMS2) (L) with LECOM Bradenton faculty members, Kathryn Samai, Pharm.D (C) and Thomas Quinn, DO (R).
Patients wait outside the DOCARE clinic in Nicaragua.
LECOM Bradenton medical student Miranda McGahan (OMS4) takes a patient history in Nicaragua.
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 23
STUDENT NEWS
LIFELONG LEARNING
– STILL MAKING THE EFFORT Degree in Medical Lab Technology. This year, Teresa graduated from Mercyhurst earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. Teresa is unambiguously aware of the value of a first-rate education, noting that “being able to attend college is a privilege;” and she remains decidedly grateful for her education. Her grounded and sage assessment of her situation gives rise to a promising health care journey. Teresa’s advisor at Mercyhurst University encouraged her to consider pharmacy school as an option. She had previously worked in a pharmacy setting; and describing it as “fascinating,” Teresa thoroughly relished the experience. LECOM was the only pharmacy school to which she applied; focusing upon LECOM because of its matchless reputation for quality and for the opportunity to complete the PharmD Degree in three years. Most pharmacy schools do not offer the accelerated program and for Teresa, that option held added appeal. Teresa recalls vividly her excitement upon receiving her letter of acceptance from LECOM, which she opened while standing in front of her mailbox. Transfixed and bubbling with delight, she telephoned her husband from the very spot. LECOM acknowledges and sincerely welcomes the depth of experience and “life-knowledge” that non-traditional students, such as Teresa, offer to its campuses. The diverse backgrounds of the 143 students in the PharmD Class of 2016 in Erie enthuse and inspire all who seek to attain a stellar education in the health care calling. Teresa Still knows that to soar through life, one must turn off the “autopilot” to take action. A.T. Still, the “Father of Osteopathic Medicine” knew that risk was opportunity in disguise; and for Teresa Still, both the moniker and the method mirror that of her namesake as she finds the purpose of her calling.
F
or Teresa Still, a member of the LECOM-Erie School of Pharmacy Class of 2016, the decision to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree came in a manner differing from that of many students at LECOM. Her decision to seek the degree is tremendously estimable, particularly in light of the fact that she carries added responsibilities attendant to raising a family; a charge not borne by most LECOM scholars. In addition, her family is a large one – five children (2 boys and 3 girls)! Experience can teach only that which one is willing to learn; and so it is that entering the pharmacy field occupied Teresa’s vision for herself. As a mother, Teresa is no stranger to the pressing and varied demands upon her time. The added challenge of balancing her scholarly pursuits with her family obligations entails devoting five hours each day to study in addition to her classroom time. Yet, it is a truism to be sure that the path of life begins not with the first step, rather with the desire to journey where one has never before traveled. For Teresa Still, that journey involves pursuing her dream of becoming a health care professional in the field of pharmacy. Teresa is a native of Corry, Pa. Prior to entering LECOM, she attended Mercyhurst University, during which time she received an Associate 24 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought with ardor and attended with diligence.
~Abigail Adams
STUDENT NEWS
LECOM CELEBRATES AMERICAN PHARMACISTS MONTH
City of Erie Mayor, Joseph Sinnott (center) presented a proclamation to the LECOM School of Pharmacy establishing October as American Pharmacists Month. Pictured with the Mayor are pharmacy students, (L-R) Jaxson Burkins, P1; Alex Covey, P2; Christopher Segwick, P2; and Paulina Trzcinka, P2.
LECOM School of Pharmacy Kappa Epsilon Pharmacy Fraternity in Bradenton raised $2,500 for the American Cancer Society through its participation in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K walk, held Oct. 19 at the Sarasota Polo Club. Pictured from L-R: Traci Willingham of the American Cancer Society; Sharmaine Edginton (P2); Kappa Epsilon National Project Chair and President Danielle Moore (P3); Pamela Asenso (P3); and Aly Kerwin, Community Representative for the American Cancer Society.
James Pedaline, P2 (front) and Paulina Trzcinka, P2 (rear) taught children the importance of healthful eating at the LECOM Healthy Living Fair at the Millcreek Mall in Erie, Pa.
The School of Pharmacy at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) celebrated American Pharmacists Month in October with a series of public events focused upon education, awareness, and advocacy. American Pharmacists Month recognizes the many and significant contributions that Pharmacists make to health care as well as highlighting their commitment to patients. “Know Your MEDICINE, Know Your PHARMACIST,” was the theme of the month. Throughout October, students and faculty educated the community about issues such as medication adherence; including emphasizing the importance of completing medications in their entirety and taking them as prescribed. In addition, students and faculty participated in several safety and health fairs and they provided free blood pressure and glucose screenings to the community. During a Halloween event - Trail of Treats - students spoke to young children about poison prevention. Students explained the way in which some medicines, household cleaners, and chemicals have a similar appearance to candies and to drinks such as Gatorade. During Trail of Treats, the students also distributed Mr. Yuk© stickers as a means of emphasizing poison prevention.
Kenneth Gordon (P3) participates in Safe Kids Day at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bradenton. LECOM School of Pharmacy Students provided poison prevention education to over 130 children.
LECOM’s faculty and Doctor of Pharmacy students also volunteered for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which allowed the public to conveniently and safely dispose of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription drugs. Nearly seven million Americans abuse prescription drugs; thus the proper and safe disposal of medication remains an important health issue. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 25
COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS
Erie Gives
Team Hope 5K Run/Walk
The Student Scholarship Fund has received an infusion of nearly $20,000 through LECOM’s participation in Erie Gives. Hershey Bell, MD, Dean of the LECOM School of Pharmacy and Vice President for Academic Affairs, accepted the check on behalf of LECOM from Michael Batchelor, President of the Erie Community Foundation.
(From L-R) Caitlin Antonio (OMS2); Alice Hudder, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry; and Rex David Gido (OMS2) were among the coordinators and volunteers of the Team Hope 5K Run/Walk. The Team Hope Walk program is the signature grassroots fundraising campaign sponsored by the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and it is designed to provide hope and support for those touched by this devastating disease.
9/11 Heroes Run Trail of Treats Carolyn Ellsworth (OMS2) and the other students from the LECOM Erie medical and pharmacy schools distributed Mr. Yuk stickers to emphasize the importance of poison prevention at the 15th annual Trail of Treats event hosted by the Sarah Reed Children’s Center at the Millcreek Mall in Erie, Pa. This annual two-night event provides children with a safe, fun, indoor environment to trick and treat. No rain, no snow, no dark sidewalks - just some Halloween fun.
26 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
Students at the LECOM campus at Seton Hill University supported the recent 9/11 Heroes Run in Pittsburgh, either by running, by serving as volunteers, or by donating items. LECOM also supported the event, which is designed to remember the sacrifices of the heroes of Sept. 11. Proceeds benefit veterans, first responders, and Travis Manion Foundation Challenge Grants.
COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS
Medical Science Academy LECOM held its annual Medical Science Academy program for high school students. The two-week program is capped off with an awards presentation. Gillian O’Callaghan (second from left) of Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota, Fl. received the Exemplary Problem-Based Learning Student award. She is pictured with MSA coordinator, Kersten Schroeder, Ph.D.; Benjamin Wardrop (OMS2); and Jenna Culp.
Medical and Pharmacy Students Travel to Honduras Minjoo Kim (OMS2) offers medical services to children during a mission trip to Honduras. Twenty LECOM medical and pharmacy students went to Honduras as part of Global Brigades, Inc. - a student-led global health and sustainable development organization that serves countless underserved communities across the globe. Photo credit: Norman Mark.
Pharmacy Students Hit the Streets to Educate the Public Lakewood Ranch Music on Main Celebration Second-year LECOM dental student, Jenna Pascoli, demonstrates proper tooth brushing technique during the Lakewood Ranch Music on Main celebration in Bradenton.
Members of the LECOM Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists Club held an advocacy event to assess community understanding as to the roles of the pharmacist. Third-year students Rebekah Stoner, Chau Ong, and Kenneth Gordon, surveyed those attending the Lakewood Ranch First Friday event.
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 27
PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
MAKING A DIFFERENCE, ONE PERSON AT A TIME For more than 24 years, one such devoted physician, David J. Martinke, DO, has found that his pledge to a cause greater than himself has resulted in the advancement of community health care on an individual level - one student at a time. Dr. Martinke is associated with Primary Care of Western New York, and he operates two offices in the Western New York area - one in Amherst and another in Kenmore. A graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Martinke is a committed supporter of LECOM. Having served as Director of Osteopathic Medical Education at Sisters Hospital in Buffalo, New York for 14 years, Dr. Martinke understands that the challenge to be something more than average entails a willingness to undertake ordinary tasks and to perform them extraordinarily well. Under Dr. Martinke’s auspices, graduates of LECOM are applying the depth and breadth of their skills and training to a practice setting, working with patients and conferring with a medical team. LECOM graduates Alexandra D’Angelo, DO; Paul Campana, DO; and Ryan Clarke, DO are residents currently working alongside Dr. Martinke and teaming with other Sisters of Charity LECOM residents: Sean MacLean, DO; Briana Niland, DO; Angelika Snyder, DO; Richard Karaga, DO; and Ashley Kremer, DO. Physicians, such as Dr. Martinke, know that the dictionary is the only place in which “success” comes before “work” - for one does not receive payment for the hour; one receives payment for the value that one brings to the hour. That profound philosophy is reflected in the recent accomplishments and in the outstanding performances of LECOM graduates as they serve as residents in a thriving Western New York practice. Dr. Martinke is an enthusiastic LECOM ally who, like the college that he supports, champions the development of the best in applied training through a dedication to programs and undertakings that encourage important medical, educational, and service-oriented excellence and that stimulate the comprehensive community involvement of students, residents, and faculty. Such peerless level of expertise and dedication promises exceptional attainment in the furthering of the health care disciplines.
T
he history of LECOM is one comprised of courage, stamina, and dedication. It is an institution that always has propagated its constant mission of excellence in education coupled with community service. LECOM has lived up to its early promise; the roots of its hallowed charge stand firmly in the past upholding its philosophies and, at all times, keeping a keen eye upon the future. Unafraid of change, LECOM has long been a place for individuals to discover themselves, to learn, hone, and perfect their skills, and to join with others who travel the same path to excellence. Theirs is not simply a charge to go into the world to do well; but more important, it is a pledge to go into the world to do good. Fulfillment is often a byproduct of an effort to help someone else find his purpose and to create that opportunity to do good. In the realm of medical education and community service, the pledge to a cause beyond oneself underscores the essence of all that encompasses the LECOM mission. The promise and possibility that is stirred in the hearts of those most committed to the objectives of this noble calling is evidenced in the result and in the accomplishment of each day in service. LECOM is grateful for the men and women in practice who have offered their offices and who have supplied their experienced guidance to LECOM residents as these scholars acquire the practical application of patient care. 28 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
Dr. Martinke’s ardor to provide an enriched understanding in the active practice of medicine, both to residents and to community, fosters educational experiences in an atmosphere of participation and nurturing guidance and it is an endeavor most appreciated by LECOM. For Dr. Martinke and for all of those many physicians like him, who offer their time, expertise, and resources to advance the future of medical training, LECOM extends its sincere thanks; a debt of gratitude that will be paid time and again in the accomplishment of superlative medical training and commitment to the LECOM tradition.
PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
JOSHUA TUCK, DO - HITS HOME RUN WITH LECOM Dr. Tuck became interested in orthopedic surgery while he was pursuing a master’s degree in physical therapy at Notre Dame College. Ironically, Dr. Tuck found himself shadowing an operating room orthopedic surgeon. The experience deeply affected Dr. Tuck. “I was very impressed by the profound way in which the surgeons helped patients; and I knew then that I wanted to help people in the same way,” he expounded.
A
s a native New Englander and lifelong Red Sox fan, Joshua Tuck, DO, found working as a team physician for the famed Boston organization to be a dream come true. Dr. Tuck provided medical coverage for two Red Sox affiliated minor league teams: the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Lowell Spinners. In addition, he helped to oversee the care and rehabilitation of a number of players from the major league club. Attendant to his regular duties, Dr. Tuck also performed medical evaluations of players whom the Red Sox wished to acquire, either through trades or through the first-year player draft. “I was very grateful to be able to meet so many of the players and to be a part of such a great organization,” stated Dr. Tuck. “I was able to experience baseball at the highest levels and from a unique perspective. By working so closely with the players who depend upon the sport for their livelihood, I developed a greater appreciation for how hard they work and for the sacrifices that they make,” he concluded. Recently, Dr. Tuck joined the Sports and Orthopedic Medicine team at LECOM as an orthopedic surgeon. While he is no longer rehabbing and treating players from his beloved Red Sox, Dr.Tuck is exceptionally excited to have returned to the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Tuck completed his undergraduate degree at Notre Dame College, after which he spent four years in the United States Navy as a flight surgeon where he cared for the Fighting Tigers Patrol Squadron-8. In 2004, Dr. Tuck earned his DO degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine. Following his residency at Millcreek Community Hospital, he completed a dual fellowship in sports medicine and arthroscopy at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. Dr. Tuck is a specialist in orthopedic surgery, having been trained in arthroscopy of the shoulder and knee; he is skilled in the most advanced surgical techniques for the rotator cuff and for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Through the LECOM Sports and Orthopedic Medicine program, Dr. Tuck will work with players from the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and those from the Erie
BayHawks of the Developmental League of the National Basketball Association. LECOM is the exclusive medical provider and team sponsor for the BayHawks. The LECOM Sports and Orthopedic Medicine program is a perfect “fit” for Dr. Tuck as it pairs seamlessly with the extensive sports treatment background and experience that he brings to the program. The location of the LECOM Sports and Orthopedic Medicine practice within the LECOM Fitness and Wellness Center on Peach Street in Erie, not only serves as the ideal practice location for Dr. Tuck, moreover it aids patient access to this adroit specialist as the facility houses the largest and most comprehensive fitness, rehab, and therapy options in the region. Rounding out his ample slate of tasks and charges, Dr. Tuck has been spending one day during each week working with the studentathletes and players from the intercollegiate athletic teams at Mercyhurst University. In addition to the extensive skill and training evidenced with only a cursory review of this estimable physician’s accomplishments, Dr. Tuck enjoys living in Erie and making a home, which he happily shares with his wife, Fran. LECOM is proud to welcome Dr. Josh Tuck to the thriving body of proficient and wellpracticed professionals who share an abiding commitment to excellence and to community service.
Pictured are the Sports and Orthopedic Physicians of LECOM. From L-R: Gregory Coppola, DO; Pat Leary, DO; Anthony Ferretti, DO; Joshua Tuck, DO; and Steven Habusta, DO.
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 29
NOTES
FACULTY NOTES
STUDENT NOTES
Kathleen Daniele, MD, was recently appointed to the Advisory Council of the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau.
Nathan Angerett (OMS2) of Erie married Holly Fitz on Aug. 11 at the First United Methodist Church in Butler, Pa.
John Kalmey, PhD and Randy Kulesza, PhD published an article: Medical School Success Strategies: Proactive Intervention Examination in Medical Education 2013. Dr. Kalmey also had a letter to the editor published in the August issue of Academic Medicine entitled: Stop Wasting Classroom Time: Embrace the Podcast and Use the “Lecture” to Enhance Learning.
Sean Baskin (OMS3) placed third in the Foundation for Osteopathic Medicine Abstract competition for his study focusing upon Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Programs that Infrequently Publish in High Impact Emergency Medicine Journals.
College of Medicine
Ali Moradi, PhD, received his certification in item writing for the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners. Aleksandr Sinelikov, PhD published the Atlas of Human Anatomy, Russian and Bulgarian editions.
School of Pharmacy Kimberly Burns, RPh, JD; Janene Madras, PharmD; Mary E. Ray, PharmD and Michael Madden, PhD, co-authored the research abstract published in the American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits entitled: Unused First-Fill Prescriptions: Cause for Concern? Michael Madden, PhD, co-authored an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled: Dietary Supplementation in Children and Adolescents: Supplementing with the “Correct” Amount. Antonia Vilella, PharmD, co-authored a research article: Cholestatic Jaundice as a Result of Combination Designer Supplement Ingestion, which was published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Teri West, PharmD, co-authored a research article: Evaluation of Anticholinergic Burden of Medications in Older Adults, which was published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.
Erie Campus
Laura Carlson (OMS2) completed a six-week summer Medical Education Community Orientation Program (MECO), gaining valuable insight into the medical field. Based at WCA Hospital in Jamestown, N.Y., Carlson rotated through both clinical and non-clinical areas of the local hospitals and physician medical office practices. Jimmy DeMeo (OMS3) was appointed as Region I Representative on the AOA Council of Student Affairs and to the American Osteopathic Association Mentor Task Force. Shamus Reimold (OMS2) received a $3,000 scholarship from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Horizon medical staff. Allen Shepard (OMS2) was chosen for the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) Community & Preventive Medicine Scholarship.
Bradenton Campus Tolulope Akinbo (P4), ($1,000), Dao Tran (P4) ($1,000), Amanda Peebles (P1), ($2,000), Camilo Mohar (OMS3), ($1,500), Jelena Cusanelli (P2), ($1,500) and Phuong Nguyen (P4), ($500) received scholarships from the Blake Medical Center Hospital Auxiliary in Bradenton, Fla. Tolulope Akinbo (P4) received the $1,000 Paul Magalian Scholarship from the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Julie Wilkinson, PharmD, MS, completed the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Academic Leadership Fellows Program.
Sean Amirzadeh (OMS1) received a $1,000 scholarship from the Foundation Chapter of Theta Chi Blue Scholarship Fund.
School of Dental Medicine
Harrison Britt (P3) received the $2,000 Alice Bixler scholarship from the Sunshine State BMX Association.
Francis Curd, DDS co-authored: Increasing Dental Student Diversity through the UNLV Dental Prospects Program. The article was published in the Journal of Dental Education.
30 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
Esaleen Carmona (P3) ($2,000), Christina Dawkin (P2) ($2,000), Marialis Kirk (P4) ($2,000), Capritta Roberts (OMS2) ($2,000) and Jennifer Smith (P4) ($3,000) received scholarship awards from the Krauss, Miller and Lutz Foundation in Tampa, Fla.
Jordan Daniel (P4), Cathy Luc (P4), Andrew Poster (P3) and Jennifer Slowek (P4) received $1,000 scholarships from the CVS Caremark Pharmacy Charitable Trust. Arianna Gianakos (OMS3) had a research abstract accepted by the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA) Research Committee. She will present her abstract at the FOMA Conference in Weston, Fla. in February. Kenneth Gordon (P3) received a $500 scholarship from the Broward County (Fla.) Pharmacy Association. Eric Ho (D1) published a blog for the American Student Dental Association entitled: My Most Influential Pre-dental Experience. Hoan Hunyh (P1) received a $1,000 scholarship from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation in Venice, Fla. Ashley Jones (OMS4) received a $750 scholarship from the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association. Laura Jordan (OMS3) won first place in the AOA Osteopathic History and Identity Essay Contest with her essay entitled: Battling Diploma Mills: The Early Fight to Preserve the Osteopathic Principles of A. T. Still. She also had a surgical research abstract accepted by the FOMA Research Committee. She will present her abstract at the FOMA Conference in Weston, Fla. in February. Benjamin Kelley (OMS4) received the McCaughan Heritage Scholarship from the American Osteopathic Foundation. Alena Korbut (P1) received a $7,000 scholarship from the William and Marie Selby Foundation of Sarasota, Fla. Miranda McGahan (OMS4) received a $5,000 Folds Foundation of Honor scholarship from the Tulsa, OK Community Foundation. Brian Medlin (OMS4) received a $750 scholarship from the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association. Desiree McMillen (D1) received a $3,000 scholarship from the Indian River State College Foundation, Inc. in Fort Pierce, Fla. Amanda Peebles (P1) received a $2,000 scholarship from the Kiwanis Foundation of Longboat Key, Fla., a $1,000 scholarship from Peace River Electric Cooperative and a $1,250 scholarship from the Entre Nous Club of Bradenton Inc. Katie Schumacher (OMS4) received a $2,900 scholarship from the Griffin D. Morgan Scholarship Fund in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kyler Shane (P3) received a $1,000 scholarship from the Rotary Club of Sun City Center, Fla.
NOTES Michelle Torres (P1) received a $1,000 scholarship from The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn.
LECOM at Seton Hill Jordon Bonier (OMS4) and Brett Davenport (OMS3) received $3,000 scholarships from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Horizon medical staff. Brian Wlosinski (OMS3) co-wrote a resolution for the AOA House of Delegates July meeting in Chicago calling for the American Osteopathic Association to stand with the American Red Cross and other public health organizations in supporting an end to the Food and Drug Administration ban on blood donations from gay men.
ALUMNI NOTES College of Medicine Erie Campus Class of 1997 R. John Stukey, DO, has been named Health Officer of Cass County, Mo.
and pediatric hand surgery. The trip was partially financed by a grant from the Brentwood Foundation in Seven Hills, Ohio. Dr. Storck has private practice in Cleveland, the Plastic Surgery Institute of Ohio, LLC. Christopher Waguespack, DO, has opened the Pike Road Jackson Family Medicine Center in Pike Road, Ala.
Class of 2007 Michael P. Betler. DO, has joined Westerly Hospital’s Department of Surgery as a general surgeon in Westerly, R.I. Michael Chapman, DO, is certified through the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine. Chapman is currently the medical director at Oaklawn Hospital’s Emergency Department in Marshall, Mich.
Class of 2008 Christine Lesosky, DO, is a family practice physician at Conemaugh Health System’s Saint Benedict office in Carrolltown, Pa.
Class of 2002
Class of 2009
Robert Galamaga, DO, hematology/oncology and board certified internal medicine physician, has joined the Silver Cross Medical Staff in New Lenox, Ill.
David Jones, DO, has joined Northeast Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Columbus, Ohio. Patrice Paolucci, DO, has joined the medical staff at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.
William Cox, DO, has been named program director for LewisGale Hospital Montgomery’s Internal Medicine residency program in Blacksburg, Va.
Class of 2010
Christine Mazzola Khandelwal, DO, has been hired as a hospice and palliative care physician at Hospice of Wake County in Raleigh, N.C.
Eliseo R. Roquiz, DO, has joined DuPage Medical Group’s Family Medicine practice in Naperville, Ill.
Class of 2005
Molly E. Schug, DO, has joined St. Elizabeth Medical Center and its Medical Group in Utica, N.Y.
Jared Storck, DO, provided the rural and underserved population in Santa Marta, Colombia, with specialized burn reconstruction
Class of 2013 Kathleen Morris, DO and Steven Mong, DO, were married June 15 in Amherst, N.Y. Kelsey McAnally, DO, is beginning a primary care residency program at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y.
Class of 2008
Anthony S. Rossi, DO has joined HealthPoint Medical Group in Plant City, Fla.
Class of 2006
Lauren Spalding, DO, is an Internal Medicine resident at Akron City Hospital in Ohio.
Zeeshan Qureshi, DO, is a radiologist at Southtowns Radiology in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Scott Kallor, DO, has joined Pediatric Partners in Bloomfield, Conn.
Karen Nelson, DO, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Holzer Cardiovascular Institute in Jackson, Ohio.
Class of 2012
College of Medicine Bradenton
Kevin Martin, DO, is an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Brett Inglis, DO, has joined St. Thomas Health in Nashville, Tenn.
Meggen Walsh, DO, received the College of American Pathologists Foundation’s Leadership Development Award. Dr. Walsh is currently a pathology resident at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Michael Mandarano, DO, launched a new medical practice at Physicians Health Alliance in Scranton, Pa.
Class of 2001
Class of 2004
Church in Duryea, Pa.
Maggie Biebel, DO, has joined Saint Vincent East Harbor Primary Care, in Erie, Pa.
Stephanie Traud, DO, has joined the staff of Great Lakes Family Medicine in Erie, Pa.
Class of 2011
Kendal Mitchell, DO, has joined Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Okla.
Class of 2009 Chelsie Bax, DO, has joined the anesthesiology team at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, N.Y. Nick Esala, DO, has joined Sanford Health Detroit Lakes Clinic. Mary Ann Horn, DO, has joined AnMed Health Pendleton Family Medicine in Pendleton, S.C. Matthew Kanaan, DO, has joined Wake Internal Medicine Consultants, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C. Dr. Kanaan is opening a new division, Wake Sports Medicine, at the practice. Kenna Wood, DO, has joined Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Albany, Ore., as a hospitalist. Jasper Yung, DO, joined the Michigan Osteopathic Association as an Intern-Resident Trustee.
Class of 2010 Kelli Gahagan, DO and Reed Gahagan, DO, have joined Sacred Heart Health System’s Family Practice Medical Group in Pensacola, Fla.
Class of 2013 Shawna Kuhn, DO and Jason Kuhn, DO announces the birth of their daughter Annabel Lee on Oct. 14.
Marc Andrew Campbell, DO, married Michele Lynn Stigleman Tate on May 28 in Corolla, N.C. Sean Kim, DO, is engaged to marry Diana Elizabeth Drogalis on Nov. 9 at Holy Rosary @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 31
NOTES
School of Pharmacy Erie Campus Class of 2006 Elliott Cook, PharmD, was named Northwest Region Director for the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association. The appointment comes with a two-year term on the PPA’s Board of Directors. He also co-authored an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled: Dietary Supplementation in Children and Adolescents: Supplementing with the “Correct” Amount.
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Graduate Studies
Rebecca L. Kreager, PharmD, is engaged to marry Joseph A. Penepent Jr. on Jan. 11, 2014. Dr. Kreager is a pharmacist for Walgreen’s.
Class of 2011 Gladys Williams, PharmD, is a staff pharmacist with Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in Fort Defiance, Ariz. Dr. Williams works in the United States Public Health Service program.
Class of 2012 Rear Admiral Scott Giberson, LECOM Honorary DSc, 2012, has been appointed acting Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps. Giberson was promoted following the resignation of the nation’s 18th surgeon general, Regina Benjamin, in July. Boris Lushniak has been named the Acting Surgeon General.
Introducing the Masters in Health Services Administration
H
ealthcare is a major business; one that requires talented administrators to manage the growing demands of medical services, technological advancement and regulatory compliance issues. Health services administrators are poised at the forefront of these demands.
The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates that by 2020 employment of health service administrators will grow by 22 percent, faster than the average for all occupations, with median annual pay that could approach $100,000. As our population grows and ages, so will the demand for exceptional administrators. The LECOM School of Graduate Studies will prepare you to fill that need when you enroll in our Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA) program.
Preparing Your Future The LECOM MHSA Program provides students with the knowledge and skills required to plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services while working as administrators in hospitals or other healthcare facilities, public healthcare organizations, and private practice groups. The knowledge gained from the MHSA is essential for fiscal, planning and managerial work in healthcare organizations and the establishment and management of clinical practices.
The LECOM Connection is proud to report on the accomplishments of our graduates, faculty and students. We often learn about these achievements through news reports. We appreciate when the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is mentioned in the articles and we ask that you note that you are a LECOM graduate, student or faculty member when submitting news articles to your local media.
32 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
Please visit lecom.edu/graduatestudies or contact MHSA Director Sonia Dillon, Ph.D. at (941) 782-1549 or mshealthsvcs@lecom.edu to learn more about the program.
NOTES
LECOM ALUMNI - GIVING BACK TO LECOM BY REACHING OUT
L
eadership is problem-solving. For the past decades, LECOM has been the champion of a profound and far-reaching mission that combines a superlative medical education with a peerless pledge of service. The unison of academic excellence and societal outreach that has aided countless individuals and that has transformed communities for the better is a LECOM philosophy that glisters in the polish of its daily practice. To be sure, effective leadership is defined by results rather than by attributes; for real change does not “roll in” upon the wheels of inevitability, nor does it “blow in” upon the unsupported vapors of hope – rather, it is the result of a continuous aspirational struggle. It comes as no surprise therefore, that LECOM alumni are working with their alma mater to change the face of health care; and working with dogged effort and motivated zeal they are! In a climate of perpetual discord and fervid concern about the future of American health care, LECOM embraces the work of alumni who have become “leaders” in teaching hospitals. Such alumni have now become teaching physicians and through their connection with LECOM, they are helping to develop clinical education and residency training programs. One such program can be found at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, New York. It is the newest teaching site for LECOM that joins students, and eventually, residents and fellows, into the hospital to create a stronger facility with an improved patient experience. The collaborative undertaking advances the hospital organization and it allows the hospital to maintain its position as a leader in the provision of quality health care in the City of Yonkers as well as throughout the larger county as a whole. The program also is expected to facilitate recruitment goals of the hospital and to assist the organization in retaining providers in the local area. “Combining quality, specialty health care in a community setting with hands-on training and direct mentorship from highly skilled and experienced providers at St. John’s facilities will make our students into the best doctors they can be,” said Michael DiGiorno, DO, Medical Director of the program at St. John’s and a graduate of LECOM. LECOM has graduated more than 3,700 osteopathic physicians; the majority of whom become primary care physicians. “The entire nation is experiencing a shortage of this type of care practitioner, and we expect that training students in our hospital will better position us to get and to keep providers in our area,”
explained Paul Antonecchia, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Medical Affairs of St. John’s Riverside Hospital. A genuine leader is not one who searches for consensus, rather a true leader is one who molds consensus and who takes personal responsibility. One cannot change the circumstance, the season, or the wind, but one can change oneself. That is a fact comprehensively understood by LECOM. In these times wrought with tension throughout the health care field, one knows not the full and final outcome, nor the implications of the new health care law. Physician shortages loom large, patient care hangs in the balance, hospital organizations wait in paralyzing uncertainty and the entire swirling health care vortex appears murky at best. Nonetheless, through these rough waters, LECOM and its well-trained alumni stand as a beacon to lead the entire field through a raging tempest of bureaucratic muddle. Programs such as the one implemented at St. John’s in Yonkers are now underway at Jameson Hospital in New Castle, Pennsylvania with the announcement of its new orthopedic residency program. In early August, Jameson Health System (JHS) publicized its selection as a new residency site for the Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH) Orthopedic Surgery Residency program. Jameson Hospital joins eight hospitals that serve as graduate medical education sites wherein the residents gain operating room and patient care experience while working with the hospital surgeons and staff. Orthopedic surgical residents from the Erie, Pennsylvania hospital affiliated with LECOM fulfill their training through the five-year MCH residency program. JHS orthopedic surgeon, Steven Hand, DO, completed his training through LECOM and the MCH residency program. LECOM is pleased to have transitioned his role from student to leader of the clinical site now established at Jameson Hospital. Dr. Hand played an instrumental role in obtaining this residency program affiliation and he is the physician supervisor at Jameson. In yet another affiliation, LECOM and Uniontown Hospital (UH) announced their clinical association and alliance. LECOM added Uniontown to its network of affiliated teaching hospitals where medical students may take third and fourth year clinical training. To help attract students to the new program, the hospital has remodeled a house where the students can live that is located mere blocks away from where they will train. The program will serve as the conduit to attract, train, and nurture talented physicians and to assure excellence in medical care across
the community and region. In addition, the clinical rotation program aids in reducing the physician shortage by attracting more physicians to the area. Sarah Lumley, DO, a graduate of LECOM, explained that the hospital will serve as a clinical training site for third- and fourth-year medical students from LECOM whereby the students will gain experience in both the hospital and physician office settings. Dr. Lumley is president of the Fayette County Medical Society and she also serves as Uniontown Hospital Director of Medical Education. LECOM students have been performing clinical rotations and receiving valuable first-hand experience while observing and working alongside physician mentors. The Fayette County Medical Society donated $100,000 to help pay the $180,000 needed to purchase and refurbish the residence, with further funds contributed by the hospital and by LECOM. The effective and efficacious organization that LECOM commands has overcome many obstacles in its estimable legacy of accomplishment. As the dim muddle of the health care morass confronts a professional field in confusion, LECOM’s actions, its alumni, and its alliances remind all that the darkest night is often the bridge that is needed to find the brightest tomorrow. LECOM has been that “bridge” in all of its undertakings; and it is so now, as it stands ever in the vanguard of the future of medicine and medical training.
“Never believe that a few caring people cannot change the world; for, indeed, they are all who ever have.” ~Margaret Mead
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 33
LECOM PRESIDENT/CEO DISCUSSES ROLE OF PHARMACY IN CHANGING HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT
admissions, and save tens of billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs. “Pharmacists have been involved in direct patient care for decades and they are uniquely trained to identify and to resolve drug related problems,” Dr. Ferretti noted. “Through the evaluation of appropriate efficacy, safety, and adherence, medication use can be optimized and unnecessary health care spending can be avoided. These concepts are best utilized in collaboration with physicians and with other health care providers,” Dr. Ferretti averred.
S
tudents, faculty, and graduates of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy participated in the 45th Annual Assembly of the Pennsylvania Society of Health-System Pharmacists (PSHP) gathering in Erie, Pennsylvania. John M. Ferretti, DO, President and CEO of LECOM, told members of the PSHP that the landmark Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) will create both significant challenges and varied opportunities for the pharmacy profession. Dr. Ferretti explained that pharmacists will play a crucial role in the delivery of health care as a result of the ACA. A growing elderly population that relies heavily upon medications to help manage chronic diseases will depend upon those pharmacists. "The greatest growth in our elderly population is among those aged 85 and older; clearly a population with an increasing chronic disease burden and one with a need for complex medication management,” explained Dr. Ferretti at the annual Assembly.
Dr. Ferretti said that despite the challenges that lay ahead, the present moment presents an exciting time for the pharmacy profession. “To succeed, pharmacy, as a profession, must hold true to its vision and it must avoid fragmentation to unite around a common goal for the nation,” he concluded. “The Pennsylvania Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists can take a leadership role by helping to unite the entire profession around health outcomes that are important to the citizens of the Commonwealth. There is no doubt that successes can be created and that the vision of a strong future awaits a thriving pharmacy profession,” he emphasized. The PSHP Assembly was held in Erie for the first time in its history. Gerald E. Meyer, PharmD, President of the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists, presented the second Keynote address at the Assembly. LECOM School of Pharmacy student, Amy Newell, (P3), offered a poster presentation during the Assembly. The three-day event also included a number of lectures, roundtable discussions, and poster presentations. Many students and faculty members from the LECOM School of Pharmacy participated in the estimable event. Events such as this one demonstrate the significant and primary role that LECOM plays in advancing the future of health care both regionally and nationally.
With the landscape of health care changing radically, Dr. Ferretti said that pharmacists and physicians will need to work collaboratively, both to improve patient outcomes and to limit costs. The LECOM President echoed the sentiments of others within the pharmacy profession, further explaining that pharmacists, in spite of their training, often are the most underutilized health care professionals. Greater collaboration between pharmacists and physicians within patient-centered medical homes can save thousands of lives, reduce hospital 34 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2013 | LECOM.edu
Amy Newell, P3, was one of the students from the LECOM School of Pharmacy to give a poster presentation during the PSHP's Annual Assembly.
IN MEMORIAM - JOANNE WOODYARD BOYLE, PH.D. - DEATH SHALL HAVE NO DOMINION OVER DR. BOYLE’S ENDURING GIFT OF EDUCATION The Seton Hill University Board of Trustees designated JoAnne Boyle President Emerita in June 2013. Dr. Boyle was the first president of Seton Hill to receive the title. In June, the Board also acknowledged the way in which Dr. Boyle, as an educator, affected the lives of countless young people in a profound way. She departed her esteemed university, leaving a legacy of scholarly attainment and innovative advancement to her beloved Seton Hill. She once wrote: I can’t imagine what life would be like without grounding in the liberal arts. Without a foundation in the arts and sciences, people cannot be as effective in the world; they miss the frame of reference that helps them compare and think carefully about a subject. I think there is a hunger in us and a yearning for the knowing of where what we do and who we are fits into a larger picture and the study of the liberal arts provides that for us.
D
r. JoAnne Woodyard Boyle was a forward thinking defender of education who valued the attainment of knowledge and the passion of understanding as the vanguard of her purpose. She was a testament to the notion that the great use of one’s life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. Dr. Boyle proved that the betterment of the community through the indomitable institutions of higher learning and through the compelling works of its progeny presage an improved society for generations to come. Her commitment to that mission will stand as a tribute to her calling as educator, administrator, and humanitarian. The last decade bore out her special alliance with LECOM as she welcomed LECOM at Seton Hill to the thriving Greensburg campus. Her dream was, and remains, that of a shared mission and purposed vision forged between LECOM and Seton Hill. Earlier this year, Dr. Boyle was conferred the Honorary Doctor of Science Degree by LECOM President and CEO, John M. Ferretti, DO. Sadly, JoAnne Woodyard Boyle, PhD, Seton Hill University’s longest serving President, died on Friday, November 1, 2013. She was considered by her colleagues and friends a talented teacher and visionary leader. A 1957 alumna of Seton Hill, JoAnne Boyle served as President of Seton Hill from 1987 until her retirement in June 2013. Prior to becoming President, JoAnne Boyle served as professor of English at Seton Hill and Chair of the English Department. She was a tireless champion of the liberal arts.
As President of Seton Hill, Dr. Boyle evinced an unquestioned devotion to loving others through education – applying that devotion to her community and to the world at large. She underscored the belief in human dignity coupled with personal responsibility as the source of that purpose – a belief rooted in human liberty as the source of action, in the human heart as the source of compassion, and in the human mind as the source of invention and ideas. Dr. Boyle served on the Boards of the Economic Growth Connection, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, University of Pittsburgh’s College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, and WQED to name a few. She was a member of the Planning Committee for the Nanjing University International Symposium on Multi-national Business; a former Board Chair of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, and the International Women’s Forum of Pennsylvania. President Boyle received her PhD in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh, her M.A.T. from Harvard University, and her B.A. from Seton Hill. As both an educator and a leader in education administration she dared to reach into the darkness to pull others into the light. For once the lamp of learning has found its flame, it is as a beacon that will never extinguish. Dr. Boyle understood that the lamp of learning burns in all men; and for so many, she has illuminated that lamp – one that burns brighter than ever at Seton Hill, and one that will cast a glow upon generations to come. May these words memorialize her heroic dedication as an educator.
@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 35
1858 West Grandview Blvd. Erie, Pennsylvania 16509 (814) 866-6641 www.lecom.edu
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PRIMARY CARE CONFERENCE 2014 Feb 28-Mar 2
PEEK’N PEAK CONFERENCE CENTER, FINDLEY LAKE, NY
Presented By: L E C O M LAKE ERIE COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Primary Care 2014 offers a unique learning experience for physicians and healthcare professionals seeking to learn the latest information on medical advancements and treatment options. LECOM faculty and guest lecturers will present topics pertinent to primary care physicians as well as specialists.
PC 2014
PHYSICIAN REGISTRATION
To register, visit lecom.edu/cme Registration and fee deadline: February 24, 2014
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine anticipates Primary Care 2014 being approved for up to 20 AOA Category I-A CME credit hours pending approval by the AOA CCME. LECOM anticipates this activity will be approved for up to 20 prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians. An application for CME credit will be filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending. Primary Care 2014 will include up to 5 hours devoted to patient safety and risk management requirements.