FOUNDERS’ DAY 2009 MARCH 2009 MARCH 2006 DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT ....4 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION..................3 NEW HIRES......................7 Top: Ken Veit, DO ’77, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean; and Helen Anne Chang (DO ’09) with portrait of PCOM co-founder Mason Pressly. Bottom: O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal recipient John W. Becher, DO ’70 (left), and Matthew Schure, PhD, PCOM president and CEO. PSYCHOLOGY NASP APPROVAL............2
PSYCHOLOGY NASP APPROVAL ............ 2 DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT .... 4 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION .................. 3 NEW HIRES ...................... 7 PCOM MARCH 2009 WHAT’S INSIDE! PCOM The annual observance of Founders’ Day commemorates the founding of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine by Oscar J. Snyder, DO, and Mason W. Pressly, DO. The O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal is the College’s highest award to recognize leadership and service to the osteopathic profession and to the College. The Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medal is presented to the student who is recognized by students, faculty and the administration as “Student DO of the Year.” This year’s O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal recipient, John W. Becher, DO ’70, has devoted his professional life to helping make emergency medicine the highly-respected specialty it is today. In 1977 he was appointed as the first director of emergency room services at PCOM City Avenue Hospital. That same year he was named chairman of PCOM’s Department of Emergency Medicine. In 1985, Dr. Becher was appointed a board member of the newly-created Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, a post he held for 14 years, ultimately serving as chairman. In 2001, he became the first physician to be named National Emergency Medicine Residency Director of the Year by the National Emergency Medicine Residents Association. That same year he was named chairman of the Emergency Services Department at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In addition to his position at AtlantiCare, Dr. Becher continues as chairman and professor of the Department of Emergency Medicine at PCOM, running the academic program for medical students as well as an annual continuing medical education program. Helen Anne Chang (DO ’09), this year’s Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medal recipient, is known by her peers and professors for her leadership, community service, campus-based initiatives and commitment to PCOM. She was the first osteopathic medical student to rotate through several hospitals for core clerkships and electives, an achievement that she used as an opportunity not only to learn, but also to teach and enlighten others in medicine about the osteopathic profession. On campus, Ms. Chang has served the Student Government Association (SGA) as a class representative and as parliamentarian on the SGA Executive Board. She organized the 2007 DO Day on the Hill, an event in which several hundred PCOM students travel to the nation’s Capitol to lobby for physician and patient progress in policy. A member of the Sigma Sigma Phi Honor Society, she has also served the PCOM community as chapter president of the American Medical Student Association. Top: Ken Veit, DO ’77, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean; and Helen Anne Chang (DO ’09) with portrait of PCOM co-founder Mason Pressly. Bottom: O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal recipient John W. Becher, DO ’70 (left), and Matthew Schure, PhD, PCOM president and CEO. LINK LINK FOUNDERS’ DAY 2009
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PSYCHOLOGY NASP APPROVAL ............2 DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT ....4EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION ..................3 NEW HIRES......................7
MARCH 2006
PCOMMARCH 2009
WHAT’S INSIDE!
PCOM
The annual observance of Founders’ Daycommemorates the founding of Philadelphia Collegeof Osteopathic Medicine by Oscar J. Snyder, DO, andMason W. Pressly, DO. The O.J. Snyder MemorialMedal is the College’s highest award to recognizeleadership and service to the osteopathic professionand to the College. The Mason W. Pressly MemorialMedal is presented to the student who is recognized bystudents, faculty and the administration as “StudentDO of the Year.”
This year’s O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal recipient, JohnW. Becher, DO ’70, has devoted his professional life tohelping make emergency medicine the highly-respectedspecialty it is today. In 1977 he was appointed as the firstdirector of emergency room services at PCOM CityAvenue Hospital. That same year he was named chairmanof PCOM’s Department of Emergency Medicine.
In 1985, Dr. Becher was appointed a board memberof the newly-created Pennsylvania Trauma SystemsFoundation, a post he held for 14 years, ultimatelyserving as chairman.
In 2001, he became the first physician to benamed National Emergency MedicineResidency Director of the Year by theNational Emergency Medicine ResidentsAssociation. That same year he was namedchairman of the Emergency ServicesDepartment at AtlantiCare Regional MedicalCenter in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In addition to his position at AtlantiCare, Dr. Bechercontinues as chairman and professor of the Departmentof Emergency Medicine at PCOM, running theacademic program for medical students as well as anannual continuing medical education program.
Helen Anne Chang (DO ’09), this year’s Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medal recipient, is known by herpeers and professors for her leadership, communityservice, campus-based initiatives and commitment toPCOM.
She was the first osteopathic medical student to rotatethrough several hospitals for core clerkships andelectives, an achievement that she used as anopportunity not only to learn, but also to teach andenlighten others in medicine about the osteopathicprofession.
On campus, Ms. Chang has served the StudentGovernment Association (SGA) as a classrepresentative and as parliamentarian on the SGAExecutive Board. She organized the 2007 DO Day onthe Hill, an event in which several hundred PCOMstudents travel to the nation’s Capitol to lobby forphysician and patient progress in policy. A member ofthe Sigma Sigma Phi Honor Society, she has alsoserved the PCOM community as chapter president ofthe American Medical Student Association.
Top: Ken Veit, DO ’77, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean; and Helen Anne Chang (DO ’09) with portrait of PCOM co-founder Mason Pressly.Bottom: O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal recipient John W.Becher, DO ’70 (left), and Matthew Schure, PhD, PCOM president and CEO.
LINKLINKFOUNDERS’ DAY 2009
Kristen Berry, DO, physician,PCOM Healthcare Center–Lancaster Avenue Division, was aguest on the E. Steven Collins showon WRNB Radio, 107.9 FM. Shediscussed breast cancer awareness.
John Fleischmann, EdD, MBA,campus executive officer,GA–PCOM, was quoted in thearticle “More graduate education,training holds key to Georgia’shealth care success,” which waspublished in Atlanta Hospital News.
James Hale, PhD, associateprofessor and associate director ofclinical training, schoolpsychology, coauthored thearticles “Differential abilityscales—second edition(neuro)psychological predictors ofmath performance for typicalchildren and children with mathdisabilities,” published inPsychology in the Schools;“Alternative research-basedmethods for IDEA 2004identification of children withspecific learning disabilities,”published in Communiqué; and“Response to intervention:Guidelines for parents andpractitioners,” published inSpecial Education AdvocateNewsletter. He also coauthoredthe chapters “WISC-IVassessment and interventionstrategies for children withspecific learning disabilities” and“Neuropsychological applicationsof the WISC-IV and WISC-IVintegrated,” published in WISC-IV Clinical Assessment andIntervention (2nd ed.).
RoMaine Jones, HumanResources Representative,received her Professional inHuman Resources (PHR)certification from the HumanResources Certification Institute.
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NEWS@PCOM
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGYPROGRAMS RECEIVENATIONAL APPROVAL
PCOM has received full approval fromthe National Association of SchoolPsychology (NASP) for its two graduateprograms in school psychology:Master’s/Educational SpecialistDegree in School Psychology (EdS) andDoctor of School Psychology Degree(PsyD). PCOM is one of only twoschools in Philadelphia with NASPapproved graduate-level schoolpsychology programs.
Rosemary Mennuti, EdD, director of PCOM’s School Psychologyprograms, explains the importance of the approval: “This nationalrecognition is a distinction that attests to the outstanding quality ofour relatively young programs. The NASP reports were verycomplimentary and noted, among other things, that the programshave excellent faculty that maintain high visibility in the professionthrough a variety of teaching research and service activities.”
All graduates of PCOM’s EdS and PsyD programs are eligible toapply for national certification. The programs will maintain NASPapproval through 2013.
MEDICAL CENTER RECEIVES FUNDINGSullivan County Medical Center has received two grants from theBlue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of NortheasternPennsylvania. A $12,500 grant will help pay for commonly neededpharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical supplies to serve an additional350 uninsured and underinsured patients in 2009.
The Center also received a $10,000 grant to offer age-appropriateeducation on topics such as bullying, anger management, domestic
violence, Internet safety andsexual assault to students, ingrades K-12 in the SullivanCounty School District.
kudos!
Bradley Rosenfield, PsyD, clinicalassistant professor, psychology,coauthored the article “Extrememakeover: The case of a youngman with severe ADHD,”published in the journal ClinicalCase Studies. He also presented“Integrative treatments for adultADHD using a case basedapproach” at the Managing ADHD Across SettingsConference, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
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THIRTY-FIVE YEARSHarriette Fine, Plant Operations
Betty Mack, Financial Operations
THIRTY YEARSRobert Cuzzolino, EdD, Dean’s Office
Christopher Gearhart, PlantOperations
Linda Gentry, Financial Operations
Doris Williams-Powell, DistributionServices
TWENTY-FIVE YEARSDenise Curran, Student Affairs
TWENTY YEARSRani Bright, MBBS, Pathology,Microbiology, Immunology andForensic Medicine
Oliver Bullock, DO, PCOMHealthcare Center–Cambria Division
Terri Curry, Radiology/ForensicMedicine
Allan McLeod, DO, JD, MBA,Clinical Education
Mary Wilson, Osteopathic ManipulativeMedicine and Osteopathic Practices andPrinciples
FIFTEEN YEARSJoy Schweizer, Financial Operations
Richard Pascucci, DO, GME Administration
Marjorie Brodsky, Printing Services
Larry Finkelstein, DO, PCOMHealthcare Center–RoxboroughDivision
Fred Goldstein, PhD, Neuroscience,Physiology and Pharmacology
Saul Jeck, DO, OB/GYN Division
Sheila Saldutti, Financial Operations
Arthur Sesso, DO, Surgery
TEN YEARSDenah Appelt, PhD, Neuroscience,Physiology and Pharmacology
Brian Balin, PhD, Pathology,Microbiology, Immunology andForensic Medicine
Theresa Beauford, DistributionServices
Victoria Blair, Patient Billing
Clara Bogle, Osteopathic ManipulativeMedicine and Osteopathic Practices andPrinciples
John Cavenagh, MBA, PhD, PA-C, Physician Assistant Studies
Lisa Wooten, PCOM Healthcare Center–Roxborough Division
RECOGNIZING COMMITMENTCongratulations to this year’s service award recipients. The following individuals were recognized at PCOM’s35th Annual Employee Service Recognition Luncheon. In addition to a lovely luncheon at the City AvenueHilton, awardees received a $125 Wachovia Visa Gift Card for every five years of service.
With a combined90 years of PCOMservice, from left:
Harriette Fine,Robert Cuzzolino,
Denise Curran,Christopher
Gearhart, BettyMack, Linda
Gentry and DorisWilliams-Powell.
NEWS@PCOM
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DEPARTMENTHIGHLIGHT
ALUMNI RELATIONS ANDDEVELOPMENT: CREATINGTIES THAT BIND
The primary mission of PCOM is to educate studentsto become successful professionals.
The mission of the Alumni Relations andDevelopment Office complements that mission bykeeping those individuals connected to PCOM aftergraduation. “Our alumni give their time, talent andfinancial support to the College,” says Pam Ruoff,director, alumni relations and development. “Engagedalumni make PCOM a stronger institution.”
PCOM and its students benefit in many ways fromalumni involvement. Alumni give guest lectures; offeradvice, mentoring and clerkships to students; andmake charitable donations to the College.
“It’s the individual relationships we form with alumnithat make the difference,” Donna Cleary, annualgiving officer, points out. “I love the opportunity tomeet alumni, learn what they’re doing and share thePCOM story.” The relationship goes both ways notesScott Righter, special gifts officer. “Our personalrelationships with alumni pave the way when we askfor financial support. The more we know about thealumni and their interests,” says Mr. Righter, “theeasier it is to ask for gifts.”
Keeping track of PCOM’s thousands of alumni areConnie Ennis, information services manager; Susan
Kravitz, information systemscoordinator; Madeline Law,administrative assistant; andBrittney Cole, clerk typist.“We can’t do our jobs if wecan’t get accurate data on ouralumni,” stresses FlorenceZeller, vice president of alumnirelations and development.“Connie generates reports thatcan tell us almost everythingwe need to know about ouralumni. If I need a list of allthe anesthesiologists in acertain ZIP code, she can getme that information. She cansort reports by class year,giving history, specialty —whatever we need to makeconnections with alumni.”
Ms. Kravitz processes all thegifts the department receivesand, among her other
responsibilities, creates reports for students lookingfor clerkships: “If a student wants to do an electiveclerkship in dermatology in Arizona, for example, Ican help that student find a PCOM physician willingto provide an opportunity.” Ms. Law also helps keeptrack of alumni by scanning newspaper clippingsfrom around the country for news of PCOM alumni.She prepares the Class Notes information for theCollege’s alumni magazine, Digest, and writescongratulatory notes to alumni for theiraccomplishments.
Angela Duson, program coordinator, oversees anotherimportant component of alumni relations—theAlumni Association Board of Directors. “The board isan important part of the PCOM community,” pointsout Ms. Duson. Board members mentor students,make student loans available and have their ownscholarship fund, the Alumni Association Scholarship.“The board is very dedicated,” says Ms. Duson. “Wehave 38 members across the country, and they cometo campus twice a year for meetings. In betweenmeetings I arrange conference calls.”
The department also conducts annual fundraisingactivities including the Golf Classic, the Phonathonand The Fund for PCOM. These funds help theCollege and students in many ways. The Phonathonhelps fund the DO Student Scholarship Fund, andThe Golf Classic supports the five PCOM HealthcareCenters that provide primary care to underservedcommunities. The Fund for PCOM enables theCollege to keep tuition increases to a minimum,obtain the most sophisticated clinical training tools
The staff of alumni relations and development: Clockwise from bottom left:Florence Zeller, Scott Righter, Angela Duson, Connie Ennis, Madeline Law,Pam Ruoff, Susan Kravitz, Mikki Pham and Donna Cleary.
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and continue state-of-the-art research. “It’s importantto note the large role that faculty and staff play in TheFund for PCOM,” says Ms. Zeller. “Our PCOMemployees contributed over $100,000 to this year’sfund, which was a record.”
Members of the alumni relations and developmentstaff also host events to strengthen relationshipbetween alumni and the College including annual classreunions, receptions at national and local conferencesand regional receptions. Mikki Pham, donor relationscoordinator, who helps organize these events, explainsthat they are an excellent way to keep in touch withformer students. “Alumni like to know they areremembered,” says Ms. Pham.
As hard as the department works to stay connected toalumni, they can’t do it all themselves. “It’s difficult tomanage all alumni encounters on two campuses andbeyond,” says Ms. Zeller. “Faculty, administration andstaff often interact with alumni, and it’s a great help toour advancement efforts when they share alumniinformation with us.”
The department also connects with students. Theyparticipate in orientation, host end-of-year lunches, andprovide third- and fourth-year DO students with a listof alumni who mentor students and offer clerkships.Some lucky students have the opportunity toaccompany alumni staff to conventions and receptions.The office is currently working with Associate Dean ofStudent Services Tina Woodruff to develop a site onNucleus through which students can connect withrecent alumni who wish to mentor students.
Just as the department strengthens ties betweenPCOM and alumni, the ties within the department arestrong. When interviewed for this article, everyindividual remarked on how the members of thedepartment work as a team. Perhaps Ms. Duson sumsit up best: “Everyone helps everyone; no one ever says,‘That’s not my job.’ We all just jump in and help.”
PCOM ALUMNUSSPEARHEADSFIRST FACETRANSPLANT
Chad Gordon, DO ’02, was three weeks into hisplastic surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic,Cleveland, Ohio, when the opportunity of alifetime presented itself—a candidate for the firstfacial transplant in the United States. After meetingwith a woman who had received multiple surgeriesfor severe facial trauma, Dr. Gordon walked intothe office of Maria Siemionow, MD, PhD, head ofplastic surgery research and head of microsurgerytraining, and made his case.
He and Dr. Siemionow met with over 20 differentspecialists including surgeons and bioethicists todiscuss the viability of the transplant patient. Theyunanimously declared the woman a facialtransplant candidate, and an eight-person facetransplant surgical team was assembled.
“We worked together on weekends and completedthree mock cadaver face transplants tailoredspecifically for this patient,” says Dr. Gordon. “Wewere confident that we were ready for the surgery.The patient was excited by the prospect.” All thatwas left was the indeterminate wait for a suitabledonor. The wait that could have taken years,miraculously lasted only a few months. The teamperformed the surgery in early December.
The team spent 12 hours setting up two side-by-sideoperating rooms—one for the donor and one for therecipient. After 22 hours in surgery, Dr. Gordonspent the next eight hours with the patient managingher critical care. Twenty-four hours later the patientbegan to wake up; Dr. Gordon was at her side.
Dr. Gordon credits PCOM for giving him theopportunity to play a role in the largest and mostcomplex face transplant in the world. “As a fourth-year student, I received a PCOM alumni researchgrant,” he recalls. Dr. Gordon used the grant tospend five months at the Plastic Surgery Labwithin Harvard Medical School/MassachusettsGeneral Hospital where he was first introduced tocomposite tissue allotransplantation.
Dr. Gordon graduated from George WashingtonUniversity with a fine arts major and a minor inchemistry. He spent a year after college doingmedical illustrations prior to enrolling at PCOM.“PCOM accepted my nontraditional path tomedicine,” says Dr. Gordon. “Plastic surgery is ahappy marriage of art and medicine.”
CONFUSED BY THESE LATIN-DERIVEDNOUNS? HERE’S HELP:
Alumna = one female graduate
Alumnae = a group of female graduates
Alumnus = one male graduate
Alumni = more than one male or agroup of male and femalegraduates
PCOMNEWS
PERFECT ATTENDANCE!Congratulations to the healthy employees who had perfectattendance between January 1 and December 31, 2008. In addition to enjoying good health, the 18 hearty soulsreceived a $100 Visa Gift Card as a thank you.
Shaun Carlin, MIS
Denise Curran, Student Affairs
Terri Curry, Radiology/Forensic Medicine
Bruce Fairfield, Educational Media
Edward Gee, Printing Services
Sandra Gulich, Sullivan County Medical Center
Cheryl Hall, Financial Aid
Christine Hammond, Pathology, Microbiology,Immunology and Forensic Medicine
Lavinia Lafferty, President’s Office
William Laidlaw, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Alison LaRoch, Inter-Med
Jennifer Leone, Marketing and Communications
Deborah McKerrow, Sullivan County Medical Center
Herbert McMahon, Anatomy
Penny Patton, Clinical Learning and AssessmentCenter
Randy Wang, MIS
Carol Weill, Financial Operations
Marc Wertheimer, MIS
AROUNDPCOM
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SCHOOL OF PHARMACY PROPOSAL PENDING APPROVAL
The Board of Trustees of Philadelphia Collegeof Osteopathic Medicine has authorized theCollege to apply to the American Council ofPharmacy Education (ACPE) for approval tobegin a four-year School of Pharmacy at theCollege’s Suwanee, Georgia, campus.
Mark P. Okamoto, PharmD, has been nameddean and chief academic officer for theproposed school. Dr. Okamoto was formerlyprofessor and chair at the College ofPharmacy Practice at the University ofHawaii at Hilo.
A native of southern California, Dr. Okamotoalso previously served in a number ofacademic and leadership positions at WesternUniversity in Pomona, California, includingassociate dean for assessment and teachingeffectiveness and chair of social andadministrative sciences. His experience atWestern University, home of the College ofOsteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, gives Dr.Okamoto a unique perspective on integratinga school of pharmacy within an osteopathiccollege campus. Dr. Okamoto received his BSfrom the University of California, Los Angelesand his doctor of pharmacy degree from theUniversity of Southern California. He hascompleted post-doctoral fellowships inpharmacokinetics and pharmacoeconomics atUniversity of Southern California. He has adistinguished academic history of teaching,administration and research, and comes toPCOM with an impressive list of peer-reviewed publications and grants.
Should pre-candidate status be received fromthe ACPE, and initial approvals received fromThe Middle States Commission on HigherEducation, the Pennsylvania Department ofEducation and the Georgia NonpublicPostsecondary Education Commission,recruiting of students will commence. Thefirst class of 75 students is expected to beginstudy in August 2010.
“As with our Georgia-based school ofosteopathic medicine and biomedical sciencesgraduate programs, we will recruit fromGeorgia and from southern states andestablish clinical training sites in the south,”says Dr. Okamoto. “Our hope is to retain ourgraduates for the practice of pharmacy inGeorgia and in the south.”
PROMOTIONS Sandra Branche, from Coordinator, SchoolPsychology, to Supervisor, GME
Christopher Brown, from Bursar’s Assistant toBursar Representative, Bursar’s Office
Andrea Kyer, from Secretary to AdministrativeAssistant to the Dean, Dean’s Office
Carl Nelson, from Mechanic/Custodian toMaintenance Mechanic, Plant Operations
Tanya Ray, from Administrative Assistant, HealthcareAdministration to Coordinator, School PsychologyPrograms, School Psychology
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NEWHIRES
PCOMLINKWENDY ROMANO CAROL WEISL ABIGAIL CLAYTON BRUCE FAIRFIELD/TABATHA TROLLIExecutive Editor Editor/Writer Graphic Designer Photographers
Send, fax or e-mail news items to: Marketing and Communications, Levin Administration Building; fax 6307; e-mail: [email protected]. We can also be reached at 6300.
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This newsletter was printed on Mohawk 50/10, a paper manufactured with alternativewind-generated electricity, utilizing 15 percent post-consumer recycled fiber.
15%
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AROUNDPCOM
May 6Executive Faculty MeetingEvans Hall 334 A&B, Noon
May 16Board of Trustees MeetingGA–PCOM, 3:00 p.m.
May 17GA–PCOM DO and BioMed CommencementTommy P. Hughes Grand Ballroom, Gwinnett Center, 2:00 p.m.
May 29-31PCOM Reunion Weekend
May 31PCOM DO CommencementAcademy of Music, 11:00 a.m.
June 9Faculty Senate MeetingZedeck Amphitheater, 4:00 p.m.
July 16Employee Appreciation DayLocation TBD
July 31PCOM Graduate Programs CommencementAcademy of Music, Noon
CALENDARof EVENTS
CCDA NEWSThis is one in a series of features on what PCOMresearchers are studying with some of the funds fromthe Osteopathic Heritage Foundation endowment forthe Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging (CCDA).
Adwoa Aduonum, PhD, is studying the long-termeffects of methamphetamine on learning andmemory, in collaboration with a researcher atMeharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Denah Appelt, PhD, is using unique markersdeveloped by an investigator at Drexel University tolook at how Chlamydia pneumoniae can triggerevents that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Qian Chen, PhD, is examining the role of substancescalled PKC inhibitors. PKC inhibitors may be used inthe future to help patients having procedures such asheart bypass and organ transplant surgery. Dr. Chen isworking on specialized techniques with researchers atThomas Jefferson University.
Marina D’Angelo, PhD, is researching the role offactors in cartilage that cause tissue damage andabnormal bone growth in osteoarthritis and Marfan’ssyndrome. Dr. D’Angelo is collaborating with alaboratory at the University of Missouri – KansasCity School of Dental Medicine.
Farzaneh Daghigh, PhD, is studying how certainenzymes may be linked to the inflammation thatoccurs in periodontitis (gum disease) andrheumatoid arthritis.
