LECOM Connection Summer 2019

John M. Ferretti, DO President/CEO

Marlene D. Mosco Chair of the Board of Trustees

Silvia M. Ferretti, DO Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs

Hershey Bell, MD, MS (MedEd) Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Pharmacy

Mathew J. Bateman, PhD, DHEd Dean of the School of Dental Medicine

Mark Kauffman, DO, MS (MedEd), PA Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton

Eric Nicastro Acting Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing

Stephanie Bruce Senior Communications and Marketing Specialist

Sheena Baker Communications and Marketing Specialist

Joel Welin Communications and Marketing Specialist, Bradenton

Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire Chief Writer, Editor-in-Chief

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is to prepare students to become osteopathic physicians, pharmacy practitioners and dentists through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care and community service to enhance the quality of life through improved health for all humanity. The professional programs are dedicated to serve all students through innovative curriculum and the development of postdoctoral education and interprofessional experiences.

John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO

M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO

Sometimes the best teaching tools are found in the examples set by others.

In pursuit of his prescient vision, Walt Disney was undaunted. He sold his house, borrowed against his life insurance, and he risked all that he possessed to finance a dream. His wife once remarked that if anything had happened to him, Disney would have spent every last dime of the family savings. By 1953, Disney had stretched his personal resources to the very limit.

Today, Disney theme parks are the most successful tourist attractions around the world. Yet, more than 50 years ago, the parks' visionary was advised by every financier, amusement park director, carnival and funfair operator around the globe that the magnificent theme park he envisioned would fail miserably. Indeed, Disney did not take small, incremental steps; rather he made a bold and insightful leap into the future that he envisioned.

As you may surmise, my message in this issue of the LECOM Connection centers upon the willingness of leaders to undertake bold action in the pursuit of a noble vision. It is a message that has resonated unabashedly with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). From its very inception – pushing back the naysayers who, in the late 1980s, scoffed at the idea of an osteopathic medical school being established in Erie, Pennsylvania – to the present, as our vision takes on ever-

From Insight to Legacy

LECOM Vision Continues to Expand

bolder strides in its mission to better each community in which it has set its cornerstone, LECOM stands undaunted.

We, at LECOM, recognize that one is limited, not by one’s abilities, rather only by one’s vision. Vision is the art of seeing that which is invisible to others. It is the ability to look inward and find duty, to look outward and find aspiration, and to look upward to find faith.

As we journey toward our third decade of excellence in medical education, we embark upon a path untrodden.

As LECOM expansion reaches into the state of New York with LECOM at Elmira prepared to deliver superlative medical education to yet another region that awaits improved medical services for its underserved community, there are many bold projects brewing in the minds of LECOM's leadership.

The decades have shown that LECOM leaders, possessed of a well-conceived vision, articulate that vision, passionately own it, and relentlessly drive it to successful completion.

Indeed, Disney advised that man should, “Dream lofty dreams, and as he dreams, so it shall become; for often man thinks too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks that the sky is only as large as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view.“

Of course, we at LECOM recognize that growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known into the unknown; but the attainment of an august educational institution and a thriving health nexus is borne of such endeavors.

Across the span of a vast history, richly purposed, innovative undertakings and enterprising, intrepid decision-making have distinguished between leader and follower; between acumen and apathy; and ultimately between success and failure. A skilled leader will know that one must not wait, for the time will never be just right.

The transformational leadership at LECOM builds upon the past, but it sees even greater possibilities in growth, looking within our deepest values to find a bigger, brighter, more inclusive vision of the future. We embrace the pedigree of our history with a richness of imagination, for from its creation to its crescendo, vision and leadership have formed the hallmark of LECOM success.

Thus, we, at LECOM, move forward with zeal to undertake new projects and to create new alliances that will continue to solidify our place as the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation and as one of the most sought after institutions of medical education in America.

John

Humility• CREDOS OF OUR CALLING

The quality or state of not thinking that one is better than another forms the basis of humility. Transcending arrogance and pride, a humble person may still exude confidence for confidence, results from a sure and capable mastery of one’s undertaking or training.

Those in the medical profession may, on occasion, attract unwarranted and undeserved attention from patients or from patients' families when situations arise that conflate confidence with a lack of humility. The two attributes could not be more different.

Those who cross the LECOM threshold are superlatively educated and trained. The resulting thoroughly skilled physicians and medical professionals are justifiably confident in their abilities, and such confidence is, and certainly should be, conveyed to their patients. Accordingly, patients develop a necessary trust in their physicians.

Humility exists as a completely separate virtue. True humility is an intelligent self-respect that keeps one from thinking too highly or too harshly of oneself. It helps one to be aware of how far short one has come to that which one may become. Humility is the attentive patience that aids one in making a correct estimate of one’s self. It assists one in honing one’s training and in bettering one’s abilities.

Humility is the only true wisdom by which one may prepare one’s mind for all of the possible changes in life.

It is, in fact, humility that is the only certain defense against humiliation. Without humility there can be no humanity.

The French statesman and philosopher Charles de Montesquieu explained that “To become truly great, one must stand with people, not above them.“

A complement to modesty, humility is a centering virtue that serves as a barometer of comportment, necessary to kings and commoners alike.

Indeed, Rudyard Kipling noted the virtue of humility in his advice to “walk with kings and keep the common touch.“

Lest one forget this important attribute essential to those who toil in the medical profession, humility is highlighted here as a Credo of Our Calling

LECOM BRADENTON

Interprofessional Research Day 2019

Brain power was on full display at the annual event known as Interprofessional Research Day as the program theme highlighted brain health. Held on April 18 at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in Bradenton, Florida, the competition evinced the fact that probative inquiry is vibrant and flourishing on the LECOM campus.

“It is clear that the joy of discovery is contagious at LECOM and it continues to spread in quality and quantity each year,“ noted the event coordinator, Tim Novak, DBA, Dean of the School of Health Services Administration.

The theme of the competition this year, Brain Health: Mind, Body and Spirit, prompted the submission of 131 research posters presented by more than 300 LECOM students and 80 faculty members. Research topics ranged from bench microbiology, anatomy and genomics, to medical, dental, pharmacy, and healthcare economics rife with data-laden case studies.

Official event judges were tasked with evaluating the posters for each school. Firstplace winners received $500; second-place finishers were awarded $300; and third-place scholars received $100.

Research constitutes one of the four LECOM Pillars of Excellence, and campus-wide participation is evident and intense. Students not actively presenting research in the event took part nonetheless by reviewing their classmates’ posters and completing standard poster evaluation rubrics.

“We are proud of the teamwork and professionalism demonstrated by our students, faculty and staff. They are central to the success of Research Day,“ Dr. Novak commented.

Throughout the day, student research was augmented by interprofessional discovery demonstrations that showcased osteopathic manipulation practices, pharmacy compounding techniques, dental-care simulation and tours of the LECOM Dental Clinic.

A keynote speaker session added to the event offerings. During the presentations, students and faculty could avail themselves of four different topic offerings: “Addiction and Impacts on Community Mental Health and Law Enforcement“ by Captain Todd Shear, special investigations unit, Manatee County Sheriff’s Department; “Novel Markers in Psycho-cardiology: Understanding the Brain-Heart Connection“ by Marcos A. Sanchez-Gonzalez, MD; “Mental Health and Psychological Impacts Post-Dental Therapy“ by Nick Mann, DMD; and “Emotional Intelligence and Mental Health: Mitigating Burn Out“ by Joann Farrell Quinn, PhD.

Community-action opportunities also were available during the event. Drug Free Manatee Addiction Crisis Taskforce provided table clinics in the medical and dental schools and they encouraged LECOM students, staff and faculty to join the fight against addiction.

The cafés in both LECOM buildings served as the setting for a presentation that highlighted the history of women in the

osteopathic profession. The Emmy Awardwinning documentary, “The Feminine Touch: History of Women in Osteopathic Medicine“, by faculty member Thomas Quinn, DO, was shown during the lunch session.

To cap an event-filled day, a stationary bicycle-desk and an iconic, green Region’s Bank bicycle were raffled off for the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund. Combined with the table clinics and vendors stations, more than $2,000 was raised for the fund.

The final event of Research Day was that of the Interprofessional, Joint Faculty Session. That program segment featured tips to enhance key communication-teaching skills, such as active listening. The faculty also discussed laboratory resources, sharing information gathered at academic meetings, and the betterment of networking opportunities for interprofessional research collaborations.

The LECOM mission statement pledges to prepare future osteopathic physicians, pharmacists and dentists through programs of excellence in research. It is not surprising that this estimable occasion found students and faculty alike determinedly presenting their scientific studies and sharing their findings.

The entire 2019 Research Day event proved to be a resounding success and it underscored the profound and weighty value of LECOM research and the constant commitment to the mission which defines LECOM exceptionalism.

Shaping the World Around Us

One Commencement at a Time

Life is changing faster than it has at any point in human history. As a people, we face a choice: shape the world around us, or be shaped by it. Those in leadership at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) understand that one cannot hide from the future, for if that is the path chosen, history will be a harsh judge.

Shifting effortlessly from success to significance, it is in that mindset and possessed of that purpose that the LECOM Connection highlights as its feature story the expansive LECOM history through a timeline of commencements.

Having now completed 23 commencement ceremonies, one is struck by the fact that throughout history, legacy-creating, innovative decisions have distinguished between leader and follower; between insight and apathy; and ultimately between success and failure. Such is the case with the history that has come to form the heritage of LECOM.

Attentive readers may have noticed that for the second consecutive issue, expansion has served as the predominant theme of the LECOM Connection. This occurrence is not happenstance or oversight; rather, it is a decidedly intended point of emphasis set forth to highlight the depth and breadth of the broadening LECOM nexus as LECOM graduates have gone forth in ever increasing numbers.

With the graduation of the LECOM inaugural class in May 1997, the college received full accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association and since that time, LECOM has granted the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree to thousands of graduates. LECOM is now the most applied to medical school in the nation, with more than 16,000 applications submitted for consideration in 2019.

Under the skillful guidance of John M. Ferretti, DO, LECOM has gained national prominence and it has realized unprecedented growth.

In 2000, LECOM was the first osteopathic medical school to introduce an effectively innovative approach to medical education, Problem-Based Learning (PBL). By working in small groups through a paradigm of selfdirected study, PBL students are tasked to think clinically and to solve problems in the same way in which a physician diagnoses a patient.

As the college established its venerable place in medical education through a multiplicity of attributes; one of its most noteworthy offerings – its student-centered learning pathways – have enticed countless scholars to cross the LECOM threshold.

LECOM became one of the first institutions to present its curriculum in multiple learning styles designed to address the specific educational needs of its students and it accorded to them a choice of three- or fouryear programs.

2,425 ’06-’10 4,114 ’11-’15

By 2002, college growth and enrollment required LECOM to triple the size of the original medical school building, adding another 100,000 square feet of modern teaching, learning and research facilities. The college is now expansively situated along West Grandview Boulevard where a park-like, 53-acre campus boasts a captivating view of Lake Erie.

Through its whole-body wellness paradigm, LECOM provides a continually growing medical and wellness campus in Erie as college and community engage in a region-shaping platform that has become LECOM Health, the only osteopathic academic health center in the United States.

The LECOM School of Pharmacy, with its unique three-year accelerated curriculum, began classes in September 2002, and LECOM held its first pharmacy school commencement in June 2005. Since that time,

LECOM has granted the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree to more than 2,500 graduates.

The lush, palm-embowered sister campus in Bradenton, Florida, welcomed its first class of medical students in September 2004. With the enrollment of the Bradenton Class of 2011, LECOM became the largest medical college in the nation. The School of Pharmacy also expanded to Florida where a traditional four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree draws scholars from far and wide.

In keeping with its proven tradition of leading the field in medical education, the LECOM Masters of Science in Medical Education Degree Program was initiated at the Erie campus in 2005. This postgraduate course became the first distance education program at LECOM and it trains physicians to become teachers and leaders in the clinical education of future physicians. In addition to filling the need for teaching physicians, LECOM recognized the need for professors who could teach anatomy, one of the vital basic sciences required in medical education. To address that need, the college introduced a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Anatomy Education.

To further the education of potential medical, pharmacy and dental school scholars, the college also offers a Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences Degree, a Masters in Medical Science Degree, and the Health Sciences Post Baccalaureate Certificate.

Seeking to quickly and effectively fill the need for more physicians, LECOM offers two accelerated programs in the medical college: the Primary Care Scholars Pathway and the Accelerated Physicians Pathway. These programs allow qualified students to complete the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree in just three years.

The 2009 extension of LECOM Erie to the campus of the private liberal arts institution of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, further broadened the reach of LECOM medical training, and as the LECOM School of Dental Medicine welcomed students in Bradenton in 2012, a new era in the betterment of healthcare education began.

Ever vigilant to marking innovative trends in education, LECOM added two Distance Education Pathways in 2014. The School of Pharmacy Distance Education Pathway is one of only two online-distance education programs in the nation for pursuing the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. The online classes for the Masters in Health Services Administration have provided the highly sought-after opportunity for professionals aspiring to take leadership roles in the administration of hospitals, clinical practices and in other health care facilities. With scholars in mind, LECOM also developed an online degree for the Master of Science in Biomedical Ethics Degree. This program fills the need for healthcare workers and administrators who are better prepared to recognize and effectively handle the ethical complexities and dilemmas found in medical practice of a modern age.

With each commencement, LECOM has augmented its noteworthy educational advancements while remaining ever cognizant of its role in community enrichment, service and the promulgation of health for all. From its 2009 opening of the John M. and Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness and Wellness Center, to becoming the lead agency for the Safe Kids Erie program that seeks to prevent injuries to children, to incorporating LECOM Center for Health and Aging into its family of health and educational services offering lifelong learning opportunities for individuals age 50 and older, LECOM has never ceased in its expansive mission.

In 2015, LECOM wholly recast the very paradigm in comprehensive patient-centered health care with the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging. The 138-bed LECOM Senior Living Center offers a homelike environment, coupled with a skilled nursing facility that provides the next generation of innovative, compassionate and comprehensive health care designed specifically for older adults.

The Parkside Senior Living Communities, comprised of three independent living and personal care apartment complexes, further highlight the LECOM commitment to community and its unyielding effort to meet the needs of an aging community.

With multiple LECOM acquisitions, including Corry Memorial Hospital, LECOM Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the Visiting Nurse Association of Erie County, along with a partnership with Warren General Hospital, LECOM solidified its place as the seminal provider of a healthful and proactive amalgam of comprehensive services that afford older adults independent decision-making options throughout each part of the continuum of care.

Key to its students, who comprise the very core of all LECOM undertakings, are the opportunities to a broadened training and clinical settings that are attendant to each LECOM acquisition and community enterprise.

According to the latest recorded data, more than 98 percent of LECOM graduating seniors in the 2017-2018 academic year passed the COMLEX-USA and USMLE Examinations on their first attempt. This percentage outpaced the national average of a 96 percent first-time pass rate. Consider also that almost 99 percent of LECOM scholars passed their COMLEX Level 2 Board Examinations on the first attempt as compared to a national average of 96 percent. Through all of these means of measurement, LECOM scholars have scored higher than the national mean scores. Perhaps most important to aspiring applicants is the consistent level of match-rate success; LECOM boasted a full 100 percent Residency Match for 2019.

FEATURE

LECOM has developed an unassailable reputation as a leader in medical education and patient care, with its graduates highly sought after in the fields of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. LECOM also has set the standard for affordable education in a private medical college setting where graduates achieve outstanding board scores and journey forward to make a difference in the field of health care.

Students are applying to LECOM at an unprecedented rate with enrollment increasing steadily and student diversity placing nationally in the top 10 of all medical colleges. In fact, according to the publication, Diverse Issues in Higher Education 2018 - Top 100 Degree Producers, LECOM ranks first in total minority applicants in osteopathic medicine, seventh across all disciplines, and eighth in total minorities in pharmacy.

While the College of Medicine, the School of Pharmacy and the School of Dental Medicine continue to draw scholars from across the globe, each of the collateral LECOM programs – the Health Sciences Post Baccalaureate (Post-Bacc), the Master of Medical Science (MMS), the Master of Science in Medical Education (MSMedEd), the Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA), the Masters in Public Health (MPH), the Master of Science in Biomedical Ethics (MSBE), the Master of Science in Biomedical Science (MSBS), the PhD in Anatomy Education and the PhD in Microbiology Education – have registered noteworthy increases in enrollment. In fact, the percentage of 2019 graduates across all disciplines tripled from just the year prior.

It requires great courage to bring something original into the world. Creativity takes courage, for it is, at its essence, an act of faith. It is a commitment to a dream of the future.

That dream now includes construction on a new academic building to house the LECOM on the Elmira College campus in Elmira, New York. A mid-January 2019 groundbreaking precipitated almost non-stop construction with the 49,000 square foot state-of-the-art building being prepared for full occupancy by the end of the year.

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

LECOM has ever articulated that learning is not attained by chance; rather it must be sought out with ardor and attended to with diligence. As this 2019 Commencement closes an academic calendar, it sends forth LECOM progeny with a triumphant purpose and a tenacious will, with abundant skills and with profoundly honed training to improve the lives of many.

COMMENCEMENT 2019

LECOM CELEBRATES COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES WITH RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) graduated its 23rd class as the Class of 2019 received degrees in Erie, Pennsylvania, on May 26. The Erie event, held at the Erie Insurance Arena, boasted a total of 568 degrees awarded to LECOM Erie and LECOM at Seton Hill scholars.

The commencement ceremony in Erie included the awarding of 257 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees from LECOM Erie and 102 such diplomas from LECOM at Seton Hill. An additional 130 graduates received the PharmD degree through the LECOM Erie Accelerated Pathway.

A prodigious 79 masters degrees were awarded to LECOM scholars, with 38 of those diplomas being awarded to graduates of the Masters of Health Services Administration program, 36 degrees conferred upon graduates of the Masters of Medical Education program, and five degrees were bestowed upon graduates of the Masters of Biomedical Sciences program.

LECOM commencement ceremonies in Bradenton, Florida, followed a week later, on June 2, with an additional 568 degrees being awarded at two ceremonies held at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto. A morning ceremony for the College of Medicine, School of Health Services Administration and School of Graduate Studies was followed by an afternoon ceremony, during which School of Pharmacy, School of Dental Medicine and dual degree candidates received their diplomas. A total of 194 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees, 100 degrees in Dental Medicine, 166 PharmD degrees (including 25 diplomas awarded in the Distance Education Pathway), 66 degrees in the Masters of Medical Science program and 42 Masters of Health Services Administration degrees were conferred upon deserving scholars.

The bevy of commencement ceremonies – from Pennsylvania to Florida – underscore the thriving family of LECOM professionals who, each year, enter the purposeful callings of healthcare. Their stories have been, in turn, interesting, compelling and inspiring. LECOM is proud of the significant accomplishments of its graduates and it looks forward with eager anticipation as these new professionals broaden and expand their achievements in the years to come. The LECOM Connection offers to our readers a few of their stories that highlight their personal undertakings.

Ever Vigilant

LECOM strenuously supports the men and women – staff and student alike – in the service of our great nation. The travails of a world in dissonance and of nations in conflict require men and women to commit to a noble purpose and to a mission-driven calling. Their vigilant dedication underpins the cornerstone of steadfast service. Whether to country or to countrymen, the parallel between medical training and medical service is a strong one at LECOM.

Indeed, National Guard veteran Lola Di Vincenzo personifies the dual callings – medicine and military service – each profoundly worthy in its own right. As a physician-soldier, she stood proudly among the 2019 LECOM College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates.

During her eight years in the National Guard, the Hiram, Ohio, native rose to staff sergeant, serving as an Ohio Military Honor Guard. The dedicated Guard performed funeral honors for fallen soldiers, served as a team leader and eventually as squad leader in A Company 237th Brigade Support Battalion. She dedicated herself to serve additionally as an instructor at the Defense Supply Center in Columbus. A stateside deployment to

Louisiana found her assisting with relief efforts following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. In 2012, she deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Following her deployment, Di Vincenzo enrolled in Kent State University to pursue a master’s degree in interdisciplinary physiology.

Di Vincenzo exudes a readily discernible sense of duty. “I’ve always felt that if someone has the ability and the capability to become a physician when others do not, that person has an obligation to their fellow humans to do so,“ Di Vincenzo explained. “My love for medicine is rooted in my love of human physiology. I realized early on that I have a knack for physiology, so there was never a real question about the direction of my life.“

In 2015, as an osteopathic medical student at LECOM at Seton Hill, Di Vincenzo embraced the Problem Based Learning (PBL) Pathway, finding great benefit in the way in which the curriculum prepares students for real-world application.

“The PBL translates well into the students’ clinical years when one needs to sift through charts or to teach oneself to extract important information,“ the scholar-soldier elaborated. “The PBL Pathway assisted me in building a solid foundation, and it enabled a smooth transition into my internship.“

Di Vincenzo gratefully reflected upon her medical education, moved by the dedication and commitment of the LECOM professors, instructors and professionals who passionately carried out their mission to teach at a superlative level.

“There have been moments when residents, attendings, nurses, pharmacists, techs, and respiratory therapists have looked exhausted and they have had full patient loads, and yet they still made time to teach me something. Not everyone is like that, so those people stand as exemplars to me,“ Di Vincenzo recalled. “I’m hopeful that I can be like them in the future and make time for the next generation despite all that may be going on around me.“

Di Vincenzo next prepares for an internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic. “The situation feels very surreal, exciting and terrifying,“ admitted the new graduate. “We all have very high expectations of ourselves, and I am so proud of my class because I truly think that we have achieved at the highest level.“

Di Vincenzo noted that the culmination of her journey is bigger than herself. “I am very grateful for the people around me who have supported me through this journey,“ Di Vincenzo offered. “The last four years have been just as difficult for my loved ones, and this time should be a celebration of all that they have done as much as it is about my own accomplishments.“

It seems fitting to pause to pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of the LECOM military medical graduates – those such as Lola Di Vincenzo – who define all that it means to secure the promise of freedom and liberty.

Personal Best

Being one’s best rarely involves overcoming obstacles placed in one’s path; rather it entails overcoming the barriers that one places in front of oneself. It has nothing to do with the number of times one wins or loses, and it has no regard for the place in which one finishes or the records one breaks. Being one’s best has everything to do with one’s vision, one’s courage and one’s ability to determinedly hold fast to one’s goals.

Lola Di Vincenzo

Karina “Helene“ Rovnan and her father, Douw G. Muller

LECOM recognized this vision, courage and determined passion in Karina “Helene“ Rovnan, a South African freestyle swimmer who represented her country in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and who held fast to an undying dream to become a medical doctor.

Defining the essence of personal best, Rovnan was among the 102 LECOM at Seton Hill medical scholars who received their degrees May 26.

The two-time Olympic swimmer placed earning her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from LECOM near the very pinnacle of her life accomplishments.

Rovnan, a native of Pretoria, South Africa, had childhood dreams of becoming a doctor. Indeed, she had planned to attend medical school after graduating from high school. However, a successful swimming career detoured the immediacy of her dream to become a physician.

At 18, Rovnan debuted in the 1996 Olympic Games with the South African Olympic team. She competed in the Women’s 100-Meter Freestyle, the 200-Meter Freestyle and the 4x100-Meter Medley Relay. Four years later, in the 2000 Olympics, Rovnan set several South African records, placing sixth in the 100-Meter Freestyle Race and earning the best solo performance of her Olympic career.

Rovnan again represented South Africa when she competed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, where she earned Silver Medals in the 100-Meter Freestyle and in the 4x100-Meter Medley Relay.

In addition to her international accolades, Rovnan’s swimming prowess earned her a scholarship to the University of Nebraska. There she received 13 All-American honors and earned a bronze medal in the 200yard Freestyle at the 2000 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.

After completing her undergraduate studies in 2002, Rovnan and her husband, Mark, settled in Pittsburgh where the couple has been raising their two children. With a persistent medical interest compelling her, Rovnan earned her Master of Physician Assistant Studies Degree from Chatham University.

Though she was now working in the medical profession, Rovnan sought to further expand her vision. In 2015, she enrolled in the LECOM

at Seton Hill Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. The LECOM Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Pathway appealed to Rovnan, who was able to fill gaps in her medical training through the group-based, conceptual curriculum.

“I think that it is the only way to learn,“ Rovnan said of the LECOM PBL Program. I appreciate the conceptual approach and I prefer to understand a concept within a case. PBL was perfect for me.“

Rovnan’s disciplined training as a top athlete helped her to endure the rigors of medical school while simultaneously balancing her home life and continuing to work as a physician assistant on the weekends.

“Endurance is key because medical school is a marathon, not a sprint,“ Rovnan explained. “It is a life of testing, and swimming is like that, too. One trains, which is comparable to studying, and then one tests, which is like a race. Time management is everything, and swimming taught me that lesson. There was not a minute in my day that was not productive.“

With her receipt of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from LECOM, Rovnan has found the culmination of her life’s ambition.

LECOM is is grateful for scholars like Karina “Helene“ Rovnan, who now has a new personal best as a highly trained Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dual Degrees from LECOM

Recent LECOM graduate Joseph Yeager was attracted to LECOM because of its affordability and because of the innovative three-year Accelerated PharmD Pathway. As a 2015 LECOM School of Pharmacy graduate, the Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, native was pleased to save time and money by taking advantage of the Accelerated Pharmacy Program.

“Pharmacy was an option that assured me of a good career, one in which I would be working within the field of medicine, and one in which I felt that I would be doing a great deal of good for society,“ Dr. Yeager remarked. “It was a field that also would provide to me an opportunity to delve into medicine afterward.“

After completing his pharmacy training and receiving his PharmD degree, Dr. Yeager directly rolled into the LECOM Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. In so doing, the new medical school scholar gained a well-rounded healthcare education that will allow him to provide patient-centered care at a superlative level. The dual degrees serve significantly to advance his career.

“The added PharmD degree provides to me a supplemental background and a profoundly useful insight when it comes to the way in which I plan to treat my patients and the medicines that I choose to treat their conditions,“ explained the 2019 medical school graduate.

In 2015, Dr. Yeager was the first in his family to earn a medical doctorate degree. Now with two such distinctions, he has relocated to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he began an emergency medicine residency at Conemaugh Memorial Health System.

LECOM is especially proud of dual degree earners such as Dr. Joseph Yeager, who will carry forth a depth and breadth of medical knowledge to deliver the best possible healthcare to needful communities.

Joseph Yeager

Graduate Embraces LECOM Mission Through International Volunteerism

Service – 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, and the warmth of human compassion carry the LECOM mission to a superlative level of excellence. The men and women of LECOM have inherited transformative legacies and the unfailing ability 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.

Hannah Smouse, a 2019 LECOM at Seton Hill graduate, knows this mission well, for the calling to service has influenced her very career path, leading her decidedly into the healthcare profession.

Indeed, a key moment during a 2011 mission trip solidified that career path. “Although I always had an interest in pursuing a career in the field of medicine, seeing the great medical need in the countries to which I had been privileged to travel affirmed my desire to become a physician,“ she expounded. “My hope was to have a broad spectrum of training to be able to help a wide population and to be able to do as much as possible for the people whom I would serve.“

Smouse’s humanitarian and missionary work has taken her to five of the seven continents. In particular, she noted a trip to Kenya that afforded to her the chance to work in a rural hospital alongside a Russian-educated Kenyan family physician.

“It was there, for the first time, that I witnessed full-spectrum family medicine in practice,“ Smouse noted. “I assisted with a C-section, a leg amputation, and I spent time in a very busy labor and delivery ward. I cared for patients in the clinic and I visited the NICU. Seeing medicine practiced in another country redoubled my appreciation for the medical care that we have available to us

in the United States,“ she averred. Smouse developed a deep and abiding appreciation for the principles of osteopathic medicine and this appreciation, coupled with the LECOM Problem Based Learning (PBL) Pathway, drew the Rockledge, Florida, native to the LECOM at Seton Hill campus in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Finding a close-knit class and a dedicated LECOM faculty committed to assisting the students, Smouse felt immediately that she was on the right path. Pressing through the rigors of medical school laid a strong foundation upon which she will build her medical career.

The new alumna plans to undertake her residency program in Wichita, Kansas, where she will continue her education at Kansas University Via Christi Family Medicine Residency. The program is among the top family medicine residency programs in the nation for offering a family medicine with surgical obstetrics focus. Smouse will be the first LECOM graduate to attend Via Christi and she is eager to carry with her the LECOM exceptionalism that will serve to pave the way for future LECOM alumni.

Seeking the exceptional in every task, creating a better tomorrow, answering the call of need – this is the spirit of LECOM.

Hanna Smouse’s mission of service mirrors that of her new alma mater. LECOM is proud to recognize this recent graduate for her selfless desire to give back throughout underserved communities.

Hannah Smouse

The Power of Two

Christian and Heather Menezes

Wise maxims have pronounced that love is a partnership of two unique people, each of whom brings out the very best in the other; and even though they are wonderful as individuals, they become even better together.

For Christian and Heather Menezes, their time at LECOM has amplified that aphorism.

The LECOM Post-Baccalaureate program was the forum in which the two fledgling graduate students came together as strangers.

Nearly five years later, Christian and Heather Menezes graduated from LECOM as Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine – and as husband and wife.

Indeed, Christian and Heather Menezes had similar histories as both of them had spent time working in hospitals. Imbued with a desire to help others, each of them was possessed of a keen interest in the osteopathic medical philosophy.

Inclined to “ease their way into graduate studies through the LECOM PostBaccalaureate program,“ the two met during orientation. “We began talking about our plans for the holidays, and when Christian said that he was not going home for Thanksgiving, I welcomed him to join my family in Minnesota,“ recounted Heather Menezes. “Later, I realized that was probably not the most normal way to begin a friendship with a complete stranger.“

Their friendship evolved and by the end of their post-baccalaureate year, they began dating; and, during Christmas break in their second year of medical school, they were married.

“While most newlyweds are busy decorating their new homes and moving in with each other, our boxes remained packed; and we spent most of our time in cubicles, studying next to each other in the LECOM library,“ she elaborated.

A year later, Heather Menezes gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Adeline-Lynn. As the Menezes embark upon a new chapter of their lives – and now with a new baby – they offer to a larger community the combined skills of their exceptional medical training.

Following commencement, the Menezes family relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Christian and Heather couples-matched into programs with Lehigh Valley Health Network. Christian Menezes began an internal medicine residency while Heather entered a pediatric residency.

As a whirlwind of life-altering experiences have enveloped the young couple, the two credit the support that they received from LECOM in helping them through the rigors of medical school and clinical rotations. “We have been able to help each other grow to become better versions of ourselves not only as students and as future physicians, but also as spouses, parents and in our spiritual lives,“ remarked Heather Menezes.

“Life became far busier after we were married and started a family during medical school, but the more we took on, the more blessed and less stressed we felt,“ she noted.

Combining marriage with medicine, two LECOM graduates now meet the future with unlimited possibilities. LECOM is especially proud to have played a role in the formation of the Menezes family.

Ties that Bind – LECOM Graduates Hold Fast to Family Focus

There is no doubt that the family and the home give rise to some of the greatest virtues, for it is through family that the most dominating virtues of human society are created, strengthened and maintained.

In every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past while simultaneously serving as the bridge to our future.

Thus, it is not happenstance that three 2019 graduates from LECOM brought with them an individualized and impactful story of family.

Amie Gerodimos

For as long as she can remember, LECOM graduate Amie Gerodimos has been passionate about children.

As a child advocate and representative in the Florida Sixth Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program, the College of Medicine graduate found herself involved in the family centric program almost by chance.

“At the time, I was volunteering for All Children’s Hospital (in St. Petersburg, Florida) and I saw two cases – older children – who were in medical foster care. They had extensive needs and they could not be placed in a foster home or in a group home,“ she recalled. “Each of them had to stay in the hospital, unable to leave because of their situations. It was at that time that I learned about the GAL Program.“

The Florida Statewide Guardian ad Litem Program serves as the voice in court for abandoned, abused and neglected children across the state. The goal of the program is to help such youngsters find their way into safe and permanent homes.

Since then, Gerodimos has spent four years attending the COM while continuing her work as an advocate in the statewide GAL Program. In Michigan, where she will begin her residency, a similar program – CourtAppointed Special Advocates (CASA) – holds special appeal to her. After completing her internship, Gerodimos hopes to resume her

passion for creating families as an advocate in the CASA Program. “One of the most meaningful aspects of this kind of volunteer work is that I can try to make a difference,“ Gerodimos explained intently. “I can fight for the child’s best interests to be served.“

Bringing with her a wealth of expert LECOM medical training and an ability to provide compassionate care, this new LECOM physician’s passion for the very essence of family makes her alma mater deeply proud of her purposeful mission.

Lisa Nguyen and Khanh Le

Whether through wry observations or through poignant ponderings, family has much more in common than most of us realize.

Family ties abound in the LECOM School of Pharmacy Class of 2019 with cousins Shelby Swartzentruber and Ashleigh Beachy, the Alnafoosi brothers, and the Hoang siblings, but the story of Lisa Nguyen and Khanh Le is just a little bit different.

Amie Gerodimos

Khanh Le

Lisa Nguyen

The two scholars met for the very first time on their first day of classes at LECOM.

“On the first day of pharmacy school, I was seeking to become acquainted with my classmates and I met Lisa, who, like me, is Vietnamese,“ elaborated Le. “Lisa is from the Jacksonville area, so I asked her if she knew some of my friends from there and it turned out that I know her brother.“

“I was more than a little surprised when I found out that we had many friends in common. We suspected that we might be related,“ the LECOM graduate said. “Lisa asked her parents and I asked my parents, and it turns out that we are cousins, two or three times removed, on our father’s side,“ Le revealed. “She is a ’Le,’ too, but she took her mother’s name, ’Nguyen,’ and her father is a ’Le’ like me.“

“I was truly surprised,“ Le stated. “I felt that my coming to LECOM all happened for a reason. It was meant for us to meet and to become each other’s support team.“

“While the Vietnamese community is small, we can have many cousins because families can be large and one may not know everyone,“ commented Le. “Now that I do know Lisa, I know a very special person who is a part of the family.“

LECOM takes great satisfaction in having played a part in unifying and furthering a joyful family relationship.

Jessica Mustelier

Non-traditional students have played an important role in the broad-based education paradigm advanced by LECOM.

It is wholly appropriate that 2019 graduate Jessica Mustelier’s road to the LECOM School of Dental Medicine was a long and winding one and one that required her to make a few stops along the way.

Mustelier graduated in 2005 with a degree in chemistry from the University of Florida. She worked as a middle-school teacher in Miami, a periodontal surgical assistant, a researcher

for the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, a dental hygienist and as a part-time college instructor.

“One of my most compelling philosophies has been, ’If you have a dream, never ever give up on it!’ Dentistry always has been my dream,“ Mustelier stated, “but I was continually pulled in different directions. However, I never gave up on it and always, I returned to it.“

Mustelier met her husband-to-be in 2006; the couple married in 2011; and the day after she graduated from Miami Dade College in the Dental Hygienist Program, Mustelier delivered her son. Two months later, she took her Dental Admissions Test, and in 2015, she was accepted to LECOM.

With her husband, Felix, still working in Miami, Mustelier and her then-2-year-old child remained in Bradenton where Mustelier studied determinedly as a scholar in the School of Dental Medicine.

“I loved the Problem Based Learning (PBL) pathway," Mustelier remarked, defining it as one of her favorite and exclusive LECOM benefits. “I was able to engage in a good deal of self-study at home with my son versus the usual classroom lectures. I did not have to leave him in daycare from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.,“ she commented contentedly. “Not only did I learn the science, but I interacted with other students, learned to communicate and to diagnose in different ways. I loved it.“

Mustelier’s non-traditional path allowed her to hold fast to her family and to nurture the tender years with her son. With the family focus ever in the forefront at LECOM, Jennifer Mustelier is now living out her dream.

For these students – Amie Gerodimos, Lisa Nguyen, Khanh Le and Jennifer Mustelier –family ties bound their hearts and LECOM unbound their dreams. LECOM wishes each of them great success as they define the next generation of healthcare.

Jessica Mustelier

A Trilogy of Care Trio of Scholars Share Biological and Professional Bond

At LECOM, it is not uncommon to feel as though one is being treated “like family,“ but for Mark Michael, 26, Mary Michael, 25, and John Michael, 23, the tribute has been taken literally.

It is rather unusual to find three aspiring doctors in one family, but this trio of siblings sees it as par for the course. Born in Chicago and raised in Florida, the siblings have long envisioned a shared medical journey.

“The three of us are very close in age, which created a sense of likeness, but we are each very unique in our own sense,“ explained Mary.

Mary, OMS3, hopes to specialize in dermatology; John, OMS1, plans a career in ophthalmology; and Mark, OMS3, sees his place in orthopedic surgery with a fellowship in either spine or joint reconstruction.

“Truly, I do not foresee a scenario in which we are not living close to each other,“ stated Mark. “All of us are going to become attending physicians during a similar time period, so it would be very appealing to us to open some sort of joint practice.“

“Working with Mary and Mark upon completion of residency has always been the plan,“ John

explained. “Our combined skills will allow us to run a highly successful, patient-centered, multidiscipline medical facility.“

Attracted to LECOM Bradenton because of its proximity to the family’s Clearwater-area home, Mary enthusiastically highlighted the superlative education offered by LECOM and the “impressive track record of students receiving great board scores.“ Equally determinative in the siblings’ decision-making process was the independent-learning curriculum through the Problem Based Learning (PBL) Pathway.

Commenting upon the innovative learning pathway, John added, “A LECOM student’s academic performance is solely determined by his or her work ethic and time-management skills. In addition, the affordable tuition, compared to national averages, further augments the value.“

“LECOM became very enticing when I realized that my sister and I had the opportunity to attend in the same class,“ recalled Mark. “Mary and I went to college together, so the opportunity to continue our education together was a chance that I could not pass up.“

Add to the fact that two of Mark’s best college friends, Zack Greenstein and Kevin Pacholec,

also were accepted into the same LECOM class, and the family/friend study nexus immediately fell into place to hone their training. “It was quite convenient to have great friends and family ready to work together and to make each other better,“ espoused Mark.

Though the family unity is strong and unshaken, leisure pursuits find each of the siblings defining their uniqueness. Mary deeply enjoys travel and she is interested in photography. John delves into options trading and flight simulation. Mark spends time in the world of sports, working out, playing basketball and boating.

The threesome all share one hobby – food. “An interest that I share with my brothers is the love of food,“ commented Mary. “We enjoy cooking and trying new dishes.“ Lately, John has taken an interest in cooking, and Mark is a self-described “foodie“ who “probably spends a little too much money trying new places.“

A strong sense of family has been central to LECOM and it is a characteristic lauded by the institution. Indeed, the LECOM College of Medicine has become a family affair for the Michaels.

“Mary and John are my best friends,“ asserted Mark. “I am definitely the older brother when it comes to doing things first and to giving advice, but we are so close in age that I learn just as much from my siblings as they have learned from me. Family is the most important thing to me, so any time spent together is the best time.“

“I consider my brother and sister to be not only my best friends, but also two people from whom I most frequently seek advice. It is not every day that one has two assiduously overachieving student doctors a phone call away,“ John jested.

As a family legacy is born, a sister and her two brothers – inspired by each other – find the LECOM College of Medicine an essential educational prelude of preparation to a lifetime of helping and healing others.

John, left, Mary and Mark Michael are osteopathic medical students who were born in Chicago and raised in Florida. All three siblings attend LECOM Bradenton.

Exemplary Fellows

The 1952 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Reverence for Life author Albert Schweitzer was possessed of a deep and abiding wisdom. “The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others,“ explained the famed physician-theologian. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) echoes and inculcates the credos of this renowned philosopher, and it seeks such characteristics and attributes in its student body.

Personifying these noble qualities, three firstyear LECOM at Seton Hill medical students – Philip Girard, Eric Marasco, and Gerrit Seymour – have been selected as 2019-2020 participants in the Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellowship Program. The program develops leaders in service who embody the legacy of the celebrated physician.

Like Schweitzer, LECOM leadership has long held to the tenet that “example is leadership“ and “example is not the main thing in influencing others; it is the only thing.“ When Girard, Marasco, and Seymour complete the program in April 2020, 24 LECOM students

will have achieved the honor of working through the Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellowship Program.

The Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellowship Program is the only yearlong, interdisciplinary, experiential learning, direct service vehicle for graduate students that addresses the needs of disadvantaged southwest Pennsylvania citizens.

Each year, the program attracts exceptional, emerging professionals and offers them an opportunity to experience the benefits and challenges of working with disadvantaged populations. The program also affords participants a forum in which they may undertake projects reflective of their particular interests and passions as well as an opportunity to test that which they have learned in school.

The fellowship, open to graduate students of any curriculum at any southwestern Pennsylvania university, affords the fellows the unique opportunity to interact with future professionals across a variety of disciplines.

Through this fellowship, Girard and Seymour will work at the Greensburg Blackburn Center to provide support and resources to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking. Marasco will work at Bethlehem Haven in Pittsburgh, assisting the homeless population with post-hospitalization primary care follow up and striving to decrease hospital readmissions through the establishment of individual health care plans.

The Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellowship Program is one of 14 chapters of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. To date, nearly 3,500 Schweitzer fellows across the United States have delivered nearly 500,000 hours of service to approximately 300,000 people in need.

LECOM ever has sought exceptionalism for the betterment of its students, never forgetting about progress and prosperity for its community and the aspirations and needs of others. In the spirit of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, LECOM takes great pride in extending its hearty congratulations to Girard, Marasco and Seymour.

First-year LECOM at Seton Hill Schweitzer Fellowship awardees, Gerrit Seymour, Phillip Gard, and Eric Marasco attended the 2019 Celebration of Service and Commencement Ceremony held in Pittsburgh in May. LECOM at Seton Hill was represented by Timothy Mietzner, PhD, Co-Chair of the Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellowship Program Advisory Board. Also attending the Ceremony were (seated from left) Seymour’s wife, Kaitlyn, Gard’s wife, Mary, and LECOM at Seton Hill faculty members, Mark Andrews, PhD, Este Armstrong, PhD, Jean Carr, PhD, Nicole Temofonte, DO, and Devora Cohen-Karni, PhD.

Paul, one of BioScentDX beagles, hunts for cancer-positive human samples placed in wall-mounted canisters in the firm’s Florida research lab.

LECOM Unleashed

A Double Dose of Dog Brings Positive Outcomes to the

Community and Beyond

Some of the most uplifting and heartwarming stories that one may choose to read involve dogs. Known for centuries as “man’s best friend,“ the dog has been central to the family unit, the mascot of the team, guardian, guide and all-round great companion. Research has documented a reduced stress level, a more physically active lifestyle, fewer instances of depression, a resilience to certain allergens, increased immunities and a host of other benefits in dog owners.

Paws for Patients

Recently, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has added a therapy dog program to its abundant complement of community outreach undertakings.

The Paws for Patients program, launched by Melanie Dunbar, PhD, LECOM director

of behavioral health, offers a unique form of therapy to patients. Program participants avail their dogs to patients whereupon the pets spread the very type of attention, affection, stress relief and comfort that only four-legged therapists can provide. The volunteers and their dogs visit personal care homes, schools, rehabilitation units, hospitals, libraries and similar facilities throughout Erie, Pennsylvania.

Using her background in animal-assisted crisis response, Dr. Dunbar began her Paws for Patients endeavor in 2016. Paws for Patients is an affiliate of the international group Alliance of Therapy Dogs.

In addition to melding seamlessly with the enduring LECOM mission of community betterment, Paws for Patients also offers an educational component, affording students the uncommon opportunity to experience first-hand

the inner workings of animal-assisted therapy. The specialized training is not typical to formal medical instruction.

Activities during therapy visits vary depending upon the needs of the patients. Some patients wish to see dogs who perform tricks, while others in the program prefer to hold and to cuddle their new furry friends. Other visits may serve as deliberate animal-assisted therapy or intervention sessions.

“Sometimes we work very intentionally with specific activities,“ explained Dr. Dunbar. “At nursing homes, we have been a part of the residents’ treatment plans. At the inpatient rehabilitation unit, we have worked with physical therapists to have patients use a second leash to walk the dog or they have thrown a ball for the dog to fetch. Patients also have worked on speech, calling to the dog and giving commands.“

As a mental health professional, Dr. Dunbar has witnessed the way in which therapy dogs have assisted individuals in their ability to open up and to communicate when otherwise they would have been reluctant to do so.

In academic settings, dogs have had a positive influence upon learning outcomes. “When children read to dogs, the children’s reading levels advance more quickly. Therapy dogs also have been used with adults who are learning to read or those who are learning English as a second language“ assured Dr. Dunbar. “There is no pressure; the dog is not going to laugh if the reader mispronounces a word. The dog just cares that someone is talking to him.“

“Therapy dogs also have been shown to generate significant impact upon the speech production of children with autism, as well as upon their engagement with the world“ she noted.

Since launching the program, Dr. Dunbar has certified more than 30 teams of LECOM students, staff, faculty, Erie community members and their canine companions. Approximately 30-50 additional volunteers consistently assist these Paws for Patients pairs on visits.

As an Erie native, Dr. Dunbar has been pleased and proud to give back to her hometown through the Paws for Patients program. Observing the way in which the dogs have made a difference in the lives of others also has been gratifying to her.

“The dogs know who needs them,“ averred Dr. Dunbar. “I’ve seen their energy level change because one person may need to be perked up while someone else may need to be calmed. The dogs are intuitive as to that which may be needed in specific situations –which is amazing. They have a gift.“

LECOM has proven time and again that the secret to success is to find a need and to fill it; to find a hurt and to heal it; to find a problem and to solve it. Dr. Dunbar’s innovative mission is reflective of that broader theme, and it is one which simultaneously fills, heals and solves – all accomplished through the warm and wonderful ways of man’s best friend.

LECOM Researchers Find Cancer Clues in Innovative Partnership with BioScentDX

As an update to a piece that the LECOM Connection published in early 2018, new developments are underway in the LECOM investigation into cancer-sensing beagles.

An ongoing collaboration between LECOM and BioScentDX has garnered international attention, focusing upon Bradenton, Florida, and clinical professor Thomas Quinn, DO, who is directing the research effort.

Heather Junqueira, former breed manager for Southeastern Guide Dogs in Bradenton, has taught her eight beagles to positively identify biomarkers for cancer by using the dogs’ astounding senses of smell. Her company, BioScentDX, is amplifying information gleaned by German scientists along with that provided by the Pine Street Foundation in California to determine whether cancer cells can be detected in human saliva, as well as in blood serum and breath condensate.

A beagle has thousands more scent receptors than dogs of other breeds. The olfactory lobe area of a beagle’s brain is about 40 times larger than that found in a human brain, making the beagle’s sense of smell thousands of times more acute than that of a human. That attribute, along with the highly specialized portion of the canine brain that allows dogs to store scents for later recall, makes this breed’s sense of smell a powerful and an unquestionably unique research tool.

The hounds have a near-perfect success rate in sniffing out and discerning cancer samples from non-cancer samples.

Dr. Quinn, along with faculty member, Roger Biringer, PhD, Mohamed Hussein, DVM, and 40 first- and second-year medical students are assessing the beagles’ effectiveness in detecting breast cancer. The team members then test the positively identified samples to isolate the biomarkers that the dogs have indicated. The goal of the project is to isolate the specific biomarkers that the dogs identify when they smell the disease and to analyze the precise composition and content of the dogs’ scent triggers – that which the beagles actually are smelling.

Under the direction of Dr. Biringer, the LECOM research unit has developed a solvent system to extract biomarkers from cancer-positive breath condensate samples. These biomarkers are then separated to their base elements and are reexamined by the BioScentDX beagles to determine the effectiveness of the fractionation. The LECOM team is hopeful that once the biomarkers are isolated, the group will be able to ascertain the identity of the precise cancer biomarkers.

Paws for Patients Therapy Dogs

Continued On Page 38

Jada the Samoyed

Mariah the Golden Retriever

Caz the Black Lab Greyhound mix

Murray the Airedale Terrier

LECOM’S GOT

The LECOM Stage at the Erie Playhouse, upon which so many talented men and women have launched careers and entertained locals and visitors alike, opened its venue to showcase a LECOM-produced event April 5-6, in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 20 acts featuring LECOM students, staff, faculty and alumni offered their

artistic gifts to a welcoming audience during LECOM’s Got Talent, a unique fundraiser that benefitted the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

“Captain Dan“ Geary of LECOM Radio served as emcee of the program. The event featured a variety of talent as individualized as the participants themselves.

The performers displayed their artistic proficiencies by offering instrumental, original composition, dance and vocal presentations.

LECOM Vice President of Academic Affairs, Hershey Bell, MD, and Dan Austin, PharmD, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice, opened the show with a selection of Dr. Bell's original musical compositions.

The duo was joined on stage by LECOM Director of Catering and Food Service Dupree Deboe, whose vocal performance dazzled the audience.

Aaron Bliss, OMS1, captivated many in attendance by channeling legendary drummer John Bonham in a solo rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick.“

Post-baccalaureate student Ananya Kar paid tribute to the British rock band Queen with her interpretive dance routine. She was followed by second-year medical students Stephanie Peck and Kyle Kruse, who performed a sobering duet that focused upon the opioid epidemic.

Arjun Molhaltra, OMS1, demonstrated his woodwind prowess with three pieces played on the clarinet. First-year medical student Jeremy Shapiro sang a moving original tune inspired by his young sons; after which, he

Arjun Molhaltra

Aaron Bliss

directed the audience through a comical rendition of Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody.“

Rameez Shahid, OMS1, highlighted his guitar and vocal skills, offering an acoustic performance of Dean Lewis’ “Be Alright“ and Lukas Graham’s “Love Someone.“ Andona Zacks-Jordan, LECOM assistant director of institutional planning, assessment, accreditation, research grants and compliance, closed the first act with her violin performance of Vivaldi’s “La Folia.“

Members of the Northcoast Brass Company, including LECOM Biochemistry and Neuroscience Professor Tom Corso, PhD, opened the second act of the talent showcase. They were followed by first-year medical student Anuja Deore, who charmed the audience with two selections performed on the penny whistle.

Kayla Trautman-Buckley, OMS1, then took the stage, singing “Never Enough“ from the motion picture “The Greatest Showman“ and Adele’s chart-topping hit, “Rolling in the Deep.“ Second-year pharmacy student Justin Hallal performed a riveting acoustic drum solo.

Millcreek Community Hospital resident and 2017 LECOM alumnus Daniel Salvatierra, DO, intrigued the audience with a traditional Philippine tinkling folk dance.

Elizabeth Peterson, OMS1, followed Dr. Salvatierra to the stage to sing Carrie Underwood’s hit, “Before He Cheats.“ Peterson’s classmate, Jacob Blank, OMS1, captured the spirit of Frank Sinatra with renditions of the crooner’s “New York, New York“ and “I’ve Got the World on a String.“ Blank later joined the Hudson Jazz Ensemble, featuring LECOM Associate Professor of Biochemistry Alice Hudder, PhD, to conclude the event with the memorable standard, “Fly Me to the Moon.“

Proceeds from LECOM’s Got Talent –which included sponsorship from HUB International, raffle drawings and concession sales – bolstered the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund. Unremittingly determined to maintaining a superlative healthcare education at an affordable rate, each year the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund distributes nearly $5 million to assist deserving students, totaling more than $35 million in awards since 1994.

Albert Einstein once remarked that, “The arts and sciences are branches of the same tree, for all of these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, toward lifting it from the sphere of a mere physical existence, and toward leading the individual toward freedom.“

The generous LECOM support of the arts entails an enduring commitment to a vibrant community theatre in the heart of the city and to the betterment of the local economy by expanding the tangible and intrinsic benefits of the arts to LECOM students and citizens alike.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the arts community, and ensuring that the illumination of the community remains forever bright, LECOM was proud to offer its talent, sharing center stage with one of the best community theatres in the entire nation.

Andona Zacks-Jordan

Hershey Bell, MD, and Dupree Deboe

LECOM Institute for Successful Aging Implements Innovative Tool

The onset of Alzheimer’s disease is a concern and apprehension that many people share. Indeed, it is a disease that involves the entire family. In fact, there are more than 16 million Americans providing care to a loved one afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.

The burden upon caregivers can prove devastating. Twice as many dementia-related careers report significant emotional, physical, and financial challenges as compared to caregivers of those without Alzheimer’s disease.

The disease, marked by declining mental faculties and diminishing physical capabilities, can be an all-encompassing and often an overwhelming challenge for the family members who, most often, take on the mantle of caregivers.

There are more than 100 known types of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects an estimated 50 million individuals across the globe. In the United States, 5.8 million adults are afflicted with Alzheimer’s, and that

number is expected to increase to nearly 14 million by 2050. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in America, resulting in more deaths than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Regrettably, of the top 10 leading causes of death in the country, Alzheimer’s is the only one that cannot be prevented, cured or slowed.

September has been designated as World Alzheimer’s Month by Alzheimer’s Disease International, the umbrella organization comprised of more than 80 Alzheimer’s associations around the world. The goal of this yearly effort is to raise awareness about dementia and to broaden understanding of these progressive degenerative brain syndromes.

Another noteworthy group, Second Wind Dreams®, Inc., also is dedicated to altering the perception of aging through its Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT®).

Created by Second Wind Dreams® founder and geriatric specialist P.K. Beville, the VDT® is a scientifically proven method

of generating a greater understanding of dementia through the use of patented sensory tools and instruction that simulate the physical and cognitive challenges of dementia. During this tour, participants don the special VDT® equipment and then are asked to complete several assignments within a designated time frame. Seemingly simple, everyday tasks quickly transform as the participants are hindered by the apparatus designed to impede dexterity, hearing and other faculties.

Those who partake in the simulation assignments gain a fuller understanding of the affliction and of the many souls living with degenerative brain disorders. For those suffering with Alzheimer’s, VDT® also has been proven to decrease the use of psychoactive medication and to reduce acute hospitalization for behavioral incidents.

“When caregivers have a better grasp of the everyday challenges that these individuals face, there is an opportunity for improved patient care,“ explained Melanie Titzel, PhD, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Senior Living Communities director.

More than 3 million people in 20 countries have participated in the VDT® simulation. The evidence-based program has been implemented in more than a thousand healthcare facilities and elder-care organizations across the globe.

The LECOM Institute for Successful Aging in Erie – a premier facility of its kind – found the purchase of the VDT® to be a natural fit, wholly aligning with the ongoing mission to facilitate education and training while offering a continuum of services for older adults.

As a certified VDT® trainer, Dr. Titzel has led more than 100 LECOM Health staff through the tour, beginning with employees at Parkside at North East and at the LECOM Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Eventually, she will educate the staff at all of the LECOM senior-centered facilities.Some LECOM

By The Numbers

• Someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s Disease every 65 seconds.

• Currently, 50 million individuals are estimated to have Alzheimer's Disease worldwide.

• Approximately 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease. By 2050, this number is expected to rise to nearly 14 million.

• One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s Disease or some other form of dementia.

• Alzheimer’s Disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, causing more deaths than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Of the top 10 leading causes of death, it is the only one that cannot be prevented, cured, or slowed.

• In 2019, Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia will cost the United States $290 billion. That number could increase to as much as $1.1 trillion by 2050.

• More than 16 million Americans provide unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. In 2019, those caregivers will provide 18.5 billion hours of care valued at nearly $234 billion.

Source: Alzheimer’s Association

employees have confessed that participating in the VDT® has been a “life-changing experience“ and one that will affect their caregiving style in the future.

“Reaction to the tour has been positive,“ noted Dr. Titzel. “When the caregiver understands the dementia experience, that person cannot help but be a better caregiver.“

Though Dr. Titzel has focused upon training LECOM staff, the tour is available for a fee to interested participants outside of the LECOM Health System.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates more than 16 million Americans provide unpaid care for someone struggling with Alzheimer’s or a form of dementia. This year alone, those caregivers will provide 18.5 billion hours of care, valued at nearly $234 billion.

“Caregiver stress causes a second victim. The ability to gain a better understanding and empathy for that which a family member may be experiencing can help with the coping process,“ added Dr. Titzel. “When a spouse, child or parent does not recognize you and that person is different than he or she once was, it is deeply emotional and frustrating.“

The ultimate goal of the VDT® is to create a positive patient experience. In this instance, that positive experience is facilitated through caregivers.

The VDT® experience helps one understand, even if only for four minutes, the difficulty of functioning with dementia. For instance, rather than believing that a dementia patient is choosing not to cooperate, caregivers who participate in the VDT® come to understand that the individual with dementia, because of the disease, simply cannot help acting a certain way.

One of the seminal attributes of LECOM Health has been its unremitting mission to provide compassionate care for patients. LECOM Health is renowned for its

osteopathic tenets of seeking wellness for mind, body and spirit. This credo, imbued within the professional caregivers at LECOM facilities, is evidenced by the way in which they think about the disease and by the way in which they interact with patients. LECOM Health staff, specially trained to assist individuals with dementia, offer expert care at all stages of life.

LECOM consistently is in the vanguard across all aspects of healthcare, championing some of the most effective and innovative methods to train and to teach; and in this particular disease process, LECOM is again at the forefront.

Truly, until there is a cure for dementia, such forward-thinking education and plentitude of preparation remains central to helping aging adults transition into their golden years with vitality, grace and dignity. LECOM endeavors to provide the line of hope and the strength of its multifaceted resources to battle the long goodbye.

LECOM Alumna, Pamela S.N. Goldman, DO to Lead POMA

The imprimatur of achievement does not result from undertaking easy work; rather it results from the triumph over difficult tasks that demand ones best.

It is by that profound tenet and with great pride that Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) recognizes alumna Pamela S.N. Goldman, DO, MHA, FACOI, the newly named 108th President of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association (POMA). In the realm of the medical profession, the pledge to a cause beyond oneself underscores the essence of all that embodies the osteopathic philosophy. Dr. Goldman has personified that pledge.

A graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and a 2006 graduate of LECOM, where she also received a master’s degree in health services administration, Dr. Goldman has demonstrated her abiding commitment to the purpose of this noble calling, evidenced by the accomplishment of each day in service.

Dr. Goldman is a resident of Yardley, Pennsylvania. Board certified in internal medicine, she has played an integral role as interim chair and associate chair of the Division of Hospital Medicine and as an academic hospitalist with Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Dr. Goldman is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists and a Delegate to the POMA and to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). Additionally, she is a member of the American College of Physicians.

With a demonstrated history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry, Dr. Goldman has excelled notably in the areas of healthcare consulting, strategic planning, innovation, clinical research and medical education.

As an esteemed healthcare services professional, as a Master of Health Services Administration with a focus on healthcare administration and management, and as an

adjunct faculty member at LECOM for the past three years, Dr. Goldman is supremely well equipped to undertake the charge before her. She has championed the principles that a conditioned body, a knowledge-seeking mind and a purposeful heart are the cornerstones of a strong and vibrant community.

Dr. Goldman’s alma mater, LECOM, has ever sought exceptionalism for the betterment of its students, never forgetting about service to, and prosperity for, its community. The estimable work that this fine alumna has undertaken throughout the many communities in which she has served affirms assuredly the LECOM imprimatur of achievement.

For her dedication and determined attention to the cause of healing, to the advancement of whole person health, and to the betterment of her fellow man, LECOM takes great satisfaction in honoring Dr. Goldman as an exemplar of its enduring mission.

Pamela S.N. Goldman, DO, celebrates her appointment as President of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association with her husband, David Goldman and with LECOM Provost, Senior Vice President, and Dean of Academic Affairs, Silvia M. Ferretti, DO.

Five POMA Clinical Writing Winners Cap Triumphant Event

The 2019 Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association (POMA) Clinical Assembly was the site of a sweeping array of notable firsts and prestigious awards for Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and for LECOM alumni.

In addition to proudly witnessing LECOM alumna Pamela S.N. Goldman, DO, take her post as the 108th POMA President, LECOM leadership took an added delight as its name shone brightly across the Assembly festivities. Recent graduates of LECOM claimed a host of awards during the 45th Annual POMA Clinical Writing Contest.

Five alumni – all of whom are residents at Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH) in Erie, Pennsylvania – amassed the top awards in the annual competition, including garnering ties for both second- and third-place finishes. Roger Gregush, DO, a 2017 LECOM alumnus and orthopedic surgery resident, captured the Golden Quill Award, the highest honor

Roger Gregush, DO (center) received the 2019 Golden Quill Award. James Nemunaitis, DO (left), Zackery Birchard, DO, Christalbeth Guillermo, DO, and Kenny Hirsch, DO, also took top honors in the competition.

in the writing competition. MCH psychiatry residents and 2018 graduates Christalbeth Guillermo, DO, and Kenny Hirschi, DO, tied for second place; and orthopedic surgery residents Zackary Birchard, DO (Class of 2017) and James Nemunaitis, DO (Class of 2016), tied for third-place honors.

More than 30 entries were submitted to the competition committee. The victorious writers received monetary prizes and their entries will be published in The Journal of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association

SHOW YOUR LECOM PRIDE!

LECOM License Plates Now Available in Pennsylvania

LECOM alumni and friends of the college can now display their LECOM pride wherever they drive. A purchase of a LECOM license plate supports the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

Standard plate: $125.*

Personalized plate: $230.*

Sunlight in Yonkers

LECOM Pharmacy Nexus Expands

Representatives from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) joined of officials from St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, New York, to celebrate the April opening of Sunlight Pharmacy. The facility is independently owned by LECOM Preceptor, Pravin Patel, PharmD, who is working with St. John’s Riverside to provide improved transitional care upon patient discharge, including the addition of a Meds-to-Beds Program.

LECOM students are reaping the educational benefit of the new pharmacy operations as scholars who select St. John’s Riverside for their clinical rotations pass through various areas of Sunlight Pharmacy. The experiential pharmacy opportunities allow LECOM students to complete their required community training in a new location and to gain a broader, hands-on understanding of their profession.

Dignitaries present at the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony included: John Ferretti, DO, LECOM President and CEO; Silvia Ferretti, DO, LECOM Provost, Vice President, and Dean of Academic Affairs; Ron Corti, President and CEO of St. John’s Riverside Hospital; Michael DiGiorno, DO, Regional Dean and Adjunct Clinical Professor of St. John’s Riverside Hospital; Paul Antonecchia, MD, Program Director of St. John’s Riverside Hospital Internal Medicine Residency; LECOM Preceptor, Janine O’Donnell, St. John’s Riverside Hospital Director of Pharmacy; Rachel Ogden, PharmD, LECOM School of Pharmacy Associate Dean for Accelerated Pathway, Student Success and Clinical Education; and LECOM Preceptor, Dr. Pravin Patel.

Community betterment has long been one of the enduring hallmarks of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and coupled with its core mission to superlatively educate the next generation of healthcare professionals, LECOM Health stands ever in the vanguard.

The addition of two new pharmacies in Erie, Pennsylvania, highlight the unflagging focus that LECOM Health has upon the region.

On July 1, LECOM Health Outpatient Pharmacy opened to the public. Located prominently on Peach Street and only minutes from the LECOM main campus and the LECOM Health medical complex, the independent retail pharmacy offers many conveniences that customers have come to expect at larger chain stores. The pharmacy is under the auspices of former Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH) Pharmacy Director Timothy Zurn, RPh, who returned to LECOM Health to serve as the pharmacy manager.

The west side of Erie also now home to a LECOM Health pharmacy. Colonial Family Pharmacy formally joined the LECOM Health nexus on July 1. The drug store was opened in September 2010, by Robert Heath, RPh, who remains pharmacy manager. He, along with the prior staff at Colonial, are now serving the community under the LECOM umbrella.

The expansion of services at LECOM Health pharmacies also will serve as a beneficial resource for MCH patients. MCH Pharmacy Director Marcus Babiak, PharmD, noted that plans are underway to begin a medsto-beds program through which the LECOM Health Outpatient Pharmacy will fill and deliver prescriptions to patients before they are discharged from the hospital. Patients then will have a 30-, 60- or 90-day supply of medication to take home.

In Memoriam

LECOM Loses a Wise and Witty Spirit

Michael J. Feinstein, DO

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) takes a collective pause, heart-heavy and profound, to note the passing of Michael J. Feinstein, DO, trustee at LECOM and a valued member of the LECOM family.

Dr. Feinstein was a vital and unifying thread running through the tapestry of all that is LECOM. As a regional dean of clinical medicine for LECOM, his compassionate spirit and his keen mind imbued those around him with inspiration. The whole of LECOM extends its deepest and most sincere condolences to the entire Feinstein family.

A native son of Pennsylvania, Dr. Feinstein was a 1974 graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and he conducted his internship and residency at the college hospital.

A recipient of numerous awards and a plethora of acknowledgments of achievement, Dr. Feinstein lived a life of purpose.

A family focused and deeply compassionate man, Dr. Feinstein devoted his life to the practice of family medicine, becoming a leading physician at the Center for Family Medicine in San Diego. As a family medicine specialist, Dr. Feinstein dedicated himself to a thriving practice for 43 years.

For almost a decade, Dr. Feinstein served as a regional dean of clinical medicine, assisting LECOM scholars in their clinical studies and committing his enthusiastic support and his unflagging energy to the development of probative minds and superlative medical education.

Dr. Feinstein previously served as adjunct clinical professor of family medicine – LECOM and as western regional dean of clinical education.

His hopeful spirit and skilled experience brought not only a great man of medical science to LECOM, but one steeped in the full understanding of the osteopathic principles.

While Dr. Feinstein’s passing leaves an aching hole in our hearts, he leaves also an indelible mark upon our institution – that of a life filled with meaning. Indeed, he pledged his life to abating misery – his practice, his clinical outreach and his very mission was to heal. In the noble realm of his achievements, in the students that he touched with his gift of knowledge, and in the enduring family that is LECOM Dr. Feinstein will leave his legacy.

LECOM Bradenton Pharmacy Faculty Member

Dies Tragically

A collective sense of shock swept the LECOM campuses with the news of the sudden loss of Kenneth S. Bauer, PhD, PharmD.

Dr. Bauer, professor of pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical sciences at LECOM Bradenton, was killed on April 18 when the motorcycle that he was driving was struck by a car operated by an intoxicated driver. Survived by his wife, Katie, and three children, Dr. Bauer was honored at a memorial service on the Bradenton campus on April 27.

A native of Lithecum, Maryland, Dr. Bauer joined the faculty at the LECOM School of Pharmacy in 2014. While at LECOM, he taught many courses throughout the didactic curriculum. Dr. Bauer was also a preceptor for advanced pharmacy practice experiences in academia and he continued to pursue

a passion for research. He also served as faculty advisor for the Phi Delta Chi chapters at the University of Maryland and at LECOM.

Dr. Bauer’s primary research interest was in the field of clinical pharmacology with a focus upon anti-cancer agents. He collaborated on research with the University of Maryland Greenebaum Center. Having received his PharmD in 1993 from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Bauer played an integral role in many landmark studies.

LECOM is deeply saddened by the profound loss of one of its family members. The wisdom of the ages suggests that it is not the length of life, but the depth of life that truly matters. In that truism, Dr. Bauer leaves an enduring mark upon LECOM and upon all who had the privilege of sharing his remarkable life.

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

DO Day 2019

Students from all three LECOM campuses joined forces on Capitol Hill to advocate for the osteopathic profession during DO Day on the Hill.

Florida Pharmacist Health Fair and Legislative Days

LECOM Bradenton School of Pharmacy students traveled to Tallahassee to participate in the 2019 Florida Pharmacist Health Fair and Legislative Days at the Florida Capitol. Students met with lawmakers to discuss legislation that will have ramifications upon the future of the pharmacy profession.

Classes of 2021 and 2022 Raised $6,065

Earlier this year, students from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Classes of 2021 and 2022 raised $6,065 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The funds were garnered through a Lip Sync Battle as well as the Annual Med Ball.

Medical Science Academy

In June, LECOM Bradenton hosted its 2019 Medical Science Academy for aspiring healthcare professionals. The two-week program offers an opportunity to high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates to experience an academic medical school environment, including small-group instruction, hands-on laboratory experiments, and clinical shadowing experiences.

SunCoast Blood Drive

LECOM Bradenton students, faculty, and staff donated a collective 115 units of blood during the Annual SunCoast Blood Bank Blood Drive.

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Script Your Future

As part of the 2019 Script Your Future Campaign, LECOM Erie pharmacy and medical students participated in several health fairs and in other community events to discuss the importance of medication adherence, hypertension management, and of maintaining a healthful, well-balanced diet.

LECOM at Seton Hill hosted the weeklong LECOM Emerging Scholars Academy (LESA) for high school students. The event was held from June 17-21, 2019. During the Academy, students had the opportunity to take an in-depth look at medical education and to ponder the practice of medicine. LECOM Erie also hosted LESA for Erie area students.

Pittsburgh

William Pau, OMS1, (pictured) and fellow first-year LECOM at Seton Hill Emergency Medicine Club students, Mitchell Witkowski and Kevin Izadi volunteered during the Pittsburgh Marathon in May, working alongside medical professionals to treat injured and seriously ill runners.

LECOM Emerging Scholars Academy

Marathon

STUDENT NOTES NOTES

College of Medicine

Chelsea Loughner, OMS2, contributed to an article entitled, The Secreted Ly6/uPARrelated Protein-1 Suppresses Neutrophil Binding, Chemotaxis and Transmigration Through Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, published by Scientific Reports.

Amy Lowther, OMS3, received the United States Public Health Service Physicians Professional Advisory Committee 2019 Excellence in Public Health Award, which honors medical students who increase awareness of healthcare and whose undertakings implement that knowledge.

Yusra Mansour, OMS2, Weam Altaher, OMS1 and Randy Kulesza, PhD, co-authored a manuscript entitled, Characterization of the Human Central Nucleus of the Inferior Colliculus, published in Hearing Research.

Shawn Philip, OMS4, co-authored an article entitled, Nailfold Capillaroscopy of Resting Peripheral Blood Flow in Exfoliation Glaucoma and Primary OpenAngle Glaucoma, published by JAMA Ophthalmology. Philip collaborated on a second piece entitled, Macula Vessel Density and Foveal Avascular Zone Parameters in Exfoliation Glaucoma Compared to Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma, which was published by Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.

Jacob Proano, OMS1, presented research entitled, Salinomycin Inhibits TGFß-induced RPE Cell Migration and Contraction, Key Events in the Pathogenesis of Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy, at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Vancouver, British Columbia. Proano conducted his research at the Flaum Eye Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the summer of 2018.

Sandra Yale, DO, has joined the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Grand Island Family Practice Center in Grand Island, New York. Currently, Dr. Yale is among the LECOM Class of 2021 Master of Science in Medical Education candidates.

School of Pharmacy

Zimrisha Alla, P2, Rachel Chambers, P2, and Michael Alli, P2, under the direction of Thomas Arnold, PhD, presented a poster entitled, Effect of Lipid Compound Gramicidin on S. Aureus, S. Epidermis and E. Coli at the Florida Academy of Sciences 83rd Annual Meeting.

Second-year PharmD students, Zeinab Altaher, Alicia Bartley and Carissa Dolan earned Second Place in the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association Annual OTC Competition in Harrisburg. The LECOM representatives outranked seven other schools.

Ashleigh Beachy, P4, was a top ten finisher in the National Patient Counseling Competition.

Ghazal Blair, P4, contributed a series of articles to Diabetes in Control, including: Association Between Elevated Heart Rate and Type 2 Diabetes, Effects of Metformin Go Beyond the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, Combining High Intensity Exercise and Carb Intake in Type 1 Diabetes, Does Canagliflozin Increase Risk of Fracture in Patients with Diabetes?, The Effect of Metformin on Patients Who are Pregnant and Have PCOS, Using Glycemic Variability to Predict Major Cardiac Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, New FDA Extension for Farxiga and Xigduo XR, When Should Basal Insulin Therapy Be Intensified in Patients With Unmanaged Type 2 Diabetes?, Glycemic Threshold Differs by Ethnicity for Development of Diabetic Retinopathy, Best Interventions to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes, Does Metformin Reduce Risk of Venous Thromboembolism?, Is Metformin Therapy Safe for Use in Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease?, Closed-

Loop Pump Technical Difficulties Lead to High Rate of Discontinuation, Can Weight Surgery Cause Remission of Type 2 Diabetes?, Benefits of Testosterone Therapy in Men with Prediabetes, Personalized Intervention for Type 2s Using Insulin Provides Better Adherence, and Less Insulin Prior to Exercise for Type 1s Prevents Hypoglycemia. His articles, Instantaneous Outcomes of Simple Daily Walking on Arterial Stiffness for Type 2 Patients and New Heart Rate Monitor Detects Hypoglycemia for Type 1 Patients, were published in Diabetes in Control and in Type 2 Diabetes Refer, while his piece, Using Personalized Nutrition in Prediabetes to Reduce Future Complications, was published in both Diabetes in Control and Fatty Liver Remedy.

Gerald Kamta, P3, was selected as RunnerUp for the 2019 PCCA ACT Legislative Conference Scholarship for pharmacy students.

Shelly Kearns, P3, received the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Excellence in Public Health Award for exemplary pharmacist-focused efforts for the underserved.

Fourth-year Bradenton students, Allie Rivera, Madison Saxton, and Shelby Swartzentruber, under the guidance of Rinita Acevedo, PharmD, presented a poster entitled, Value of Student-Directed Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists SHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition.

Elizabeth Zorbeck, OMS1, was the recipient of a scholarship from the Polish Medical Association in Chicago.

NOTES

FACULTY NOTES

College of Medicine

Thomas Arnold, PhD, presented a talk entitled, An Interprofessional Research Program Involving Students of Osteopathic Medicine and Pharmacy, at the Florida Academy of Sciences 83rd Annual Meeting.

Mark Baker, DO, was featured in an article entitled, County Sees More than 2,400 Flu Cases, published in the Erie Times-News.

The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) has recognized Mark Best, MD, as a significant contributor and reviewer as a COMLEX-USA Level 1 Item Writer, COMSAE Phase 1 Item Referencer, and COMSAE Phase 1 Item Reviewer. NBOME also recognized Mohamed Osman Hussein, DVM, PhD, for his contributions as a COMAT Foundational Biomedical Sciences Item Writer and as a COMLEX-USA Level 1 Item Writer.

Denver Briley, DO, has joined the LECOM Bradenton College of Medicine faculty as an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine.

Jonathan Coffman, PhD, spoke on the topic, Using Data from LinkedIn to Develop Marketing Strategies, at the 2019 Liaison User Conference held in June in Boston, MA.

Thomas Corso, PhD, Bertalan Dudas, MD, Randy Kulesza, PhD, and George Grignol co-authored an article entitled, Accessory Mammillary Bodies Formed by the Enlarged Lateral Mammillary Nuclei: Cytoarchitecture, published by Springer Journal. Additionally, Dr. Kulesza collaborated on an article entitled, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Involving Multiple Cognitive Domains in Mexican Urbanites. The research was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Research.

James Ganarra, PhD, has been appointed to the NBOME National Faculty in the Foundational Biomedical Sciences - Division of Microbiology and Immunology.

Patrick Leary, DO, co-authored an article entitled, A Case of Traumatic Splenic Laceration in a Division II Football Player, published in Current Sports Medicine Reports. Dr. Leary also was a contributing author and editor of Preparticipation Physical Evaluation, Fifth Edition Additionally, Dr. Leary participated in the International Primary Care Educational Alliance Program in conjunction with the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Dr. Leary and his colleagues traveled to Shenzhen, China, and during the course of five days, they taught musculoskeletal medicine, including OMT, to 28 Chinese doctors.

Boris Libster, DO, has joined the LECOM Bradenton College of Medicine faculty as an Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology as well as the Director of Clinical Examination.

Sarah McCarthy, PhD, has been promoted from Assistant Professor of Anatomy to Associate Professor of Anatomy.

Mohammed S. Razzaque, PhD, coauthored an article entitled, Dietary Phosphorus Enhances Inflammatory Response: A Study of Human Gingivitis, published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Razzaque also was featured in an article entitled, 10 Hidden Reasons of Vitamin D Deficiency, published by Health Lifestyle Tips.

Christopher Rial, DO, received the 2019 Award of Fellow for his distinguished service to the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (AOASM) and to the field of sports medicine. On behalf of LECOM Sports and Orthopedic Medicine, Dr. Rial also presented a lecture addressing overuse injuries. His presentation was delivered in December, at the Fairview Health and Wellness Fair.

Albert Sabirov, MD, co-authored an article entitled, Gabapentin for the Treatment of Persistent Nasal Pruritus Refractory to Other Treatments, published in Otolaryngology Case Reports.

Regan Shabloski, DO, received Certificates of Appreciation from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Hospital Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania for his work in healthcare preparedness. Dr. Shabloski also received a Letter of Commendation from Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Wolf, for his work in emergency planning, response, and public health preparedness for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Chevelta Smith, DO, was a featured speaker during Marriage Mondays, a bi-weekly prayer and Bible study call-in program for couples, hosted by TrulyWed Wives.

Mark Terrell, Ed.D, co-authored an article entitled, Effectiveness of a Formal Curriculum in Teaching Mass Casualty Management, that has been submitted to the Western Journal of Disaster Medicine. Dr. Terrell also collaborated on a piece entitled, Developing a Medical Student-Run Auditory Screening Program: Listening to the Community and Addressing Auditory Health, which has been accepted by the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Additionally, Dr. Terrell has collaborated on a paper entitled, Dermatology Curriculum: Preparation for Clinical Clerkships.

NOTES

Richard Terry, DO, was interviewed for an article entitled, How the Southern Tier is Fighting the Growing Threat of Lyme Disease, published in the Rochester, New York, Democrat & Chronicle.

School of Pharmacy

Rinita Acevedo, PharmD, published a chapter entitled, Sepsis and Septic Shock in Pharmacy Library’s, Pharmacotherapy First: A Multimedia Learning Resource. Additionally, she received her Advanced Antimicrobial Stewardship Certification.

Dan Austin, PharmD, Janene Madras, PharmD, Christina Austin, PharmD, and Ben Vroman, PharmD, submitted a poster entitled, Association of Physical Activity and Academic Performance in an Accelerated Pharmacy Curriculum, for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting. Additionally, Dr. Christina Austin’s poster entitled, Comparison of Physical Activity and Grade Point Average in an Accelerated Pharmacy Curriculum, created in collaboration with other pharmacy faculty members, was accepted for presentation at the AACP Annual Meeting.

Sunil Jambhekar, B.Pharm, PhD, was an invited speaker at three institutes of pharmacy in India. Dr. Jambhekar spoke on the topics of Compartmental Concepts in Pharmacokinetics, In Vitro-In Vivo Correlations, Multiple Dosing, and Theories of Drug Dissolution. He also served as an External Evaluator on the Promotion Committee of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arkansas.

Michael Mueller, PhD, and Shelby Swartzentruber, P4, were selected for the Walmart Scholars Program at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting.

Rachel Ogden, PharmD, Rebecca Wise, PharmD, and more than 40 pharmacy students attended the 2019 Pennsylvania Pharmacy Legislative Day in Harrisburg, in April. Additionally, Dr. Wise was featured in an article entitled, Erie Sees Spike in CBD Product Sales, in the Erie Times-News and she was the subject of a Member Profile in the May/June 2019 issue of Pennsylvania Pharmacist.

Victoria Reinhartz, PharmD, was featured in an article entitled, Patients’ Homes Help Pharmacists See the Big Picture, published in Pharmacy Today. Dr. Reinhartz was the co-presenter of a talk entitled, Medications, Readmissions and Leveraging Pharmacist Partnerships, offered at the Mobile Integrated Health Summit in Orlando, Florida. She also was a co-presenter of an Interprofessional Education Collaborative webinar entitled, Enabling IPE Through Health Communications and Health Technology. Dr. Reinhartz and 14 LECOM students attended the Continuing Education and Regional Assembly for Kappa Psi in West Palm Beach, Florida. Additionally, Dr. Reinhartz and Kathleen Hitchcock, PharmD, attended 500/501 Training and they are now certified to administer and interpret HIV and Hepatitis C kits.

Sean M. Stainton, PharmD, co-authored an article entitled, Efficacy of Humanized Cefiderocol Exposures Over 72 Hours Against a Diverse Group of Gram-Negative Isolates in the Neutropenic Murine Thigh Infection Model, published by Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The journal published a second article by Dr. Stainton entitled, In Vivo Pharmacodynamics of a Novel Ceftibuten-Clavulanate Combination Antibiotic Against Enterobacteriaceae. Dr. Stainton also developed a pocket guide antibiotic reference that will be published through Pharmacy Practice News.

Elizabeth Steadman, PharmD, has joined the LECOM School of Pharmacy faculty as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice.

Julie Wilkinson, PharmD, and Katherine Tromp, PharmD, submitted a chapter update for the Headache chapter in The Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs.

School of Dental Medicine

Nader Abdulhameed, BDS, co-authored an article entitled, Effect of Thickness of Ceramic Veneers on Color Stability and Bond Strength of Resin Luting Cements Containing Alternative Photoinitiators, published in Journal of Adhesive Dentistry.

Scott Denton, DDS, has been appointed Director of Patient Care Services for the LECOM School of Dental MedicineDeFuniak Springs Dental Clinic in DeFuniak Springs, Florida.

Todd Nolan, PhD, has been promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

Thomas Yoon, DDS, and Thanhphuong Dinh, DMD, were among the collaborators on an article entitled, The Use of Computer-Guided Surgery to Avoid Severe Buccal Defect and Lingual Concavity in Mandibular Implant Placement, published in Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry. Additionally, Dr. Dinh has been promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

ALUMNI NOTES

Class of 1997

Patricia Matto, DO, has been tasked to chair the 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). Dr. Matto served as Vice Chair of the 2019 event.

NOTES

Class of 2000

Jan Gorniak, DO, was featured in the HBO documentary, The Case Against Adnan Syed. Dr. Gorniak is the Chief Medical Examiner of Atlanta.

William Cole, DO, was a featured guest on The Cannabis Today podcast.

Class of 2005

Christopher Roman, DO, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer of Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris, New York.

Class of 2007

Patrick Kemmery, PharmD, hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018. The trail stretches 2,190 miles, from Georgia to Maine. His feat raised $16,000 for The Independence Fund, a North Carolina-based organization that provides all-terrain wheelchairs, therapy, and retreats to severely injured veterans and support to their caregivers.

Class of 2008

Kristen Maurice, DO, has joined the staff of Munson Medical Center in Cadillac, Michigan, as a cardiology specialist.

Class of 2009

Matt Benenanti, DO, was the subject of a feature article in the Wilmington (North Carolina) Star News.

Class of 2010

Katie Warren, DO, recently was named by the Pennsylvania Medical Society as one of its Top 40 Physicians Under 40.

Class of 2011

Elizabeth Spaar, DO, was a speaker at the PA Lyme Third Annual Tick-Borne Disease Patient Symposium in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Class of 2012

Jacob Bair, DO, has joined the staff of Trumball Regional Medical Center in Warren, Ohio.

Valerie Butler, DO, has joined the endocrinology practice of Christus Trinity Clinic in Marshall, Texas.

Sheila Ramanathan, DO, has joined the Hamilton Family Health Center in Hamilton, New York.

Stephen Watkins, DO, MS, has joined the orthopedic services team at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, New York.

Class of 2013

Robert Jones, DO, has announced his engagement to Katelyn Feldstein. A summer wedding is planned.

Mark Thomas, Phar mD, wrote an article entitled, Multiple Sclerosis: The Central Nervous System Destroyer, published in Specialty Pharmacy Times.

Class of 2014

Robin Hicks, DO, has been named as a director of the Lancaster City and County Medical Society in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Class of 2015

Martha Barzana-Fernandez, DO, has joined the internal medicine team at Lee Health Coconut Point in Estero, Florida.

Class of 2016

Emily Beary, DO, received the 2019 Mark Cummings PhD Award for Outstanding Leadership in Medical Scholarship for her research as a resident at Michigan State University.

Nicholas Bottaro, DO, has been appointed Medical Director of Surterra Wellness, a Florida-based health and wellness company

Nathan Rech, DO, married Alyssa Meier in April. Dr. Rech is an orthopedic surgery resident at University Hospitals in Cleveland.

Class of 2017

Christina Allen, DO, has announced her engagement to Bryan O’Toole. A May 2020 wedding is planned.

Elizabeth Harrington, Phar mD, was named to the Erie Reader’s list of Erie’s 40 Under 40: Class of 2019.

Alexander Shafiey, DMD, is overseeing a new Aspen Dental office in San Antonio.

Class of 2018

Eric Woo, DO, has started a family medicine residency at Sampson Regional Medical Center in Clinton, North Carolina.

Class of 2019

Kelsey Diemer, DO, Brandon Patri, DO, Nicole Saccone, DO, and Christopher Yanichko, DO, have begun their residency programs at NCH Healthcare System in Naples, Florida.

Casey Price, DMD, has joined the Rick Redmond Family Dentistry in Sylacauga, Alabama.

LECOM Connection wants to hear from YOU!

Send us career updates, recent appointments, residencies, fellowships, research or student activities, award or honors, or other important life events. Please contact the LECOM Communications & Marketing Department at (814) 866-6641, or email communications@lecom.edu. All submissions are subject to editing for clarity and length.

- Continued From Page 21

LECOM is the only osteopathic medical institution working in this area and the only endeavor that is focusing upon breast cancer. The LECOM research will expand to include investigation into other types of cancer. BioScentDX already has trained its squad of furry detectives to spot prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and melanomas, in addition to breast and lung cancers.

Dr. Quinn deemed using solvents in the extraction of biomarkers a very promising first step. “The effectiveness of the dogs to detect cancer is outstanding,“ furthered Dr. Quinn. “The dogs are 97-99 percent effective in detecting breast cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculates that mammograms are 89 percent effective in detecting cancer. Early in the research process, we observed a case whereby five different trained dogs indicated that a

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woman had breast cancer. It was not until 18 months later that the cancer appeared on a mammogram,“ he elaborated.

The end goal of the study, explained Dr. Quinn, “is to find a safe, highly effective, lowcost and easy-to-administer method of mass screening for cancer.“ Although currently there is no definitive cure for cancer, early detection offers the best hope of survival. A highly sensitive test for detecting cancer potentially could save thousands of lives and change the way in which the disease is treated.

Proving that the accomplishments of today were the impossibilities of yesterday, LECOM stands at the forefront of innovation and investigation. Where there are open and inquisitive minds, there always will be a frontier and LECOM will be pioneering the way.

“Having prescriptions available at the time of discharge not only provides patients with an added convenience, but it also should reduce the number of MCH patients who are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge,“ explained Dr. Babiak. “National statistics have shown that a significant number of patients fail to fill or refill prescriptions, and that medication non-compliance often translates into repeat hospital stays.“

As with all undertakings put forth by LECOM, its students are ever in the forefront of its endeavors. In this undertaking, LECOM scholars are benefiting greatly from the recently added affiliates as pharmacy

students now have two new local sites at which to complete their community retail pharmacy rotations, a key requirement of their training. Further, both facilities are host pharmacies for LECOM and for LECOM Health employees. This supplemental aspect translates into considerable savings for staff as well as providing prudent cost containment for the LECOM Health system.

Great leaders recognize that it takes a great team to be successful. LECOM leadership has established a solid foundation through its sound network of affiliates and area facilities. Through all of these key offerings, LECOM continues to lead from a place of influence, a place of integrity, of insight and of innovation.

Tim Zurn, RPh, Pharmacy Manager, Jennifer Luciano, Katie Zboyovski, PharmD, Valerie Carroll, CPhT, and Danielle Bachuk, CPhT, are ready to serve customers at LECOM Health Outpatient Pharmacy.

We are the physicians of Medical Associates of Erie - the Clinical Practices of LECOM. Our goal is to provide to our patients the very best osteopathic, whole person care – mind, body and spirit –for a lifetime of optimal health. You can become part of the only Osteopathic Academic Health Center in the nation led by the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Currently, we are seeking physicians in Pediatrics, ENT, General Surgery, Neurology, and Rheumatology for our expanding practices.

Please contact Dennis Styn at (814) 868-2504 or dstyn@lecom.edu to learn more about available opportunities.

LECOM Health doctors. Choose one today to join a health system that will focus on your overall wellness for life. Visit LECOMHealth.com/clinical-practices