Xavier Times - December 2021

THE XAVIER TIMES A Medical School Experience on an island unlike any other in the region!

DECEMBER 2021

Vol. 13:/No.02

XAVIER UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ARUBA

Students Doing Good In The Community

By Dr. Santosh Malwade Xavier University School of Medicine students successfully participated in a health fair at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Resort on November 10, 2021.

There was a well-trained group of 11 students along with two faculty members - Dr. Leahnata Davies and myself. Students went through hours of training to prepare them for this event.

random blood sugar. These tests were performed and analyzed, and then the patients were given feedback on their results as well as advice to live a healthier life and address any issues.

The event ran for three and a half hours, and more than 70 hotel staff benefited from seeing students.

Xavier University School of Medicine thanks the There were seven different stations arranged for the Holiday Inn Hotel and Resort for providing great hotel staff to be seen by the students. Various tests were accommodations for our students, this opportunity for conducted, including measuring the blood pressure, hands-on training, and a chance to give back to the tracking BMI (Body Mass Index), serum cholesterol, and great community of Aruba.

Approved by New York State Board of Education | Fully Accredited by ACCM

1 HEALTH FAIR

5 SGA MESSAGES

XAVIER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE / ARUBA

6 STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

THE 8 HOW BRAIN CHANGES

(516) 333-2224 • www.xusom.com • admissions@xusom.com Named a “Top 10 Caribbean Medical School” by MoneyInc.

FOR New Students HEALTH FAIR HOLIDAY INN HOTEL & RESORT NOVEMBER 2021 Dr. Kevin10, Pawlak

Dean of Pre Medical Science This semester we had our second online orientation program for new premed and MD students but this semester was different from the last because it was going to be our first hybrid semester in school history. This semester we were able to welcome some of our students back to campus and we were able to start having classes in the classroom again. With Aruba opening back up and tourists coming back to the island it meant that we were officially able to welcome any students back to campus that were able to travel. This created a unique challenge for the faculty in which they needed to teach the students in the class but make sure that the online students still felt like they were included in the discussions and to provide both groups of students with a positive learning environment.

Alan Adam, MD1 During the orientation it was my privilege to give the first talk of the new semester and to allwas of our new toan Xavier the students Fall 2020due semester.

Thiswelcome health fair a first for students me as I am MD1 University student, andSchool a first of in Medicine a while forfor Xavier to During previousthe COVID The anticipation this about event were high forand bothMD thecurriculum firstrestrictions. day of orientation we hadand veryexpectations informativefortalks the premed students and the community. Students were nervous but very ready and willing to participate with the at XUSOM. There were also talks from student finances and the library system and all of the available community members, and the community members were eager to receive assessments of their health. Our for students to use inattheir Theway finaltosession the acquired day wasskills a great firstresources real exposure to the community large,studies. and a great test ourof newly thatquestion we will and answer period that more was held by the was deans to answer any questions that the students had about the undoubtedly hone with experience, an absolute success! the first of orientation.

Ourschool team or wasfrom bursting withday excitement during the event. A number of the patients that I interacted with personally During orglucose orientation we had talks about the student support at the mentioned that theythe hadsecond not hadday their and cholesterol checks performed in months, and system some even years. The event was and only about scheduled 2 hours, and 50 patientsand were expected, with the overwhelming interest shown school thefor importance ofroughly professionalism the medicalbut humanities in your studies.

These we stayed an hour later and interacted with 72 total patients. talks were followed by two of the most important talks so far. These talks were focusing on the At importance the end, we all with Dr. Santosh to management interpret the results of the fair. I saw most of school. the patients leave with a smile on ofmet study skills and time for your success in medical As the students their faces, and some even light-heartedly compared stats with each other. will soon find out this is truly one of the most critical aspects to success in your medical program. Taking It was overall incrediblegood experience myin fellow and me, and an immensely valuable service tothe the huge community thean time to develop study for skills yourstudents first couple semesters will help with processing in Aruba. This was our small way to pay back to the local community that has helped us so much in our transition to the amount of material that needs to be learned during medical school. island and to our medical career, and we look forward to many more successful health fairs in the future!

“IT WAS AN OVERALL INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR MY FELLOW STUDENTS AND I, AND AN IMMENSELY VALUABLE SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY IN ARUBA.” -Alan Adam, MD1

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Xavier University School of Medicine takes great pride in not only providing a quality and affordable education, but also being great members of the Aruba community.

Hiba Abu Shawish, MD1 The experience we had at the Holiday Inn for the health fair was amazing. It was very fullfilling and helpful as we learned a lot during the screening session and were able to gain more confidence interacting with patients and participating in doctor-patient interaction.

Health fairs do not only provide patients general information about good health and preventative medicine, but they also often offer screenings and assessments - blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol levels or cardiovascular health - that can detect a problem and get participants on track with their health. We are able to promote public health by finding or identifying a previously unknown or unrecognized condition in apparently healthy or asymptomatic people and offering medical consultation to those so identified.

Gabriel Kronenfeld, MD4 One of the best experiences of my life has been the health fair I attended this month. The situations and exposure I have received from the event is unmatched to any of my previous clinical experience. It was beyond rewarding providing the best care possible to every person that visited. For the first time, I was able to apply everything I have learned in the classroom to real life. It brought alive every aspect of every subject we have learned - from taking vitals, blood sugar, and cholesterol, all the way to taking a history in order to diagnose and provide further care. Every student was engaged the whole time, enjoying applying medicine to patients.

The Medal of Our Nation’s First Centenary Anniversary AWARDED TO DR. AMIN MAHMOUD His Excellency Dr. Amin Mahmoud, a distinguished member of the Xavier University Board of Trustees and former Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, was awarded the Medal of Our Nation’s First Centenary Anniversary on October 3, 2021.

Xavier University School of Medicine

CONGRATULATES Dr. Amin Mahmoud on this honor!

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EDITORIAL

Dr. J. Rae, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs

Lead Editor

As the semester continues, staff and students alike are readjusting to in-person classes. We have had a fresh round of elections for the SGA. Read about the new executives in their own words in this edition, and also check out: Health Fairs, by Dr. N. Prasad Student Perspectives Our Talented Triplets, by Dr. P. Brumley How the brain changes as we learn, by Dr. V. De Frias Study Skills, by Dr. P. Brumley Research Update, by Dr. J. Jilwin and Zahra Powell ASP update, by Dr. M. Gupta The Physician Shortage, by Dr. A. Dubey Latest Scholarship News, by Dr. K. Pawlak Connect the dots (Clinical Rotations), by Dr. A. Abazid

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Student Government Association

HELLO TO THE XAVIER COMMUNITY A Message from the

SGA President, Charles Tamer “My goal is to represent the students who have been underrepresented and unheard.”

Hello, I am Charles Tamer, your new SGA President. My goal is to represent the students who have been underrepresented and unheard. I have been a loud advocate and a very approachable person on campus, and I want to use my unique access to the student body and administration in order to create a positive change. I want to show students, especially with underrepresented backgrounds like myself, that we can have our voices heard and valued in order to create the change that we want to be in the world. Through as many events and initiation of as many clubs as possible, I strive to engage as many students as possible in this great community.

A Message from the

SGA Vice-President, Michelle Mawere Hello, my name is Michelle Mawere. I am an MD1 student. I graduated from NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in Social and Cultural Analysis, giving me a background in seven different studies of culture—American Studies, Asian and Pacific Islander Studies, LatinX Studies, Africana Studies, Women’s Studies, Gender and Sexuality, and Urban and Metropolitan Studies. This has taught me to be understanding and aware of sociological circumstances that span across different cultures.

This is an important aspect needed in medicine and in any leadership role. In my senior year, of undergraduate studies I served as Co-President of Heart to Heart, an international body that improves healthcare access in the U.S. and around the world. This mission is achieved by distributing resources, conducting training, engaging volunteers and responding to disasters. I’m excited to bring this skill to the health fairs we will be conducting. I was 1 of 5 senior class board members of a class of approximately 6,700 students and COVID cut the time I got to serve those students short. I’m excited to bring these skills to Xavier University School of Medicine with a fresh start. I’m excited to engage with the students here and I encourage all members of Xavier to say hello. I’d love to chat about any ideas or just make sure you’re having a good day.

A Message from the

SGA Secretary, Shereece Picotti My name is Shereece Picotti (Sher), and I am your new SGA secretary. It is truly a privilege to be in this role working collaboratively with the faculty and staff as well as my fellow students and SGA members, to ensure that the needs of each student are being heard and addressed appropriately and in a timely manner. I endeavor to do so by keeping formal records that will always ensure transparency and accountability of such interactions.

I look forward to being a voice of change by making your experience at Xavier University School of Medicine a pleasant, memorable, and rewarding one.

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Life in Aruba, Part 2 By: Stephanie Chikvashvili Looking to invest 7+ years of your life studying and doubting your intellectual ability in order to pursue your dream of becoming a doctor? Not sure where to start? Well, well, well. Do I have the place for you. Xavier University of Medicine on the most beautiful of the islands, Aruba. Just don’t tell the other islands I said that, they get jealous. In the few weeks I’ve been here I’ve been introduced to a beautiful new campus, extremely nice people and some of the best beaches I’ve ever seen.

Life here has been pretty great: the weather is always nice and I start every morning off with a Starbucks cold brew on my balcony. (Not an ad..unless Starbucks wants to pay me for one) Waking up on a vacation island puts me in such a great mood which is so important because of the difficult curriculum and the need to stay mentally healthy.

WHY I PICKED XUSOM...

Prabhleen Lakhanpal MD1 I am extremely grateful that I was given the privilege to come to this beautiful island and study under a great program. A couple of reasons why I picked XUSOM was because it was a university filled with diversity and such caring staff. Another thing I love about Xavier is the smaller class sizes, which provides a team environment for both students and professors. This program has students and staff from different backgrounds that enhances one’s social interaction. Despite being miles away from home, I am glad that I get to call this institution my second home and continue with this new journey for the next few years.

Shravani Manda MD1

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Bon dia! (That’s “hello” in Papiamento, one of Aruba’s beautiful languages!) I picked XUSOM because it’s such a wonderful university filled with a diverse population, caring staff, unique research opportunities, and amazing clinical rotation options. Not to mention that studying abroad is a great privilege and I’m so lucky to have gotten this opportunity.

Learning about a new culture broadens your knowledge, as you need to be understanding about all cultures and practices in order to be a great physician, and I believe that there’s no better way to learn about a holistic approach than experiencing it. Smaller class sizes make Xavier a perfect choice as professors take their time to get to know each one of us, help us individually, and bring out the best in each one of their students. Although I am a long way from home, the staff make me feel like I have a second family here!

It feels like I’m living at home but with better weather, beautiful beaches, and amazing people!

By Michelle Mawere I graduated from New York University in the class of 2020. Technically I graduated but due to COVID-19 we were unable to have a formal graduation. Students and faculty had to suddenly leave campus during the beginning of the semester and return back to their homes, worldwide.

Online school was weird, mundane and uninspiring. Everyone had to suddenly adjust to a new way of life and it was extremely difficult. Even online school persisted and I found myself in a new class at home with new classmates and new professors. For the first time I had no idea what my classmates looked like. I could only grasp a glimpse of their personality when they spoke in the chat on zoom. Cameras were off for privacy because being on zoom was isolating and awkward. I desperately wanted class to go back to normal. I wanted to engage with students again, and feel like a part of my class.

Now I am an MD1 student at Xavier and I’m so grateful. Xavier has done a great job with managing COVID in person from the entrance on the classroom campus, to the social distancing throughout the building, sanitation, and overall safety. Students in the dorms can feel safe and comfortable living in their own quarters while still feeling connected in this challenging time. I’m very impressed with the cleanliness and beauty of the new campus facilities and the staff is attentive, kind, and helpful from day to day.

Young, Gifted, and Triplets

By Dr. Patricia Brumley, Chief Librarian/Asst. Professor In my Pre-Med class, Medical Communications, are a set of triplets—Rielly, Rielyn, and Rian Booker. The excitement for me was thrilling and unique to get to know them as their mentor, professor, and librarian.

The triplets have been homeschooled all their lives in Long Island, New York. All agreed that their experience at Xavier is positive and they like the professors, students, and staff.

Each triplet has goals of becoming a neurosurgeon (Rielly), a cardiologist (Rielyn), and a pediatric surgeon (Rian). The Triplets are dedicated to studying and stated, “We study from the time we get up to bedtime, 4am to 10pm, and on weekends. We study a lot and are dedicated to our studies.” In addition, they said “ We are motivating each other, we come together, one for all and all for one, that’s our motto.”

STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

School During COVID

Rielly, Rielyn and Rian also all agreed in saying “our parents are instrumental in playing a huge factor in our educational pursuits and they are supportive of our dreams and goals to the fullest.”

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HOW THE BRAIN CHANGES

AS WE LEARN Neuroplasticity is the capacity of the Nervous System to modify its structural organization at the cellular and molecular level, creating new synaptic connections that modifies the neurotransmitter release, receptors, intracellular messengers, signal transduction mechanisms (Jungerman B. et al., 2007).

Dr. Virginia De Frias Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology

The structural plasticity of the brain during the learning processes involves neurogenesis, gliogenesis and local morphological and structural changes (formation of new synapses and dendrites on existing neurons) in several subcortical and cortical areas (BlumenfeldKatzir T. et al, 2011).

The Human being is continuously learning; during this process there are e changes in the rearrangement of synapses. Cognitive neuroscience is a new discipline that studies the main cellular and molecular changes in the brain in order to improve the learning process. These studies are conducted to measure several parameters like the determination of the electrical cerebral activity through images based on Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or functional Magnetic resonance (fMRI) in order to observe and measure the activity of several cortical and subcortical areas while the volunteers are performing an intellectual task or an educational game or performing a new motor task. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), an MRI-based framework, some microstructural changes have been identified (as reflected by DTI measures) in some limbic structures (hippocampus and Para hippocampus) in groups of volunteers after only 2 hours of training before and after performing a spatial learning and memory task.

These observations could identify cellular rearrangement on neural tissue detected by DTI, confirming that some neuroplasticity occurs over short timescales, as evidence of rapid structural plasticity detected in humans after just 2 hours of playing a video game (Sagi et al., 2012).

During the learning process, some new synapses are being created continuously. The changes in the electrical cerebral activity can be quantified during several cognitive and intellectual tasks; different patterns of EEG activation

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measured by power spectral analysis on volunteers performing mental calculations show significant differences between tasks in the delta and beta bands in the frontal lobes. Significant differences were also obtained in delta and theta bands in right posterior areas and in the beta band in frontal areas. The EEG differences observed during different components of mental calculations suggest the participation of different networks (Fernandez et al,1995). Changes in the alpha-frequency (8– 12 Hz) and theta-frequency (4–8 Hz) band powers related to mental and intellectual activities have also been observed in some other studies (Klimesch, W. 1999).

The Human being is continuously learning; during this process there are changes in the rearrangement of synapses. Cognitive neuroscience is a new discipline that study the main cellular and molecular changes in the brain in order to improve the learning process.

The continuous exposure to a favorable enrichment environment during the development of the brain in the early stages of life... showed an increase in memory performance...

Long-term potentiation (LTP) at the synapses within neural networks in the Hippocampus has been extensively studied in laboratory animals and explains the molecular mechanism at the synapses during the learning and memory processes.

The quantification of the increase in the amplitudes of components of sensory-evoked potentials confirmed the generation of LTP at synapses in the neural networks registered on the scalp during the recording of EEG from derived evoked potentials in humans; these observations established a human model system to study synaptic plasticity and long term potentiation (Kirk et al, 2021).

An increase in the number of dendritic spines in the motor cortex and new formation and elimination of synaptic structures during sensorimotor learning experiences demonstrated the establishment of new synapses associated with long lasting memories, which is the underlying molecular and cellular mechanism for learning and memory.

These findings were observed using animal models to study structural cellular changes in the synapses in the motor cortex of rodents trained for 1 hour before performing a new motor task (Fu and Zou, 2011). Among other changes to consider is the increase in gliogenesis, specifically, an increased in oligodendrocytes and de novo myelination of

some neurons in the cerebral cortex, suggesting that de novo myelination tunes activated circuits, promoting coordinated activity that is important for memory consolidation observed in rodents trained in the water maze (Steadman et al 2020).

The continuous exposure to a favorable enrichment environment during the development of the brain in the early stages of life using animal models showed an increase in the levels of proBDNF and brain-derived neurotrophic factors in the hippocampus associated with an increase in memory performance, decreased lipid peroxidation (LP) in plasma and hippocampus, and preventing oxidative stress (Taschetto Vey et al, 2020).

We do not all grow older in the same way; some people have a cognitive decline earlier and faster than others, but an adequate diet, physical exercise, social interaction and a cognitively stimulating lifestyle are all external factors that promote neuroplasticity, enhancing motor, sensory, and cognitive functions, the strengthening of the synaptic connections during neuroplasticity enhances molecular and cellular processes that represent the biological basis of the “cerebral reserves.”

REFERENCES: Bruel-Jungerman E., Rampon C., Serge Laroche S.(2007). Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis, Synaptic Plasticity and Memory: Facts and Hypotheses.

Reviews in the Neurosciences, 18: 93-114.

Blumenfeld-Katzir, T., Pasternak, O., Dagan, M., and Assaf, Y. (2011). Diffusion MRI of Structural Brain Plasticity Induced by a Learning and Memory Task PLoS ONE 6, e20678 Fernandez T, Harmony H, Rodríguez M. Silva J, Reyes A., Marosi E. (1995). EEG activation patterns during the performance of tasks involving different components of mental calculation Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, Volume 94(3), 175-182.

Fu, M., and Zuo, Y. (2011). Experience-dependent structural plasticity in the cortex. Trends Neurosci. 34, 177–187.

Kirk A. Springgs M., Sumner R. (2021). Human EEG and the mechanisms of memory: investigating long-term potentiation (LTP) in sensory-evoked potentials. J. of royal society of New Zeeland 51: 24-40.

Klimesch, W. EEG alpha and theta oscillations reflect cognitive and memory performance: a review and analysis. Brain Research Reviews 29, 169–195 (1999).

Steadman P.A, Xia F., Ahmed M., Mocle A., Penning A., Geraghty A., Steenland H., Monje M., Sheena A Josselyn, Frankland P. (2020).

Disruption of Oligodendrogenesis Impairs Memory Consolidation in Adult Mice. Neuron Volume 105, Issue 1, 8 January 2020, Pages 150-164.e6 Taschetto Vey L., Zuquetto H., Silva RR., Tironi V., Ugalde Marques da Rocha M., Escobar Burger M. (2020)Neonatal handling increases neurogenesis, BDNF and GR in the hippocampus favoring memory acquisition in rats Brain Research, Volume 1745, 15 October 2020, 146921

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Study Habits of Successful And Highly Effective Medical Students

By Dr. Patricia Brumley, Chief Medical Librarian

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE (I MEAN STUDY!)

Research says a few things about being successful in medical school, especially in the first few years which is in preparation for the USMLE Step 1. You must study, learn note taking strategies, and attend classes but a few other tips might be helpful, as well. Students who attended class regularly and took notes either handwritten or on a laptop, received A’s in the first two years of medical school and did well on the USMLE.(1) Managing time for studying and eliminating distractions during study time like phone calls, TV, etc., are essential factors for success in medical school. Study hours range from 3-4 hours per day. Studying alone for retention of medical information, but students learned from multiple sources and invested in technology with high efficiency. In addition, students studied the main lecture slides daily with notes even when no exam was coming. (2) One of the first steps to smart studying is going the extra mile in your learning. You can do this by following Bloom’s taxonomy, a classification of educational learning objectives. It has six levels. The first three levels – remembering, understanding and applying – are the lower levels of thinking. These levels are necessary steppingstones to higher levels of learning, which include analyzing, evaluating and creating. (3) In summary, make time to study, set goals, prioritize taking care of yourself, reduce distractions, use resources like First Aid, Pathoma and Sketchy Medical, then review. And lastly, feel free to ask your Librarian for assistance and tips to practice the best study skills to be successful in medical school here at Xavier!

REFERENCES 1. Study Habits of Medical Students: An Analysis of which Study Habits Most Contribute to Success in the Preclinical Years. Jenny Liles [1], Jasna Vuk [2], Sara Tariq [1] 2. Study Habits of Highly Effective Medial Students- Khalid Abdulrahman, Ahmad Khalaf, Fahad B Bin Abbas, Omran T. Alanazi 3. Build Effective, Efficient Study Habits for Medical School Build Effective, Efficient Study Habits for Medical School – Edward Chang

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Mucormycosis in COVID-19 Patients: A Unique Challenge, A Deadly Connection Zahra Powell, Joseph Jillwin

With the pandemic still without end in sight, another concern has emerged for COVID-19 patients—the life-threatening fungal infection, Mucormycosis.

Fungi belonging to the family Mucorales, are highly-potent, opportunistic pathogens in vulnerable hosts. They are ubiquitous saprophytes which have an infectious, airborne spore form. Lacking contagium, Mucorales do not spread amongst humans like the virulent SARS-CoV-2 virus. They are rapidly growing fungi, which often invade the craniofacial compartments such as the paranasal sinuses, palate, orbital, and brain parenchyma. There are at least four wellrecognized forms of Mucormycosis—rhino/maxillo-orbitocerebral, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and cutaneous.

Multi-system disseminated Mucormycosis has also been reported.

General predisposing factors of Mucormycosis include uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, ketoacidosis, therapeutic immunosuppression-induced neutropenia and/or pancytopenia following cancer chemotherapy, and solid or stem cell transplantation. However, for COVID-19-associated Mucormycosis, immunosuppression due to corticosteroid therapy used in the reduction of lung tissue inflammation, has been identified as the single most dominant risk factor.

Research has led scientists to believe that the surge in incidence of Mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients closely correlates with the increased use of corticosteroid therapy.

Symptoms of rhino-orbito-cerebral Mucormycosis include facial pain, peri-orbital edema, sudden unilateral vision impairment, a muco-purulent, brownish nasal discharge, and severely painful headaches. At the tissue level, Mucormycosis are angio-invasive to capillaries and other blood vessels, often invading to the extent of occlusion, and progressing the vessels to infarction and ischemic necrosis.

Timely diagnosis is severely necessary in the management

of this disease and its outcomes. Critical awareness and clinical suspicion are paramount. The clinical diagnosis of a Mucormycosis invasion relies on a straightforward assessment of the aforementioned risk factors and symptoms. Microscopic and histopathological confirmation are the gold standard in augmentation of this disease’s clinical diagnosis as the sensitivity of the fungus culture is only around 50%.

The rapid progression of COVID-19-associated Mucormycosis demands critical and immediate management measures.

A combination of surgical debridement of the affected tissue and adjunct antifungal therapy with liposomal Amphotericin B has been shown to exhibit a more effective outcome than either singular measure. Hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis/ketonemia, unbound ferritin, and other metabolic risk factors should be addressed on individual assessment. Even with timely diagnosis and management, the mortality attributed to this fungus remains at a near 45%. No prophylactic vaccine exists for the fungus.

The treatment of COVID-19-associated Mucormycosis poses grave expense and clinical challenges. It burdens resources and the global economy of an already collapsing healthcare system. In the midst of a continuing pandemic, it is of grave importance that intensivists and specialists pay extreme attention to the heightened possibility of the interconnection of this fungus in their COVID-19 patients who are hyperglycemic, ketoacidotic, or on corticosteroids.

Judicious use of corticosteroids in COVID-19 patients is essential for the control of the Mucormycosis fungus.

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HEALTHCARE NEWS The Physician Shortage In North America

A Mismatch In Demand And Supply

by Dr. A. K. Dubey, Chief Academic Officer

THE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE IS A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON The ongoing global pandemic has made the situation worse The Association of American Colleges (A.A.M.C.) has been reviewing the physician shortage in North America. The seventh annual study, The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections from 2019-2034, was conducted for the AAMC by the Life Science division of IHS Markit, a global information company. This analysis, conducted in 2019 prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, includes supply and demand scenarios and was updated with the latest information on trends in health care delivery and the state of the healthcare workforce, such as data on physician work hours and retirement trends. According to new data published by the AAMC, the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care.

Projected Physician shortage range 2019-34 (AAMC)

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The seventh annual study, The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections from 2019-2034, conducted for the AAMC by the Life Science division of IHS Markit, a global information company.

THE REPORT CITED SOME PROMINENT

REASONS FOR THE SHORTAGE: •

Demographics — Specifically, population growth and aging continue to be the primary driver of increasing demand from 2018 to 2033.

•

Retiring physicians - A large portion of the physician workforce is nearing the traditional retirement age, and supply projections are sensitive to workforce decisions of older physicians.

•

Expansion of health care services - If underserved populations were to experience the same health care use patterns as populations with fewer barriers to access, current demand could rise by an additional 74,100 to 145,500 physicians

The report also states that the current pace of increase in the number of new medical schools and D.O. programs will not make any significant changes in the supply and cannot address the shortfall in both the short-term and long-term.

A Bill to add 15,000 Medicare-funded residency slots was introduced on March 14th, 2019, by Reps.

Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and John Katko, R-N.Y. The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (H.R. 1763) would add up to 15,000 Medicare-funded residency positions over five years, similar to an AHA-supported bill (S. 348). This bill is pending approval from both houses.

International Medical graduates (IMGs), both US IMGs and Non-US IMGs, will be crucial for filling up the supply of trained physicians in North America. Medical schools in the Caribbeans will assume more importance and acceptability as their students complete the third and fourth year of training in U.S. hospitals and the programs where they seek residency spots in the future.

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UPDATE FROM THE XAVIER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

By Dr. Kevin Pawlak, Chair of the Scholarship Committee

Last semester, Xavier University School of Medicine established a Scholarship Committee.

The role of this new committee is to oversee the distribution and granting of scholarships to the incoming students at Xavier based upon the criteria and factors involved.

This past semester also saw the establishment of a large number of new scholarships at the school to help ease the burden of having to pay tuition during the financial constraints caused by the ongoing pandemic. These scholarships were established to reward the diverse group of highly-qualified students that apply to Xavier University each semester. Some of the scholarships are based on past academic achievement and are awarded based on previous GPAs from undergraduate institutions, and others are awarded based on diversity and past achievements. Some of the new scholarships created this past semester were the Civic Duty Scholarship, Medical Experience Scholarship, Women in STEM Grant, and the Congressman John Lewis Memorial Scholarship.

This semester marked the first time these scholarships were awarded and we had a fine group of applicants and recipients who received these new awards. We are looking forward to awarding a record number of scholarships in the semesters to come and continue to support our students!

NURSING PROGRAM UPDATES

By Dr. Kevin Pawlak This past September marked the second intake of students into the Bachelors of Nursing program at Xavier University School of Medicine Aruba. We are accepting students into the new program every September. This program is being offered in collaboration with the HOH academy at the Dr. Horacio E. Oduber Hospital in Aruba. Our second-year students will also be starting their first clinical rotations at the hospital during the January semester, participating in an adult health nursing rotation. This will be our first rotation offered here in Aruba. The school has also signed a collaboration agreement recently with Thomas More University in Belgium to allow students the opportunity to have an exchange between the two schools. So far, our Nursing school has enrolled only local students from Aruba and these students will be eligible to apply for government loans to help cover the cost of tuition. This program will help to provide highly qualified nurses for the island of Aruba and help alleviate the current nursing shortage.

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CONNECT THE DOTS

by Dr. Ahmad Abazid, MD, FAAFP, Associate Dean of Clinical Science Your journey with Xavier university school of medicine may start in Aruba, but where will it take you next? You decide!

Your clinical rotations start after passing USMLE Step 1, where you will be able to start rotating at hospitals that have been thoroughly vetted by our clinical department to ensure they provide you with the most valuable, enriching environment of education. Finally, what you have learned in Basic Science now will translate into patient care, and there are no better places to learn how to care for patients than our affiliated institutions.

We are excited to see you grow and be able to connect the dots!

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NEWCAMPUS RESIDENTIAL NEW UPDATE

CAMPUS

NOW OPEN! Parking

Housing Block

Pool

Dining Hall

Named a “Top 10 Caribbean Medical School” by jçåÉófåÅ.

XAVIER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE / ARUBA

North American Admissions Office 1000 Woodbury Road, Suite 109 Woodbury, New York 11797 USA T: 516-333-2224 F: 516-921-1070 E: Admissions@xusom.com

Aruba Campus Santa Helenastraat #23 Oranjestad, Aruba T: 297-588-7766 F: 297-588-6222

(516) 333-2224 • www.xusom.com • admissions@xusom.com