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FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE 2 0 0 7 No 1 Matthew Schure, PhD President and Chief Executive Officer Dear Alumni and Friends, With warmest regards,
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2007 N o 1 FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
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Page 1: 2007_Digest_No1

2 0 0 7 N o 1

F O R A L U M N I & F R I E N D S O F P H I L A D E L P H I A C O L L E G E O F O S T E O P A T H I C M E D I C I N E

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1P C O M D I G E S T

The contents of this issue of Digest reflect the high level ofexcellence at which the mission of the College continues to beachieved. PCOM’s collective efforts—and those of its alum-ni—inspire optimism and confidence as we move into 2007and beyond.

Our cover story affirms patient-physician communicationas an integral part of clinical practice. According to studiespublished in the Journal of the American OsteopathicAssociation, osteopathic physicians are often distinguishablein their verbal interactions with patients. They tend to usepatients’ first names; explain etiological factors; and discusssocial, family and emotional impacts of illnesses. The articlereminds us about our obligation to enhance our communi-cation skills—so as to focus upon partnership in promo-tion of holistic health care.

In tribute to our institution’s heritage, this issue marksPCOM’s annual observance of Founders’ Day. We honorthose who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, loy-alty and service to our beloved College, the communityand the osteopathic profession. Please join us in congrat-ulating O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal recipient John P.Simelaro, DO ’71, professor and chair, internal medi-cine, and director, internal medicine residency program,as well as Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medal recipientJessica Yahnert Masser (DO ’07).

At PCOM, we pride ourselves on having an enthusiastic, accessible faculty for whom teaching comesfirst. The article about Harry J. Morris, DO ’78, and some dedicated DO students affirms this. Theirswas a venture to create a fresh DVD companion for the Osteopathic Primary Care Skills Course—atool that will strengthen the performance skills of students.

Finally, unique to this issue is an article that excerpts from the memoirs of Martha Jeane ShawCochrane Oldman, DO ’49, a pious Christian physician who with great courage put into practice the tenets of our institutional mission during the two decades she served as a medical missionary. Thepiece illustrates some of the advances in health care Dr. Oldman made possible for the underservedpeople of East Africa.

In closing, I thank you for your continued interest in and support of the College. I hope that theNew Year brings all of us health, wisdom, joy and peace.

With warmest regards,

Matthew Schure, PhDPresident and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Alumni and Friends,

O P E N I N G R E M A R K S

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BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS: ASSESSING THE VALUE OF PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATIONSPhysician-patient communication is an integral part of clinical practice.Numerous studies have shown that the quality of care is enhanced byeffective communication between doctors and their patients. It is essentialfor the physician—especially the osteopathic physician—to take time tolisten to patient concerns; to discuss social, family and emotional impactsof illnesses; and to provide compassionate healing.

RECOGNIZING LEADERSHIP, LOYALTY, SERVICE: FOUNDERS’ DAY 2007An annual practice, the College bestows its highest accolades duringFounders’ Day. Celebrate this year’s awardees: O.J. Snyder MemorialMedal recipient John P. Simelaro, DO ’71, and Mason W. PresslyMemorial Medal recipient Jessica Yahnert Masser (DO ’07).

PLACES. CAMERA. ACTION . . . LEARNING PRIMARY CARE SKILLSHarry J. Morris, DO ’78, with the assistanceof second-year DO students, created a DVDcompanion for the Osteopathic Primary CareSkills course. The goal of the project is tosupplement the teachings of clinical proce-dures—to continue lectures, demonstrations,discussions and patient encounters—strengthening conceptual and performanceskills of PCOM students.

OUT OF AFRICA: TRUE TALES OF A MEDICAL MISSIONARYMartha Jeane Shaw Cochrane Oldman, DO ’49, shares memories of her long-term work as a Christian missionary physician. Living and practicingmedicine among the villagers at Kola Ndoto, she healed the rampant diseases of theTanganyika Territory, includingBurkitt’s tumors, leprosy, tuberculosis, malaria andepilepsy. Hers has been “a lifequest to seek to know God’sways in practice.”

PCOM UPDATES & KUDOSDavid Wood, DO ’96, appointeddirector/physician of Sullivan CountyMedical Center; community outreachproject at Dr. Ethel Allen ElementarySchool; Shake Hands withOsteopathy workshop; PresidentMatthew Schure, PhD, receives theDale Dodson Award; LeonardFinkelstein, DO ’59, named chancel-lor; Vincent Lobo, DO ’65, elected toBoard of Trustees; dedication of theSimmy Ginsburg Robotic SimulationSuite; PCOM launches new brandingcampaign; development activities; and more.

CLASS NOTESCurrent professional endeavors andachievements of PCOM alumni withprofiles of Shannon FitzPatrick, BSN,RN, MS/FM ’04; Morton Herskowitz,DO ’43; and Kelly Yanek, PsyD ’06.

ESSAYJay D. Bhatt (DO ’08), the AmericanMedical Student Association’s firstosteopathic president, positions osteo-pathic medicine not as an “alternativemedicine,” but rather as mainstreammedicine that cares for patients.

D E P A R T M E N T S

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ON THE COVEREffective communication can be of tremendous value to patients, as well as being important to thepersonal and professional satisfac-tion of physicians.

DIGESTF E A T U R E S

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It is with deepest sorrow that theCollege acknowledges the passing ofHarry Ginsburg, DO ’42, onDecember 28, 2006. Dr. Ginsburgwas a great friend and supporter ofPCOM over the decades.

Dr. Ginsburg’s generosity to theCollege is evident throughout thecampus. PCOM was pleased to nameits academic amphitheater in memoryof Dr. Ginsburg’s mother, Rose K.Ginsburg, as part of the campus’ capi-tal campaign, the PCOM Mission, in 1995. In addition, he endowed astudent award fund, the SimmyGinsburg Humanitarian Award, inmemory of his wife. Dr. Ginsburgendowed a scholarship at the schoolin memory of his five brothers, twoof whom were also PCOM graduates.Most recently, he endowed theSimmy Ginsburg Robotic SimulationSuite in memory of his wife.

Dr. Ginsburg’s philanthropyextended beyond PCOM. He createdthe Rose K. Ginsburg Foundationand funded the Rose K. GinsburgTechnological Institute Campus inIsrael; the Rose K. Ginsburg Chair for Research in Alzheimer’s Disease

at Bar-Ilan University, Israel; the Rose K. Ginsburg Skilled NursingFacility at Germantown Hospital and Medical Center, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania; and the Rose K.Ginsburg Senior Rabbinic Pulpit at Keneseth Israel Temple, ElkinsPark, Pennsylvania.

In addition to his doctor of osteopathic medicine degree fromPCOM, Dr. Ginsburg earned a doctor of medicine degree and a doctor of public health degree fromKansas City College of Physicians andSurgeons. He received an honorarydoctor of philosophy degree fromBar-Ilan University in recognition ofhis educational and philanthropicefforts on behalf of the university. Dr.Ginsburg was named to the PCOMBoard of Trustees in 1993 and serveduntil the time of his death.

Dr. Ginsburg defined himself as an old-fashioned doctor, providingtotal medical care to his patients as a family physician in the samelocation at Broad and Olney Streetsin Philadelphia for close to 50 years.Dr. Ginsburg will be truly missed,but his good works will live forever.

E D I T O RJennifer Schaffer Leone

C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O RWendy W. Romano

A S S O C I A T E E D I T O RCarol L. Weisl

A L U M N I E D I T O R SMadeline LawPamela Ruoff

Florence D. Zeller

G R A P H I C D E S I G N E RLisa Smith

C O N T R I B U T I N G D E S I G N E R Abigail Clayton

C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R SJay D. Bhatt (DO ’08)

Jeffrey BramnickNancy West

P H O T O G R A P H E R SBruce FairfieldJohn ShetronTabatha Trolli

CONTACT US

Phone: 215-871-6300Fax: 215-871-6307E-mail: [email protected]: 4180 City Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19131-1695www.pcom.edu

Digest, the magazine for alumni and friends of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine(Vol. 68, No. 1, USPS, 413-060), is published

three times a year by the Departments ofMarketing and Communications and Alumni Relations and Development.

Periodical postage paid at Bala Cynwyd, PA, and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Digest

Alumni Relations and DevelopmentPhiladelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

4180 City AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19131-1695

Opinions expressed are not necessarily sharedby the College or the editors.

D I G E S T

I NMEMOR IAM

2P C O M D I G E S T

In 2005, Dr. Ginsburg received the College’s President Leadership Award in recognition ofhis longstanding commitment to PCOM and for his years of leadership, loyalty and service.

Remembering Harry Ginsburg, DO ’42

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PCOMUPDATE S

Sullivan County Medical CenterWelcomes New Director/Physician

David Wood, DO ’96, has joinedSullivan County Medical Center as itsdirector and physician. For Dr. Wood,joining the Center is almost like com-ing home. “I did a rotation here in1995,” he says, “and it was a greatexperience.” He also grew up northeast-ern Pennsylvania.

“I like small towns,” continues Dr.Wood. “I love the outdoors, I like thepeace and quiet, and I like how peopleknow one another.” When Dr. Woodentered medical school, his dream wasto become a family physician. “Being a family physician gives me the oppor-tunity to know the whole family and be an important part of their healthcare team.”

Dr. Wood is also looking forward toworking with the community and tobuilding the Center’s practice and pres-ence in the community. “I want tosolidify our commitment to the com-munity,” he points out. “The greatthing is that there are a variety ofthings we can do. We can take studentsto nursing homes, to the Red RockAdolescent Center, to schools to con-duct physicals and smoking cessationclasses.” Dr. Wood is also committed tomaking the Center a valuable learningexperience for third- and fourth-yearstudents. “I want to expand the corelectures and focus on primary careissues. I think about my time herewhen Dr. Street [Henry H. Street, DO ’71] was the medical director and

the tremendous influ-ence he had on me.That’s a lot to live up to.This place has served thecommunity and PCOMmedical students for along time. This is anexciting and challengingopportunity. We willreassess our goals as wegrow, and look at newthings we can do.”

Apple of Their EyeWhen Eugene

Mochan, DO ’77, PhD,associate dean, primarycare and continuingeducation, and director,center for evidence-based practice and community out-reach, sought students for a communityoutreach project at the Dr. Ethel AllenElementary School in NortheastPhiladelphia, the PCOM chapter of theStudent National Medical Association(SNMA) quickly stepped up to theplate. It’s no wonder. The school isnamed after a respected PCOM alumna known for her commitment to community medicine, for supportingminority admission to medical school and for becoming the highest-ranking African American female in Pennsylvania when she was namedSecretary of the Commonwealth in 1979.

During the past two years, SNMAmembers have taught nutrition andhealthy eating habits to the students ofthe school. This past fall, they took partin the third annual Great PennsylvaniaApple Crunch. The state-wide event,organized by Pennsylvania Advocatesfor Nutrition and Activity, involved avariety of games and activitieswith a focus on apples as ahealthy food.

SNMA has a well-estab-lished history of serving medically underserved com-munities, and members of thePCOM chapter have made a

commitment to continue volunteeringat the school, working with students onviolence prevention, self-esteem andreproductive health. “The school reallyappreciates having our students there,”says Laurie DiRosa, coordinator, centerfor evidence-based practice. “Our stu-dents have fostered relationships withthe elementary students and the staff.”

APOMA ScholarshipsThe Advocates for the Pennsylvania

Osteopathic Medical Association(APOMA) awarded scholarships toSamuel Plummer (DO ’07) and AlissaCohen (DO ’08). Margaret Zawisza(DO ’10) received the APOMA KINScholarship.

Carol Fox (left), associate vice president forenrollment management, and Irene Tasca,APOMA board member and coordinator of facilities scheduling and web registrar,present Margaret Zawisza (DO ’10) with theAPOMA KIN Scholarship. Ms. Zawisza isthe daughter of Michael Zawisza, DO ’86.

Dr. Wood (right) is committed to trainingthird- and fourth-year medical students.

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Dr. Mochan and Romesa Scott, principal ofthe Dr. Ethel Allen Elementary School,enjoyed the Apple Crunch festivities withmembers of PCOM’s chapter of SNMAand elementary school students and teachers.

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PCOMUPDATE S

Stephanie Felgoise, PhD, associateprofessor and vice-chair, psychology,co-authored “The ALSSQOL:Balancing Physical and NonphysicalFactors in Assessing Quality of Lifein ALS.” The article was published inthe journal Neurology.

Katherine Galluzzi, DO, professorand chair, geriatrics, lectured on neu-ropathic and chronic pain and pre-sented “Palliative Medicine/SymptomManagement: A Case BasedApproach” at PCOM’s CME inHershey, PA. In addition, she lec-tured on end-of-life-care for Georgia’sOsteopathic Medical Association’s104th Annual Convention andScientific Exhibition and participatedin the California Academy of FamilyPhysicians’ influenza symposia.

George McCloskey, PhD, associateprofessor and co-director of research, psychology, has been invited byPearson Assessments to deliver a lecture during a two-day seminar atYale University. The seminar,Response-to-Intervention, IntelligentTesting and Specific LearningDisability Assessment, will be used asa professional development tool forschool personnel and private practi-tioners as well as for instructionalsupport for teachers in graduate train-ing programs.

David McWhorter, PhD, associ-ate professor, anatomy, GA-PCOM,was named Faculty of the Year by theDO class of 2009. He was anOutstanding Presentation Awardfinalist for his poster, “Dissector andAtlas Usage in Medical Gross Anatomyand Its Effect on Laboratory PracticalPerformance,” at the annualInternational Association of MedicalScience Educators meeting in SanJuan, Puerto Rico. In addition, Dr.McWhorter placed second in theGeorgia–North American GrapplingAssociation tournament.

| Kudos

Hands-On LearningPCOM’s chapter of the UndergraduateAmerican Academy of Osteopathy(UAAO) sponsored Shake Hands with Osteopathy—a workshop modeled after Evening with the Stars,an event held annually at the AAO

Convocation. Locally practicing clini-cians and faculty members led smallgroup demonstrations and practicesessions. “It was a wonderful successand an amazing confidence booster forall those who attended,” says HeatherRoehrs (DO ’09), UAAO president.

Matthew Dubrow, DO ’98 (standing), teaches PCOM students (from left) Jennifer Lyons(DO ’10), Amanda Lee (DO ’09), Ali Kadkhoda (DO ’08) and Heather Roehrs (DO ’09)how to examine and treat the shoulder and the upper extremities.

4P C O M D I G E S T

It’s a ClassicThe 14th Annual PCOM Golf

Classic was held on September 11,2006, and raised more than $100,000.Proceeds from the event directly bene-fit PCOM’s five Healthcare Centers,which provide essential medical care to underserved communities inPhiladelphia and Sullivan County,Pennsylvania. The 2007 Golf Classicwill be held on September 24 atAronimink Golf Club.

The Arthur Jackson Company, a new$5,000 Gold Sponsor, has participated inthe Golf Classic since 1994. This year’s four-some included (from left) Peter Brown, TomPote, Tony Hughes and Jeff Nissien.

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PCOMUPDATE S

Eugene Mochan, PhD, DO ’77,associate dean, primary care, wasnamed Health Leader of the Year bythe West Philadelphia Coalition ofNeighborhoods and Businesses.

Fred Rotgers, PsyD, associateprofessor, psychology, was namedchairman of the Committee forAdvancement of ProfessionalPsychology Integration Workgroup(CAPP-IG).

Arthur Sesso, DO ’81, professorand chair, department of surgery,and program director, general sur-gery residency, presented “The Useof Simulators in Residency Training”at the AOA Annual Convention andScientific Seminar.

Todd Vladyka, DO, assistant pro-fessor and physician, family medicine,was inducted into the Fellowship ofthe College of Physicians.

| KudosDr. Schure Honored by His Peers

Matthew Schure, PhD, presidentand CEO, was recognized for his con-tributions to osteopathic medicinewhen the American Association ofColleges of Osteopathic Medicinepresented him with the Dale DodsonAward. Dr. Schure was nominated byJames McGovern, PhD, president ofA.T. Still University, for his manycontributions to advancing osteo-pathic medical education through his dedicated leadership as president ofPCOM, as past president of the NewYork Institute of Technology, home ofthe New York College of OsteopathicMedicine, and through his service asthe chairman of AACOM’s Board of Governors.

Stephen C. Shannon, DO, MPH, AACOMpresident, presents Dr. Schure with the DaleDodson Award.

Becoming DoctorsFirst-year DO students from the

Philadelphia and Georgia campusesparticipated in the time-honoredWhite Coat Ceremony this fall.Surrounded by family and friends, students were cloaked by faculty and,in turn, cloaked one another in a ceremony marking the beginning oftheir medical career. Established in1994 by the nonprofit Arnold P. GoldFoundation, the ceremony is designedto establish a psychological contractfor beginning medical students thatstresses caring for patients as well ascuring patients. The physician’s whitecoat has been part of the professionsince the 19th century.

(Top): First-year DO students proudly don their new white coats donated by thePennsylvania Osteopathic MedicalAssociation.

(Bottom): Family and friends gather in celebration after the GA-PCOM white coatceremony.

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Dr. Vladyka (second from right) with (fromleft) Robert E. Campbell, MD, president,College of Physicians; Kenneth J. Veit, DO ’76,PCOM senior vice president for academicaffairs and dean; and Arthur K. Asbury, MD,past president, College of Physicians.

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PCOMUPDATE S

Building on SacrificeThe third annual Sacrifice 2 Save

campaign raised over $5,000 for thePhiladelphia chapter of Habitat forHumanity. The mission of Habitat forHumanity is to provide affordablehousing to every person and family inneed. The organization has providedover one million homes worldwideand over 130 homes in Philadelphia.PCOM students, faculty and staffmade personal sacrifices to donate tothis worthy cause.

Pedal PushersThe PCOM cycling team raised

$7,798 for the Lance ArmstrongFoundation during the LiveStrongPhiladelphia Bike Race. The 100-milerace took riders from Montgomery

County, through Philadelphia andback again, with shorter ride optionsavailable. Of the 13 PCOM riders,two completed 40 miles, two rode 70miles and nine intrepid souls complet-ed 100 miles (including the infamousManayunk Wall).

New Simulator SuiteDedicated

In recognition of a generous$100,000 gift to PCOM by the late Harry Ginsburg, DO ’42, theCollege has named a new robotic simulation area in Evans Hall theSimmy Ginsburg Robotic SimulationSuite in honor of Dr. Ginsburg’s latewife, Simmy.

The suite offers PCOM studentsand interns some of the mostadvanced surgical training opportuni-ties currently available—Trauma Man,a central venous catheter (CVC) inser-tion training simulator and a laparo-scopic simulator.

Trauma Man allows students topractice minor surgical proceduresincluding tracheotomies and chesttube insertion. The CVC insertiontraining simulator lets students learnsubclavian catheterization.

Most impressive, however, is thelaparoscopic simulator, which ArthurSesso, DO ’81, professor and chair,department of surgery, and programdirector, general surgery residency, usesto train third- and fourth-year studentsand surgical interns to perform a vari-ety of laparoscopic surgical procedures.

PCOM is the only medicalschool in the city, and one ofonly a few in the country,

to own such a device. “It’sset up to look and feelexactly as it would in anoperating room,”explains Dr. Sesso. Thesimulator consists of avideo monitor that

provides a life-like view of theintraabominal cavity, a pair of handcontrols and two foot pedals just likethose used by surgeons in laparoscopicsurgery. Adding to the reality of thetraining is the fact that not only doesthe procedure look identical to the realthing, it feels identical as well.Currently, the simulator is used toteach gallbladder surgery. Soon, addi-tional software will be installed thatwill simulate hernia repair, gastric bypass and gynecological and urological surgeries.

Like the other simulators, thelaparoscopic simulator is essential fortraining medical students to becomeproficient in certain procedures beforethey treat human patients. But thelaparoscopic simulator may prove even more valuable. As Dr. Sessoexplains, “This training may reducemalpractice insurance rates for surgeons and even reduce the length of surgical residency.”

The importance of this new technology has not gone unnoticed.PCOM’s simulation technology wasrecently highlighted in an article published in the Philadelphia BusinessJournal and 6ABC aired a segmentabout the simulation suite in January.

Scott Feitell (DO ’09), president, StudentGovernment Association, presents a check from PCOM’s Sacrifice 2 Save toHabitat for Humanity’s executive directorTim Block.

The PCOM cycling team raised close to$8,000 for charity.

Dawn Heefner, medical producer, 6ABC,interviews Dr. Sesso while he demonstratesthe laparoscopic simulator.

6P C O M D I G E S T

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College Launches NewBranding Campaign

PCOM’s top goal, as outlined inthe Five-Point Strategic Plan, is toenhance the College’s image as well asits marketing and recruitment efforts.To achieve this objective, PCOM has embarked on a new integratedbranding campaign to build awarenessof the College through a variety of media.

The first phase of the campaigngives the College and its campus alarger presence on City Avenue withthe installation of banners with boldnew graphics on the façade ofRowland and Evans Halls. The ban-ners represent each of the College'sacademic programs and will rotatethroughout the course of the year.Additional PCOM logo and schoolname banners have been hung alongCity and Monument Avenues. The

remaining phases of the campaigninclude newspaper, television and busadvertising and marketing materials.

“This is a very exciting endeavor,”says Terri Blair, associate director, mar-keting and communications. “A greatdeal of time and effort went into thecreation of the new look. We ran focusgroups and explored what other insti-tutions were doing. Since the imageswill be used in a variety of settings, wehad to choose images that would lendthemselves to different media. Thelarge banners that are hung on theoutside of Evans Hall, for instance,must be recognizable at a glance ascars pass by on City Avenue. Havingan integrated look through all of ourmarketing efforts will reinforce themessage that PCOM is a top-notchinstitution of higher education offering the doctor of osteopathicmedicine degree and a variety of graduate degree programs.”

| Kudos

Banners depicting each PCOM program will rotate on the façade of Evans Hall and will beincorporated into all marketing materials.

PCOMUPDATE S

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Bruce S. Zahn, EdD, associateprofessor and director of clinicaltraining, presented “The DiversityCompetency in Clinical Supervision”at the Fifth Annual PCOMSupervisor’s Appreciation Day. Healso presented “SuccessfullyNavigating the APPIC InternshipApplication Process” at a workshopsponsored by the PhiladelphiaSociety of Clinical Psychologists. Dr.Zahn co-wrote the chapter “MatureAdults: Working with the DepressedAging Patient,” which was publishedin Cognitive Behavioral Approaches inSocial Work Practice.

Jackie Gerhart, lab manager,anatomy; Justin Elder (DO ’07);Christine Neely, research assistant,anatomy; Jared Schure, MS ’05,student research assistant; TageKvist, PhD, chair, anatomy; KarenKnudsen, Lankenau Institute forMedical Research; and MindyGeorge-Weinstein, PhD, professor,anatomy, coauthored the paper“MyoD-Positive Epiblast CellsRegulate Skeletal MuscleDifferentiation in the Embryo.” Thepaper was a featured article in theJournal of Cell Biology.

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LeonardFinkelstein, DO ’59, NamedChancellor

LeonardFinkelstein, DO’59, who served as PCOM’s president from1990 through2001, has been

awarded the honorary title of chancel-lor of PCOM. The title has been usedvery judiciously throughout PCOM’shistory for those few individuals whohave made extraordinary contributionsto the College.

Focus on PsychologyFor the third year running, the psy-

chology department held a seminar forPCOM psychology students and forundergraduate and graduate studentsconsidering furthering their educationin psychology. The well-attended eventoffered a variety of opportunities forstudents and professionals at everylevel. First- through third-year PCOMPsyD students learned about theinternship and dissertation process;PsyD students finishing their studiesheard how to publish, get licensed andstart a practice; and MS studentsfound out about applying to doctoralprograms and about licensure.

The event also provided an oppor-tunity for PCOM scholars to presenttheir research posters and gave atten-dees the opportunity to network withstudents from schools throughout the area and talk with PCOM facultyand students.

The keynote speaker was Robert D.Friedberg, PhD, an expert in the fieldof cognitive behavior therapy. He pre-sented “The Relevance of EmpiricalResearch to Real World ClinicalPractice of CBT with Children and Adolescents.”

Distinguished LectureshipBernard Fisher, DO ’52 (above

left), chats with Mary F. Barbe, PhD,and Pat Coughlin, PhD, professor,anatomy, at the 5th annual Naomiand Bernard Fisher, DO ’52Distinguished Lectureship. Dr. Barbe,who teaches in the departments ofanatomy and cell biology at TempleUniversity School of Medicine, pre-sented “Overload and Inflammation inWork-Related MusculoskeletalDisorder.” The Naomi and BernardFisher, DO ’52 DistinguishedLectureship is made possible by a gift from Dr. Fisher, in memory of hiswife, Naomi Fisher. The mission ofthe lecture series is to broaden the academic horizons of PCOM studentsby bringing nationally prominentspeakers to the campus.

School Psychology NotesAchievement

The educational specialist programin school psychology will now lead toan advanced degree and a certificate topractice school psychology rather

than to a certificate. The educational specialist degree (EdS) is a 45-creditprogram beyond the master’s degreefor those who want to increase theirknowledge and acquire the skills to meet state and professional requirements in school psychology.The provision was granted by thePennsylvania Department ofEducation in July 2006.

New BoardMember Named

Vincent Lobo,DO ’65, has been elected to thePCOM Board ofTrustees. Dr. Lobopreviously servedon the board asthe alumni repre-sentative.

PCOMUPDATE S

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Dr. Lobo

Dr. Finkelstein

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PCOMUPDATE S

More Than 80 Donors Joined Million DollarClub with $5,000 Gifts This year, PCOM established the Million Dollar Club torecognize those who contribute $5,000 or more to theUnrestricted Annual Fund during the campaign period ofJuly 1, 2003 through June 30, 2007. The College will rec-ognize each member of the club with a special listing in theAnnual Report. Members will also receive a gold lapel pinbearing the Million Dollar Campaign logo. Make your giftsufficient to reach $5,000 before June 30 and you canbecome a member; call the Alumni Office for your totalgiving: 1-800-739-3939.

Murray Zedeck, DO ’62, Chairs LeadershipGifts Committee to Identify $10,000+ Donors

PCOM established a new LeadershipGifts committee that will focus on giftsof $10,000 or more to the UnrestrictedAnnual Fund. As of December 15,2006, the Committee had raised$156,000. PCOM thanks the energeticmembers of the committee includingJohn Becher, DO ’70; J. Steven Blake,DO ’89; Lita Indzel Cohen, Esq.;Gerald Dworkin, DO ’81; Carol Fox,MM; Roy Gorin, DO ’72; Carol L.

Henwood, DO ’83; John Kearney; Suzanne Kelley, DO’77; Bruce Kornberg, DO ’78; Robert Maurer, DO ’62;and Murray Zedeck, DO ’62.

Faculty/Staff Campaign Exceeds Last Year’sGiving By $15,000; Participation Jumps to 48 PercentPCOM faculty and staff raised a total of $76,452 for the Unrestricted Annual Fund by December 15, 2006.PCOM is proud to report that participation on the GeorgiaCampus was an astounding 72 percent and 43 percent on the Philadelphia Campus. PCOM faculty and staff continue to show their strong leadership and loyalty to theCollege. Thanks to this year’s chairs Tage Kvist, PhD; SaulJeck, DO; Markell Elder; and RoMaine Jones for theirenergetic leadership! Funds from the Unrestricted AnnualFund support expansion of clinical faculty, student servicesand research programs.

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

William J. Meis, DO ’82, is celebrating his25th reunion and helping PCOM reach itsMillion Dollar Unrestricted Annual Fundgoal by joining the Million Dollar Club. The club recognizes donors who contribute a cumulative $5,000 or more during thecampaign period.

Members of the Dean’s Suite (pictured left to right) DonnaFeeney-Figaniak, Ruth Wian, Tanya Ray and Gail Mattia enjoyedsundaes at the September kickoff of the faculty/staff campaign. The Office of the Dean, Clinical Education, Continuing MedicalEducation, and Primary Care all reached total staff participation bythe event kick-off.

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Dr. Zedeck

Dr. Meis

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A mother sits with her two-year-old daughter in the family physician’s office. “What brings you heretoday?” the doctor asks.

“My daughter has been running a fever since last night and now it’s 103 degrees,” the worriedmother replies. “She’s very lethargic, she hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday at lunch time and she isn’t drinking much either. She goes to day careand there has been a virus going around. She was playing with…”

“Oh yes, we’ve had a lot of kids in here with virusesthis week,” the doctor interrupts while looking down at the child’s chart. “It’s very common for kids to runhigh fevers and it’s usually nothing to be concernedabout,” he says as he places a stethoscope on thechild’s chest.

The doctor in this scenario has unwittingly violatedjust about every standard of effective physician-patientcommunications: interrupting the patient’s motherwhile she was providing information, lacking empathyand not validating the mother’s concerns about thechild’s high fever, never addressing the child directlyand making little eye contact with the mother. Thistype of encounter is not likely to help build the crucialbond of trust between physician and patient that is soessential to positive outcomes.

Building PartnershipsAssessing the Value of Physician-Patient Communication

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Numerous studies have shown thatthe quality and safety of care is

enhanced by effective communicationbetween doctors and their patients,

according to GilbertE. D’Alonzo, Jr.,DO ’77, professor of medicine, TempleUniversity School ofMedicine, director ofthe Airways DiseaseCenter and deputydirector of pul-monary and criticalcare medicine at

Temple University Hospital, and co-author of an article on physician-patient communication published inthe Journal of the American OsteopathicAssociation.

Good doctor-patient communica-tions have been shown to reduce med-ical errors, malpractice claims andpatient anxiety, the article reports.“Patients who understand their doc-tors are more likely to acknowledgehealth problems, understand theirtreatment options, modify theirbehavior accordingly, and follow theirmedication schedules,” the articlestates. “In fact, research has shownthat effective physician-patient com-munication can improve a patient’shealth as quantifiably as many drugs.”

The resolution of symptoms inpatients with chronic headache, forexample, has been shown to be relatedto patients feeling that they were ableto discuss their headaches and prob-lems fully at the initial visit with thedoctor than to the diagnosis, theinvestigation, the prescription or thereferral, reports John R. Gimpel, DO’88, MEd, vice president for clinicalskills testing, National Board ofOsteopathic Medical Examiners andassociate professor of family medicine,Georgetown University School ofMedicine. “Similar studies in hyper-tension and diabetes showed thatpatients who were able to ask ques-tions and share in decision-making

with the doctor achieved better bloodpressure control in hypertension andimproved blood sugar control in diabetes,” says Dr. Gimpel.

Dr. D’Alonzo also emphasizes the importance of developing a “therapeutic relationship” betweendoctor and patient. “Although muchof the communication in these inter-actions necessarily involves informa-tion-sharing about diagnosis and ther-apy options . . . it is essential for thephysician to listen to patient concerns,provide comfort and healing, and foster the relationship in general,” hisarticle states.

“The physician and the patient andhis or her family need to work togeth-er as a team to enhance the overallcare process,” adds Dr. D’Alonzo.

The growing recognition of thevalue and importance of physician-patient communications is reflected inmedical school prerequisites as well asevolving state licensure, certificationand recertification requirements. Toobtain initial licensure, osteopathicphysicians must now pass the COM-LEX USA Level 2 PE exam, whichincludes doctor-patient communica-tion skills. By 2008, every osteopathicmedical student will be required to pass the same exam in order tograduate. “As a result, 100 percent of osteopathic medical schools arenow formally teaching and assessingdoctor-patient communication skills,up from 60 percent in 2002,” notesDr. Gimpel. “This will correlate togreat improvement in patient caredown the road.”

What Is GoodCommunication?

ListenLearning to listen is the key to

effective communication between doc-tors and patients. Yet, the average timethat doctors allow patients to speakbefore interrupting their openingstatement is just 18 seconds, according

to a classic study by Beckman andFrankel in 1984.

“Many doctors believe that theywill save time and be more efficient if they interrupt the patient early in the interview, direct them withclosed-ended questions and focus onthe chief complaint issue,” says Dr.Gimpel. “But studies have shown thatby spending a little more time and let-ting the patient tell their story, evenfor three minutes, you will get more oftheir real concerns on the table earlyin the encounter. A diagnosis is madebased on the history alone 80 to 95percent of the time.

“Unfortunately, our current healthsystem does not always reward anapproach that takes a lot of time forcommunication,” he continues. “It’s alot quicker to order an MRI than tospend 10 minutes listening to apatient’s story about their back pain.But technology cannot be a substitutefor listening or examining the patient.It should be viewed as an adjunct.”

Slow DownPhysicians also need to take the

time to explain issues to their patients.“Patients are not on the same wavelength as physicians,” cautions Dr.D’Alonzo. “You have to slow downand give your patients enough time to absorb and process what you’retelling them. That translates into good patient care.”

It is known that the average patienthears only 10 percent of what thephysician says. This may be especiallytrue in the case of patients with canceror other life-threatening conditions.

“My patients are often just tryingto cope with the fact that they havecancer,” says Julia Kennedy, DO ’82, amedical oncologist with a private prac-tice in Philadelphia who is a PCOMclinical affiliate teacher. “I know thatthey aren’t really listening. So I repeatthings in a number of different waysmultiple times in one conversation, orarrange a follow-up conversation with

Dr. D’Alonzo, Jr.

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“Osteopathic medical schools are now

formally teaching and assessing doctor-

patient communication skills. This will

correlate to great improvement in patient

care down the road.”

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them about treatment plans.”Dr. Kennedy says that it’s also

important to assess how much patientsknow and how much they want toknow about their condition. “I try to start out gently to get a sense ofwhere they are,” she explains. “Somepatients don’t want to know any statistics and others want you to readthe textbook to them. For those who don’t want much information, I suggest that they bring a familymember to the next visit who can take notes about treatments and side effects.”

“Preparing ahead of time willenable you to optimize the time that you have face to face with thepatient,” Dr. D’Alonzo advises. This may mean sending informationto and/or requesting information from the patient before the visit andtaking time to review the patient’schart in advance.

Show Compassion“It’s important to see the tear that’s

not been shed and to hear the sighthat’s not been uttered. This gets tothe heart of truly listening to yourpatients and practicing compassion,”says Dr. Gimpel. “When we commu-nicate with patients, we need to validate their feelings, whatever they may be. It’s not enough just to recognize an emotion. You have to communicate back to the patientthat you’ve picked up on their feelingsbecause that’s the start of the trust andthe interpersonal relationship betweendoctor and patient that is at the verycore of professionalism.”

“One of the most important thingswe can do is to make the patient feellike a human being and not just an ill-ness to be treated,” says Dr. Kennedy.“Show interest in them as a person, inwhere they’ve been in their life, whatthey’ve done and where they are now.Take into account the psychosocialaspects of the disease and their reli-

gious beliefs. I think it’s okay to praywith patients, to express that, in myopinion, God has a lot to do withwhat happens to people. The humanspirit and the will to live have a lot todo with how well people respond totreatment—not just the medicines wegive them.”

Talking with patientsabout cancer takes a specialkind of compassion. “Ialways try to give patientshope,” says Dr. Kennedy.“If the book says that 10percent of people with thiscancer will survive fiveyears from now, I look atmy patient as one of the 10percent and that’s how Itreat them. Patients withmetastatic disease can live for manyyears on treatment, always looking forthe next new, more effective treatmentcoming out. You can’t take hope away from patients. If you do, theyhave nothing.”

Dr. Gimpel cites several studiesinvolving patients with breast cancershowing that patient mortality isreduced when patients are satisfiedwith the communication and relation-ship between their treating physiciansand themselves throughout the courseof their cancer therapy. “We knowthere’s a connection between theimmune system and various portionsof our brains that feel emotions suchas the amygdala,” he explains. “Whenthe treatment options have been clearly delineated and the patient hashad some say about the way they’regoing to be treated rather than beingtold by the doctor, they feel that their emotional aspects are being considered and they tend to do better.This is consistent with the osteopathicphilosophy. Dr. Still said 130 yearsago that body, mind and spirit are allconnected and in fact, this is just fur-ther support of that biopsychosocialapproach to patient care.”

When a patient is terminally ill, it’s important to redirect the hope togoals other than getting better, saysDr. D’Alonzo. “It may be hope for living whatever time is left on thisearth with their family in a way that is meaningful for that patient. It maybe hope to be pain free. Although the

goals might shift, the hopeto achieve those goals isalways there.”

At the same time, it’simportant to be honestwith patients. At no time isthis more vital than when amedical error occurs.“Studies have shown thatpatients are less likely tobring a malpractice claimagainst you if you are

open and honest with them aboutwhat happened,” says Dr. Kennedy.“People will often sue just becausethey didn’t like the way the doctorhandled the situation.”

In fact, two-thirds of all cases ofmedical malpractice are directly relat-ed to doctor-patient communicationand physician attitude, according toDr. Gimpel. And 75 percent of theissues that come to state licensingboards for disciplinary action are relat-ed to professionalism, which includesdoctor-patient communications.

It’s Not Always What You Say

A physician’s body language andfacial expressions can tell your patientsa lot about what you’re feeling—ornot feeling. The doctor who stands in the doorway of a patient’s roomwith chart in hand rather than coming into the room and shakinghands isn’t showing much interest inor compassion for the patient.

One of the biggest faux pas duringan office visit is sitting behind thedesk, says Dr. D’Alonzo. “Get outfrom behind the desk!” he emphasizes.“Ask the patient to get off the exami-

Dr. Kennedy

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nation table, then sit in a chair next tohim or her. Put the chart down, or atleast look the patient in the face whileyou’re talking. Lean toward the patienta little bit and don’t cross your legs.Sometimes it helps to add a little bitof levity to the discussion and somepersonal communication as it relatesto the patient as an individual withneeds and interests. It really gets backto the art of medicine.”

Overcoming Barriers toCommunication

Some patient populations presentextra challenges to doctor-patientcommunications. Elderly patients mayhave hearing or visual impairment ordifficulties with information process-ing. An increasing number of patientsspeak a foreign language and/or havecultural differences that affect the waythey and their families deal with ill-ness and health care providers. In eachof these cases, it’s important for thephysician to recognize the barriers tocommunication and bring in the rightresources to help it go more smoothly,says Dr. D’Alonzo. “You might needto do some research on your own tounderstand a patient’s cultural beliefsand attitudes toward medicine. Oryou might need to have a medicallytrained interpreter present.”

In many cases, it helps to ask thepatient to bring his or her familyalong to doctor appointments.“Getting to know family membershelps you to know more about thepatient and understand cultural differ-ences,” says Dr. Kennedy, who caresfor a very diverse patient populationthat includes Russians, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and NativeAmericans. “Some cultures look attheir elders differently when they’re ill.Families have different ideas aboutwho should know what information.I’m a strong advocate for familyinvolvement because that can help toease communication and a patient’s

anxiety, but I also insist that thepatient needs to know what’s going on and make decisions, regardless ofthe culture.”

Dr. Kennedy also notes that healthliteracy is a concern for about half ofall adult Americans, according to astudy by the Institute of Medicine ofthe National Academies (IOM). Toimprove her patients’ understanding,she uses simple language instead ofmedical terms, shows or draws pic-tures of what she is describing, anddiscusses treatment plans and complexproblems in a quiet consult roomrather than a sterile exam room.

Psychiatric patients present specialchallenges to communication. “Somephysicians say that you should neverallow a schizophrenic or elderlypatient with dementia to tell theirstory,” says Dr. Gimpel. “I often seethe doctor addressing allthe conversation to thefamily member or spouse ofthe patient. However, I willshake hands with thepatient, ask the patientquestions and give themsome element of time.”

Dr. Gimpel says this isequally important with thepediatric population. “If afour-year-old comes in, Iget down on my hands and knees firstand talk to the four-year-old. Then Italk to the mom and dad. You have togive every patient a chance to tell hisor her story and feel heard.”

Learning and ImprovingCommunications Skills

Interpersonal skills can absolutelybe learned, says Dr. Gimpel. “Somepeople may be born with better com-munication skills than others, butthese skills can be learned by students,residents and practicing physicians.”

“Learning effective doctor-patientcommunication is as important to themedical school curriculum as learning

the anatomical insertions of musclesor memorizing biochemical path-ways,” he asserts. He emphasizes theimportance of hands-on learning usingstandardized patients, videotaped sim-ulations, workshops and role play.“You have to let people practice, seethemselves, reflect on it and afterward,find ways to improve,” says Dr.Gimpel, who helped bring the stan-dardized patient program into thePCOM curriculum as a requirementwhile he was a full-time faculty mem-ber from 1994 to 1996, and continuesto teach medical interviewing andphysical diagnosis at Georgetown.

Asking patients for direct feedbackcan also be a valuable learning experi-ence. “Doctors need to learn how toask their patients questions periodic-ally such as ‘Are you happy with thecare you’re receiving from me? Is there

something that I should bedoing that would make thiscaring process better?’” saysDr. D’Alonzo. “We have anobligation to ask thepatient what we can do to make the process betterfor them.”

Learning effective physi-cian-patient communica-tion skills can only beexpected to grow in impor-

tance. The Federation of State MedicalBoards has formed a NationalCompetency Alliance that is studyingthe idea of designating the ability to communicate as a core clinical skill required for recertification and relicensure.

“Ultimately, improved doctor-patient communication skills not onlyenhances patient satisfaction, butphysician satisfaction as well,”observes Dr. Gimpel. “It helps doctorsto focus on the patient and the altruis-tic reasons why they chose this profes-sion in the first place, and that givesgreater meaning to the work they doevery day.”

Dr. Gimpel

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When John P. Simelaro, DO’71, FACOI, FCCP, walksinto the classroom at

PCOM, you never know what toexpect. He is both a showman and ateacher who keeps his students enter-tained while teaching them valuablelessons about the art and science ofmedicine. This down-to-earth, humor-ous and compassionate physician is the2007 O.J. Snyder Memorial Medalrecipient. Over the years, his studentshave shown their appreciation for hisextraordinary skill and dedication byhonoring him ten times with theTeacher of the Year Award.

Surprisingly, Dr. Simelaro neverintended to be a teacher. It was duringhis medical education at PCOM thathe discovered a passion for teaching as

well as practicing medicine. And so a career in academic medicine wasborn that has spanned more than three decades and touched the lives of virtually every student who has attended PCOM during his tenure.

His interest in medicine beganwhen he developed severe asthma as a young child. “I missed half my childhood because of asthma,” recallsDr. Simelaro, who is professor andchairman of internal medicine, program director for internal medicineresidency and past chairman, divisionof pulmonary medicine. He wasinspired to become an osteopathicphysician by his own doctor, SalvatoreGiamporcaro, DO ’47. “I thought itwould be really cool to be able to help people the way he helped me,”

says Dr. Simelaro. “He told me aboutthe osteopathic philosophy, and I liked the idea of treating the whole person.It really made sense.”

During his internship year atPCOM, his talent for teaching caught the attention of the lateThomas M. Rowland, Jr., PCOM’sfourth president, who later recruitedhim for a full-time teaching positionin the department of internal medi-cine. “Tom recognized John’s flair forteaching,” says Pat A. Lannutti, DO ’71,professor and co-vice chair of internalmedicine, and Dr. Simelaro’s long-time friend and practice partner. “John is beloved by the studentsbecause he relates well to young people and he knows how to motivate them.”

2007 RECIPIENT OF THE

O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal

A Passion for Teaching

JOHN P. SIMELARO, DO ’71

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“I love taking kids and makingdoctors out of them. It thrills me,”says Dr. Simelaro, who has alsoreceived the Lindback FoundationAward for Distinguished Teaching.His students are captivated by his unbridled enthusiasm and enter-taining style of lecturing. “When I teach, I put on a show,” he says.“Teaching and entertaining are reallythe same thing. You have to spice itup and bring medicine to life tomake it memorable.”

Third-year student Brian Beluch(DO ’08) says, “You never want tomiss one of Dr. Simelaro’s pulmonarylectures because you never know what he’s going to do.” Sometimes,he brings patients with him to lectures. He has given first-year students the chance to listen to thepatient’s lungs and to observe while he performs bronchoscopies.

Amanda Powell (DO ’08) recalls avideo about ventilators that Dr.Simelaro produced himself—a spoofon the TV show “Mister Rogers’Neighborhood” that he called “Dr.Simelaro’s Office.” “That video was sogreat that I still remember it two yearslater,” says Ms. Powell. “He’s a hard-working doctor with a busy practiceand he went out of his way to createsomething special that would help hisstudents learn.”

In addition to teaching the scienceof medicine, Dr. Simelaro shows stu-dents the art of compassion throughhis interactions with them as well ashis patients. “With Dr. Simelaro, younever have to be afraid to make a mis-take or give the wrong answer to aquestion,” says Vito Cirigliano (DO’08). “He’ll just help you figure outwhat went wrong and how to do itdifferently next time.”

Among his many accomplishments,Dr. Simelaro takes pride in havingestablished the College’s division of pulmonary medicine and in hisclinical research in pulmonary phar-maceuticals, particularly drugs to treatasthma. Through his research, he has

discovered that asthma exists in twoforms—extrinsic and intrinsic. “Theintrinsic form leads to airways remod-eling in which the airways take on the form of chronic bronchitis,” heexplains. “Every asthma attack putsyou deeper into that remodeling. This type of asthma is not reversible,so it’s important to stop the attacks atall costs.”

For the past few years, Dr. Simelarohas been involved in clinical researchfor a new asthma medication designedto do just that. “We’re one of 400 centers nationwide involved in follow-ing an FDA-approved medication,omalizumab, and we have one of thehighest volumes of patients in thecountry,” he relates. “The benefits toour patients have been profound.”

Throughout his career, Dr.Simelaro has stayed on the cuttingedge of medicine through his involve-ment in many professional organiza-tions. A fellow of the AmericanCollege of Osteopathic Internists, heserved on that organization’s board ofdirectors for 12 years. He is also a fellow of the College of Physicians ofPhiladelphia, the American College of Chest Physicians and the AmericanCollege of Angiology, and a memberof the Pennsylvania OsteopathicMedical Association.

He approaches his hobbies with thesame enthusiasm he shows for his pro-fession. He is an accomplished cabi-netmaker and a ham radio operatorwhose most famous contacts includethe late King Hussein of Jordan andthe Mir space station. He is passionateabout science and enjoys the study of cosmology.

Dr. Simelaro is intensely proud ofhis family. His wife, Felice, holds amaster of liberal arts degree and is viceprincipal of institutional advancementat Gwynedd Mercy Academy HighSchool. They had three daughters.Their first, Gina, died at age three-and-a-half from leukemia; a PCOMscholarship was later established in hername. Their other daughters areAnnette, who is an attorney inAtlanta, and Christina, an actress whowas an extra in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, Part II. “When I sawher on the screen, I started crying,” he admits.

He also cares deeply about his stu-dents, whom he often refers to as “thekids.” “I love being down in thetrenches with them,” he says. Themost important lessons he wants themto learn are loyalty, teamwork andcompassion. “Medicine is not an indi-vidual sport,” he advises. “You mustwork as a team with your fellow doc-tors and be totally committed to yourpatients 24/7. Have compassion forthem and treat them all like family.Remember your roots as osteopathicphysicians. We are people doctors, notdisease doctors.

“The greatest gifts my former stu-dents could give me are these,” Dr.Simelaro concludes. “First, if you valuethe lessons I taught you, the greatestway to show your appreciation is bymaking a contribution to PCOM tohelp continue the proud tradition of teaching that produces such excep-tional osteopathic physicians. Second,strive to be a better doctor than I ambecause then I will have reached mygoal of leaving the medical professionbetter than I found it.”

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M I N D S & H E ARTS

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Iwas born to be anosteopathic physi-cian,” says Jessica

Yahnert Masser (DO ’07). This state-ment embodies the love and enthusi-asm that this year’s Mason W. PresslyMemorial Medal recipient has for theosteopathic tradition. “Ever since I wasfive years old, I’ve wanted to be thekind of doctor who really cares abouttheir patients and puts their wholeheart into making them better,” saysMrs. Masser.

Now finishing her final year of anosteopathic manipulative medicine(OMM) fellowship, she has discoveredthat, in addition to becoming anosteopathic physician, she wants tohelp teach the next generation.Eventually, she may return to her rootsin a rural underserved area of westernPennsylvania where she can work withresidents, helping them to hone andmaintain their OMM skills because,she observes, “you lose them quickly if you don’t use them.”

That will never be a concern forMrs. Masser. She plans to complete aresidency in family medicine plus oneyear that will enable her to be doubleboard certified in family medicine and neuromuscular medicine (NMM),with the emphasis of her practice on OMM.

“I find it amazing to be able to useyour hands to help people feel somuch better,” says Mrs. Masser, whoalso received the Louisa B. SmithMemorial Scholarship, awarded eachyear to a female student who shows

outstanding capabilityand strong motiva-tion in osteopathic

philosophy. “With OMM, I can helppeople that no one else has been ableto help. It’s such a blessing to be ableto relieve people’s pain. You can makea real difference in their lives.”

Mrs. Masser also enjoys the closerelationship with patients made possi-ble by OMM. “You spend a block ofundivided time with one person,” sheobserves. “You have the chance to talkand share in their life. It becomesmore than just a treatment to relieve aphysical complaint. You’re dealingwith the mind, body and spirit all atonce, and that’s so rewarding.”

During her fellowship, Mrs. Masserhas been involved in a number ofOMM research studies. Last year, shewon a research fellowship from theAmerican Osteopathic Association fora study she designed for fibromyalgiapatients. She would like to continuethat research and begin to look atwhat OMM can do to help peoplewith other chronic diseases. “Thisresearch will help to provide ananatomic and physiologic basis for why OMM is beneficial,” explains Ms. Masser, who also serves as PCOM’s national representative to the National UndergraduateFellowship Association.

Mrs. Masser’s enthusiastic naturecarries over into the extracurriculararena as well. During her freshmanyear, she founded PCOM’s first sorority, Kappa Sigma Phi Women’s

Osteopathic Society, which now hasover 300 members dedicated to com-munity service as well as supportingPCOM and each other.

“Starting a sorority from scratchwas a tremendous undertaking,” saysScott Feitell (DO ’09), president ofthe PCOM Student GovernmentAssociation and a member of theMason W. Pressly award selection com-mittee. “When Jess sees a need, shetakes steps to fill it and thinks nothingof the amount of effort involved. Thecommittee was really impressed withthe huge amount of initiative she hastaken in many endeavors.”

In addition to many communityservice projects with Kappa Sigma Phi,Mrs. Masser turned her personalhobby of raising rare gecko lizards intoa charitable effort. “When her geckosproduced offspring, Jess could havesold them for a huge profit,” notes Mr. Feitell. “Instead, she taught agroup of teenagers how to care forthem, then gave them most of thelizards,” explains Mr. Feitell. “Nowthese teens are learning about caring and responsibility by raising their pet geckos.”

Mrs. Masser is still awed at winningthe Mason W. Pressly award. “So many deserving students do so muchevery day, and I was just honored tobe considered in their league,” shesays. “My hope is that I can make a difference as an osteopathic physi-cian, and that my fellow students will always take pride in their osteo-pathic heritage.”

2007 MASON W. PRESSLY MEMORIAL MEDAL RECIPIENT

Jessica Yahnert Masser (DO ’07 ) DEDICATED TO THE

OSTEOPATHIC TRADITION

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It’s not the silver screen, butPCOM’s own version of Cecil B.DeMille in the form of Harry J.Morris, DO ’78, MPH, chair offamily medicine, spent part of lastsummer on campus with twoadventurous work-study studentspreparing, shooting and editing a video aimed at improving students’ grasp of physical examination skills.

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Places. Camera.

Action…

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The student and the professor werethinking along similar lines, but

neither one knew it at first.The student, Bernard C. Ciongoli

(DO ’09), thought he might be able toreinforce the physical examination skillshe was learning in Primary Care Skills.So he made an outline on his computerand added images from the course text-book, The Bates Guide to PhysicalExamination and History. He thoughtthis might enhance his grasp of thematerial taught by Dr. Morris.

“After I did it, I thought it was ofvalue, so I emailed my outline with theimages to the whole class,” recalls Mr.Ciongoli. “A copy went to LindaMonger, Dr. Morris’ coordinator. Sheshowed it to Dr. Morris and then Ireceived a note that said Dr. Morriswanted to see me; I thought I might bein trouble.”

Dr. Morris was intrigued by his student’s use of text and images to get at the heart of examination skillssuch as taking blood pressure, using astethoscope, palpitating the abdomenand more.

“I noticed the same mistakes beingmade by students year after year, and Iwondered if there was a better way toget the material across, to foster learn-ing and to help them retain the skillsthat will carry them through school andtheir careers,” explains Dr. Morris.

Mr. Ciongoli and Dr. Morris talkedabout using images to help studentslearn the skills they need, and an ideawas born—they’d make a demonstra-tion video aimed squarely at helpingstudents master basic physical examination skills.

“I had an interest in audiovisualwork as far back as high school, so Ithought this was a great opportunity,”says Mr. Ciongoli. “Dr. Morris askedme to find another student to work onthe project with us, so I recruited Dave[David M. Ermak (DO ’09)]; he’s goodwith computers and other tech stuff.”

The professor and the two studentsspent the better part of the summer of2006 writing scripts, working withvideo cameras and lighting and, voila!The trio edited more than 25 hours of footage down to a 90-minute videothat includes all of the physical exami-nation skills covered in the first year atPCOM. They produced a DVD called

the “Physical Examination TrainingSeries.” They expect to finish a secondvideo, one that covers skills taught tosecond-year students, by May 2007.

“The DVD is for our students toreview what they learn in class,” saysDr. Morris. “We did the whole DVDproject on a shoestring budget. It’s inte-grative in terms of teaching the course.”

The first DVD opens with Mr.Ciongoli and Mr. Ermak standing sideby side. They’re dressed for a rock con-cert or a day in the park, purposely.They discuss proper dress for a medicalstudent who will examine a patient andthe two disappear off camera, only toreappear, quickly, in shirts and ties, andwearing the white jacket of an osteo-pathic medical student, complete witheither a nametag or a name embroi-dered on the jacket.

After covering proper attire for maleand female PCOM students, the DVDdiscusses documentation notes for thepatient record and continues with pri-mary care skills, such as taking vitalsigns. Here, as with the rest of thevideo, Dr. Morris, dressed in slacks, ashirt and tie and a long, white lab coat,handles the examination and explana-tion of the skills, while Mr. Ciongoliand Mr. Ermak work behind thescenes. The students recruited otherclassmates to act as standardizedpatients in the examinations.

“Always be calm; move slowly whenexamining the patient,” Dr. Morris sayson the DVD. He explains that the stu-dent’s hands and stethoscope should bewarm and that “a light dipping motion”should be employed when palpitatingthe abdomen.

All of the skills are demonstratedand explained by Dr. Morris, whodeveloped the script using several takesand an outline on a hidden cue card. “Idiscovered that when you do a videolike this it’s pivotal to make explana-tions very clear and concise.”

Mr. Ciongoli operated the camerawhile Mr. Ermak worked the computer.“I’ve always wanted to teach, and thishas kind of opened a door for me toteach in the future,” notes Mr.Ermak, whose current interest is ina career in internal medicine or asubspecialty of internal medicine.

“I believe the integration oftechnology and communication is

the best way to learn,” offers Mr.Ciongoli. “This project is educational,and that was our goal from day one,”adds Mr. Ciongoli, who is interested ina career as an anesthesiologist.

The DVD is set up so that studentscan navigate to a specific section thatcovers a skill they’d like to review. Italso includes some graphic inserts thathelp illustrate structures of the body.These were taken from the Bates bookafter the trio was granted permission touse material from the publisher.

Standardized Patients Setthe Tone for LearningExamination Skills

The “Physical ExaminationTraining Series” DVD helps studentsprepare to examine standardizedpatients, non-physicians who act aspatients to enhance students’ learn-ing. “It’s a valuable piece of thecourse; students are graded on theirability to examine standardizedpatients,” emphasizes Dr. Morris.

“The standardized patients are verywell trained by Chris Cline, standard-ized patient trainer,” says Dr. Morris.In fact, the program is going so wellthat the standardized patients nowwork with students in small groups to actually teach students the skills.“There’s one standardized patient for four students, and they are heavilytrained to teach the skills,” offers Dr. Morris. “I’m available to walkaround and check on them and toanswer any questions.”

According to Dr. Morris, this newmethod of teaching basic examinationskills is under evaluation. “So far, it’sworking very well.”

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Out of Africa: True Tales of a Medical Missionary

“How can I write aboutAfrica, a continentthree and a half timesthe size of the UnitedStates? It was home tome for twenty years.”

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So begins the memoirs of Martha Jeane Shaw CochraneOldman, DO ’49, who devoted 20 years of her life to

serving the people of Tanzania as a medical missionary.Hers was a spiritual calling that began at age four. “Mothertold me that if anyone asked what I wanted to be when Igrew up, I would tell them ‘a missionary doctor,’” writesDr. Oldman. She was inspired by her parents, who wereboth osteopathic physicians deeply interested in missionarywork, and by church missionaries whose stories of theirexperiences fascinated her. “I never doubted that it was acalling from God,” she says.

Years later while she was a student at PCOM, Dr.Oldman’s calling took shape when the Africa InlandMission (AIM) asked her to consider joining their efforts inTanganyika Territory after completing her medical educa-tion. In 1952, having completed a rotating internship atMt. Clemens General Hospital, she bought stainless steeloperating room equipment from a doctor who was retiringand packed her drums and crates for Africa.

Thus began an adventure that helped to improve thelives of many in this remote part of the world. Dr.Oldman’s memoirs reflect her commitment to the people of Africa, her challenges in caring for them, and her unfailing spiritual faith.

She faced her first challenge immediately. Before shearrived at the AIM facility in the village of Kola Ndoto, shelearned that she had been refused registration by govern-ment authorities as a qualified physician “because they did-n’t understand my osteopathic degree,” she relates. “Ourmedical director, Dr. William Barnett, after some months,recalled that DOs and MDs took the same examinationwhen he sat for the New York State Board examinations.Government authorities agreed that, if I took and passedthe New York Boards, they would grant recognition [of mydegree].” Dr. Oldman returned to the United States whereshe took and passed the exam.

Back in Kola Ndoto, Dr. Oldman went to work han-dling a full range of care that included tropical diseases,pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, outpatients, the dis-pensaries, lab, X-ray, tuberculosis and the Leprosarium.

Their facilities and staff were spare. They had no X-raytechnician at first and so they took and developed X-raysthemselves. “In the darkroom, there was no ventilation, notimer and no safe light,” writes Dr. Oldman. “There was no manual (for the Picker X-ray machine). I did a lot ofpraying in there. Most African patients seemed to think theX-ray machine could see literally everything inside themand they all wanted to have a look!” she adds.

Dr. Oldman also assisted Dr. Barnett in surgery. In addition, they had a nurses’ training school at the facility.“The horizon was vast. Have you ever stood where youcould look all around the 360 degrees of the horizon andcontemplate advances in all directions?” Dr. Oldman asks.

These excerpts from Dr. Oldman’s memoirs illustratesome of the advances in health care that she made possible

for the people of Africa and what life was like while doing so.

My DispensariesTravel was exceedingly difficult for patients. Many

would like to be seen by a doctor, but were unable to get toa hospital. . . . We did not make “house calls,” but didestablish outpatient clinics or “dispensaries.” A charge oftwo shillings (about 25 cents at that time) was made forconsultation with the doctor. . . . The cost of medicineswas kept at a minimum, too, for the people were very poor.

One of the first dispensaries was a little shelter . . . witha banana leaf roof and a table where [a missionary] couldset a tray of medicines, bandages, etc. How many times Igot there by boat before there was a road, I don’t remember.. . . The ferry would depart from a cotton ginnery run byIndians at 4 a.m. and get to Kahunda about 9. . . . I tookmy microscope along and did the lab work.

Emergency Surgery on Ukara IslandAmong the patients was a secondary school student

home for a holiday. He was in much pain with a strangul-ated left inguinal hernia. That is a very common conditionamong patients at Kola Ndoto Hospital, and I had repairedmany, but this was no hospital!

Attempts to reduce it failed. I administered morphine. . . and had him lie on a pile of cornstalks, in theTrendelenberg position, with his feet higher than his head.We . . . hoped it would reduce spontaneously. Not so.

There was no way for him to get to any hospital. It was necessary for us to operate before dark—as there wasno light except our hurricane lantern—and before an intestinal resection would be necessary as none was possi-ble. The conditions were too primitive and the equipmenttoo deficient.

A dispensary at Kola Ndoto

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Our furniture consisted of two small tables of unequalheight. They became the operating table. Our supplies consisted of one tube of catgut, one curved needle, a spoolof white sewing cotton which would do for skin. I had a scalpel with a blade, a needle holder, scissors, small tweezers, two mosquito hemostats—all the essentials, evenan assistant!

We boiled the instruments in our cooking pot andsoaked our pillowcases in dettol to use for drapes. . . . We had a little local anesthesia for the skin incision. . . .The young man was reported to have healed well. Wepraised our dear Lord! He is the Great Physician. Wetreat—He heals.

Bless the Children“Fanta,” sweet soda, not often cold because of lack of

refrigeration, was sometimes given to babies by desperatemothers. If their breast milk supply dried up due to fever or other illness, milk or proper baby food was difficult and expensive to come by, and mothers often resorted to the easy supply of soda. This is leading to many cases of diabetes.

Vaccination CampaignFor several months, one dry season, I used my day off to

give Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccinations in asmany geographic locations as we were able to get to. Thisvaccine affords some protection against both leprosy andtuberculosis. Both diseases were common and dreaded.

Crowds of mothers, each with a baby tied on her back,and toddlers nearby, awaited us. Mothers feared we wouldrun out of vaccine and began to almost throw their babiesin the window to be sure they would not be refused!

Burkitt’s TumourNumerous children with Burkitt’s tumour came to Kola

Ndoto. This was a very malignant lymphoma affecting theeye and face. We were able to send them to Nairobi forchemotherapy. None ever returned alive. I do not knowwhether successful chemotherapy was ever developed. Ithurts to think of them.

Leprosy: Now a Well Understood DiseaseLeprosy afflicted many of Dr. Oldman’s patients. Her late

husband, British physician Dr. Robert G. Cochrane, wasworld-renowned for his expertise in this disease, which is nowunderstood today, due to his teaching worldwide. Together, theyset out to treat people and teach them the truth about leprosy.

“Modern leprosy or Hansen’s Disease is NOT the sameas the ‘leprosy’ described in the Bible,” she writes. “Muchof the difficulty encountered by leprosy patients anywherearises from stigma connected with Biblical ‘leprosy,’ whichis ceremonial defilement.”

In addition to running the Kola Ndoto LeprosariumHospital, Dr. Oldman and Dr. Cochrane conducted leprosyseminars and visited government dispensaries throughoutShinyanga Region to try to improve the care of leprosy outpa-tients. They tried to teach the people of Africa that the defile-ments described in the Bible were not leprosy, but a variety ofdiseases affecting the skin, such as fungus infections, impetigoand scabies, and that leprosy sufferers are not “unclean” people.

“Many [patients] were eventually discharged,” writes Dr.Oldman, “but it was a big upheaval for them for some hadstayed for generations in the protected community of peers.. . . Those with deformities of hands and/or feet felt theystill had leprosy! Although the disfigurements were perma-nent, what they needed was to learn how to care for insen-sitive hands and/or feet so that they would not suffer injuryfrom burns, blisters or ulcers. They needed encouragement,too, to leave their sheltered existence and try to make itamong relatives still uneducated and prejudiced.”

Premature babies were tended to in large cartons; medicine bottlesfilled with water served as incubators. Dr. Robert Cochrane worked to improve the care of leprosy

patients at government dispensaries.

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Treating the Whole Person“We come here because you pray for us.” More than one

patient told us this. They wanted more than we could do!They wanted more than good medicines could do! Theywanted more than an operation could accomplish for them.And we on staff who were Christians . . . wanted more, too. We wanted them to be healed, physically and spiritually. And we hoped they would thank the God Who healed them.

OMTA carpenter constructed a [OMT] table to my specifica-

tions and it was placed in the X-ray room which was oftenthe quietest place in the whole hospital. . . . The generalpopulation was accustomed to the witch doctors and medi-cine men doing very painful things such as cuttings on thechest and elsewhere. Some of these were for tribal decora-tions; others were intended to let out the evil spirits! Ofcourse, no local anesthesia was used. The patient wasexpected to show fortitude. Patients did not expect to relaxwhen they came to a doctor!

After some years, I learned how to say “relax.” It washardly in their thinking or vocabulary. “Jilegeze” means“loosen yourself.”

Everyday Life I lived, quite happily, in the same old mud brick house

the whole 20 years I was in Africa. It consisted of threerooms set end to end, with a verandah circling the whole,and a thatched roof. We used the large center room for adining room as we regularly had calls from the hospital atevery meal—might as well make it convenient.

As soon as the sun rose at 6 a.m., a hodi (greeting) mightsound at the door, perhaps a person selling an egg—whichwas usually safe, but was still to be tested by immersing inwater. If it floated, it was past eating.

“Rain was so sparse that it led to drought conditions twoyears out of three,” Dr. Oldman recalls. “The crops failedso many times that there was famine very frequently. . . .During famine, we could use canned food . . . oatmeal inthe morning and an egg at night.”

Language Matters: Worst Language Blunder While preparing to administer smallpox vaccinations

one day: I declared we should begin the vaccinating, “as I want

to vaccinate you all.” That is what I intended to say (inKisukama, the native language of that region). Mistakenly, Ichanged one letter, from ku-chanja (to vaccinate) to ku-chinja (to kill for food), and said, “as I want to kill you allfor food!” Fortunately, all recognized the language error andtook it all on good humour.

Beware of Elephants One [pulmonary tuberculosis patient] came from

more than one hundred miles and, on one occasion, wasquite late returning for his monthly supply of medicine. . . .He related how he had started out to get to us on time witha companion. They were attacked by wild elephants; hisfriend was killed. He escaped, but went home to mourn and recover before attempting his difficult foot journey again.

Farewell to AfricaIn 1972, the time had come to leave Africa. “Kwaheri

ya kuonana.” It is a lovely African-Christian way of saying farewell in Swahili. It means “the goodbye of seeing one another again.” Christians never meet for thelast time. Still, it was not easy to leave those we cared aboutso much.

Dr. Oldman often taught Sunday School to groups of herd boys andgirls; hers was a desire to heal the whole person–mind, body, spirit.

Taking one or two African nurses with her, Dr. Oldman traveled on herdays off to various facilities to dispense BCG vaccinations.

Dr. Oldman has generously donated her memoirs to the College. Those who wish to read them are welcome to call the Alumni Office (800-739-3939) to schedule a time to visit. The memoirs are typed and include many photos.

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Class of 1966Class Agent: H. Michael Zal, DO610-664-7223, [email protected]

Lt. Col. Harvey J.Yorker, DO,Cherry Hill, NJ,has retired as alieutenant colonelfrom the NewJersey Air NationalGuard after morethan 20 years ofservice.

Class of 1967Class Agents: John F. Callahan, DO570-654-4651Allan N. Fields, DO954-579-5924, [email protected] R. Blanck, DO, FenwickIsland, DE, retired as president of theUniversity of North Texas HealthScience Center at Fort Worth – TexasCollege of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Blanck joined Edward Martin(former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs) in a new health care consulting business,Martin, Blanck and Associates in Washington, D.C. William Vilensky, DO, Margate City,NJ, was promoted to clinical professorof family medicine at the University ofMedicine and Dentistry of New Jersey– School of Osteopathic Medicine.

Class of 1975Class Agent: Jon J. O’Brien, SJ, DO202-965-6912, [email protected] E. Essl, DO, Philadelphia,PA, was named to the board of direc-tors of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicFamily Physicians Society.

Class of 1977Class Agent: H. Sprague Taveau, IV, DO806-212-5750, [email protected] Hanly, DO, Norristown,PA, retired from Norristown StateHospital as medical director. She nowworks as a medical safety reviewer fora contract research organization. Dr.Hanly volunteers at Ryerss Farm inPottstown and cares for retired and

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Fair Weather PainterMorton Herskowitz, DO ’43,

professor, psychiatry, has paintedthroughout the world—fromAlaska and Newfoundland toChina and Tibet and manyplaces in between. Now the proceeds from the sale of someof his paintings will be travelingtoo, via the charity Doctors Without Borders.

“I’ve been places I never imagined,” says Dr. Herskowitz, who paints primarily in watercolors and who describes his work as “primitive.” Henever received any formal training and remembers his artistic attempts injunior high school as less than stellar. “The guy next to me made beautifulart. Everything I did looked like mud. When I was in my 20s, I began goingto museums and I appreciated what I saw. I thought, ‘I can do that.’ So, on my first vacation to Provincetown, Massachusetts, I found some boardsand made some paintings. They weren’t very good, but I knew I could workon it.”

And work on it he has. Every summer for the past 47 years, Dr.Herskowitz has planned his vacations around where he wanted to paint.“My patients can always see where I went on vacation from the new paint-ings in the waiting room,” he quips.

“I’ve been asked to show them over the years” he admits, but “I reallydon’t want to part with the paintings. I do give them to relatives as gifts andto my patients when they get married, but the rest will be my daughter’swhen I go. But when I told this to a friend of mine who owns a gallery, hesaid, ‘why don’t you sell some now and give the money to charity?’ And Ithought, ‘why not?’”

So, at the age of 88, Dr. Herskowitz exhibited his work for the first timeat the Photo West Gallery in Philadelphia in December. A variety of water-colors were for sale. Not for sale, however, was a colorful portrait of a white-haired man with intense brown eyes.

It’s a larger-than-life image of Wilhelm Reich, the famous Austrian psycho-analyst and father of orgonomy, the controversial field of psychiatry thatfocuses on orgone energy, or life force.

Dr. Herskowitz studied with Reich, a student of Sigmund Freud, for adecade, beginning in the late 1940s. When he began therapy with Reich,Reich lived relatively close by in Forest Hills, New York. About halfwaythrough his training, Reich moved to central Maine. Dr. Herskowitz contin-ued his training with Reich, driving 14 hours each way twice a month forseveral years. Clearly, Dr. Herskowitz believed, as he wrote in an articleabout the analyst, “Reich was truly one of the real geniuses in this world.”

“There is a correlation between seeing well and painting well,” heexplains, “as there is a correlation between osteopathic medicine and orgon-omy. Orgonomy is the ultimate mind-body therapy. The satisfaction ofaffecting patients’ lives in a significant way is balanced for me by an estheticsatisfaction of producing a decent painting.”

|Morton Herskowitz, DO ’43

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formerly abused horses. She has ahouse and pond with many rescuedcats, dogs, doves, parrots and fish.Suzanne K. Kelley, DO, Harrisburg,PA, was named to the board of direc-tors of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicFamily Physicians Society.

Class of 1978Class Agent: Lorraine M. Disipio, DO610-623-7230, [email protected] R. Gelb, DO, Wyoming, PA,was named secretary/treasurer of thePennsylvania Osteopathic FamilyPhysicians Society.Harry J. Morris, DO, West Chester,PA, was named to the board of direc-tors of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicFamily Physicians Society.

Class of 1979Class Agent: Earl H. Brinser, DO717-272-7321, [email protected] G. Miller, DO, Blue Bell, PA,was named advisor to the PennsylvaniaOsteopathic Family Physicians Society.Joseph V. Pongonis, DO, Langhorne,PA, was elected to the board oftrustees of the PennsylvaniaOsteopathic Medical Association.William B. Swallow, DO, Milton,PA, was named to the board of direc-tors of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicFamily Physicians Society.

Class of 1982Class Agent: Anthony J. Silvagni, DO954-262-1407, [email protected] R. Bucholtz, DO, Columbus,GA, was elected to the board of directors of the American Board of Family Medicine.Kevin A. Zacour, DO, Clarion, PA,was named to the board of directors ofthe Pennsylvania Osteopathic FamilyPhysicians Society.

Class of 1983Class Agent: Mary Ann DiBiagio, DO724-758-7559, [email protected] Ann DiBiagio, DO, EllwoodCity, PA, was named to the board of directors of the PennsylvaniaOsteopathic Family Physicians Society.

Darlene A. Dunay, DO, Old Forge,PA, was the recipient of a certificate of appreciation presented by theUniversity of Scranton for dedicatedservice to the educational developmentof advanced practice master’s-levelnursing students. Dr. Dunay wasrecently elected president of theUnited Sports Academy’s ParentsAssociation for Gymnastics.

Class of 1985Class Agent: Michael P. Meyer, DO717-721-5700, [email protected] J. Magdalinski, III, DO,Blue Bell, PA, joined the medical staff at Bux-Mont Oncology inChalfont, Pennsylvania.Gregory J. Smolin, DO, York, PA,was featured in an article, “WithoutWarning,” published in the York Daily Record.

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On a Personal

Note

Thea M. Cooper Barton, DO ’03, West Chester, PA, and her husband,Edward, are the proud parents of Kennedy Elle, born on July 11, 2006. LittleKennedy joins sister Mackenzie, age two.

Luke V. Chetlen, DO ’03, and Alison Lyn Lawhead, DO ’03, Hummelstown,PA, were married on August 12, 2006, in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Douglas M. Hargrave, DO ’95, Vineland, NJ, and his wife, Megan, are theproud parents of Katherine Grace, born on December 20, 2005.

Carrie Lynn Roglieri, DO ’00, and Joseph M. Roglieri, DO ’01, Waterford,NY, are the proud parents of their first child, Sophia Grace, born on October 3, 2006.

Christopher Selgrath, DO ’98, Ambler, PA, and his wife, Elizabeth, are theproud parents of Emerson Grace, born on June 15, 2006.

Jill Stavalone, DO ’95, Pennsauken, NJ, and her husband, Michael, are theproud parents of Daniel Thomas, born on June 2, 2006.

Paige E. B. Tomcho, DO ’98, and John J. Tomcho, DO ’98, Waxhaw, NC,are the proud parents of Briar, born on August 3, 2005.

Paul J. Ufberg, DO ’02, Pittsburgh, PA, and his wife, Jordanna, are the proudparents of Jack Levi, born on June 16, 2006.

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Class of 1986Class Agent: John C. Sefter, DO410-337-7900Deanne S. Endy, DO, Hummelstown,PA, was named to the board of direc-tors of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicFamily Physicians Society.Judith B. Price, DO, Basking Ridge,NJ, was named staff physiatrist at theKing James Care Center of Chatham.

Class of 1987Class Agents: Elliott J. Bilofsky, DO814-623-6400, [email protected] C. Erlichman, DO814-623-1969, [email protected] E. DiMarco, DO, KennettSquare, PA, was re-elected to the boardof trustees of the PennsylvaniaOsteopathic Medical Association.Lisa B. Lichtman, DO, Medford, NJ,joined Lourdes Medical Associates.

Class of 1989Class Agents: Judith RichmondPryblick, DO610-366-8445, [email protected] M. Smith, DO423-722-9355, [email protected] R. Altamuro, DO,Pottsgrove, NJ, joined the departmentof medicine at AtlantiCare RegionalMedical Center and AtlantiCareUrgent Care.John V. Tumasz, DO, Philadelphia,PA, was named to the board of direc-tors of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicFamily Physicians Society.

Class of 1990Class Agent: Jennifer Waxler, [email protected] J. Bahorik, DO, Robesonia,PA, joined the Army Reserves at theage of 51. Dr. Bahorik is a Major inthe Medical Corps, assigned toLandstuhl, Germany.

Class of 1991Class Agents: Luke Nelligan, DO317-758-2080, [email protected] Schwartz, DO215-969-5650, [email protected] P. Dietzel, DO, EastLansing, MI, is the clinical director ofsports medicine and head team ortho-pedic surgeon at Michigan StateUniversity.Lisa M. DiRenzo, DO, Collegeville,PA, joined the medical staff at GrandView Anesthesia Associates at GrandView Hospital.Steven T. Puccio, DO, New Windsor, NY, joined the OrthopaedicSurgical Group.

Class of 1993Class Agents: Larissa Dominy, DO610-409-8147, [email protected] M. Higgins, DO302-644-9644, [email protected] A. Ronsivalle, DO, Elmira,NY, joined the department of medicalimaging at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Class of 1995Class Agent: Francis N. Ogbolu, DO606-833-9870Beth Ann Callihan, DO, Erie, PA,joined Southeast Medical Center.Albert J. Cecchinni, DO, Morganton,NC, joined Mountain Orthopedicsin Morganton.Mario P. Sacchetti, DO, Morganton,NC, joined Mountain Orthopedics in Morganton.Jill C. Snyder, DO, Hazleton, PA, wascrowned “Mrs. Pennsylvania 2006.”She represented her home state in theMrs. America pageant held in Tucson,Arizona. The Mrs. America pageant isa national competition that emphasizesthat America’s 65 million marriedwomen are extraordinarily beautiful,poised, articulate and versatile.

Class of 1996Class Agent: Joanne E. Hullings, DO215-781-0575, [email protected] A. Wood, DO, Dallas, PA, wasnamed medical director of PCOM’sSullivan County Medical Center inLaPorte, Pennsylvania.

Class of 1998Class Agent: James V. Lieb, DO814-946-2708, [email protected] E. Kazanjian, DO, Broomall,PA, had his article, “Shoulder Surgeryand Treatment,” featured in Phoenix.Christopher Selgrath, DO ’98,Ambler, PA, joined the Center for Advanced Orthopaedics withDennis McHugh, DO ’96, andRichard Mandel, MD. They haveoffices in Flourtown and EastNorriton, Pennsylvania.Stephanie C. Waecker, DO, Portland,ME, was the recipient of the YoungPhysician of the Year Award presentedby the Maine Osteopathic Association.The award is presented to a DO whohas been in practice for fewer than five years, who has demonstratedinvolvement as a practitioner andmember of the professional commu-nity and who demonstrates the potential to become a major force inosteopathic medicine in the future. Dr.Waecker is assistant professor of osteo-pathic manipulative medicine at theUniversity of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Class of 1999Class Agent: Tabatha Jeffers, DO814-375-0460, [email protected] A. Hagerty, DO, Wilmette,IL, was one of the recipients of the2006 Robert C. Erwin Literary Awardfor her outstanding scientific manu-script. She received the award at the2006 American College of OsteopathicSurgeons Convention.Angelo Markatos, DO, Beachwood,NJ, became a full partner in OceanRenal Associates, a private nephrologygroup in Toms River, New Jersey.

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Edward K. Pavillard, DO,Collegeville, PA, joined the medicalstaff at Pottstown Memorial Hospital.Jennifer R. Wolfgang, DO, Winston-Salem, NC, an endocrinology fellow atWake Forest University BaptistMedical Center, was one of five fellowsnationwide selected to receive theAstraZeneca Diabetes and MetabolismResearch Fellow Award. Her projectexamined the relationship betweenobesity and insulin resistance in differ-ent ethnic groups. Dr. Wolfgang pre-sented her work at the annual meetingof the Endocrine Society in Boston.

Class of 2000Class Agent: Edward Casey, [email protected] C. Baldwin, DO, Bellevue,OH, joined the medical staff atExecutive Urology and BellevueHospital.Jeannie Price Hilton, DO, VirginiaBeach, VA, joined Virginia Beach OB-GYN in September 2005; she is alsoon the medical staff at Virginia BeachGeneral Hospital.

Class of 2001Class Agents: Connie Andrejko, DO,and Kenneth Andrejko, DO215-873-8384James J. Flaig, DO, Effingham, IL,joined the medical staff at St.Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in July2006. He is a physician withEffingham Surgical Associates, S.C. Carl R. Hoegerl, DO, Farmingville,NY, is currently a vascular neurologyfellow at the State University of NewYork at Stony Brook in Long Island.Dr. Hoegerl has created a new Website, StudentBrain.com, to help physi-cians, medical students, residents,nurses, physician assistants and nursepractitioners learn the basics of neuro-logical localization concepts.

Putting the Pieces TogetherShannon FitzPatrick, BSN, RN, MS/FM ’04,

was a trauma and critical care nurse when sheentered PCOM’s inaugural forensic medicine pro-gram in 2002. She loved her work but, she says,had always had an interest in forensics. When shesearched for a forensic medicine program, she dis-covered PCOM’s newly created program. “It wasjust what I was looking for,” says Ms. FitzPatrick.Most important was that the fact that the pro-gram is a forensic medicine program as opposedto the more prevalent forensic sciences programs.

Ms. FitzPatrick explains the difference: “Forensic medicine applies medicalknowledge to deal with civil and criminal law. It looks at the cause andmode of death, the collection and preservation of evidence. Forensic medicine also focuses on the live person involved in any law situation.Forensic science, on the other hand, primarily stresses the bench workinvolved in analyzing the DNA or samples obtained from the body or scene.”

Now an interventional radiology nurse, Ms. FitzPatrick works from a forensic perspective. “When we see patients who come in with a gun- shot wound or after a car accident, we don’t just view and treat the injury, we follow the mechanism of the injury—how it happened and why it happened.”

In addition, Ms. FitzPatrick is one of only two nurses at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) who collects evidence for suspected unstable sexual assault patients. “As a Sexual Assault NurseExaminer (SANE), we collect and preserve evidence that can be used in a court of law,” she explains. The other nurse at HUP is Jennifer BargerMS/FM ’06, BSN, RN, who holds the title of forensic nurse specialist inthe Emergency Department, and is also a graduate of PCOM.

Working in the trauma and critical care field, Ms. FitzPatrick has caredfor her fair share of suspects in violent crimes. “It’s hard sometimes,” sheadmits, “to put my personal feelings aside and remember that everyone isinnocent until proven guilty, but it’s important to collect and preserve evidence that’s going to be important in a trial.

“It was a phenomenal experience to be part of PCOM’s inaugural class,”says Ms. FitzPatrick, and now she has what she says is “a wonderful opportunity to teach at PCOM,” where she lectures on the proper collection and preservation of evidence. Ms. FitzPatrick has also lectured to medical students on Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) requirements and made presentations to OB/GYN and PA classeson sexual assault.

Clearly, she is passionate about what she does. To keep her skills sharp,she attends autopsies on her own time. “It’s a great field,” Ms. FitzPatrickstresses. “There is so much you can do with a master’s degree in forensicmedicine. You just have to find your niche.”

|Shannon FitzPatrick, BSN, RN, MS/FM ’04

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Class of 2002Class Agents: Edward J. Armbruster, DO856-751-5103, [email protected] Blasi, DO610-252-2147, [email protected] S. Coren, DO, Hatboro, PA,had his article titled “How to Plan anOpen House for Your Practice” pub-lished in the Family PracticeManagement Journal.Patrick J. McHugh, DO, and Keri JoMcHugh, DO, Landstuhl, Germany,are in their second year living andworking in Germany. Their son, LiamPatrick, turned one in October, andthey are expecting their second childin April 2007. Their military obliga-tion ends in July 2008, at which pointthey are looking forward to movingback to Pennsylvania or Maryland.Lauren O’Sullivan, DO, Bend, OR,has completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency program and has opened a new private practice in Bend.Pauline Redguard-Watson, DO, BlueBell, PA, was selected as 2006-2007chief cardiology fellow at DrexelUniversity College of Medicine atHahnemann Hospital.Kathleen A. Walsh, DO, Philadelphia,PA, was named the Louis Tretin Most Outstanding Third-Year Internal Medicine Resident for 2005-2006. She completed her internal medicine residency at TempleUniversity Hospital and has begun ageriatrics fellowship at the Universityof Pennsylvania. Raj Yande, DO, Ridgway, PA, joinedthe medical staff at Kane CommunityHospital and has opened his familymedical practice in Ridgway andJohnsonburg, Pennsylvania.

Class of 2003Luke V. Chetlen, DOHummelstown, PA, is completing hisfinal year in an emergency medicineresidency at Frankford HospitalSystem in Philadelphia.Craig N. Czyz, DO, Columbus, OH,was named ophthalmology resident forthe Ohio Health System.

Every Day Is an AdventureIf you want to find school psychologist Kelly

Yanek, PsyD ’06, while she’s conducting a coun-seling session with at-risk students, don’t bothergoing to her office. Look instead for an outsideropes course, an indoor climbing wall or a groupof backpackers in a local state park. Ms. Yanekpractices adventure-based counseling—a field ofcounseling that uses carefully sequenced experien-tial activities to facilitate problem solving, teambuilding and critical thinking skills. She wastrained through Project Adventure, Inc.

“Adventure-based counseling is new to the field of school psychology,”explains Ms. Yanek, “and it’s a very effective tool for use with students whoare typically resistant to more traditional talk therapy. They tend to buy into the adventure activities, and that opens the door to discussions thatwould not otherwise take place.”

While the adventures that students participate in may range from class-room activities to overnight backpacking trips, the goal is the same—totake the students out of their comfort zone and have them focus on collab-oration, not competition. “One of the activities works along a fear contin-uum,” explains Ms. Yanek. “It gives the students an opportunity to see thatothers have the same fears and concerns they have and knowledge thatthey’re not alone. The activities also help students work on issues of frustra-tion, anger, trust and appropriate risk taking. It’s important that these fearsand anxieties are brought to the surface in a controlled environment wherethere’s someone on hand who’s trained to deal with complex emotions.”

To help ensure that there are enough trained professionals to work inadventure-based counseling, Ms. Yanek teaches professional developmentcourses for middle and high school teachers in her district at theBridgewater-Raritan Middle School in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Sinceteachers can’t necessarily take students rock climbing or backpacking, theyare taught how to tailor activities for the classroom. One such activity ishaving students line up by their birth dates, which doesn’t sound difficultuntil you realize they have to do this without talking and without knowingbeforehand everyone’s birthday. “The students have to do this with handsignals and body language,” Ms. Yanek explains. “It’s a great team buildingactivity that shows us how the kids handle frustration and who takes lead-ership roles, among other things.”

In addition to teaching professional development courses, Ms. Yanekwants to teach at the college level, and has begun by co-teaching a testsand measurement course in PCOM’s school psychology master’s program.“I’m happy to be teaching at PCOM,” says Ms. Yanek. “My experience atPCOM was amazing; it was during my graduate studies that I had my firstexperience with cognitive behavior therapy, which really ties into the tech-niques we use for adventure-based therapy. I would love to continue toshare my experiences with using adventure-based counseling in a schoolsetting. Currently, it is more typically used in specialized settings such asin-patient programs and substance abuse treatment centers.”

|Kelly Yanek, PsyD ’06

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CLA S SNOTE S

Patrick C. Kilduff, DO, Dallas, PA,joined Inter-Mountain Medical TwinStacks Center in Dallas.Alison Lyn Lawhead, DO,Hummelstown, PA, is completing her second-year radiology residency at Penn State Milton Hershey Medical Center. Justin Nudell, DO, Novi, MI, had his article “A Case of GIHemorrhage with Turner’s Syndrome:Diagnosis by Capsule” published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

John W. Becher, Jr., DO ’70,Newtown Square, PA, was re-electedfor a three-year term to the Board ofTrustees of the American OsteopathicAssociation (AOA) in July 2006. Dr. Becher serves as chairman of the Emergency Services Department of the AtlantiCare Regional MedicalCenter in Atlantic City, New Jersey,and as chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at PhiladelphiaCollege of Osteopathic Medicinewhere he is also a professor. In addi-tion, Dr. Becher is an adjunct profes-sor at Thomas Jefferson University. Heis the past president of the PCOMAlumni Association.Richard P. Frey, DO ’83, WillowStreet, PA, was inducted as a fellow ofthe American College of OsteopathicFamily Physicians.

William R.Henwood, DO’76, Sharon, PA,was the recipient ofthe DistinguishedOsteopathicSurgeon Award presented by theAmerican

Osteopathic College of Surgeons. TheDistinguished Osteopathic SurgeonAward is given annually to a surgeonin recognition of his or her outstand-ing accomplishments and leadership inthe field of surgery.

Patrick J.Kerrigan, DO ’84,Hanover Township,PA, was awardedthe Key to the Cityof Wilkes-Barre,Pennsylvania for 20 years of distin-guished commu-

nity service. The Key was awarded during the city’s Bicentennial celebration. Dr. Kerrigan received a proclamation from Mayor ThomasLeighton as well as a congratulatoryresolution from City Council; he isthe first osteopathic physician in thehistory of Northeastern Pennsylvaniato receive such an honor. Vincent Lobo, DO ’65, Harrington,DE, was the recipient of the State ofDelaware Tribute presented byGovernor Ruth Ann Minner.John F. Perri, DO ’87, Chula Vista,CA, was inducted as a fellow of theAmerican College of Physicians.Ruth E. Purdy, DO ’50, Columbus,OH, was named an Honorary Alumnaby Ohio University College ofOsteopathic Medicine (OU-COM) inOctober 2006. Dr. Purdy was honoredbecause she is a “dynamic role modelwho teaches by example” and a com-passionate physician, who is commit-ted to “aiding and supporting femaleosteopathic medical students.” Inaddition, she established the RuthPurdy, DO Scholarship at OU-COMto help offset the cost of education formedical students.Morton H. Rothstein, DO ’52,Massapequa Park, NY, was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology.Anthony J. Silvagni, DO ’82, FortLauderdale, FL, was the recipient ofthe Physician of the Year Award pre-sented by the Florida Society of theAmerican College of OsteopathicFamily Physicians.Debra K. Spatz, DO ’84, PortRepublic, MD, was elected presidentof the American Osteopathic Academyof Orthopedics.

R. William Bradway, DO ’56,Columbus, OH, August 17, 2006.Paul Bramnick, DO ’42, Coronado,CA, October 5, 2006.Richard Broskey, DO ’57,Audubon, PA, August 13, 2006.Marvin Browndorf, DO ’51, EggHarbor Township, NJ, July 19, 2006.Lewis E. English, DO ’38, RockHall, MD, June 26, 2006.Jack W. Fiedler, DO ’67, Vineland,NJ, September 23, 2006.Ralph W. Flint, Jr., DO ’50, Wayne,PA, June 3, 2006.John E. Gdowik, DO ’67,Hollywood, FL, December 11, 2005.Reverend D. Douglas Gilbert, DO’76, Lakeview, NY, July 18, 2006.Harry Ginsburg, DO ’42, Wyncote,PA, December 28, 2006.Jerrold B. Goldstein, DO ’67,Watchung, NJ, February 10, 2006.Philip Katz, DO ’51, Philadelphia,PA, May 6, 2006.Frederick L. Kavanaugh, DO ’58,Colorado Springs, CO, July 7, 2006.Anthony G. Leone, DO ’57, Mount Laurel, NJ, January 15, 2007.Louise DeMuro McErlain, RN ’51,Galloway, NJ, June 3, 2006.William D. Mitchell, DO ’55,Powell, OH, June 30, 2006.Henry Nemerof, DO ’46,Philadelphia, PA, September 4, 2006.J. Norman Parker, Jr., DO ’50,Campe Verde, AZ, June 2, 2006.Robert E. Lee Purvis, DO ’41,Milford, DE, August 31, 2006.Herman Reyes, DO ’74, Austin, TX,June 17, 2006.Joseph J. Scaffidi, DO ’58,Hammonton, NJ, May 21, 2006.David J. Silverstein, DO ’64,Lancaster, PA, September 18, 2006.Bertha C. Smith, DO ’30,Rochester, NY, March 23, 2006.Warren H. Swenson, DO ’41, SilverSpring, MD, August 9, 2006.

In Memoriam

Certificates of Merit

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In this special “My Turn,” Jay D.Bhatt (DO ’08) explicates his perspectiveas the American Medical StudentAssociation’s president. Taking a tempo-rary leave from his fourth-year studies at PCOM, Mr. Bhatt is realizing hisdream of mobilizing AMSA’s cadre ofmedical students who are committed to improving health care throughout the world. In fall 2007, he will returnto complete his studies at PCOM andthen will pursue a primary care internalmedicine residency program in which he can continue AMSA’s mission ofdeveloping physician leaders in socialjustice and advocacy.

The American Medical StudentAssociation (AMSA), the largest inde-pendent organization of physicians-in-training, has long embraced theosteopathic philosophy and supportedits osteopathic constituency. As thefirst osteopathic national president inthe association’s 56-year history, Iintend to continue to bring awarenessto the osteopathic profession. Osteo-pathic medicine is a viewpoint, a system of assessment and treatment ofa problem through the mechanicalcomponent. Osteopathic physicianswork with their hands using a varietyof treatment techniques, such as soft-tissue stretching and rhythmic passivejoint mobilization.

Most osteopathic physicians enterprimary care practice. The medicalschool curricula and state licensingrequirements of both DOs and MDsare quite similar. However, DOs—enrolled in 23 medical schools and

200 teaching hospitals approved bythe American Osteopathic Association(AOA)—undergo an additional courseof training. They receive instruction in“hands-on” osteopathic diagnosis andosteopathic manual medicine.

An important issue that has beenconsistently facing the osteopathicprofession is the issue of acceptance byorthodox medicine, government andpatients. Over 100 years ago, as osteo-pathic medical treatment became pop-ular it threatened medical doctors whowere competing for the same clientele.Traditional medicine devised a cam-paign to prevent osteopathic medicinefrom expanding and developing a per-manent and legitimate professionwithin health care delivery.

Osteopathic physicians began tocombat such legal fights, and in 1896,the Governor of Vermont signed a billthat recognized osteopathic medicineif the osteopathic physician’s diplomawas registered with the county. Thisultimately raised the standards ofosteopathic training and created acompetitive and respected profession.

By the 1950s, the attitude towardsosteopathy had begun to change. And by 1963, a major victory hadoccurred when the Health ProfessionsEducational Assistance Act providedfor matching construction grants forosteopathic colleges and loans forosteopathic students. In 1965,Medicare and Medicaid legislationpassed that recognized DOs as fullmedical practitioners; they were reimbursed the same as MDs. Finally,

passage of the Osteopathic Act in1993 allowed osteopathic medicine to become the first complementaryhealth care profession to be accordedstatutory self-regulation.

The number of osteopathic physi-cians is growing at an extraordinaryrate. The historic stigma associatedwith osteopathic medicine has signifi-cantly lessened, and AMSA with otherorganizations such as the AmericanOsteopathic Association (AOA) andthe Student Osteopathic MedicalAssociation (SOMA) are fighting toeliminate it. We have now entered astage where osteopathic and allopathicphysicians work side by side withmutual respect and acceptance. In fact,times have changed to the point wheresome allopathic physicians are attend-ing seminars on osteopathic manipula-tive treatment. The day is fast approach-ing when osteopathic medicine willnot be referred to as an “alternativemedicine,” but as mainstream medicine that cares for patients.AMSA is excited to work with others to lead the path to osteopathicmedicine’s future.

MyTurn

By Jay D. Bhatt (DO ’08)

E S SAY

Readers: The staff of Digest welcomes your ideas for essays that would be of interest to the PCOM community. Please submit ideas in writing to Jennifer Schaffer Leone. E-mail [email protected]; fax 215-871-6307; or mail Marketing and Communications, 4180 City Avenue,Philadelphia, PA 19131-1695.

Jay D. Bhatt (DO ’08)

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M A R K Y O U R C A L E N D A R A N D S A V E T H E D A T E S !

SEE YOUSoon!SEE YOUSoon!

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2007 Continuing Medical Education Seminars

at the PCOM Campus

Welcome Party at the Philadelphia Zoo

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2007Continuing Medical Education Seminars

at the PCOM Campus

Family Barbecue and Campus Open Houseat the PCOM Campus

Reunion Receptions and Dinner Dance at the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue

Schedule of EventsSchedule of Events

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

4180 City Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131-1695

E V E N T S

March 15American College ofOsteopathic FamilyPhysicians (ACOFP)Alumni ReceptionGaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, Kissimmee, FL

March 23American Academy ofOsteopathy (AAO)Alumni/Student MixerThe Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO

April 27Atlantic RegionalOsteopathic Convention(AROC) Alumni Lunch Tropicana Casino andResort, Atlantic City, NJ

May 3Pennsylvania OsteopathicMedical Association(POMA) Alumni ReceptionKing of Prussia, PA

May 26PCOM Reunions forPhysician Assistant Classesof 2001 and 2002Philadelphia, PA

May 28American Academy ofPhysician Assistants(AAPA) Alumni/Student ReceptionPhiladelphia, PA

June 1-22007 Alumni WeekendPCOM Campus,Philadelphia, PA

Some 300 PCOM alumni–and Elvis–attended the annual AOAAlumni Reception in Las Vegas.

“Health is a large word. It embraces not the bodyonly, but the mind and spirit as well . . . and nottoday’s pain or pleasure alone, but the whole beingand outlook of a man.”

~ James H. West