LECOM Connection Summer 2015

THE

LECOM

ONNECTION

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine SUMMER 2015

WELCOME TO LECOM HEALTH

LECOM.edu

The LECOM Class of 2015 ONE out of FIFTY

30,000 HOURS

TWO out of THREE

One out of 50 medical school graduates across the United States came from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine this year.

During their four years, LECOM medical and pharmacy students volunteered more than 30,000 hours of community service.

Two out of three LECOM medical school graduates become primary care physicians helping to alleviate the shortage of family doctors, pediatricians, and internal medicine specialists.*

*According to US News and World Report

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) congratulates the Class of 2015 and the 869 Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Doctors of Pharmacy (PharmD), and Master’s Degree graduates who comprise the largest graduating class in the history of LECOM. They join the more than 6000 LECOM alumni who advance the betterment of health care in communities throughout Pennsylvania, Florida, and across the nation. In northwestern Pennsylvania, 245 medical graduates and 193 pharmacy alumni have remained in the area. In Bradenton and Sarasota, 104 pharmacy alumni and 55 medical graduates have chosen the Florida Gulf Coast as their home.

Upon graduation, LECOM DO graduates continue into internships and residency programs and as they further their post-graduate medical training at hospitals throughout the country, 30% continue their training in Pennsylvania and Florida. Two-thirds of LECOM DO graduates become primary care physicians; and according to U.S. News and World Report - Best Medical Schools, LECOM ranks fourth for graduating the greatest percentage of primary care physicians. Because more physicians are graduated from LECOM than from any other college in the country, the total number of primary care physicians from each LECOM graduating class leads the nation.

869 This year, the LECOM class of 2015 is the LARGEST graduating class in the history of the college.

30 PERCENT

$1,250,000,000

30% of 2015 medical school graduates will complete their residency training in cities throughout Pennsylvania and Florida.

As the largest medical school in the United States, the nationwide annual total economic impact of all LECOM medical and pharmacy graduates is more than $1.25 billion.**

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine 1858 West Grandview Blvd.

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

John M. Ferretti, DO President/CEO Thomas J. Wedzik Chairman of the Board of Trustees Silvia M. Ferretti, DO Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs John D. Angeloni, DO Vice Provost, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Bradenton Hershey Bell, MD, MS (MedEd) Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Pharmacy Anton S. Gotlieb, DDS, MS Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Robert George, DO Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton Pierre Bellicini Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Eric Nicastro Assistant Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Lori Denny Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing, Bradenton Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire Chief Writer/Editor-in-Chief

**According to a 2013 Economic Impact study by Tripp Umbach

Amanda Smith Communications and Marketing Specialist

The LECOM Connection invites you to contribute to our publication. If you have news of alumni achievements, research or student activities, please contact the Communications & Marketing Department, at (814) 866-6641, or e-mail communications@lecom.edu.

We are proud to report about the accomplishments of our graduates, faculty, and students. Often, we learn about these achievements through news reports. We appreciate The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine being mentioned in the articles and we ask that you note that you are a LECOM graduate, student, or faculty member when submitting news articles to your local media.

John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO 04 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Growing Season: LECOM Health Bold Achievements and Brave Academics Redefine 21st Century Health Care Education Health Care! In recent years, each of us has encountered a blizzard of information and has endured a seemingly relentless onslaught of propaganda about the topic.

From its very definition to just who is responsible for paying for it; from nuanced care options to basic needs, from medical education to cutting-edge innovation, “health care” has spent the last few years squarely at the top of the list of key issues affecting every American.

For the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) however, “health care” - all that it engenders and all of which it is composed - has been at the apex of that list from the very inception of our institution.

It has formed the genesis of our existence and it has guided our mission and vision. It has steered our strategic planning and it has honed rigorously our paradigm of superlative medical education.

For decades now, Millcreek Health System (MHS) has been the foundational bulwark that reinforced the mission, that championed the vision, and that advanced the educational and medical core of a growing and ever-expanding network of medical exceptionalism.

Truly, the history of LECOM is inextricably intertwined with Millcreek Health System.

Our LECOM scholars learn and train in Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH), an acute care hospital and the regional leader in behavioral health and senior care. Our residents gain valuable first-hand experience while offering compassionate care to patients. As the teaching hospital for LECOM, MCH has 17 residency and fellowship programs that train new physicians and pharmacists. Millcreek Health System affiliated organizations, such as the Medical Associates of Erie (MAE), provide nurturing hubs of clinical and office practice education to our students. MAE forms the clinical practice arm of LECOM, a network of primary care physicians and specialists who not only provide health care, but who teach it as well. The entire network fits together effortlessly like the cogwheel of a finely tuned clock.

After more than a quarter of a century of exceptionalism in medical education - with three national campuses and as the largest medical school in the nation - LECOM has expanded to become the first Osteopathic Academic Health Center in the country. A remarkable achievement, certainly; and one that may well be the point at which other educational institutions would have ceased the endeavor. During all of this time, MHS has served as the constant, in the blaze of stars that have gathered in the constellation that is LECOM. As the heavens widen to reveal a more expansive universe, so too have the educational offerings, stellar accomplishments, and innovative undertakings of all that is LECOM. “LECOM Health” is the new watchword in any conversation or serious discussion involving 21st century health care. It is the new umbrella network that overarches our unremitting mission and ever-purposed passion to offer the best in medical education, the most accessible quality health care to our community, and the fullest array of osteopathic health and wellness options available in the nation.

While LECOM stands as the only Osteopathic Academic Health Center in the nation - with Millcreek Community Hospital and Medical Associates of Erie - the College, itself forms the heart and core of its innovative medical education and health care system. 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.

Our students derive the fruits of our success as each attainment, advancement, and achievement is sought for their comprehensive educational benefit. For truly, there is no better place in which to learn than in one that has earned the pinnacle of such efforts.

Because of LECOM and its network of allied health care partners - those who combine the resources of medical experts and health care organizations - the community is finding health care ease and access, excellence and

options, better and more easily than any such care ever before available.

LECOM Health offers more than conventional health care, for the whole of its focus entails educational excellence paired with total health care for a lifetime.

LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center is a medically integrated facility designed to focus upon total well-being through exercise, health education, spa services, rehabilitation, and physician offices; while the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging provides geriatric assessments for physical and mental health.

It now offers Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Further meeting the needs of community health care, the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging has opened the 138-bed LECOM Senior Living Center adjacent to Millcreek Community Hospital. A welcoming and homelike environment coupled with a skilled nursing facility offers to older adults, the next generation of innovative, compassionate, and comprehensive health care.

The beginning of all promising enterprises, undertakings, or accomplishments starts with an idea. With that idea usually follows a set of circumstances, which, in retrospect, appear to have forecast a prophetic outcome. Now in its 22nd year, LECOM has developed a reputation as a leader in medical education and patient care with its graduates highly sought after in the fields of medicine and pharmacy.

As the stars shimmer in the Summer sky and as we linger in the warm weather and in the full and flourishing vibrancy that accompanies the season, let us continue our march forward. Millcreek Health System will live on, reborn to us as LECOM Health. As changing seasons offer a time for reflection and for envisioning the possibilities attainable in the coming months and as we watch with wonder the lush green flora of our surroundings in bloom transform into the vivid colors of Autumn, let us commit ourselves anew to our enduring pledge to provide superlative health care education, to advancing the betterment of community health care, and to “LECOM Health.” @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 05

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER STORY pg 22 .....

Welcome To LECOM Health

LECOM Health has arrived! Encompassing the comprehensive collective of educational and provider organizations and prepared to navigate the journey through the entire health care spectrum, LECOM Health is imbued with powerful insight, cutting edge expertise, and with solutions that transform health education into penetrating health care intelligence.

Whether enabling treatment protocols, empowering collaborative care, or providing new services, LECOM has become the recognized name in health care.

WELCOME TO WELLNESS

The amalgam of superlative medical training, irrepressible civic virtue, and sharply-honed and innovative medical offerings will establish LECOM Health as a pillar of purpose in the intimate structure of our society. More essential than its stones or beams, this network will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives. The LECOM Connection is proud to feature LECOM Health.

FEATURES pg 08 ..... pg 12 ...... pg 16 ...... pg 26 .....

Care. Compassion. Community.

LECOM Health Stationery.indd 2

LECOM Purchases Three Senior Living Communities LECOM Opens Dental Office In Erie Featuring the Class of 2016 LECOM Pharmacy Graduate Joins New Prescription Medication Compliance Venture

4/23/15 12:26

DEPARTMENTS pg 34 .....

Community is Our Campus

pg 36 .....

Faculty, Student, and Alumni Notes

pg 42 .....

Physician Spotlight

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

06 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

CREDOS OF OUR CALLING

•BALANCE•

In his work Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defined a virtue as a balanced point between a deficiency and an excess of a trait.

However, balancing virtuous action is not simply the “mean” (mathematically speaking) between these two opposite extremes.

An action “at the right times, about the right things, towards the right people, for the right end, and in the right way,” constitutes the balance of virtue, he explained.

Which characteristics and traits of enduring use or relevance do we, as medical professionals - and indeed, as morally sound contributors to our society - hold close? This is the question that explicitly informs our virtue; our personal compendium of great moral literacy.

The traits of character that we most admire are key to the high and noble calling of the medical profession.

This moral literacy enables one to make sense of that which one observes in life and it helps one to live that life well. General principles which, though learned under specific circumstances, allow an individual to make meaningful, conscious decisions in new and obscure situations, are a seminal focus at LECOM. Just what are the “virtues” that should so imbue the life of a medical professional? They are certain fundamental traits of character for which the vast majority of Americans share a respect.

In past Credos of our Calling segments, we have featured: Courage, Self-Discipline, Perseverance, Personal Responsibility, Judgment, Purpose, Compassion, and Faith.

Each of these Credos of our Calling is devoted to a different virtue and each includes a wide range of simple and more sophisticated material.

But, the formation of character is, educationally, a different task from, and a prior task to, the discussion of the great, difficult, ethical controversies of the day. A person who is morally literate will be immeasurably better equipped to face the tough issues than will a morally illiterate person. To reach reasoned and ethically defensible assessments of these tough issues, balance is unquestionably, the key; and it is therefore, the Credo of our Calling for this Summer issue of the LECOM Connection.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 07

PARKSIDE SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES

is now

LECOM

H E A LT H

SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES AT NORTH EAST

THE SOUL OF SOCIETY - LECOM PURCHASES THREE SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES

There can be no keener revelation of a soul of a society than the way in which it treats its elderly. ~ Ovid Noted professor and philosopher, Abraham Heschel, explained that the “test of a people centers upon the way in which it behaves toward the elderly. It is easy to love children; even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. However, the affection and care for the old, for the incurable, and for the helpless are the true goldmines of a culture,� he affirmed.

Marking the veracity of that powerful premise and holding it close to its core, the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging has embraced and enfolded three senior living communities into the LECOM Health family.

In welcoming the employees and residents of Parkside Senior Living Communities to the fold, LECOM adds yet another 08 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

dimension to its health care programs for older adults.

With the senior population of Erie County now approaching one out of four of its residents, a community need for superior senior care was evident. LECOM, ever cognizant of such community need and unflaggingly responsive to it, has made clear its stalwart commitment to health and wellness for this expanding age group.

Parkside Senior Living Communities, with its three independent living and personal care facilities, include Regency at South Shore in Erie, Parkside at North East, and Parkside at Westminster in Millcreek. They will join the new skilled nursing facility, the LECOM

Senior Living Center, located on upper Peach Street in Erie which opened in June.

LECOM now offers a full continuum of care, from independent living and personalcare apartments to skilled-nursing care and outpatient services, under the direction of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging.

The Institute will make available geriatric health services to any resident who wishes to receive care (including primary care, specialists, and consulting services) through the Institute.

“This arrangement creates a healthful and proactive environment that values keeping older adults independent in their decisions though each part of the continuum,” said James Lin, DO, Director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging. “LECOM is continuing to embrace its commitment to providing high-quality, ethical, and empathetic resident-centered care that serves the needs of a diverse population,” he expounded.

The Senior Living Communities offer 243 spacious and tastefully appointed apartment homes boasting a variety of floor plans custom-designed for actively aging seniors.

One or two bedroom apartments include fully-equipped kitchens; large, private living rooms and the choice of one or two bathrooms.

Regency at South Shore (located at 322 Washington Place in Erie), is a three-story, 116-unit building with 70 licensed personal care units; Parkside at Westminster (located at 3929 West 38th Street in Millcreek Township), is a three-story, 76-unit apartment building and independent living community; Parkside at North East (located at 2 Gibson Street, North East), is a 51-unit, split-level building with twenty apartments offering personal care units; the rest providing independent living units for adults.

Time and again, the true “goldmines of our culture” have been indefatigably supported, advanced, and protected by all that is LECOM.

“While much of the growth of our health services has been clustered around our hospital and Wellness Center on Peach Street, this acquisition allows us to extend our geriatric and other health care services to a larger geographic region,” enthused Dr. Lin. “Recently, we opened geriatric physician offices in Corry, in Harborcreek, and in Meadville, as we now expand north into the city, farther west into Millcreek Township and to North East Borough.

Each expansion adds another piece to the continuum of care that LECOM offers,” concluded Dr. Lin. In addition, the LifeWorks Erie arm of the Institute for Successful Aging extends educational and health services to patients wishing to join those programs. LifeWorks offers lifelong learning courses, fitness and wellness programs, broad-based medical screenings, and health and prevention education.

Parkside Senior Living Communities offers a unique lifestyle choice for aging seniors.

These communities have been carefully designed to provide a safe and affordable alternative to those who wish to maintain healthful independence. In addition, residents who may require extra assistance can receive supplemental support and licensed personal care services that are specially designed to address their individual needs.

James Lin, DO, Director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging, announces the purchase of Parkside Senior Living Communities.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 09

KEYSTONE CONNECTION: LECOM, A HEALTH NETWORK ANNOUNCE AC AFFILIATION Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Forbes Hospital to Serve as a Clinical Campus for LECOM Students The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and Allegheny Health Network (AHN) recently announced plans to establish an academic affiliation at Forbes Hospital in suburban Pittsburgh. The alliance will address the critical shortage of physicians in the western Pennsylvania area by educating and retaining highly qualified doctors to serve the region.

Based in Erie, and with a campus at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, and in Bradenton, Florida, LECOM is the largest medical college in the country and it ranks among the top five medical schools in the United States graduating physicians who enter the field of primary care.

The affiliation between LECOM and AHN will create opportunities for students who seek to complete clinical training in Western Pennsylvania.

“Allegheny Health Network has a longstanding tradition of excellence in medical education,” said Tony Farah, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Allegheny Health Network. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the education of a greater number of students through this partnership with LECOM and we look forward to bringing a new generation of welltrained physicians to western Pennsylvania,” he remarked.

A provider of medical education for more

10 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

than a century, AHN currently enjoys well-established teaching relationships with both Temple University School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine. Currently, students from LECOM also receive training at AHN affiliate: Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie.

“As a medical college, one of our foremost responsibilities is providing to our students the very best educational opportunities and training. This exciting new venture with Allegheny Health Network aligns with that mission and it will help to address the physician shortage in parts of western Pennsylvania,” commented John Ferretti, DO, LECOM President and CEO. “LECOM and AHN are committed to our shared goal

Forbes Hospital Clinical Site.

Forbes Hospital is a 349-bed facility in Monroeville, serving as the leading provider of quality health care for residents of Pittsburgh. Forbes annually admits more than 15,000 patients and logs more than 50,000 visits to its emergency department.

This pivotal alliance between LECOM and Allegheny Health Network centers upon providing students with options for key rotations while retaining the benefit of their significant training and skill within the western Pennsylvania region. Most of these students will begin practice within the same geographic area of their rotations/ residencies; a noted enhancement to regional health care becomes a natural byproduct of this endeavor.

Studies have presented evidence that nearly 40 percent of physicians choose to locate within 25 miles of their residency. As a result, it is anticipated that this insightful affiliation will positively contribute to both the delivery and to the quality of health care in Pennsylvania (especially across the western portion of the state). One of the essential objectives of the joint LECOM and AHN undertaking is to increase the supply and the retention of physicians. The articulated LECOM mission, and a clear focus in this regard, entails the provision of care in the areas in which it is most needed.

ALLEGHENY CADEMIC of providing care where it is most needed,� the LECOM President explained.

Allegheny Health Network is an integrated health care delivery system serving the Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is comprised of eight hospitals, including its flagship academic medical center - Allegheny General Hospital. Allegheny Valley Hospital, Canonsburg Hospital, Forbes Hospital, Jefferson Hospital, Saint Vincent Hospital, Westfield Memorial Hospital, and West Penn Hospital round out the group. The Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, medical malls, and a health care group purchasing organization complete the network. AHN employs approximately 17,000 people, including more than 2,100 physicians.

This visionary alliance is further noteworthy because Pennsylvania exhibits one of the largest rural populations in the whole of the United States. Rural areas generally are comprised of those populations which tend to be medically underserved.

Beginning in June 2015, Forbes Hospital will host 26 third-year students from LECOM for their clinical rotations, providing an opportunity for students from western Pennsylvania to complete their training closer to home. In June 2016, the number of students will increase to a total of 52 as the first group of students completes its fourth year of clinical work at Forbes and a new class of third-year students arrives to commence their training.

Classroom spaces and a new student lounge are being prepared at Forbes Hospital to accommodate the program participants.

Steven Wolfe, DO, Director of Medical Student Education for Allegheny Health Network, has been named Dean of the

Of the 1,500 medical students currently attending the LECOM Erie and Seton Hill campuses, nearly 25 percent of them hail from the Keystone State. In addition, 14 percent of LECOM DO graduates remained specifically in western Pennsylvania, and 22 percent have remained within the statewide borders.

As evidenced by this latest endeavor, LECOM stands ever committed to serving the region and area that it calls home, while simultaneously providing the best medical education available for its students.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 11

WE BUILT THAT! LECOM OPENS DENTAL OFFICE IN ERIE: NOW ACCEPTING PATIENTS! Smile and show those pearly whites!

LECOM administrators guided Erie news crews on a tour of the LECOM Dental Offices located at 2000 West Grandview Boulevard in Erie, Pennsylvania where affordable dental care is now available for qualifying patients.

delineates the dental procedures specifically required by the patient. “Our goal at this state-of-the-art Dental Practice is to provide high-quality, ethical, and affordable patientcentered care to serve the needs of a diverse population,” explained Silvia M. Ferretti, DO.

Dr. Robert Hirsch, Professor of Restorative Dentistry in the LECOM Dental Outreach Practices and Dr. Silvia Ferretti, LECOM Provost, Vice President, and Dean of Academic Affairs, greeted the media at the new Dental Offices where, during the spring months, LECOM faculty dentists screened patients interested in having dental care provided by dental students who will be completing their clinical training. Fifty dental students arrived in Erie in late May to begin seeing patients. These students already had completed three years of didactic and clinical training at the LECOM School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, Florida.

The students use the latest diagnostic and patient record-keeping tools as they learn to work in a typical dental practice. Those diagnostic tools include full mouth digital X-rays and cutting-edge electronic medical record software. The dental offices house three group practices, each named for benefactors who have contributed to the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund. Each practice is fully-equipped and functions as a modern dental office. Ten treatment rooms in each group ensure that every student will treat at least three patients per day as the student dentists provide restorative dental care services such as cleanings, periodontal treatments, crowns, root canal therapy, extractions, dental restorations, and full and partial dental prostheses.

Under the direct supervision of licensed dentists, the students provide total comprehensive care to patients. Each patient receives a treatment plan that

The dental offices will significantly benefit

12 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

the oral health of local residents. LECOM is the only dental school in the nation in which students practice at college-owned and operated community-based dental offices and where they spend their entire fourth year treating individuals who, otherwise, may have forfeited dental care. “Our goal at LECOM is to provide our students with a full range of learning opportunities so that upon graduation, they will be wholly prepared to practice successfully in areas where the need for oral health care is greatest,” noted Dr. Ferretti.

LECOM, serving as a reliable and regular bulwark of the economic foundation of Erie County, built the dental offices that now employ more than 40 dentists, hygienists, and support staff. In addition, LECOM Clinical Practices offer a primary care physician office within the same building as the dental offices.

An additional 50 LECOM students performed similarly at the LECOM Dental Clinic in DeFuniak Springs, Florida as the clinic serving Northwest Florida began seeing patients in June as well.

LECOM APPOINTS PAIR OF PROPITIOUS LEADERS The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) makes a pair of propitious announcements with the naming of Thomas J. Wedzik (top left), as Chairman of the LECOM Board of Trustees; and of Anton Gotlieb, DDS (top right), as Dean of the LECOM School of Dental Medicine.

Thomas Wedzik has been a LECOM Board member since 1995. Before retiring in April of this year, he served as Regional Banking Executive for First National Bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, a position that he had held for 18 years.

Exhibiting an obvious enthusiasm and effervescent energy in undertaking his new role, Wedzik stated: “It is an honor to become the Chairman of the Board for

the largest medical school in the country.

This Board is passionate, engaging, and committed; we do not simply dream of making things happen, we do it,” Wedzik averred.

Dr. Anton Gotlieb joined LECOM in 2012.

As a founding faculty member of the School of Dental Medicine, he has served in integral capacities at the school, including as Assistant Dean of Simulation Clinic Education, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, and as Executive Associate Dean.

Dr. Gotlieb is a graduate of the Temple School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, and previously, he offered his dental expertise as a faculty member at Clark University, Tufts University, and Nova Southeastern University. With a depth of adroitly-honed

skill in the field of dental medicine, Dr. Gotlieb also has served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps.

“I am honored to be appointed Dean of the LECOM School of Dental Medicine,” remarked Dr. Gotlieb. “I am humbled to have the support and confidence of the LECOM administration and of the Board of Trustees, and I look forward to leading the School to great heights, both in and out of the classroom,” he noted.

LECOM is delighted to welcome two assiduous leaders to its fold; leaders who will further broaden and deepen the compliment of an exceptional team of administrators and educators in the vanguard of unparalleled medical education. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 13

DESTINATION LECOM! Stop the Bus! Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) buses are now stopping at the front door of the LECOM School of Dental Medicine Patient Clinic (LECOM Dental Practices).

The bus route follows State Road 70 East to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. LECOM and LECOM Dental Practices at the School of Dental Medicine, situated expansively upon Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, is a boon for the community as LECOM Dental students offer high-quality, cost-effective dental care to the public.

“I am most delighted about MCAT making its way to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and to LECOM,” remarked District 5 Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh. “It is very important that we have a way for students and patients to access with ease the LECOM Dental Practices. LECOM is most beneficial and deeply valuable to citizens who need dental work; those who

cannot afford regular dental rates, and who do not have available transportation,” she explained.

in 2017, that added route could lead to transporting even more patients to the Dental Practices.

The transportation service has been needed for the public since LECOM opened the School of Dental Medicine in 2012.

Throughout its history, LECOM has been answering needs found within the communities that it has come to serve.

Superlative education coupled with unstinting community service are LECOM watchwords and they form the hallmark of its mission. Each step along that path indeed, even each stop along the bus route - bears out that very mission.

LECOM administrators have seen a decided increase in patients since the bus service began on January 2, 2015.

“The MCAT bus service has been quite successful in attracting new patients to the School,” said Francis Curd, DDS, LECOM School of Dental Medicine Assistant Dean of Clinical Education. “Through the extended bus service, the benefit of quality dental care now becomes accessible to those lacking transportation,” he furthered.

Manatee County transit officials are seeking to implement an additional bus route that would run along State Road 64. Beginning

14 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

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

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine continues to expand rapidly; attracting some of the brightest candidates for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, and School of Pharmacy. LECOM maintains the second lowest private medical school tuition in the country. Yet, medical students face mounting debt as they complete their education.

Each year, the College conducts fundraisers solely for the purpose of providing scholarships to LECOM students. Through these efforts and with support from the LECOM community, LECOM students were awarded $3.7 million in scholarship aid during this current academic year. Since beginning the LECOM scholarship fund, the College has awarded more than $17 million to dedicated scholars.

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

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

Erie, PA 16509

The

LECOM Stu d e n t S c h o la r s h i p Fu n d

THE CLASS OF 2015 16 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

Sara Malek’s road to graduation hit a roadblock. It was during the start of her second year in the LECOM School of Pharmacy that Sara’s father, Mike, fell down a flight of stairs at their Dearborn, Michigan home. The fall resulted in a traumatic brain injury that put her 62-year-old father into a coma for four months.

The accident was devastating for Sara and for her tight-knit family.

It was at that time that Sara contemplated leaving pharmacy school behind to care for her father. When her father awoke from the coma, he could not communicate, nor could he remember the names of his children.

“I was driving home – eight hours round trip – every weekend after the accident,” she said. “The rigors of pharmacy school, combined with all that was happening at home were taking a toll on me physically and emotionally,” she noted.

Malek, 31, expounded that it was the support that she received from the LECOM School of Pharmacy faculty and staff that sustained her and that kept her on track.

“Dr. (Delores) Kutzer, Dr. (Rebecca) Wise, Arlene (Onorato), and Roberta (Volgstadt) were so supportive,” Malek stated. “Honestly, without their support, I probably would have dropped out. They encouraged me to hold the course and to stay in school. I am so glad that they gave me that invaluable support,” Malek continued.

The compassion imbued within the very heart of the LECOM mission is something that Malek never will forget. It is an indispensable attribute that she used as a student and one that she now employs as a pharmacist. She hopes to apply her LECOM training at a VA Hospital following her graduation.

“It’s so important to show compassion for your patients; it is all about building that relationship and doing everything that you can to make an impact upon a person’s life,” Malek averred. Indeed, LECOM trains its students not simply to show compassion, but truly to possess that compassion and to understated the full being of the patients for whom they care.

Pictured above is Sara Malek, PharmD (right) with her brother, Michael Abdul-Malek, DO

Sara Malek, PharmD The Road (Almost) Not Taken

Two years since her father’s accident, Sara Malek is ecstatic about receiving the LECOM Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She is even more delighted to see the “great progress” that her “Dad has made” physically.

“He’s doing so much better,” she beamed. “He still cannot walk, but he is going through the rehabilitation process now and his mental status has improved to the point that he remembers everyone,” she elaborated.

Malek cannot thank LECOM enough for helping her reach her goal.

“The pharmacy program, the students, the faculty and staff are truly amazing,” proclaimed Malek. “I can’t think of a better school than LECOM,” she concluded.

LECOM is equally proud of students such as Sara Malek; those who choose to stay the course, who persevere through the dark days and through the arduous struggles to overcome them; and finally and at the completion of their journey to find their best selves those selves that they were meant to become.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 17

Graduating LECOM medical student, Morgan Pyne did not have to venture far from home to pursue her dream of becoming an osteopathic physician. The 25-year-old from Bradenton, Florida attended Lakewood Ranch High School located only one block from the LECOM Bradenton campus. Her interest in medicine brimmed with intensity while as a high school junior she and her twin sister, Kristin, participated in the LECOM Human Body Explored (HBE) program.

It was during those monthly HBE gatherings with students and with retired LECOM faculty member, Russell Sexton, PhD, that Pyne’s interest in medicine began to bloom.

Pyne even recalled her second-place finish at the HBE 2007 annual Brain Bee competition at Sarasota GWIZ Science Museum. The Brain Bee was a neuroscience competition for middle and high school students.

“I was really drawn to the Brain Bee at that time,” Pyne recollected.

“I remember my mother quizzing me day and night before the competition.”

From there, it was on to the University of South Florida where Pyne played tennis for the Bulls’ team and from where she was graduated (in only three years) with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. When it came to choosing a medical school, LECOM was quite high on the list. Given the LECOM reputation for educational excellence and its proximity to Pyne’s home, the school was a comfortable choice.

“The faculty and staff at LECOM is very friendly and approachable,” she commented. “It is a beautiful school and the Problem-Based Learning curriculum deeply interested me,” Pyne remarked; “plus, enjoying a home-cooked meal and a strong support system didn’t hurt, either,” she furthered.

“Living at home is quite nice, but it still takes a great deal of discipline and focus,” explained Pyne. “It can be arduous for it requires an internal drive to refrain from having fun with family and friends while you are in school. Yet, now that medical school is over, I know that all of those sacrifices were worth it,” she affirmed.

Morgan Pyne, DO

”Homeward Bound” and Prepared to Practice

18 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

She says as a physician, making a difference in the lives of others is the ultimate reward for all her hard work. Pyne will not have to leave home just yet. The accomplished scholar has been offered a coveted physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She hopes eventually to open her own practice close to home, in Lakewood Ranch. For now, she is welcoming the fabulous reward of her determined efforts - the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Whether caring for horses or humans, Briana Beeghly-McClain, DO, knows the importance of patient care.

Beeghly-McClain spent considerable time as an Assistant Ranch Manager at Atwood Ranch in Orland, California and she assisted a veterinary surgeon as a Veterinary Technician in her hometown of Somerset, Pennsylvania. She also participates in the sport of skijoring - an adventurous activity of skiing while being pulled through the snow by horses. Maggie and Wiggles - the 31-year old Beeghly-McClain’s horses - supply the horsepower for the snowscaped trek through the nature trails of Somerset.

Beeghly-McClain scoffs at the notion that there is no correlation between caring for animals and caring for humans. “I received a vast amount of experience as a vet tech,” she commented. “It has helped to shape my clinical skills and to increase my knowledge about caregiving,” she continued. “One can transfer that knowledge to human medicine. I learned how to run anesthesia and how to operate a ventilator; I saw cases of rabies and botulism; and I learned much about different disease states. I am glad that I was able to have those useful experiences,” she affirmed.

Those “useful experiences” led her to the LECOM campus at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where she earned the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, BeeghlyMcClain’s path to medicine began early in life. She and her brother, Dr. Andrew Beeghly (a 2009 LECOM Bradenton graduate), would daydream about starting a medical clinic in Haiti. Her compassion and her calling drew her to the halls of LECOM. Both Beeghly-McClain and her brother chose the military path to medical school and both scholars participated in the Military Health Professional Scholarship Program. Beeghly-McClain matched into the U.S. Army Emergency Medicine Program at Georgia Regents University Medical Center and Ft. Gordon in Augusta, Georgia.

Briana Beeghly-McClain, DO LECOM Graduate Harnesses Horsepower and Human Compassion

“My plans after my military obligation is complete are to return to southwestern Pennsylvania, to work in a community emergency department, and to participate in international medicine as much as possible,” she beamed.

Beeghly-McClain’s husband, Matthew, also is an Army veteran, and the couple has a two year-old son, Lane.

“I never thought that I could go to medical school,” the LECOM scholar commented. “I have a husband who is a wonderful father and who made it easy for me to go to school and to earn my medical degree. Without him, my dream of a LECOM medical degree would have been impossible,” concluded the triumphant graduate.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 19

Ashley Ramp acquitted quite well her transition from teacher to student.

Before attending the LECOM School of Pharmacy, Ramp taught high school math and science for two years at Villa Maria Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Always, she had held a deep and abiding interest in health care and at last - she knew that it was time to take the leap.

“My mother, Que Nguyen Lasky, was a nurse for 25 years, so I had been well-exposed to health care providers. I also sought to increase my science education,” explained Ramp. “I always was attracted to pharmacy and with the profession growing at a rapid rate, I found that the patient care aspect of pharmacy most interested me,” she noted.

Ramp further explained that she was attracted to pharmacy because it offers “a great mix” of all that she most loved about teaching.

“The personal development and the furthering of my scientific knowledge was a significant driver of my motivation, but at the same time, I did not wish to lose the personal interaction that comes with teaching,” she said. “I felt that pharmacy was a very effective way to marry both of those desires into a second career. I also knew that I wanted eventually to return to the education field and I felt that pharmacy would allow me to do that,” she confided.

While studying at LECOM, Ramp served as Student Government Association (SGA) President during her P2 year. As a member of the SGA, she played a pivotal role in bringing a more inter-professional approach to the organization. She offered gratitude to pharmacy faculty, Brian Simpkins, PharmD and to Janene Madras, PharmD, for their mentorship.

“We collaborated to streamline the process, aligning the pharmacy and medical schools to work together,” Ramp said. “Some of the changes that we made were difficult, but that is what being a leader entails,” she remarked.

Ashley Ra mp, PharmD

LECOM Degree Creates Perfect Career Blend

Indeed, under her leadership, Pharmacy SGA worked with the College of Medicine SGA to align the constitution, the budgetary process, the procedures, and the websites.

“We realized through this partnership that there were many similar initiatives that both schools were seeking,” she said. “We felt that if we combined our efforts and resources that we could accomplish many things,” she concluded.

Ramp also served on the National Student Leadership and Development Advisory Group for the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists. Her key initiative has been advocating for health care provider status for pharmacists.

Now a pharmacist herself, Ramp looks forward to working in a residency program in Health-System Pharmacy Administration.

20 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

Erin Greenup, DO, has taken volunteerism to heart. The native of New Port Richey, Florida, was honored with the American Osteopathic Association Platinum Touch Points Award, presented by the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP). This prestigious award constitutes the highest level of volunteerism that an osteopathic medical student can attain. In her second year as a LECOM medical student, Greenup volunteered to community programs a noteworthy 505 hours of her time, effort, and training.

TOUCH Points (an acronym for Translating Osteopathic Understanding into Community Health) is a national initiative promulgated by the COSGP. The goal of the program is to encourage and to recognize osteopathic medical students who, through service, work toward improving the health of their local community.

“It’s important to give back and to support the community,” averred Greenup. “I was not expecting the award, but it was wonderful to be recognized,” she commented.

Closest to Greenup’s heart is the Florida Diabetes Summer Camp, where she accumulated the bulk of her volunteer hours. The goal of the camp is to provide an enjoyably pleasant, safe, and educational environment for children afflicted with Type-1 Diabetes and to offer a respite for the the families who care for those children.

Greenup, 26, has volunteered at the camp for seven years, dating back to her days as an undergraduate student at the University of Florida. She also volunteered with the Pediatrics Club for the YMCA annual Healthy Kids Day, as well as working for many other community service events.

“The camps are a great part of my life,” said Greenup, who will begin a pediatrics residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa. “It’s wonderful to see how happy these children are at camp. The camp gives them a sense of belonging; and it affords to them a chance to work, to play, and to be with other children who understand the effects of the disease. It is a very gratifying experience and I’m happy to be a part of it,” affirmed Greenup.

Erin Greenup, DO

Hallmark of Community Service

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 21

WELCOME TO WELLNESS Legends, Masterpieces, and Missions: The Journey to LECOM Health Great literary masterpieces, such as Thomas Malory’s classic retelling of the Arthurian Legend cycle in Le Morte d’Arthur, unprecedentedly set forth the famed tales in a single work of literary exceptionalism.

Malory based his book upon the Vulgate Cycle, and in so doing, he created the most comprehensive and authoritative collection of Arthurian stories ever written. Most later Arthurian works are, in some form, a derivative of Malory’s writings.

apathy; and ultimately, between success and failure. Such is the case with the history that has come to form the heritage of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). As with Mallory, who set the benchmark for all in his field to follow in his legendary retelling, LECOM has come to be the touchstone for medical educational excellence, both as the largest medical school in the nation and as its only osteopathic academic health center.

Analogies and comparisons between and among events and undertakings are endemic to our collective humanity.

Indeed, throughout history, legacy creating, innovative undertakings and bold, unabashed decision making have distinguished between leader and follower; between insight and

Travel back almost a quarter century to a time during which much of the medical community did not recognize a need for additional medical colleges, much less the need for further physicians. It was at that point that a small community hospital board saw it differently. The Millcreek Community

22 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

Hospital (MCH) existed in an area within close proximity to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Buffalo; an area underserved by physicians.

The establishment of a medical college in Erie had the intended effect of allowing the hospital to train needed new doctors and to accommodate the open positions at MCH and at other hospitals throughout the region.

The now legendary journey began in September of 1988, when the Board of Trustees of MCH conducted a major strategic planning retreat. Attendees at the planning session established a new hospital mission that emphasized the need for educating osteopathic physicians to provide medical services to the medically underserved areas across Northwestern Pennsylvania.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) was established as the 16th college of osteopathic medicine in the nation with its receipt of a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Charter in December 1992.

With the graduation of the LECOM inaugural class in 1997, the College received full accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association. Since that time, LECOM has granted the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree to more than 3,800 graduates.

The founding President, Joseph J. Namey, DO, was an acclaimed general practitioner and a tireless advocate of osteopathic medicine. John M. Ferretti, DO, succeeded Dr. Namey, becoming the second President of LECOM. Dr. Ferretti is a Board Certified Internist who was among the College founders and who is a nationally recognized leader in osteopathic medicine. Under Dr. Ferretti’s guidance, LECOM has gained national prominence and it has realized unprecedented success.

By 2002, College growth and enrollment required LECOM to triple the size of the original medical school building. True to the College mission, to provide primary health care to Northwestern Pennsylvania, LECOM achieved another milestone with the addition of its School of Pharmacy in 2001. Since that time, LECOM has granted the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree to more than 1,300 graduates.

LECOM is a private, nonprofit corporation and it is part of LECOM Health, the only health system in the United States with an Osteopathic Academic Health Center. The College, Millcreek Community Hospital, and Medical Associates of Erie (MAE) - a network of physician offices located in Erie County - form the core of this highly innovative medical education and patient care system.

LECOM Health also includes the John M. and Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness and Wellness Center and the LECOM Senior Living Communities - comprised of the new LECOM Senior Living Center and of three independent living communities: Parkside at North East, Parkside at Westminster, and The Regency at South Shore. With the acquisition of the neighboring LORD Corporation property in 2011, the College is expansively situated along West Grandview Boulevard where a park-like, 53-acre campus boasts an excellent view of Lake Erie. A continually growing medical and wellness campus stretches along Peach Street in Erie as the campus and community engage in the

whole-body wellness paradigm.

In keeping with its proven tradition of leading the field in medical education, LECOM initiated the Master of Science in Medical Education Degree Program 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. The College also offers the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences Degree and the Health Sciences Post Baccalaureate Certificate.

LECOM has continued its role in the vanguard of national leadership in osteopathic medicine by developing a branch campus in the lush, palm-embowered setting of Lakewood Ranch, a master-planned community in Manatee County, Florida.

LECOM Bradenton welcomed its first class of medical students in 2004. With the enrollment of the Bradenton Class of 2011, LECOM became the largest medical college in the nation. In 2007, the School of Pharmacy also expanded to Florida, offering a traditional four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree curriculum and graduating the first class from LECOM Bradenton in 2011.

The vision of LECOM continued in 2009, with the extension of LECOM Erie to the campus of the private liberal arts institution of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

LECOM at Seton Hill added an additional 104 medical students to the first-year class, and now, it has more than 400 students in total enrollment.

In July 2012, the LECOM School of Dental Medicine welcomed students in Bradenton, establishing yet a new era in the betterment of health care education. The first class of dental students completed their third year of study by treating patients at the Lakewood Ranch group practice offices. The Class of 2016, recently has advanced to communitybased dental outreach offices - in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, and in Erie, Pennsylvania for the 2015 Academic Year. These sites were chosen, in part, because of the enduring LECOM commitment to provide care where it is most needed.

Ever vigilant to marking innovative trends in education, LECOM added two Distance Education Pathways in 2014. The School of Pharmacy Four-Year Pathway has grown to allow students to take courses online; offering one of only two online-distance education programs in the nation for pursuing

the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The first online class of the Masters of Health Services Administration has provided the highly sought opportunity for professionals aspiring to take leadership roles in the administration of hospitals, clinical practices, and in other health care facilities.

LECOM has been ever cognizant of its role in community enrichment, service, and the promulgation of health for all. With the 2009 opening of the John M. and Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness and Wellness Center, the College founded a medically integrated wellness center that offers Erie County an opportunity to pursue a better quality of life through prevention and wellness. In 2011, LECOM expanded its community offerings by opening the Coffee Culture CafĂŠ and Eatery to provide a relaxing study space for students and an attractive venue for the public. Further meeting the needs of community health care, the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging has opened the 138-bed LECOM Senior Living Center adjacent to Millcreek Community Hospital. A welcoming and homelike environment coupled with a skilled nursing facility offers to older adults, the next generation of innovative, compassionate, and comprehensive health care.

In 2014, LECOM became the lead agency for the Safe Kids Erie Program, which previously had been administered by the Erie County Department of Health. Safe Kids Erie strives to educate families and to raise awareness of the fact that the vast majority of injuries to children can and should be prevented.

LECOM leadership of the Program also has created additional opportunities for students at the College to serve the community.

Also in 2014, LECOM incorporated LifeWorks Erie into its family of health and educational services. The affiliation with LifeWorks Erie, which offers programs, services, and lifelong learning opportunities for individuals age 50 and older, has complemented and enhanced the ability of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging to serve the growing elderly population throughout the region.

Legends and masterpieces, as with all promising enterprises, undertakings, or accomplishments start with an idea.

With that idea usually follows a set of circumstances, which, in retrospect, appear to have forecast a prophetic outcome. Now in its 22nd year, LECOM has developed a reputation as a leader in medical education and patient care with its graduates highly sought after in the fields of medicine and @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 23

pharmacy. 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.

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

Perhaps the analogy to Malory’s volumes, rife with tales of noblesse oblige and honorable knights, is taken to heart; for coupled with its superlative curriculum, the character of those who practice their noble profession is at the heart of a LECOM education. Those in leadership understood that a physician embodies honor, professional appearance, purposeful action, and responsible behavior.

The College adopted an honor code, a dress code for classroom and clinic, and professional policies that inculcate respect for the faculty.

Like Arthur, crafting his round table from a solitary tree in an unknown forest, the visionary leaders of medicine who founded LECOM sought to develop the core attributes of that which defines a physician: the credo of the calling; the intrinsic purpose of the healer; and the foundation of that which carries a physician to seek the best version of himself or herself - for each defines the future of medicine.

Much has transpired in two decades education, enrichment, character and community - all within the prophecy of a prescient body of educators and physicians whose idea of the possible triumphed over doubt.

Legends, like those found in Malory’s masterpiece, inspire us. Noble and missiondriven legends teach us. The founders of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine knew that their actions would inspire, their mission would bring purpose, and their commitment to a vision would result in a better tomorrow, not only for the generations of scholars who have crossed the threshold of a great institution, but also to the communities and to the larger world that they will serve in the calling of a lifetime.

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Join the LECOM Family of Physicians Treating Erie’s Families 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 for Opthalmology, Podiatry, and Pediatrics for our expanding practices.

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

LECOM

H E A LT H

MEDICAL ASSOCIATES OF ERIE

LECOMHEALTH.com/clinical-practices

LECOM PHARMACY GRADUATE JOINS NEW PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION COMPLIANCE VENTURE Krista Petrolla, PharmD, (Class of 2007) has been pivotally involved in an innovative and effective project with ExactCare Pharmacy in Cleveland, Ohio. The company has developed a novel and unique prescription medication package that simplifies the reminder process for persons taking medications. The new system assists patients in maintaining their dosages.

ExactCare Pharmacy of Valley View produces the ExactPack, a multi-medication package that contains the exact dose of drugs that patients should take; prepared for the exact dosing times. The pre-packaging system eliminates the burdensome need to sort medications on one’s own.

“’Compliance, compliance, compliance.’ As health care professionals, the repetition of this word is driven into our brains when we measure the outcomes of patient care,” stated Krista Petrolla. “We all know that the best outcomes for patients are achieved through medication adherence and compliance. Yet, why is the practice of medication compliance so difficult?” she queried.

Indeed, ​pharmacists and health care professionals have been working for years to assist patients in the proper taking of their medicines. From the days of old, when pharmacists mixed flavored syrups to make medications more palatable and easier to

26 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

take, to the present day as retail pharmacies find themselves propelled by compliance objectives, the dilemma has transcended time.

“Keep filling prescriptions on time every month; keep the share holders happy, and profits coming,” commented Petrolla. “Here we are, in 2015; the Affordable Care Act is in full force. The government wants to see positive health outcomes, and if they are not satisfactory, monetary penalties result.

Now, more than ever, we are focusing upon compliance,” explained Petrolla. ​ rista Petrolla has been focused upon K medication compliance from the very first

moment that she set foot in a pharmacy.

While working for CVS, Petrolla was troubled to see prescriptions returned to stock. It was her practice always to contact patients to make sure that they picked up their medication or to ascertain what barriers patients faced in retrieving their medicines before returning their medication to the shelf. Most often, cost seemed to bar patients from picking up medication. Krista Petrolla searched for ways to discover formulary substitutions and she worked with prescribers to help patients reduce the cost.

Nonetheless, one particular and persistent conundrum plagued the LECOM graduate: “How could she encourage patients to refill their medications, while simultaneously, reducing the number of trips that they needed to make to the pharmacy?”

Understanding that the reason medications are filled at different times occurs mainly because of compliance lapses, Petrolla set out to solve the riddle.

I​n 2013, Petrolla attended a seminar at the Northeast Ohio College of Pharmacy.

The seminar focused upon medication compliance. While the seminar helped refine Petrolla’s counseling and communication skills, it did not supply enough resources to help her patients. “There are many breaks in health care delivery. When a patient runs out of medication and their condition is no longer controlled, serious consequences can result,” noted Petrolla.

started reading about ExactCare Pharmacy in the Cleveland Crain’s Business Journal.

Not only was ExactCare Pharmacy awarded as a superb workplace, the companies patient care philosophy made perfect sense to the LECOM graduate, who observed the similar patient-centered mission reflective of her pharmacy training. The company was succeeding by its committed dedication to providing customer service that aims to ensure medications are taken safely, in the proper dosage, at the right time, and in a way that is easy for patients and caregivers.

The company began as a specialty pharmacy, focusing upon conditions such as HIV and mental health; and later expanding to assist patients dealing with co-morbid conditions such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, and dementia - all chronic conditions with a complex pharmaceutical regimen. When a patient takes several medications from different specialist doctors - often filled at different pharmacies - most such patients are overwhelmed and they do not know which pill to take, or at what time to take it.

ExactCare seeks to eliminate that problem. ​​ Currently, Petrolla works with a team of patient care pharmacists who have a primary goal of reconciling patients’ existing

medication regimens thereby ensuring optimal therapy as patients begin their monthly cycles of compliance packs. “It is very rewarding to observe the positive results for the patient,” remarked Petrolla.

“Some medications that a patient should not be taking due to a drug interaction have been refilled several times at a local pharmacy; and some necessary medications are missing from the patient’s regimen,” expounded Petrolla. She works with area doctors and pharmacists to unify the health care team and to fine tune the patient’s medication.

When the patient receives the medication shipment, all that they need to do is to tear off each individual medication pack at the time of day that the medication is prescribed to be taken. The pharmacists take extra precaution to separate medications that must have a time window between doses.

When the patient visits the doctor for a medication check, the box simply is brought into the office, complete with its medication administration record on the spine of the box.

The doctor clearly can observe the remaining packs, thereby facilitating a measurement of compliance. ​ o date, the ExactPack has reduced hospital T readmissions by a staggering 38 percent.

This triumph is a personal reward to Petrolla, and to those like her who stand by a commitment to providing excellent patient care. She attributes her training at LECOM as the basis and foundation of her comprehensive understanding of the pharmacy profession, noting that it will continue to serve her well as she advances her career with ExactCare Pharmacy.

The picture features the innovative doorstep-delivery ExactPack™ medication system; offering pre-measured, pre-dosed, home delivery of regularly administered medications and supplements. The highly organized system

​ fter several years of aiming for perfect A compliance metrics and still observing compliance gaps, Petrolla decided to join a team of pharmacists who take a modern approach to medication compliance. She

includes packaging and delivery of prescription drugs, vitamins, and supplements. Each ExactPack™ includes a useful medication administration record. Topical medications, inhalers, nasal sprays, and other medications that cannot be included in the ExactPack™ can be ordered separately and delivered with regular medications. The reliably effective system seeks to ensure medication adherence and it greatly assists those patients who have difficulty in keeping up with dosage requirements or with frequent prescription refill needs.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 27

LECOM ENCOURAGES: Find Your Own Calcutta An enthusiastic American college graduate once wrote to Mother Teresa, requesting that she be allowed to become part of the world renown missionary’s selfless work. “I will not be a burden and I can pay my own way to travel there,” wrote the determined graduate envisioning her own future of service in India. “I so admire all that you are doing and I wish with all my heart to make a difference,” the scholar continued. She already had packed her bags for the journey.

Months later, a return letter from across the many miles was delivered to the graduate.

Eagerly and with nervous excitement, the young lady opened the envelope for which she had been patiently waiting.

Came Mother Teresa’s brief, but truly insightful reply: “Find your own Calcutta.”

The penetrating words of Mother Teresa echo with profound appropriateness and keen perception to this very day.

LECOM reminds us that answering the needs of the suffering and of the afflicted comes often in one’s own corner of the world. Works of service and of compassion can be accomplished by each person, no matter one’s location.

Since its very inception, LECOM has believed - in word, in deed, and through its determined commitment to community

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service - that where there is need, one must stand prepared and equipped to fill it. For decades, LECOM has filled the need in each community in which it has come to lay its cornerstone. Indeed, such focus upon compassionate service and constructive outreach has extended far beyond the confines of the local environs.

LECOM enthusiastically supports its students who open their hearts, eyes, and hands to “find their own Calcutta,” in the service of others.

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Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and Functional Anatomy of the Cervical Spine: An International Approach

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and Functional Anatomy of the Cervical Spine: An International Approach

Written By: Andrea Orlandi, DO Michele Dalmasso, DO Randy Kulesza, Jr, PhD Text, Images and Videos are Š Copyright, The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

This innovative publication about Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment of the cervical spine contains detailed anatomy descriptions, with illustrations and 85 high-definition clips (taken from different points of view) showing various osteopathic techniques divided into five categories: soft tissue, joint mobilization, high velocity-low amplitude, traction, and intervertebral disc rehab.

Written By: Andrea Orlandi, DO Michele Dalmasso, DO Randy Kulesza, Jr, PhD Text, Images and Videos are Š Copyright, The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Download it today for $29.99 on Apple iBooks or Google Play.

This ebook is published by LECOM and it is written from the perspective both of Italian and American physicians.

For Apple, you must have an iOS device with iBooks 1.5 or later and iOS with 4.3.3 or later, or a Mac with iBooks 1.0 or later and OSX 10.9 or later.

For Google Play, Android OS version 2.2 and above is required.

LECOM CELEBRATES MILITARY MOMENTS As we linger in the hazy days and the warmer temperatures of our long-awaited Summer respite, fresh and bright with the anticipation of the possible, it seems fitting that we pause to pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our medical students, faculty, and staff who dedicate themselves to the military. Often associated with fireworks, barbecues, and family get-togethers, this season also is a time to reflect upon all that it means to be an American and to consider the sacrifices made by those to secure the freedoms that we have today. We draw inspiration from these outstanding men and women and we see our national rebirth - our American Summer of Liberty - in their steadfast and constant presence.

In spite of the tragedies of war and an onslaught of global fanaticism, our students and faculty in military service embody a profound source of inspiration. Like the warm, sure Summer and the hopeful Spring that follow a bleak winter, these sons and daughters of liberty, have served and continue to serve selflessly; often putting the whole of their very existence on the line for us and for our values, while asking very little of us in return. Those in uniform constitute a glimmering exemplar of character and conviction in this “selfie” world, where so much of our daily existence centers upon self-fulfillment.

LECOM understands and recognizes that real heroes dedicate themselves - often unnoticed - to the betterment of our world.

Throughout every season, our country and our world face great challenges. From extremism to Ebola, from global conflicts and the suppressing of human rights, to a host of potentially unforeseen calamities, the world seems often a dreadfully dangerous place. At home and abroad, the tempestuous culture of change leaves us desirous of leaders and role models who inspire a brighter future.

As we loiter among the verdant landscapes and we drink in the bluer skies of our Summer in America, we should draw inspiration from our military veterans, those in service and those who have served. Most certainly, we should thank them for that service, honor their sacrifices, and pray for those who remain in peril even now. From their examples, we can find the very best of ourselves.

At LECOM, we celebrate the character and selfless nature of our men and women in uniform. Indeed, we challenge everyone with the credo: “not for ourselves, but for others.” LECOM holds high this pledge, not as an aphorism, a catch-phrase, or a casual maxim, but as the very essence of the LECOM mission.

Our students and faculty have served proudly; truly they have continued to make an impact upon others since their return home.

So, when we pause to reflect and to thank these proud Americans for their service, let us thank them not only for the sacrifices that they have made, but also for the leadership and inspiration that they are giving to our country today and for generations to come. They ensure our eternal Spring, our American Summer, and indeed, every season lived in the light of liberty.

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POISON PREVENTION WEEK CHAMPIONED

BY LECOM SAFEKIDS ERIE State Senator, Sean Wiley (right) presented a proclamation to LECOM and SafeKids Erie in recognition of their efforts to raise awareness of poison prevention. The proclamation was presented at St. Peter Cathedral School. Principal Mary Gibson (left) and Patty Puline, Coordinator of SafeKids Erie are also pictured.

Each year and across the nation, tens of thousands of children require medical treatment for unintentional poisonings. The National Poison Prevention Council estimates that more than 90,000 children are treated annually in emergency rooms for exposure to poison, and about 30 deaths each year are reported as the result of poison-related incidents.

The regrettable reality is that every such incident of this nature could have been prevented.

During National Poison Prevention Week, March 15-21, SafeKids Erie and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) worked collaboratively with local elementary schools and with teachers to seek to ensure that children do not ingest harmful poisons.

From prescription medications to common household items and cleaners, poisons fill our medicine cabinets, cupboards, pantries, bathrooms, garages, and utility rooms.

National Poison Prevention Week offers an opportune time to raise awareness of the many potential risks to children, not all of which are obvious.

Patty Puline, Coordinator of SafeKids Erie, stated that “although many accidental poisonings involve prescription medications, parents also need to be sure that young children do not have access to potential

poisons such as cosmetics, personal care products, and pesticides.”

SafeKids Erie, an agency of LECOM, offered a full range of educational poison prevention programs for students at St. Peter Cathedral School, while State Senator, Sean Wiley presented a proclamation recognizing Poison Prevention Week and thanking SafeKids Erie and LECOM for their unremitting dedication to raising awareness, to educating others, and to reducing the number of accidental poisonings.

“By educating local residents about preventive steps, we can make real progress in keeping our loved ones safe,” Senator Wiley averred. People should arm themselves with the basic information about poison prevention in the home by becoming aware of the way in which to keep chemicals out of the reach of children and by carefully reading the labels and dosages listed on all products.

Continued Senator Wiley, “I applaud the continuing efforts of LECOM and SafeKids Erie to raise awareness of the importance of this issue and for their being proactive in working with the community.”

The LECOM mission of community service and promoting improved health for all underscores the continuing commitment of SafeKids Erie to the advancement of poison

prevention programs. Through its network of volunteers and through partnerships with local school districts and non-profit agencies, SafeKids Erie is ideally positioned to raise awareness and to educate families.

LECOM pharmacy and medical students also highlight a pivotal theme of Poison Prevention Week, that of accidental poisonings. Such poisonings - specifically involving children can be prevented through employing relatively simple steps, such as storing medicines and other potentially harmful items safely and securely.

In addition to engaging fully in the events of Poison Prevention Week, LECOM students participate in other related events throughout the year, including their collection of unused and unwanted prescription medications.

For more than 50 years, National Poison Prevention Week has been a period dedicated to educating the public. Although the national observance occurs during the third week of March, the Prevention Week Council encourages people to focus upon preventing poisonings daily throughout the calendar year.

LECOM and SafeKids Erie laud the success of the poison prevention programs offered during Poison Prevention Week; and the collaborative looks forward to championing the cause of safety for the children of the Erie County community and beyond.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 31

Inspiring Memoir Authored

by LECOM Doctor Holey Ship High In Transport: I Had Cancer is a powerful and well-presented memoir that recounts the experiences of Matthew G. Walton, DO, as he battled cancer. At the age of only thirteen, he was diagnosed with a malignant mixed germ cell tumor in the center of his brain for which he endured brain surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Dr. Walton details the lessons and the challenges that he and his family faced; and he offers a well-considered narrative about the way in which those afflicted with a life-altering illness can reframe circumstances and triumph in the swirling onslaught of adversity. In the case of Dr. Walton, humor became an important coping tool. Dr. Walton also delineates the way in which the devotion and support of his extended family, friends, and members of the medical community provided necessary succor during his time of anguish and distress. Dr. Walton details this medical ordeal and he provides his personal perspective as a cancer survivor, coupling it with the remembrances of his father, Gary A. Walton, who offers an account of his son’s treatment and who voices his own reflections upon the way in which their family remained strong and hopeful during his son’s treatment and recovery.

Comfort and care often were found in wholly unanticipated sources. Throughout the 68-page paperback, the doctor provides encouragement and clearly articulated optimism to those facing not only medical crises, but to anyone seeking to overcome challenges or to support others in the midst of difficult circumstances. Matthew G. Walton, DO, was born and raised in Southwestern Pennsylvania and he later studied at Allegheny College, earning his medical degree at LECOM. He studied at the Erie Campus and he completed his residency in Family Practice at UPMC in Pittsburgh. Holey Ship High In Transport: I Had Cancer is a piece that indeed will transport the reader to a place where the healing of body, the determination of mind, and the triumph of spirit are made manifest.

32 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

EARN YOUR MASTER’S IN HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION DEGREE ONLINE The LECOM MHSA Program will prepare you with the knowledge and skills required to plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. With the MHSA degree you will be ready to step into an administrative role in hospitals, health care facilities, public health organizations or private practices.

• Designed to provide working professionals with the skills needed to become top health care administrators; • Over 90% of the courses are delivered Online by experienced faculty members; • 18-month and 24-month programs meet busy professional schedules; • Current LECOM students and alumni are eligible to be awarded a LECOM MHSA Scholarship up to a maximum amount of 50% off the tuition cost*.

LECOM is proud to introduce a distance education program to prepare qualified health care leaders to meet the challenges of 21st Century medicine. For more information, contact us at 941-405-1535 or mhsa@lecom.edu

*Students must apply to the MHSA program prior to enrollment deadline to qualify.

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

City of Erie, Pa. Mayor, Joseph Sinnott presented a proclamation to LECOM medical

City of Bradenton, Fla. Mayor, Wayne H. Poston (third from left) presented a

students, Nicole Reyes (OMSII) and Seth Carter (OMSIII).

proclaimation to LECOM faculty member, Thomas Quinn, DO, and LECOM medical students, Karen Ramsay (OMSII) and Ashley Gabriel (OMSIII).

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Erie and Greensburg, Pa. communities, and the Bradenton, Fla. community came together during the week of April 19-25 to recognize the commitment and professionalism of American osteopathic physicians during National Osteopathic Medicine Week.

Medical students at the three campuses of LECOM received National Osteopathic Medicine Week proclamations from the mayors of each community.

The event, which is promoted each year by LECOM, brings the osteopathic medical profession together to focus upon one common goal: increasing awareness of osteopathic medicine and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) in communities across the country.

It is held each year to coincide with the founding date of the AOA, which is April 19, 1897 City of Greensburg, Pa. Mayor, Ronald Silvis (fourth from left) presented a proclamation to LECOM at Seton Hill students (from left to right) William Reick (OMSIII), Marc Bozych (OMSII), William Wert (OMSII), Faith Finoli (OMSII), Jonathon Steinmetz (OMSII), Kaitlin Annunzio (OMSII), Richard Dees (OMSIII), and Sarthi Dalal (OMSII).

34 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Script Your Future

Give Kids a Smile

Students from the LECOM School of Pharmacy participated in the Script Your Future Team Challenge to educate the public and to raise awareness of the importance of medication adherence. Erie County Executive, Kathy Dahlkemper (second from right), presented the students with a proclamation in recognition of the LECOM commitment to Script Your Future and to community health. Pictured above, from left to right: Hershey Bell, MD, Dean of the LECOM School of Pharmacy; Esther Baah (P3) and Abbey Krysiak, PharmD.

Students from the LECOM School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, Fla. gave of their time during the LECOM Give Kids a Smile event.

The students provided free dental screenings to more than 100 children at the Kavo-Kerr Patient Clinic. Pictured above, from left to right, Kayla Macri, Rachael Miller, and Diana Morrell.

Colby Foundation

Students Hold Blood Pressure Screening

Turning tragedy into triumph and giving hope to a hopeless situation was the message that resonated throughout the lecture hall as Starla Cassani made an impassioned plea to medical students at the LECOM Bradenton, Fla. campus. Following the tragic death of their 14-month-old son, Colby, in 1993, Cassani and her husband, John have dedicated their lives to educating people about the importance of organ and tissue donation through the Colby Foundation Lectureship Series. Pictured, from left to right: Melissa Kelley, RN, of Lifelink of Florida; LECOM Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Robert George, DO; Starla Cassani, and John Cassani, DO of the Colby Foundation; and Charles Wright, MD, Medical Director of Lifelink of Florida.

The LECOM Erie chapter of the Muslim Medical Student Association, held a blood pressure screening event at the Islamic Associates of Erie in April. Those in attendance were local residents, many of whom are from Somalia. Pictured in the photo, from left to right, are medical students: Hiba Malik (OMSII), Sara Fawaz (OMSII), Irtaza Asar (OMSII), Rohail Haider (OMSII), Louay Jajeh (OMSII), Usman Zaheer (OMSII), Mukarram Amine (OMSIII), and Rizwan Khan (OMSII).

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 35

NOTES

STUDENT NOTES

Student Leadership Award and a $300 scholarship at the FOMA Conference in Weston, Fla.

of Sarasota, Fla.; and a $1,000 scholarship from the American Business Women’s Association, Sunrise Chapter, Scholarship Fund in Sarasota.

College of Medicine Erie Campus

Joshua Johnson (OMS1) received a $1,600 scholarship from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Vincent Croglio (OMS2) was featured in an article in the Buffalo Business Journal for his entrepreneurial endeavors.

Mark Johnson (OMS1) received an $1,600 scholarship from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Stephanie Mazariegos (D3) received a $2,000 Scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa, Fla.

Naveen George (OMS3) authored the abstract entitled, Autoimmune Encephalitis: Are Immuno-modulatory Therapies Effective? A Retrospective Review of Functional Ratings Prior to a PostTreatment. The abstract was accepted for presentation at the American Academy of Neurology Conference in Washington, DC, and in the Lancet Autoimmune Disorders Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Nicole Wells (OMS1) received the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association Student Leadership Award and a $300 scholarship at the FOMA Conference in Weston, Fla.

Desiree McMillan (D2) received a $3,000 Scholarship from the Indian River State College Foundation in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Conor Grey (OMS1) authored a play, Mainstream, which premiered in February at the Schuster Theatre, Gannon University.

College of Medicine Bradenton Campus Liesel Bergmeyer (OMS2) was elected to the Board of Directors for the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA).

Chase Cavayero (OMS2) co-authored: Adult-Acquired Hidden Penis in Obese Patients: A Critical Survey of the Literature, published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association and he presented his abstract entitled, Chicken or the Egg or Cart Before the Horse: Incidental Atrial Myxoma Finding in Hematuria Workup at the Florida Chapter of American College of Physicians Annual Residents and Medical Students Meeting in Orlando, Fla. Natalie Chlus (OMS2) and Chase Cavayero (OMS2) co-authored: Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy - Broken Heart Syndrome: Case Series and Review of the Literature, which was presented at the Florida Chapter of American College of Physicians Annual Residents and Medical Students Meeting in Orlando, Fla. Melissa Faron (OMS1) has been accepted to the American Academy of Pediatrics Federal Affairs Internship Program in Washington, DC. Chelsea Jacobs (OMS1) received the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association

College of Medicine LECOM at Seton Hill Daniel Carlson (OMS2) and Wade Wolowiec (OMS2) graduated as Pittsburgh Albert Schweitzer Fellows on May 3, 2015.

Sarthi Dalal (OMS1) and Kiranjit Kaur (OMS1) have been selected as Environmental Fellows for the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Program.

Samantha Erb (OMS1) co-authored a piece entitled, Developing Effective Worker Health and Safety Training Materials: Hazard Awareness, Identification, Recognition and Control for the Salon Industry, published in the Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine.

School of Pharmacy Erie Alyssa McKinney (P2) is engaged to Caleb Dodd. The couple plans a September 26, 2015 wedding.

School of Pharmacy Bradenton Ashley Cubillos (P3) will represent the LECOM School of Pharmacy at the American Pharmacists Association Patient Counseling Competition in San Diego, CA.

School of Dental Medicine Bradenton

Sandra Santos (D3) received a $2,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa, Fla.

FACULTY NOTES College of Medicine

Mark A.W. Andrews, PhD, (of Physiology) was re-elected to the Steering Committee of the Society of Osteopathic Medical Educators. Dr. Andrews also co-authored: What are the Implications of Implementation Science for Medical Education? published in Medical Education Online.

Brett DeGooyer, DO, will present a clinical case abstract entitled, Fatigue and Facial Rash in Collegiate Women’s Hockey at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in San Diego, Ca. May 26-30.

Amber Eade, PhD, performed at the World Premier of Passion According to Saint Matthew by Pittsburgh composer, Nancy Galbraith, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Festival Orchestra. Dr. Eade is a member of the Maestri Singers.

Jelena Cusanelli (P3) received a $3,000 scholarship from the Robert J. and Anne E. Harmon Scholarship Fund of Sarasota, Fla.

Randy Kulesza, PhD, co-authored: Organization of the Human Superior Olivary Complex in 15q Duplication Syndromes and Autism Spectrum Disorders, published in the journal, Neuroscience. Dr. Kulesza also co-authored: Yes, There is a Medial Nucleus of the Trapezoid Body in Humans, published in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy.

Alena Korbut (P2) received a $2,000 scholarship from the Beverly Beall and R. Kemp Riechmann Foundation in Bradenton, Fla.; a $3,000 scholarship from the Clifford W. and Doris E. Davis Educational Fund

Patrick Leary, DO, Director of the LECOM/ Millcreek Community Hospital Sports Medicine Fellowship Program, sponsored two clinical case abstracts that will be presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of

36 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

NOTES the American College of Sports Medicine in San Diego, Ca. May 26-30.

Santiago Lorenzo, PhD, co-authored: Hot Environments Decrease Exercise Capacity While Elevating Multiple Neurotransmitters Independent of Humidity, published in Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Dr. Lorenzo also contributed to the article: Beat the Heat – Even When It’s Cold, published on bicycling.com.

Ali Moradi, PhD, received a certificate in the Improving Simulation Instructional Methods course, provided through the University of Miami Miller School Of Medicine, Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education and Florida Healthcare Simulation Alliance.

Swapan Nath, PhD was named a fellow of the National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators.

Becky Sterling, Administrative Assistant at LECOM Seton Hill, presented a poster, Incorporating IT into Medical Education, at the Ninth Annual Intersections: Undergraduate Research Conference sponsored by the Robert Morris University Honors Program.

Mark Terrell, PhD, wrote and contributed a book chapter: Applying Learning Styles to Engage a Diversity of Learners and Behavioral Problems in Anatomy Education, published in Teaching Anatomy: A Practical Guide.

School of Pharmacy Hershey S. Bell, MD, MS MedEd, coauthored: Report of the 2013-2014 AACP Standing Committee on Advocacy: Improving Advocacy through the Use of Implementation Science Concepts and Framework, published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.

Marcus Campbell, PharmD, presented a lecture regarding the pharmacotherapy of asthma for the St. Petersburg General Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. In addition, Dr. Campbell, Katherine Tromp, PharmD, and Alejandro Vazquez, PharmD, co-authored the paper: Recent Developments and Future Directions of Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations, to be published in Clinical Therapeutics.

named to the Pennsylvania Pharmacy Association Educational Foundation Board of Directors.

Sunil Jambhekar, PhD, served as an external examiner of a PhD Dissertation by a student from the Institute of Pharmacy Nirma University, India.

Stephanie Peshek, PharmD, was approved as a volunteer item writer for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Exams.

Kathryn Samai, PharmD, co-authored a case report: Use of Human Growth Hormone in a Cachectic Post Traumatic Crush Injury Patient published in the journal, Trauma.

Ruhi Ubale, PhD, co-authored a book chapter, Novel Approaches and Strategies for Biologics, Vaccines and Cancer Therapies in Trends, published in NonParenteral Delivery of Biologics, Vaccines and Cancer Therapies.

Julie Wilkinson, PharmD, MS Med.Ed, authored a book chapter, Headache in the Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs.

School of Dental Medicine Vaishnavi Iyer, DDS has joined the School of Dental Medicine as Patient Care Director for the LECOM Group Practices in Erie, Pa.

LECOM Institute for Successful Aging Nanette Crawford, MA CCC-SLP, coauthored, Community-Based Resources for Concussion Management, published in Seminars in Speech and Language.

John M. and Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness and Wellness Center Hunter Harrison was named Pennsylvania District 10 AAA Assistant Wrestling Coach of the Year.

ALUMNI NOTES Class of 2001

Casey Burke, DO, is an orthopedic surgeon at Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton, Pa.

Class of 2004 Maria Berdayes-Bowles, DO, was listed in the Top Doctors Issue of H Texas Magazine.

Dr. Berdayes-Bowles is a family practice physician in Kingwood, Texas.

Class of 2005 Christopher S. McClellan, DO, an orthopedic surgeon from University Orthopedics Center of State College, Pa., has partnered with Penn Highlands Healthcare in DuBois, Pa., to provide surgical services to patients in that area.

Class of 2006 Pamela Goldman, DO, recently was reelected to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association (POMA). Board Certified in internal medicine, Dr. Goldman is an academic hospitalist with Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Class of 2007 Andrew Martin, DO, Director of Sports Medicine at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC, recently returned from the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO, where he assisted in providing care to members of the USA Olympic Team.

Dr. Martin treated athletes across various sports disciplines, including: swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, track and field, judo, weightlifting, shooting, pentathlon, and cycling.

Class of 2008 Micah Jones, DO, an orthopedic surgeon, has joined LewisGale Physicians in Salem, Va. Liana Rodriguez, DO, has joined Biloxi Regional Medical Center (Biloxi, Miss.) and the Biloxi Internal Medicine Clinic.

Class of 2009 Amber Bowser, DO, has joined Penn Highlands Elk Primary Care Office in St. Marys, Pa. Michelle Daryanani, DO, is an Assistant Professor and Director of Education for Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston.

Sarah Dombrowski, PharmD, has been @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 37

NOTES Corey Rosenbaum, DO, served as Chief Resident for Orthopedic Surgery at University of Florida Health System - Jacksonville.

Currently, he is participating in a foot and ankle trauma and reconstruction fellowship at the University of Texas - Houston; and in September, he will be joining Florida Hospital Orthopedic Group in St. Augustine.

David Seastone, DO, co-authored Darbepoetin Alfa for Anemia with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, published in Expert Review of Hematology.

Class of 2010 Rebecca Brown, DO, has been accepted into the Forensic Psychiatry Program at the University of Cincinnati.

Katherine Kirksey, DO, has joined On Demand Urgent Care in Roxborough, Pa., as a family practice physician.

Matthew G. Walton, DO, has co-authored the book: Holey Ship High In Transport: I Had Cancer. The memoir reflects upon Dr. Walton’s experiences battling cancer as a 13-year-old. The book is available at www. dorrancebookstore.com.

Kenna Wood, DO, has joined Peace Health Medical Group - Barger Clinic in Eugene, Ore. Hai Peng Zhang, DO, recently accepted the Clinical Informatics and Innovation Fellowship at Partners Healthcare at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Currently, Dr. Zhang is the Palliative Care Fellow at Harvard Medical School and he is pursuing his MPH at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Class of 2011 Seth Fox, DO, is engaged to Allison Lesser; a February 13, 2016 wedding is planned.

Shannon Moore, DO, and Jason Carlson, DO (’10) celebrated May 2015 nuptials in St. Charles, Mo. Dr. Moore is a pediatrician at Children’s Community Pediatrics in Erie, Pa. Dr. Carlson is an internal medicine resident at Millcreek Community Hospital.

Class of 2012 Linnea Shen Amesur, DO, is completing her internal medicine residency at the University of California – Riverside.

Rajiv Amesur, DO, has accepted a fellowship in pulmonary/critical care at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, NV. Currently, he is completing an internal medicine residency at St. Joseph’s Health Center in Warren, Ohio.

Class of 2013 Erin Brennan, DO, has been appointed as Resident Representative to the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of the Osteopathic Pediatricians’ Executive Committee.

Donald Lock, DO, authored: Defining Heart Disease, an article published in the Observer-Reporter newspaper in Washington, Pa. Daniel P. O’Neil, PharmD, co-authored: Utilizing Smoke Testing for Airflow Visualization Analysis, published in Pharmacy Purchasing and Products Magazine.

Class of 2014 Sunny Kar, DO, co-authored: Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy - Broken Heart Syndrome: Case Series and Review of the Literature, which was presented at the Florida Chapter of American College of Physicians Annual Residents and Medical Students Meeting in Orlando, Fla. Santina Scotti, PharmD, is engaged to Joseph Conte, PharmD; a May 2016 wedding is planned in Pittsburgh, Pa. Class of 2015 Kira Weaver, DO, married Sean Crawford on July 12, 2015, at the Grand Hotel in Cape May, NJ. William Bianchi, DO and Sarah Wiegand, DO, co-authored: Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Self-Reported Fatigue, Stress and Depression in First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students, published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Meghan Cooper, DO, co-authored: AdultAcquired Hidden Penis in Obese Patients: A Critical Survey of the Literature, published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Arianna Gianakos, DO, will present a research paper titled: Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate in Long Bone Healing: An Analysis of Basic Science Evidence at the European Federation of

38 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

National Associations of Orthopedics and Traumatology International Conference in Prague, Czech Republic. The same research also was accepted as a poster presentation at the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopedic Sports Medicine Conference in Lyon, France.

Gianakos also is representing the Foot and Ankle Department of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York at the International Conference on Sports Rehabilitation and Traumatology in London, England.

Erin Greenup, DO, received a $2,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa, Fla. Laura Jordan, DO, received the Student Osteopathic Medical Association Foundation Marvin H. and Kathleen G. Teget Leadership Scholarship and the Advocates of the Florida Medical Association Believes in You Scholarship.

Shane Joseph, DO, received a $1,000 scholarship from the Volunteer Auxiliary of Westside Regional Medical Center in Plantation, Fla. Sarah Manners, DO, was elected to the Board of Directors for the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA).

Capritta Roberts, DO, received a $3,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa, Fla. Esaleen Carmona, PharmD, received a $2,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa, Fla. Bryan Davison, PharmD, received a $250 scholarship from the Beaver Falls Elks Lodge #348 in Beaver Falls, Pa. Christina Dawkin, PharmD, received a $2,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa, Fla. Christopher Doerner, PharmD, received a $2,000 Scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa, Fla. Solomon Hassanzadeh, PharmD, was selected for a fellowship in Clinical Safety and Risk Management at Merck in association with Rutgers University. The two-year program includes an appointment as an Assistant Professor within the School of Pharmacy.

IN MEMORIAM

Goffredo C. Ianiro, DPM Memoriam to Dedicated Surgeon and Committed Educator The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) was shaken by the sudden loss of Goffredo C. Ianiro, DPM. Sadly, Dr. Ianiro died on Saturday, May 23, 2015, following an accident. He was the Director of Podiatric Medicine at Millcreek Community Hospital, and instructor of Surgery at LECOM. Dr. Ianiro was considered by his colleagues and friends a truly talented teacher and an expertly skilled surgeon.

Born in Rionero Sannitico, Italy, on November 9, 1958, a son of Emanuele and Irma Ianiro of Cleveland, Dr. Ianiro’s pursuit of the American dream took him from herding sheep in an Italian village to seeing the Pope in Vatican City. Proud of his humble roots, the determined physician passed on to his children the virtuous values and boundless optimism with which he was raised.

Dr. Ianiro attended high school in Cleveland, and he was graduated from John Carroll University and the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. He was a member of St. George Church in Erie, St. Theresa Church in Union City, PA, and the Probus Italian Club.

His concern for his patients was placed as a pinnacle of his profession.

Dr. Ianiro’s extended LECOM family recognizes the powerful and irreplaceable value of family; and it recalls that his entire close-knit family formed the very center of this physician’s heart. A man who deeply treasured spending time with his wife and children, Dr. Ianiro will always be remembered as a caring husband and loving father.

Dr. Ianiro was a defender of education who valued the attainment of knowledge and the passion of understanding as the vanguard of his purpose. He was a testament to the time honored notion that the great use of one’s life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.

Dr. Ianiro proved that the betterment of the community through the indomitable institutions of higher learning and through the compassionate care of his healing hand presage an improved society for generations to come. His commitment to that mission will stand as a tribute to his calling as doctor, educator, and member of the LECOM family.

Dr. Ianiro was a profoundly compassionate doctor whose genuine ability to care for others infused every aspect of his work.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 39

IN MEMORIAM

Wayne A. Krueger, PhD Memoriam for An Uncommon Educator Center in Chicago. From there, he began a 40-year career teaching anatomy to students at medical colleges in North Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

As the LECOM family loses one of its members, we share in the sorrow, walk in the memories, and look to the Heavens with all of those who are struggling through this time of anguish.

We give sorrow words with the news of the passing of this valued educator and friend of LECOM - Dr. Wayne Krueger.

All births are remarkable and equal; still, occasionally, the forces of life and the wisdom within create uncommon men and women. Dr. Wayne A. Krueger was one such man.

For two decades, he served the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine with dedication, distinction, and passion. He was the Assistant Preclinical Dean of Medicine at the LECOM Bradenton campus and he pursued excellence in education and purpose in mission upon every occasion afforded to him.

His legacy will continue to translate into great success and to cast a wide sphere of influence upon those that follow him.

His contributions in the field of educational excellence did not occur within a vacuum, for Dr. Krueger possessed an uncommon heart and a singular focus upon constant self-improvement.

Dr. Krueger earned both the B.S. and M.S. in Biology from John Carroll University in Ohio; and he went on to earn his Ph.D. in Anatomy at the University of Illinois at the Medical

Throughout his time at LECOM, Dr. Krueger provided consistent and firstclass instruction of anatomy, histology, and embryology. Dr. Krueger was the first Program Director for the LECOM ProblemBased Learning (PBL) Pathway when it was begun in 2000 at the Erie campus. When the Bradenton campus opened in 2004, Dr. Krueger became the Assistant Dean of Preclinical Education. In this position, he continued to develop and to lead the PBL program with distinction and enthusiasm.

As a co-author of the widely recognized anatomy textbook, Basic Atlas of Sectional Anatomy with Correlated Imaging; an estimable treatise that involved the collaborative efforts of many nationally known medical minds, Dr. Krueger produced educational materials in the field of medicine that will affect generations of medical scholars.

He spent a career in the field of research with his primary areas of interest focusing upon reproduction and endocrinology.

Dr. Krueger has woven the tapestry of his labors well within the fabric of that which is LECOM. His almost twenty years of dedicated service constituted a major milestone. The remembrance of this remarkable man brings with it not only a time to reflect upon his years of commitment, but also provides an occasion to honor a man who was instrumental in cultivating and in creating a distinguished LECOM legacy.

We should reflect upon that which this visionary educator has brought, not only to future generations of medical professionals, but to the wider discussion of medical education during a period of accelerating national change.

40 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

Only a few short years ago, Dr. Krueger received the President’s Award at LECOM whereupon it was noted that the institutional history suggests the willingness of LECOM to lead with purpose because of individuals such as Dr. Wayne Krueger.

Dr. Krueger was a matchless, inimitable, and exceptional teacher - one who helped to make LECOM remarkable as an institution and peerless in its field.

We recognize that his service has made the arbiters of excellence in medical education take notice; we take pride in the fact that this venerable educator joined the LECOM family those decades ago; and we find satisfaction that the legacy of his work will long continue to be an integral part of the community of medicine.

Our LECOM family offers a fond farewell; we shall miss this man, this educator, this leader, this friend.

IN MEMORIAM

Senator Durell Peaden Physician, Lawyer, Statesman and Friend of LECOM

Former Florida Senator, Durell Peaden, cherished and stalwart friend of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and well-respected Panhandle legislator, died in late June at the age of 69.

His was a dynamic and vital thread running through the tapestry of all that is LECOM. A bright spirit and vibrant energy accompanied his presence, from the boardroom at LECOM - as a member of the Board of Trustees, to the world at large - as a focused and effective statesman. Senator Peaden imbued those around him with his infectious sense of purpose to a cause greater than himself. LECOM collectively extends its deepest and most sincere condolences to the entire Peaden family.

The skies are darker over LECOM, as the LECOM family itself is shaken by the loss of its longtime friend and advocate, the college remains grateful for a man whose integrity burnished those he touched with a sense of the possible.

Senator Peaden was born August 24, 1945, in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to Durell and Leveda Peaden; parents who instilled in him the importance of moral qualities and of an exalted mind, character, and spirit. The faith-filled, grounded guidance that shaped his devotion to family, to education, and to osteopathic medicine would follow him throughout his lifetime.

The young Durell grew up in Crestview, Florida and he was graduated from Crestview High School in 1963. From there,

he entered Tulane University in New Orleans in 1967, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. He received his medical degree from the Universidad De Autonoma de Guadalajara, in Mexico in 1973; and he completed his family medicine residency through the University of Florida.

Dr. Peaden practiced medicine in Crestview from 1975 until his retirement in 1999. His insatiable love of learning and reverence for history, justice, and the rule of law, led him to earn his Juris Doctor degree. While practicing medicine, Dr. Peaden attended and was graduated from Jones Law School at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama in 1987.

In 1994, armed with tenacious self-reliance and with a wit bolstered by faith and values, Dr. Peaden was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he served until being elected to the Florida Senate in 2000. Defining himself as a “country doctor” from Crestview, Florida, Senator Peaden was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1995. He changed party affiliation to that of Republican in 1997 as he sought to maintain the purposed undertakings tasked to him by his constituents. Senator Peaden would offer salient and perceptive reminders of the history of an exceptional nation, often calling to mind his great uncle in the Whig Party of the 1800s. “Things are the same now as they were then,’’ noted Senator Peaden. “It just has a different spin,” he expounded.

While serving in the Florida Senate, the irrepressible statesman sponsored legislation creating the Florida State University College of Medicine; and he was integrally responsible for the development of the Crestview campus of the Florida A&M College of Pharmacy. Since 2005, he served on the LECOM Board of Trustees and he was instrumentally involved in the visionary establishment and evolution of the LECOM Dental School campus in DeFuniak Springs, which opened in May, 2015.

Peaden as an indefatigable champion of the First Principles of our American founding, and as a guardian of American tradition and of the rule of law that governs our great nation. His was the cause of the common man and the common woman; upon this foundation he defined his values, refined our policies, and refreshed our faith. He was a standard-bearer who has now left with us, a weighty legacy of faith, family, and freedom.

Senator Peaden profoundly recognized the value and the pivotal importance of the osteopathic tradition. A physician himself, he was ever eager to help those who had need. He was, in his irrepressible way, an educator for those following the noblest of callings. A man who led by example and who lived by his virtuous principles, Senator Durell Peaden will be remembered

by LECOM as one whose very soul and spirit labored ceaselessly to build a better tomorrow.

As husband to Nancy; as father to Trey, Tyler, and Taylen; as brother to John; and as a grandfather and recently, a great-grandfather - those who loved him, and whose hearts ache with his passing, remember him in a deeper way. He was a wise and joyful spirit, whose can-do attitude infused his very being - a loving husband and a devoted and caring father.

His buoyant optimism and skilled experience brought not only a great man of science and letters to ally with LECOM, but one steeped in the full understanding of the osteopathic principles. “Senator Peaden,” “Dr. Peaden,” “Attorney Peaden” knew that to be happy was to be wise and to be wise was to give of himself fully - to his family, to his state, to his calling. His very mission was to serve; and in so doing, his cherubic spirit scattered joy around him.

In the value of his achievements, in the many thousands that he touched, and in the family that is LECOM - Senator Durell Peaden, Jr. will leave his indelible legacy.

Family, friends, constituents, students, and colleagues will long remember Senator @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 41

PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

EIGHT NEW PHYSICIANS JOIN MEDICAL ASSOCIATES OF ERIE

Medical Associates of Erie (MAE) comprises part of the LECOM Academic Health Center. Along with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH), MAE adds a multi-specialty group practice component to the ever-expanding osteopathic health care network. Medical Associates of Erie now has more than 50 physicians at 17 locations across Erie County, with physician specialties that include: family practice, orthopedics and vascular surgery, neurology, urology, sports medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, and general surgery.

Facing the trials and the challenges of an ever-changing health care climate, the physicians of MAE are fully prepared to meet and exceed the expected and anticipated rigors of their charge. Assuredly, these newly added medical professionals will serve to further bolster the entire health network as they navigate the path of their individual callings; acquitting themselves with the exceptionally proficient aplomb and expertise expected by LECOM. Joining the expansive team of estimable physicians and health care specialists are eight adroit leaders in health and wellness.

Rodolfo Arreola, MD is a board certified general surgeon with over 25 years of experience. He specializes in bariatric surgery and weight loss procedures.

Dr. Arreola received his medical degree from Brown University of Medicine and has completed three surgical residencies at Marshall University, Queens Medical Center, and Nassau University Medical Center.

Yvonne Hoogland, MD is a rheumatologist at the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center. She graduated from the Universidad Nacional De Colombia and completed her Rheumatology Fellowship at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Marguerite Evanoff-Jurkovic, DO is a specialist in integrative medicine and office orthopedics. She graduated from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her orthopedic surgery residency at Flint Osteopathic in Flint, Michigan. Dr. Evanoff-Jurkovic also completed a hand surgery fellowship in Boston as well as a pediatric orthopedic surgery fellowship in Chicago.

Fernando Melaragno, DO is a Geriatric Medical Specialist with the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging. Dr. Melaragno is an Erie native who graduated from Cathedral Prep and Gannon University. He received his medical degree from LECOM and completed his residency and fellowship at Millcreek Community Hospital.

Enakeme Stella Dogun, MD is a board certified pediatrician. She completed her Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Benin School of Medicine in Nigeria and then completed her pediatric residency at North Carolina Baptist Hospital/Bowman Gray School of Medicine.

Ruel Taylor, DO is a board certified urologist with Medical Associates of Erie. He graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed residencies in general surgery at Richmond Heights General Hospital and urology at Lancaster Community Hospital.

Julia – Heya Karcic, DPM, MBA is a podiatrist who specializes in diabetic and ischemic lower extremity wound care. She completed her Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine and then completed her surgery of the foot and ankle residency at UPMC Bedford.

Stefanie Young, CNM, MSN is a certified nurse-midwife with 20 years of labor and delivery nursing experience.

She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Edinboro University and completed her Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

42 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu

Join us in beautiful sunny Sarasota, Florida for the LECOM Summer Primary Care 2015 CME Conference.

LECOM Summer Primary Care 2015 in Sarasota offers a unique learning experience for physicians and health care professionals seeking the opportunity to learn the latest information on medical advancements and treatment options. LECOM clinical faculty will present topics from the perspective of a primary care physician.

Conference Fees Standard Registration: $1,475 Adjunct Faculty Registration: $1,275 Commuter Registration: $450 Registration includes CME fee, five (5) nights lodging at Hyatt Regency, Sarasota, and breakfast Monday through Thursday.

For registration and information, go to LECOM.edu/cme

Primary Care 2015

2015

Summer CME Conference • August 16-21 LECOM anticipates AOA CCME approval for 20 Category 1-A Credits. All lectures will be held between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. allowing time for afternoon activities around Sarasota.

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