LECOM Connection Fall 2014

THE

LECOM

ONNECTION

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine FALL 2014

MORE THAN STAYING THE COURSE

LECOM.edu

A MIGHTY AND FRUITFUL PROMISE

Let us watch well our beginnings and our results will bear great fruit. ~Aristotle

Treasured in the seed of each beginning is the mighty and fruitful promise of something great. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) knows this truism; and indeed, the College nurtures it.

For almost a quarter of a century, LECOM has been educating students in the osteopathic philosophy of medicine.

This edition of the LECOM Connection welcomes the 21st LECOM medical class, the 12th school of pharmacy class, and the third class of dental students.

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine 1858 West Grandview Blvd.

Erie, PA 16509 814-866-6641 • www.lecom.edu John M. Ferretti, DO President/CEO Michael J. Visnosky, Esquire Chairman of the Board of Trustees Silvia M. Ferretti, DO Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs John D. Angeloni, DO Vice Provost, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Bradenton Hershey Bell, MD, M.S. (MedEd) Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Pharmacy Robert F. Hirsch, DDS Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Robert George, DO Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton Pierre Bellicini Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Eric Nicastro Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing/Layout Michael Polin Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing, Bradenton Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire Chief Writer/Editor-in-Chief The medical school has grown from 60 students in a single inaugural class to more than 500 students per class - which, now are spread across three campuses. The first pharmacy class enrolled only 83 students and currently, it accepts 310 learners per class, including the new distance education students.

The stories that are featured in the pages that here follow, offer brief chronicles of just some of the many and varied histories, successes, and dreams of the Class of 2018 at LECOM. Other pieces highlight LECOM graduates who

are making a difference in the communities in which they have come to practice.

Whether a new student or a seasoned graduate, whether just receiving the white coat or wearing it proudly each day, all who have the imprimatur of LECOM training bring forth the pinnacle of medical education and skill - one lesson at a time, one patient at a time - as the mighty and fruitful seed grows ever skyward to the boundless mission of ever improved health care.

Nicholas Pronko Social Media Recruitment Specialist/ Contributing Writer The LECOM Connection invites you to contribute to our publication.

If you have news of alumni achievements, research or student activities, please contact the Communications Department, at (814) 866-6641, or e-mail communications@lecom.edu.

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John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO 04 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

MORE THAN STAYING THE COURSE ADVANCING THE STANDARD All who have come to know the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine are aware that LECOM strengthens lives for purpose, service, and leadership.

Training medical professionals and nurturing stewards of a health care paradigm that is changing at an unparalleled pace and in unprecedented ways demands exceptional vision and requires superlative leadership insights.

My message to the readers of this issue of the LECOM Connection centers upon the seminal place that LECOM holds in the vanguard of that leadership and of the distinguished and indefatigable alumni who carry forth that vision each and every day. Ours is a commitment and a mission that exceeds merely staying the course. It involves more than remaining ahead of the curve.

For LECOM, leadership entails holding high the banner and indeed, advancing the standard of osteopathic principles; educating in the highest tradition of those principles; and leading that charge. This issue will proudly feature some of the many alumni who have held high the torch of LECOM exceptionalism; those many and varied health care professionals who have surged ahead championing the lessons learned in their venerable training to share and serve, to heal and help, in the calling of a lifetime.

The accomplishment of our noble goals calls forth an unremitting willingness to articulate positions of leadership at moments when such posture may appear unpopular or at times when others simply choose idleness, apathy, indecision, or dependence. Our alumni elucidate these attitudes from the core of their spirit and in the cause of their personal attainment.

For the men and women highlighted within the pages that follow, one can observe the time-honored truisms that define leadership, success, humanity, and the essence of exemplary medical practice. Courage is born at the point where the grace of Providence intersects with human effort. Opportunity may present itself in disguise; and challenges, truly, have become opportunities. Some believe that success is about luck, talent, or skill; and although those components may play a part in achieving successful results, more often, success is about wrestling failure to the ground until it surrenders to one’s determination and

perseverance. Unequivocally, LECOM alumni understand the full spate of requirements necessary to attain success and they have committed themselves to those demands at their very heart.

For LECOM and for its alumni, failure will never be accepted as a certainty; for it is brought about primarily by poor decisions coupled with an unopposed voice.

For one who sets a goal, makes a plan, takes action, evaluates results, adjusts that plan, learns from mistakes, and continues toward the goal - failure is rarely, if ever, the outcome.

LECOM alumni have demonstrated the veracity of this premise; it is a lesson that all in the osteopathic community should take to heart.

It is essential that one must be stronger than one’s excuses; determining to be prepared to reach for the highest rung rather than to settle merely for a meted out step upon the ladder.

The purposed goals and successes of our osteopathic history demands leaders who are unflinching in the face of challenges, who are wise in the face of complexity, who are prudent in the face of uncertainty, and who are as committed to this noble calling as are the dedicated brethren whom they lead.

As an educational institution and as the only osteopathic academic health care center in the nation, LECOM has a proven record as one of those exceptional leaders. Moreover, such leadership aptly and glowingly defines the LECOM alumni.

If ever there was a time in our osteopathic history when we have the tools, when we have the capacity, when we have the institutions to engage and to address the challenges within our own profession, it is now. Never in the decades of our calling have there been so many resources and so many institutions and structures to allow us to accomplish our mission. Like all triumphs to be accomplished – it requires leadership rather than acquiescence.

The quality of our men and women, the belief of these men and women in high causes and purposes, and the focused leadership of our alumni to properly advance our osteopathic ends will bear out the greatest result in fuller victory for all who truly value the principles and philosophy of osteopathic medicine. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 05

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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LECOM Graduations Highlight Brain Gain

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As national reports comment upon a seemingly pervasive “brain drain” and a growing demand for medical practitioners draws health care professionals to the far reaches of the nation, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine - to the contrary - has consistently and predictably supplied a “brain gain” to the states in which it has come to lay its venerable cornerstone.

LECOM graduates begin careers of promise and purpose, with a great many of them remaining within the state of their training. From practicing rural medicine in Clarion, Pennsylvania to serving in a Sarasota, Florida Emergency Room, LECOM offers the paradigm for Brain Gain.

FEATURES pg 09......

Outstanding Alumni

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LECOM Bradenton - Novel Stories, New Careers

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Quiet Night Transformed to Chaos Leads Soldier to LECOM

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Another Mileston in Providing Primary Care as LECOM Opens Office in JFK Center

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DEPARTMENTS Community is Our Campus Faculty, Student, and Alumni Notes

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

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CREDOS OF OUR CALLING •JUDGMENT•

Whether one observes United States Presidents, CEOs, or wartime generals, leaders are remembered for their best and for their worst judgments.

Confronted with vagueness, abstruseness, uncertainty, and divergent demands, the capacity of the judgment of a leader indeed directs the very destiny of the whole of the organization. Judgment is the essence of leadership, and for this reason, it is a credo of our calling.

Despite its critical nature and relevance, judgment always has been a rather blurred notion. The current climate often seeks to stem the use of personal judgment, purporting that individuals should not judge. Some people cite erroneously interpreted Scripture, believing that there is a natural law that precludes the use of judgment. Many writings have been clear in noting judgment as a Providential blessing afforded only to humans, elevating reason to its highest form.

Judgment is a critical framework for evaluating any situation, for making the call, and for prudently amending it as required.

It allows one to assess the multiple and varied arenas of people, strategy, and crises and to manage them accordingly.

Judgment is an irreplaceable necessity in the medical profession. No individual or organization can afford to neglect this crucial discipline. Even if one is not born with good judgment, it can be learned. In fact, leaders are not simply born to lead; they develop their skills by building upon the lessons of their times. Everyone who possesses the ability to learn or to draw wisdom from the daunting circumstances of the transformative moments of life, uses judgment to develop into an effective leader.

To sustain that leadership however, one must possess character, courage, and clearly articulated standards.

“With good judgment, little else matters. Without it, nothing else matters.” ~Jack Welch

The notion of any discussion of judgment presupposes that the aim is, of course - good judgment. It is a characteristic composed of the perfect blend of common sense, instinct, sagacity, and vision. Yet, a host of other virtues bolster judgment in its genesis. Good judgment cannot form in a vacuum, for it requires the nurturing elements of courage, integrity, and honor, and it is tempered by risk and circumspection.

Whether one is running a small private practice or a global corporation, judgment provides the basis for every undertaking.

“Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not comprised of information alone, but also of judgment - the manner in which that information is collected and used,” explained renown scientist, Dr. Carl Sagan.

Judgment is honed and tested in the arena of experience with lessons derived from the full host of those experiences.

Typically called “wisdom” or “discernment,” judgment suggests an acumen and an astuteness in the full evaluation and appraisal of a situation and it embodies an act of bold and confident measure.

The ancient Roman lawyer, orator, and statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero, wrote that: “It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment.”

Centuries later, the same sentiment was echoed by one of the greatest inventors of all time. “The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; and third, common sense judgment,” wrote Thomas Alva Edison. The famous American inventor held the global record of 1,093 patents and he created the first industrial research laboratory in the world.

As the theme of this magazine centers upon determination, fortitude, and carrying the standard in the vanguard of leadership, it is unequivocal that such goals require more than merely staying the course.

They entail advancing that standard and leading that charge; and they rely upon an indispensable credo of our calling: judgment.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 07

The Importance of Teaching the Philosophy and Principles of Andrew Taylor Still

As the 19th century approached its end, medicine found a new beginning. Founded by the son of a frontier physician, osteopathic principles, and indeed osteopathic medicine itself, had its genesis in the comprehensive mind, body, and spirit approach begun by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. His philosophy took a closer look at the way in which medicine, until that time, was being practiced. Dr. Still saw a better way to combat illness, to fight disease, and to heal the whole person. Always fascinated by the human anatomy and by the science of healing, Andrew Taylor Still pursued a life of study and practice to establish the healing art and science of osteopathic medicine; a field that has revolutionized health care.

The idea that health is a viable principle and an objective that can be attained and accessed as a therapeutic force is key to osteopathic medicine and it is a concept central to Dr. Still’s most significant contributions to health care and humanity. Such principle entails far more than the absence of disease in the body, rather it connotes a living awareness and a therapeutic power responsible for all growth, development, and healing.

Today, osteopathic medical training - that training and education central to the LECOM mission - is focused upon a comprehensive student-centered approach, dedicated to preparing highly-competent medical professionals. Superlative skills and exceptional medical training are inculcated through innovative academic programs that 08 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

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emphasize a relentless commitment to osteopathic heritage and focus upon wholeperson health care, scholarship, community betterment, inter-professional enlightenment, and meeting needs of undeserved populations. These are the very objectives and methods that would have pleased Dr. Andrew Taylor Still.

In the almost 25 years since its inception, LECOM has prepared stellar osteopathic physicians who serve the health care needs of society. This great cause - indeed, one of the noblest of all callings - has been brought about by the unyielding exceptional medical education programs offered at LECOM; programs that value unparalleled scholarship, professionalism, compassion, innovative vision, teamwork, and an osteopathic academic health center strategic vision that makes LECOM the preeminent medical school in the nation.

Of what value is a mind when placed in the brain of a coward? If mind is a gift of God to man for his use, let him use it. A mind is not in use when doing no good. ~Andrew Taylor Still An Aesopian adage seems evocatively apropos to depict the position and place of the osteopathic field of medicine, for it has been said that: “Lighthouses do not run far and wide across an island seeking out boats to save, rather they simply stand there steadfastly shining!” Thus, it is true for the

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field of osteopathic health care education as LECOM serves as a beacon to those who would seek the true calling of whole body health care as their life’s goal.

As the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation, LECOM inculcates the best osteopathic principles and philosophy through the widest range of innovative, firstrate, and cutting edge medical training and educative methodologies. Its network of health care affiliates and partners bring to bear the full impact of the beneficial offerings of osteopathic health care.

Just as various pressures of nature change sand into pearls and coal into diamonds, the rigorous training and intensely focused demands of the LECOM curriculum transforms students into scholars; and hones those scholars into highly skilled medical professionals. Those medical professionals carry forth their training and expertise into the arena of need - into communities and neighborhoods - locally, regionally, and nationally.

This contribution, by LECOM and by its indefatigable amalgam of osteopathic health care affiliates, magnifies the profound philosophy of medicine begun by Andrew Taylor Still; a milestone, a monument, a magisterial achievement rightly regarded as the most comprehensive whole body health care of our age.

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI

The Enduring Contribution of LECOM Exceptionalism

Dr. Holtzman (center) pictured with Dr. Hu Jun-fei (left) from West China Medical School/West China Hospital and Jeffrey Guo Ma (right), a pre-medicine student at Rutgers University. The photo was taken on the Golden Summit (elevation 10,167ft) of Mt. Emei in Leshan, China, one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China.

As part of our “Outstanding Alumni Series,” the LECOM Connection is featuring pieces that highlight the profound and purposeful contributions made by its graduates.

Unequivocally, LECOM alumni stand out prominently as leaders and innovators in the field of health care. Noting the many and varied stories of success and triumph of LECOM graduates throughout the profession, this issue of the LECOM Connection spotlights but a select few of those accomplished alumni to share with readers.

Liam Holtzman, DO, Invited to Teach Emergency Medical Specialty Care in China Dr. Liam Holtzman is a 2000 LECOM graduate who serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine at University of Florida, College of Medicine in Gainesville.

Holding a specialized Board Certification in a relatively new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program, Dr. Holzman traveled to a Chinese Medical School where he taught trauma care.

Recently, Dr. Holtzman returned from that two week session in Asia, where he had been an invited faculty professor at the West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University in Chengdu, China. There, he taught medical students a mini-curriculum in acute trauma care, and he lectured the hospital Emergency Medicine faculty about Sepsis.

Dr. Holtzman teaching a mini curriculum in Acute Trauma Care to a group of forty Chinese students at Sichuan University during their summer immersion program.

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program is a medical subspecialty that involves pre-hospital emergency patient care, including initial patient stabilization, treatment, and transport in specially equipped ambulances or helicopters enroute to hospitals. The purpose of the EMS subspecialty certification is to standardize physician training and qualifications for EMS practice, to improve patient safety, and to enhance the quality of emergency medical care provided to patients in the pre-hospital environment. The key focus of the program is to improve the comprehensive continuum of patient care. The entire program was wellreceived in China.

Justice working in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Dr. Holtzman served as part of the manned spaceflight support team for NASA Space Shuttle launches and landings. He worked as an auxiliary State Trooper for the Florida Highway Patrol; served on the SWAT team for Gainesville Police in support of special operations (high risk warrant service); and for eleven years, he undertook a leadership role as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Naval Reserve. In addition to the foregoing estimable endeavors, Dr. Holtzman served as assistant professor both at Johns Hopkins University and at the University of Florida.

“Although modern in its current curriculum, the holistic patient-centered roots of Chinese medicine held much fascination for me; it was exciting to see a blend of new and traditional,” Dr. Holtzman remarked.

“Even nearly two decades later, the foundation of my training at LECOM continues to serve me well as I, in turn, educate medical students and residents embarking upon their mission of service to patients and community,” commented Dr. Holtzman. “Throughout many diverse settings and experiences, I am continually reminded of the high caliber of education, we received at LECOM,” he concluded.

For Dr. Holtzman, becoming “Boarded” in the EMS subspecialty and teaching half way around the world were only the most recent endeavors in his noteworthy career since being graduated from LECOM. Among many achievements, the litany of Dr. Holtzman’s numerous accomplishments reads like the dossier of a protagonist in a Tom Clancy novel. He traveled the world with the Secret Service as physician for Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. He served as Medical Director at the Department of

For Dr. Liam Holtzman, his is a resume that mirrors his courage and a determined commitment to undertake the passion of his calling. His work across many fields underscores the type of indomitable spirit and caring soul that LECOM trains in the most noble calling of our time.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 09

LECOM GRADUATIONS HIGHLIGHT BRAIN GAIN

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The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) serves as a guardian of a shared humanity and as the illumination for the community and its people. It is the educational forum where scholars seek to explore that which it means to be a medical professional in all of its depth, accomplishment, joy, and purpose. That collective attainment was reached once again, when, in June, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine awarded more than 800 degrees to the Class of 2014.

For the more than 820 students who received the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree, the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, and Master of Science degree, those consecutive weekends in June marked the beginning of a new phase in the professional life of their respective callings.

While news reports often chronicle “brain drain” and the disheartening loss of graduates to other areas of the country, LECOM - to the contrary - supplies a consistent “brain gain” in its host states. Nearly 30 percent of 2014 DO graduates from LECOM campuses in Erie and at Seton Hill University (in Greensburg, Pa.) will complete post-graduate residency and internship training in Pennsylvania.

Shamus C. Reimold, DO

Shamus C. Reimold is one of the many 2014 LECOM graduates who will remain in the Keystone State.

Reimold considers Erie to be his second home. The Greenville, Pennsylvania native was graduated from Gannon University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Upon receiving his DO degree from LECOM, he now eagerly delves into a residency in ophthalmology at Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH). “My friends and family live in northwestern Pennsylvania,” Reimold remarked. “I didn’t even consider going anywhere else. During my rotations at MCH, everyone treated me well and I learned a great deal. I am quite happy and comfortable here,“ he affirmed.

Caitlin C. Feth, DO

Caitlin C. Feth, a DO graduate from LECOM-Erie, will begin a residency in family medicine at Washington Hospital in Washington, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles from her native Pittsburgh. “It was my first choice for residency,” Feth noted. “Always, I have loved the area and I hope to practice there in primary care.”

Nearly 46 percent of the 2014 DO graduates from LECOM-Bradenton will begin residency and internship training in Florida.

Michael A. Venezia is one of those remaining in the Sunshine State.

“Staying in Florida for residency was an easy choice,” assured Venezia, who will specialize in orthopedic surgery at Largo Medical Center in Largo, Florida. “I look forward to giving back to a community for which I so deeply care.”

The 2014 LECOM Erie Commencement was highlighted by the graduation of the inaugural class of DO students from the LECOM Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway (APAP). The APAP program is the only platform in the country designed specifically for PAs who seek to practice as osteopathic physicians.

Michael A. Venezia, DO

Lisa Lanning, one member of the APAP class, left a well-paying career as a physician assistant to enroll in the LECOM program. In addition to earning the DO degree, she has been awarded $120,000 through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program (S2S LRP).

“I am very grateful for the education that I have received at LECOM and to have been chosen for the Loan Repayment Program,” commented Lanning, who will specialize in family medicine at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, South Carolina. “I am enthusiastic about experiencing the challenges that lay ahead,” she added.

The 2014 graduating class was comprised of students from across the country, many of whom entered the class with diverse backgrounds.

Lisa Lanning, DO

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 11

Lindsay E. Cassey of Elk Grove, California earned the DO degree from LECOM at Seton Hill. Cassey was notably thankful for the education and training that she received through the LECOM Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Pathway, which uses patient cases to promote critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. “Medical school was challenging, but I have had a great experience,” Cassey stated decidedly.

As she begins a residency in family medicine, Cassey intends to focus her care upon uninsured and underinsured patients; clearly embodying the very mission of LECOM. LECOM at Seton Hill graduate, Kai Schlingmann, echoed a common refrain - “LECOM has prepared me well, empowering me to become a lifelong learner,” said Schlingmann. The scholar represented the College as one of only two Student Directors on the Board of the American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF). Schlingmann, who concurrently served as the AOF Student Representative for the AACOM Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP), is eager to advance the LECOM commitment to empathetic, patient-centered care.

Lisa E. Cassey, DO

Highlighting the School of Pharmacy graduation events - opportunities abound for members of the LECOM School of Pharmacy Class of 2014.

Jordan Daniel of Martinsville, Indiana, a PharmD graduate at LECOMBradenton, is the recipient of the inaugural CVS Caremark Pharmacy Corporate Fellowship in Quality Assurance and Patient Safety. The fellowship allows pharmacist practitioners to gain a more thorough understanding of medication use, safety, and industry quality measures, as they relate to retail pharmacy.

“I was very fortunate to be chosen for this fellowship, but it never would have been possible without LECOM and the faculty and advisors who have cared deeply about my goals and encouraged me to accomplish them,” Daniel explained.

Kai Schlingmann, DO

Thomas Roland, a PharmD graduate from LECOM-Erie, has accepted a position as an Executive Pharmacist with Target Pharmacy in Jacksonville, Florida. He served as an assistant marshal during Commencement. “During the last three years, it has been my distinct honor to learn alongside future leaders in the pharmacy profession,” Roland remarked. “I am proud to have had the opportunity to represent our class at the culmination of our academic careers,” he averred.

By the numbers - the Commencement ceremony for LECOM-Erie graduates was comprised of 371 students who received the DO degree, including 104 students from LECOM at Seton Hill. The PharmD degree was conferred upon 140 scholars, while 33 learners received the Master of Science in Medical Education degree, and three students received the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree.

The Erie ceremony was held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, 2014, at the Erie Insurance Arena.

Jordan Daniel, PharmD

LECOM-Bradenton celebrated its Commencement at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, 2014, at the Bradenton Area Convention Center. The graduates included 155 students who received the DO degree, 120 scholars who were conferred the PharmD degree, and one student who received a Master’s in Medical Education degree.

With each graduating class, LECOM leadership has ensured that educational excellence will uplift communities; and such excellence extends beyond regional boundaries, to elevate and to improve health care for generations to come.

LECOM lauds the triumphant Class of 2014, as with the College, they continue to generously commit the full focus of their energies to causes, people, programs, and purposes - ensuring that the illumination of each community remains forever bright.

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Thomas Roland, PharmD

EARN YOUR MASTERS IN HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION DEGREE ONLINE!

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

LECOM is proud to introduce a distance education program to prepare qualified health care leaders who can meet the challenges of 21st Century medicine.

PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

@1LECOM | LECOM.edu

Call 941-405-1535 or Email mhsa@lecom.edu • Designed to provide working professionals with the skills needed to become top health care administrators • Over 90% of the courses are delivered online by experienced faculty members • 18-month and 24-month programs to meet busy professional schedules.

LECOM GRADUATE HAS THE HEART OF A MARATHONER AND THE SPIRIT OF LECOM Shortly after being graduated from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) with a degree in pharmacy, Amanda Hewitson (2009) decided to train as a runner.

Originally, Hewitson was informed by those treating her that she had “Minimal Change Disease,” a kidney disease that is found most often in children.

Determining that her daily workout routine at the gym was not challenging enough for her, the Boardman, Ohio pharmacist, who worked out unremittingly, decided to beginning training for a marathon.

Hewitson underwent two years of treatments, after which, she experienced a remission period. However, the LECOM graduate again fell ill last May. After another eight months of failed treatment, she had a second biopsy in January.

“I was training six or seven days a week; running 10 to 15 miles at a time,” Hewitson noted.

Shortly after entering her marathon training regimen, the then 27 year-old, began to experience swelling in her legs upon the completion of her daily runs. Attributing the swelling to the after-effects of excessive running, Hewitson continued with her regular routine.

“I just kept pushing through,” Hewitson affirmed. “Then I noticed increasingly how tired I was becoming, and I started becoming nauseous as well. I had no idea what was going on,” she explained.

Concerned about the odd symptoms, Hewitson made a trip to the emergency room. The doctors there, suggested that she was “standing for too many hours at work,” and that she needed to “sit down” more frequently. Hewitson was then employed as the District Manager for the Target Pharmacy in Boardman.

The next day, Hewitson attempted to go to work; however, when she arrived at the pharmacy, she became immediately ill. The ailing pharmacist promptly returned to the emergency room.

“They checked my lab work from the ER visit of the prior day,” Hewitson remarked, “and that is the way in which I was first diagnosed,” she expounded.

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At that time, Hewitson was diagnosed with “Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis,” a disease in which some sections of the kidney filters are scarred. More commonly known as FSGS, Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosisis is a chronic disease that affects approximately 5,400 people each year.

her pharmacy position at Target as she works with doctors to control her disease.

This year, Amanda was able to participate in the fund raising event for the very first time.

The determined pharmacist completed the three-mile walk through the pouring rain.

“This was my first year doing the Walk,” Hewitson said. “We wanted to do something different (for fund-raising) so we had bracelets made and “Team Amanda” shirts designed as well,” she said.

Scott Mirto, Manager of Select Sportswear in Austintown and owner of the Mahoning Valley Vipers of the Ohio Football League, made the shirts and he invited several players to walk as part of Amanda’s team.

“No one in my family has been afflicted with any type of kidney problems,” Hewitson stated, recalling the incredulity that she experienced upon learning of her condition.

“It’s not something that comes to mind; when most people think of kidney disease, they think of somebody with diabetes or they think that it is found among the elderly,” she explained.

“She is very personable,” Mirto emphasized.

“In talking with her, she just seems to be enjoying every minute of her life; you would never know that she has something as terrible as this disease,” observed Mirto.

Molly Hewitson, Amanda’s younger sister, was taken quite by surprise upon hearing the original diagnosis. “Looking back, Amanda always has been a very fit person,” Molly Hewitson recalled. “It’s surprising that we didn’t notice the problem. But, in truth, one just does not expect something like this to happen,” Molly commented.

“Luckily, I have great friends and family who have been there through everything for me,” Hewitson beamed. “Certainly it is unfortunate that I have this disease, but in so many ways it helps me to see what truly is important in life,” she stated.

Fast forward to 2014, as four years after the life-altering news, Amanda, Molly, and many others walked on Amanda’s behalf in the 2014 Northeast Ohio Kidney Walk held in June.

The Walk was designed to raise money for, and to bring awareness to, all types of kidney diseases.

Currently, Amanda is on medical leave from

In total, “Team Amanda” raised $3,595; and Amanda admits that she is honored by the support of her friends and family.

Amanda still hopes to run a marathon one day. The LECOM graduate has displayed unflagging courage and grace in the face of her obvious challenge. Throughout the last four years, she has overcome seemingly insurmountable physical trials. There is little doubt that a mere 26.2 miles will stand in her way.

LECOM BRADENTON STUDENT RECEIVES MPH FROM JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Research (CSTOR) at the Johns Hopkins Hospital/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He was first author, both on posters and an article, addressing the incidence and severity of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among older adults (over the age of 65). In addition to this TBI triumph, he completed two posters focusing upon sports-related ocular trauma among teenagers; an item that he will be presenting at the American College of Surgeons Conference to be held in San Francisco in October.

Another of his posters, addressing sports-related TBI, will be submitted to Annals of Emergency Medicine Haring participated in a team that won first place at the Johns Hopkins Program Planning Competition with a project highlighting human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination among college-age men.

Richard (“Sterling”) Haring took a year hiatus from his medical studies at LECOM to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH) from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

As an MPH student in the concentration area of Health Systems and Policy, Haring was integral in facilitating the passage of a law in Florida relating to the use of child booster seats. Even though the booster seat bill had failed to pass the legislature for 13 consecutive years, this April, it passed both houses of the Florida legislature. The skills and knowledge that Haring learned in the Johns Hopkins University program helped him to identify and to change key aspects in the approach to securing passage of the bill.

Previously, child booster seat laws in Florida had been the weakest in the nation. Haring helped to raise the age requirement of the law and to adjust the parameters of the transition from infant-to-child seat regulations.

In addition to his foray into the publicpolicy field, Haring achieved a host of other noteworthy accomplishments as he carried out the majority of his research with the Center for Surgical Trials and Outcomes

“Through the Johns Hopkins MPH program, I was able to understand the complexities of improving the health of people worldwide. Health is affected not only by acute disease, but by socio-economic background, geography, access to clean food and water sources, public policy, injury prevention, and many other aspects of daily life,” remarked Haring.

Haring offered heartfelt thanks to LECOM in a letter penned to Drs. John and Silvia Ferretti. He attributed much of his success in the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) program to his educational association with LECOM; for the insight, support, and willingness to help him in the pursuit of his dream to join a research team in the Department of Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Now a LECOM fourth-year medical student, Haring noted that “this past year has shaped the physician that I will become,” and he looks forward to completing his LECOM decree.

Graduating near the top of his JHU class, and “loving every minute of this opportunity,” Haring lauds and credits LECOM for its vision to see a broad view of education.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 15

Jeffrey Hall left his job at the Lake County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office to pursue a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree at LECOM Bradenton.

Of course, Hall received loving support from his wife, Kate, and from his daughters Seraphim (11) and Sydney (9); but it was Hall’s second “family” - the prison guards at the Florida Department of Corrections prison in Clermont, Fla. - who set the 37-year-old upon the path to medical school.

“I wouldn’t be here today without the encouragement of my family and of the staff at the prison,” explained Hall, who spent 12 years as a prison guard. “My co-workers would trade shifts with me and they would share vacation days so that I could attend school,” he related.

After those dozen years serving as a prison guard, Hall joined the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Tavares, Fla. Lake County Sheriff, Gary S. Borders played a pivotal role in facilitating Hall’s application to medical school.

“The Sheriff’s Office offered an educational program that helped me to pay for my prerequisite courses for medical school,” said Hall, a four-year veteran of the U.S. Navy.

“Sheriff Borders even offered to find work for me at the jail during holiday breaks to help offset the cost of school,” expounded Hall.

Hall noted that “regrettably and frequently, prison guards conjure a negative connotation.

However, there are exceptionally good people involved in corrections work,” he commented.

The medical student lauded the people with whom he worked and he recounted the many ways in which they “took great care” of him.

Hall recalled with delight, the send-off party arranged for him by the guards and the prideswelling and uplifting standing ovation that he received when he walked into the room.

LECOM BRADENTON NOVEL STORIES, NEW CAREERS Guarding the Dream - Medical School Opportunity Made Reality through Unexpected Supporters 16 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

Hall worked as a guard in the prison mental health system, the charge of which piqued his interest in medicine. In addition, he had the opportunity to shadow the lead physician at the facility.

“I’ve worked with many doctors and nurses, and they encouraged me to enter medical school,” he said. “I always knew that I wanted to go to medical school; I just needed an opportunity,” averred Hall.

Hall will draw upon his experience as an adept prison guard - using his ability to react and to think quickly - much like the skills required to be an emergency room physician.

“The ability to communicate rapidly and effectively is essential,” Hall remarked. “They are good skills to possess, especially when training to become a physician,” he furthered.

The osteopathic medicine philosophy is paramount to Hall’s study. “I love the wholebody integration aspect of the DO philosophy,” he emphasized. “It’s a natural fit for all that I hope to accomplish, and LECOM has led the way in that arena.”

Clues to a Calling - Former Police Detective Pursues her Passion Allison Hinkle is matriculating to the LECOM School of Pharmacy after enjoying a career as a police detective.

Since 2010, Allison Hinkle has lived the life of a detective. She has traversed the most dangerous neighborhoods and scouted the most upscale communities in search of clues and pieces of information necessary to solve countless cases.

Now, the 29-year-old is leaving her career in law enforcement to piece together the information needed to earn her doctor of pharmacy degree from LECOM in Bradenton, Fla.

Above: Former Police Detective, Allison Hinkle, pursues her passion to earn her Pharm.D. degree. Below, left: Former Corrections Officer, Jeffrey Hall, seeks his DO Degree. Below, right: James Ittel sets his focus upon a Dental Degree.

“I’ve always loved chemistry and science, and I had an interest in medicine,” said Hinkle, who worked both at the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office and at Avon Park Police Department in Florida. “My career in law enforcement helped me to deal with people from all walks of life and the same skill is necessary for the pharmacy profession,” she noted.

A few of the cases that Hinkle worked as a detective included those related to drug trafficking and prescription medication fraud. “While there is an adrenaline rush involved with being a detective, it is far from the glamorous life as depicted on TV,” she assured, noting that there are times when when a detective is confined to “sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day.”

Leaving law enforcement was not an easy decision for Hinkle, but her keen interest in pharmacy outweighed every other career consideration.

“Law enforcement always will be in my blood, but I’m looking forward to another challenge,” she asserted; “I’m taking a leap of faith.”

Her faith in her abilities already has proved fruitful.

LECOM was the only pharmacy school to which she applied.

“It was LECOM or bust!” declared Hinkle.

Averred the pharmacy student, “I like the whole-person, patient-centered approach that is central to the LECOM curriculum.”

Digging In - Dream of Dentistry Under Construction

After enjoying a successful career in excavation and business ownership, 42-yearold James Ittel is living out his dream of becoming a dentist.

“I always knew that I wanted to do this,” Ittel stated; explaining that he had encouraging conversations with his childhood dentist about the profession.

When James Ittel received his finance degree from Valparaiso University in 1994, he made certain to put it to good use. He opened and owned an excavation company – Ittel Excavation – and he continues to own the Friendly Mart Gas Station and Convenience Store in Englewood, Fla.

Ittel’s acceptance into the LECOM School of Dental Medicine was, to him, especially gratifying because he does not have to leave home. Ittel and his wife, Julie, have lived in nearby Venice, Fla. since 1997.

His business acumen aside, Ittel always had wished to pursue a career in dentistry. When the economic downturn dampened the field of excavation, Ittel returned to school in 2010 to complete the prerequisites necessary to apply to dental school.

Intrigued by the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum offered by LECOM, Ittel found appealing the idea of working and studying in groups, in lieu of sitting in lectures.

“There’s no doubt that this is the best way to learn,” Ittel pronounced.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 17

ARRIVING AT LECOM, JOHN SHAFIK EXPLAINS: WHY MEDICAL SCHOOL? “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition; somehow, they already know that which you truly seek to become.” Steve Jobs

“I have always wanted to be a physician,” asserted incoming LECOM medical student, John Shafik. “Moreover, I always have wanted to become a surgeon; I dreamed about it as a boy and I feared it as a teen,” he continued. Not certain if his “fear” stemmed from concern about the burdensome demands of a medical curriculum or from the possibility of falling short of his dream, Shafik recalled that during his undergraduate years, he did not possess the intense discipline required to study medicine. “I wanted to spend my time with friends, with girls, and to experience the social scene of college life,” he admitted.

as lively or carefree as had previously been Shafik’s comportment, the young man noted that his social outings with friends of old decreased. Everything in his life seemed to promote the optimal atmosphere to become an excellent student; and accordingly, Shafik began taking courses at the local community college to fulfill basic science prerequisites.

“After serving with the military as U.S. Army active duty personnel from 2005 to 2008, and with much of that service in Afghanistan, I came back to the States a wholly different person,” Shafik commented. “I realized that I was fortunate to have been born in America; and like most of us, I never truly understood life outside of the United States, regardless of the movies that I had watched or the books that I had read. Coming home, I fully appreciated how blessed I am, how short life is, and - I determined that if I came home safely, I was going to pursue my dream,” averred the LECOM first-year student.

Shafik recalled with delight the telephone call that he received from Seton Hill University (SHU); the call that came to offer him an open seat in the class beginning in January 2010. “I took the seat,” Shafik noted buoyantly.

Once back in the United States, Shafik no longer held an interest in mere socializing and he turned his attention toward “reading more” and “watching less,” as his character deepened and his purpose developed. Aware that his friends did not find this new focus 18 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

Determined to excel in every class and now sharply focused upon pursuing a medical career, Shafik sought to increase his confidence by applying to physician assistant (PA) school and by continuing to take premedical courses.

For Shafik, physician assistant school remained his most memorable time in academia. “I felt honored to attend the classes and to learn medicine,” he explained.

So began the fulfillment of his dream as the determined student was put to the test with a full course load. Shafik proved, both to himself and to his educators, that indeed, he could excel.

“I began to feel that PA school was more of a preparatory step than an end in itself for me,” stated Shafik. During his surgical clinical rotation, the difference in scope of practice between PA and physician became apparent

to him. He realized at once that he would hold regret in his heart until he answered his lingering call to attend medical school.

Shafik yearned for the autonomy and for the advanced attainment that comes only through physician training.

“I want to spend these valuable years immersed in medical education to become a skilled physician; and one day, after a set period of training, to have the competence to lead my own case,” noted the scholar.

Before being accepted into the LECOM medical program, Shafik spent any available free time reading Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations and Basic Surgical Techniques; and he practiced advanced suturing at home “by creating anastomosis in ordinary household items such as gel-grip penholders,” he recounted.

Averred Shafik, “I feel fortunate because I know the answer to the question: ‘what do you want to do with your life?’”

Shafik is especially appreciative of LECOM and grateful for the Accelerated Physician Assistant Program (APAP) championed by Dr. Mark Kauffman, DO. Explained Shafik, “Words will not express my gratitude for LECOM creating a program that looks past traditional markers, and that allows someone like me the opportunity to realize the calling of a lifetime.”

DREAM TO STUDY MEDICINE BRINGS STAR ATHLETE TO LECOM On the heels of her triumphs at Mt. Lebanon High School (near Pittsburgh), Rebecca Riemer could have opted to play Division I college volleyball. As a star player for two Western Pennsylvania Intramural Athletic League (WPIAL) Class AAA championship teams - the first in 2007, the second in her senior year of 2009 - Riemer was offered a scholarship to play volleyball at Jacksonville University in Florida. Riemer declined the NCAA Division I program at the Atlantic Sun Conference school, choosing instead, to study locally at Division III Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. “I just figured that it was a better fit for me,” affirmed Riemer, noting that the opportunities at Westminster would afford her a greater occasion to focus upon academics.

As Westminster Outstanding Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Riemer received estimable accolades for having achieved the highest cumulative grade-point average among all female senior student-athletes at the college.

For the Mt. Lebanon native, the award was the result of protracted prioritizing and task balancing that she believes has prepared her well for a life beyond athletics.

“Balancing everything was definitely a challenge, but it taught me a great deal about time management,” Riemer remarked. “I always was studying while on bus trips and while on the road, but I thought that was good prep for med school,” commented the scholar.

Indeed, it was “good prep,” as the focused pupil entered her first year of medical school this fall at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM).

Tammy Swearingen, the Women’s Volleyball

Coach at Westminster, recalled discussing with the well-rounded student, Riemer’s dream of pursuing a medical degree.

Riemer, a 6-foot tall middle blocker, was recognized by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference; finishing her career at Westminster ranking seventh in program history with 327 career blocks and 11th in career kills with 965.

Swearingen was not the least bit surprised by Riemer’s success. “I thought that she was someone special when I was recruiting her... she had that fire,” Swearingen said.

Riemer’s “fire” will serve her well at LECOM as the medical student begins her journey in the Class of 2018. A host of options await her as she determines which field she hopes to pursue while in medical school. Presently Riemer finds her interests rest in orthopedic surgery as her years playing volleyball have steered her focus in that direction. Having witnessed a number of her teammates sustain knee injuries requiring the type of surgeries that, some day, she could perform, Riemer believes that her dream of becoming a physician is now within reach.

“I had my knee replaced almost a year ago,” recalled Coach Swearingen, “and Riemer commented, ‘Next time you need it done, you can come to me and I’ll do it,’” Swearingen chuckled.

While Riemer has not disavowed her love of the game of volleyball, she feels prepared and eager to press on to the next phase of her life. “I’m ready to do all that I desire to do in my life,” Riemer beamed. “I hope to be active both in the field and in the hospital; I am ready to move on with my career;” and LECOM is ready to help her fulfill that dream.

Rebecca Riemer trades volleyball stardom for a medical degree. The scholar-athlete excelled both in classroom and on court; turning down a volleyball scholarship to pursue her medical calling.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 19

QUIET NIGHT TRANSFORMED TO CHAOS LEADS SOLDIER TO LECOM On call in Iraq, a quiet night was about to devolve into chaos for Justin Espland and his fellow Army Physician Assistant, both working a 24-hour shift at a battalion aid station (BAS) located on forward operating base Taji.

It was a clear night in June 2011 when BAS soldiers began to receive enemy fire from insurgents. The insurgents had established a point of origin site near the aid station and they began to fire 81mm mortars at the BAS. Warning sirens blared and Espland took immediate cover on the floor of the station.

Mortar rounds seemed fiercely unremitting.

After 71 impacts, the “all clear” signal finally sounded. The physicians began instantly to prepare for casualties to arrive at their station.

After just minutes, the walking wounded crossed the medical station threshold. Shortly thereafter, an armored personnel carrier arrived, carrying a severely injured 19 year-old male soldier with multiple penetrating injuries.

The young serviceman was unresponsive.

moment that helped Espland realize that practicing medicine and providing patients with high quality care, indeed was the calling of his life.

“While deployed to Iraq, I had the privilege to work with an outstanding Lieutenant Colonel and physician, Dr. Richard Scheuring,” Espland recalled. Dr. Scheuring was an osteopathic physician, Board Certified in aerospace medicine, family medicine, and had served as a NASA physician. “From him, I received a superb level of clinical mentorship and a great insight into the way in which an osteopathic physician practices medicine, using the holistic approach,” continued Espland. “It was from his mentorship that I curtailed the methods that I had utilized previously in providing care to American Soldiers; instead now focusing upon the mind, body, and spirit approach to medicine to provide the best care to patients,” he concluded.

Within 25 minutes of receiving five casualties, Espland and his team were able to return three patients to duty and to evacuate two patients for further care; all of them survived.

Espland’s experiences in Iraq precipitated his desire to further his medical education at a school with an estimable reputation and one that stands as an unparalleled leader in teaching in the osteopathic philosophy.

Naturally, Espland chose LECOM. The innovative and unique LECOM Accelerated Physician Assistant Program (APAP) is a program that trains Physician Assistants to become doctors; and a path that will lead Espland to the calling of his life.

The initially quiet night, proved to be a remarkably transformative and pivotal

The astute student made note of three important and quite indispensable qualities

Immediately, Espland and his fellow Physician Assistant applied occlusive dressings, established a surgical airway, skillfully treated and tended to the young man, stabilizing him soundly for air transport.

central to a physician’s calling - and integral to a LECOM education. “In my opinion, empathy, integrity, and personal courage are qualities that rank first and foremost in undertaking the practice of medicine.

Applying these attributes to the calling, one always will do the right thing, for the right patient, at the right time,” explained Espland.

This largely Aristotelian notion may be difficult to implement or requiring of great effort by the physician, but imbuing such attributes within daily routines ensures a high level of quality care.

“As a physician assistant, I have strived always to provide my patients with the best medical care available. Moreover, I have had the desire to further develop my clinical knowledge to aid me in providing an even greater level of care. I feel that by becoming a LECOM physician, not only will I better serve my future patients, but I shall have the ability to better treat underserved populations and to serve as a supervising physician for physician assistants who also are caring for the underserved,” noted Espland.

LECOM gratefully recognizes the struggles and sacrifices of the servicemen and women who valiantly have carried forward the banner of freedom. Whether in conflict on the battlefields or tending to the injured, their contribution to the cause of liberty is indisputable; and for Justin Espland, the calling of medicine was found in the shattered quiet of one night in Iraq.

Above, left: Justin Espland during target practice, just prior to a mission. Above, right: Justin Espland with an Iraqi physician (back, left) and CPT Dianne Urey, PA. Photos taken in the area of Taji, Iraq.

20 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

HEART AND SPIRIT OF LECOM Aug 18, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi (left) presents Cheshire Ct heart transplant recipient Colby Salerno (second from left) with a jersey as mother Kelly Salerno (second from right) and father Jeff Salerno look on before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The cliched maxim “stop and smell the roses” is not at all hackneyed for Class of 2018 admittee, Colby Salerno. Salerno knows all too well the importance of appreciating those “small things” wherever and whenever they arise.

At the age of 12, Salerno was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. He was inclined to discontinue his participation on three competitive soccer teams to redirect his focus to learning more about the workings of his heart and of his medical state. By the age of 14, Salerno had made up his mind that he was going to become a doctor, desiring to help others who faced situations similar to those with which he had been challenged.

Salerno recalls the day that he was informed that he needed a heart transplant. “I was devastated,” he explained. “I was in the process of trying to determine what I was going to do to make myself the best applicant for medical school; little did I know that needing a heart transplant would lead to the greatest amount of that preparation,” he confided.

Salerno was admitted to Hartford Hospital in Connecticut (his home state) where he would spend half a year in the cardiac intensive care unit awaiting his much needed heart transplant.

The 24 year-old lived alongside doctors, nurses, and medical professionals. The lessons that he gained while in their company proved invaluable to him. “”I was able to

learn about medicine, to see the way in which medical personnel interacted with me as a patient; and due to my ability to roam the floor, I was able to see them interact with other patients and with each other as well,” related the medical student. “It was as if I had been shadowing for 180 straight days.

I met patient after patient, and I learned what bothered them, and what made their experience better; all information that I knew one day, could help me to become an excellent doctor,” he expounded.

Salerno is tremendously aware that his personal story provides a starting point for him in a life to be lived with passion. “Not only did receiving the gift of life afford me the chance to learn all about being a patient and provide to me an opportunity to live and learn alongside medical professionals, but it also gave me the energy that I needed to succeed in my studies,” the indefatigable Salerno noted. “Living life now with a new and healthy heart has made it clear to me what had been holding me back; I had simply assumed that every college student must be tired,” he chuckled. Post-heart transplant, Salerno enjoyed a vibrant energy level while completing graduate school. Taking high-level classes and succeeding throughout his course of study reinforced his buoyant optimism about his ability to perform well in medical school. “If given the chance to be healthy at the outset, of course, I would not hesitate to take that option, but in light of the cards that were dealt to me, I feel that I have been able to gain extremely valuable knowledge and experience - and now with a new, strong,

beating heart in my chest, I am able to take on the next chapter in my life and to succeed at the highest level alongside all other medical students,” concluded Salerno.

Perhaps the most inspirational aspect of Salerno’s tale is the attitude that he has taken in directing the challenges of his experiences toward the betterment of others. More than 121,000 people are on donor waiting lists in the United States, including 1,400 in Connecticut. Recognizing that fact, Salerno has taken to serving as a fund raiser for activities that would bring awareness to helping those similarly afflicted.

Recently, the new LECOM student coordinated an awareness activity with the New York Yankees, arranging for them to direct attention to his cause.

Salerno’s community outreach program was devised during his hospitalization, when he received a call from Yankees Manager, Joe Girardi, who asked if the team could do anything for him. Salerno suggested that the team promote organ donation to its fans. Accordingly, the Yankees agreed to distribute organ donor enrollment information to fans entering the stadium and team representatives ran announcements during the game to encourage organ enrollment.

Salerno’s history over the course of his life thus far has been one lived with passion. If indeed, “past is prologue,” then first year medical student, Colby Salerno, embodies both the heart and the spirit that is LECOM. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 21

GOING THE DISTANCE LECOM has become only the second school in the nation to provide a four-year, online Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

The inaugural class of the online Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Program consists of 24 students, including Christopher James, a forty-year-old, Manatee County native.

James attended Manatee High School and the University of Florida before serving as the Director of Young Life, a non-profit organization committed to making a difference in the lives of children. James always had an interest in pharmacy; but as he noted, “life happened,” and his dream was deferred.

“Even when I was working, always I held in the back of my mind, the idea of going to pharmacy school,” he said. “Now, I am able to devote my full attention to going to school,” James remarked delightedly.

James has an excellent base of support, including his wife, Brooke, and their four

children: McKenzie (12), Lily (10), Jack (7) and Eva (4). James’ brother, Greg, is an osteopathic physician in St. Petersburg and he served as President of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association. Dr. Greg James recommended LECOM to his brother.

The osteopathic approach to care for the whole person coupled with the patientcentered philosophy of the pharmacy program truly impressed Christopher James. “The atmosphere and the entire environment at LECOM is clean, professional, and first-rate; and the communication is incredible,” he averred.

Unlike his undergraduate study days, James is now taking the majority of his classes online.

Yet, “do not be fooled by the online component,” cautioned Katherine Tromp, Pharm.D., LECOM Director of Pharmacy Distance Education. The coursework is just as demanding as that of the curriculum

undertaken by the students sitting in the campus lecture hall or classroom.

“The online option is equally rigorous to that of our on-campus teaching in Erie and Bradenton,” assured Dr. Tromp. “It offers a very appealing avenue for people who, otherwise, would be unable to obtain the Doctor of Pharmacy degree; and it is part of our effort to ensure that our offerings are student-centered,” she explained.

Each summer, Distance Education students are required to return to the LECOM Bradenton campus to fulfill the laboratory, casework, and presentation portions of the curriculum.

Online Distance Education is yet another superlative link in the chain of exceptionalism in medical education that is so integral to the mission of LECOM.

LECOM has become only the second school in the nation to provide a four-year, online Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. This year, there are 24 students enrolled in the Program.

22 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

ANOTHER MILESTONE IN PROVIDING PRIMARY CARE AS LECOM OPENS OFFICE IN JFK CENTER

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) consistently pledges its unyielding commitment to providing care to those who most need it. On August 19, 2014, LECOM and the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Center held a Grand Opening Ceremony to announce the LECOM Primary Care Office to be housed in the JFK Center, 2021 East 20th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania.

“We are grateful for the LECOM investment in, and commitment to, the health of the community,” remarked JFK Board President, Oakley.

A ribbon-cutting event was hosted by representatives from the Center and from LECOM as the group welcomed the start of a new era in primary care offerings in an area desperately seeking improved access to health care. It has been almost a decade since the JFK Center last housed a primary care office.

LECOM shares with the John F. Kennedy Center an exuberant anticipation of the many benefits that such an offering will bring to the people and to the area. The existence of a first-rate primary care practice in a medically underserved locale will supply needed care to those who otherwise may have gone without necessary health services.

Mark Baker, DO, (pictured above right) a family medicine physician with Medical Associates of Erie (MAE) - the clinical practices of LECOM - will head the operations at the new care facility.

LECOM is appreciative of the trust placed in its operations by those at the JFK Center.

Dr. Baker was joined by JFK Center Board of Directors President, Robert A. Oakley; Sr. Rita Brocke, RSM; and JFK Executive Director, Samella Hudson-Brewton as the partnership inspired onlookers.

“We have waited and waited for this type of partnership,” asserted Director HudsonBrewton. “It’s been a long, hard road. The provision of affordable and accessible primary health care is an integral part of our mission.

We are excited and proud to work hand-inhand with LECOM,” she averred.

“The LECOM presence at the Center is an affirmation of its commitment to providing care where it is needed the most,” Dr. Baker affirmed.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine possesses a galvanizing power of purpose that has brought positive change to every community in which it has laid its cornerstone.

LECOM looks forward to working with organizations such as the JFK Center, those organizations that have a sound and proud history of serving the residents of the Greater Erie region.

The LECOM Primary Care Office at the JFK Center offers morning and afternoon hours, three days a week; and it provides care services for infants, children, adults, and

seniors. The many families and those who live within walking distance to the Center will find access to health care especially convenient.

The JFK Center receives approximately 150 daily visitors, many of whom are in need of health care.

“Ease of access is critical for any successful primary care practice,” noted Dr. Baker.

“We are focusing upon reducing disparities in access to care, particularly among disadvantaged patients,” he assured.

In addition to bringing the gift of osteopathic full body wellness to an area previously underserved by primary care physicians, LECOM seeks also to broaden the horizon of health awareness among nearby residents and visitors to the Center. Dr. Baker explained that he hopes to assist patients in the better understanding of chronic conditions and the way in which to treat and to manage them.

LECOM - ever focused upon providing superlative education to its students - hopes to impart to others as well, that health education, in addition to access to care, is vital to improving health outcomes and lowering costs.

Henry Ford once stated, “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success;” and LECOM looks forward to great success in this new mission of truly meaningful community betterment.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 23

LECOM WELCOMES TIM NOVAK TO LEAD MHSA PROGRAM As a resident of Lakewood Ranch, Florida, Tim Novak watched from afar as the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) continued its steady expansion in Manatee County.

From a College of Medicine in 2004, to a School of Pharmacy in 2007, to a School of Dental Medicine in 2012, LECOM has grown to become a well-recognized and highly respected name in medical education. From across the Sunshine State to across the nation, cutting-edge programs coupled with superlative education have been as beacons drawing highly motivated scholars to the light of a LECOM degree.

This Fall, Novak, was named Director of the LECOM Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA) program. The Manatee County native now has first-hand involvement with LECOM and he has set high the bar for the innovative program. “We want to create leaders in the health care industry,” said Novak. “The vision of the MHSA Program is to provide theories and practical applications to aid students in becoming successful in a dynamic health care setting,” he averred.

As Director, the 51-year-old Novak, brings a wealth of valuable knowledge and insight to his office. At the University of South Florida, he served as a professor in the School of Business and he has worked both in hospital administration and in private medical practices. “Our (the LECOM MHSA) Program is going to be the gold standard,” he assured.

“We shall provide the tools to train and to educate great health care business leaders,” 24 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

commented Novak.

LECOM has long understood the truism that one cannot lead unless one understands fully the way in which the health care system functions. “One must speak the language of health care and that is precisely central to our teaching of students,” explained Novak.

The inaugural MHSA class began in January of 2014 with 11 students, each of whom is expected to graduate this year. A second cohort began in June with LECOM medical and pharmacy students pursuing dual degrees. Enrollment has grown to 26 students; and the Program will double in size when the new classes begin in 2015.

“The mastery of communication skills and the attainment of professionalism are the essential foundational aspects that aid those seeking to become effective and efficient health care administrators,” noted Mark Kauffman, DO, LECOM Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies. “Clearly, Mr. Novak demonstrates an expert level in these competencies. Most important, he possesses the talent to share these skills with our students. The professional experiences that he adds to those in the MHSA Program team further moves our curriculum away from the two-dimensional world of the textbook and into the three-dimensional world of the true practice of health care administration,” concluded Dr. Kauffman.

The MHSA Program provides students with the knowledge and skills required to plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. Graduates are able to work as

administrators in hospitals, in public health care organizations, in private practice groups, or in other health care facilities. The knowledge gained from the MHSA Program is essential for fiscal, planning, and managerial work in health care organizations, as well as in the establishment and management of clinical practices.

Much of the MHSA program is conducted online, however students also undertake certain course work and gather to meet accreditation standards for in-person training at the LECOM Bradenton campus. “We have interactive learning platforms that are impactful,” Novak stated. “The people currently enrolled in the Program are not merely gathering credentials; rather they are gathering the skills and tools necessary to be successful,” he furthered.

Indeed, success is no stranger to Novak, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and his master’s degree from Central Michigan University. He also served five years of active duty in the U.S. Army as a Medical Service Corps Officer.

He has been married for 28 years to his wife, Nancy, a nurse at Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton. They have three children: Theresa (21), Natalie (19), and Nick (15).

LECOM is delighted to welcome a leader who clearly is prepared to lead, prepared to inspire other leaders, and prepared to carry the light of the LECOM beacon into the next generation of health care professionals.

CHAUTAUQUA HEALTH FORUM ENJOYS SECOND YEAR OF LECOM SPONSORSHIP Great leaders understand leadership. They understand, as President Harry S. Truman remarked, that “men make history, and not the other way around;” they understand that leadership and learning are indispensable to one another; that positive results come about when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity for societal betterment.

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) leadership is grounded in those qualities; attributes to which, as Americans, we have always aspired as a nation. They are timeless qualities: personal responsibility; a fierce drive toward exceptionalism; an unwavering commitment to individual freedom and deepening knowledge.

Combining those elemental principles with a profound insight into the human condition and a finely honed sense of vision, LECOM shares that insight and advances that vision through the concatenation of its unremitting mission to set the course of health care in the 21st century.

With the pivotal issues swirling around the health care climate across the nation, the fall issue of the LECOM Connection spotlights the role that LECOM plays to meet vigorously the challenges of our time. LECOM - as the only osteopathic academic health care center in the nation - has committed itself to setting the paradigm in health care leadership; and for decades, it has achieved that goal with superlative results. The serious issues facing the health care field necessitate a complete awareness and analysis, for indeed, they are the issues of our time.

It was, in that spirit, that LECOM - for the second consecutive year - was the major sponsor of the program week ending the 2014 Season at the Chautauqua Institution, in Western New York. Week Nine of the 2014 Health Care Forum drew lecturers and noted attendees from across the nation.

From August 17 - 23, thousands gathered in Chautauqua to attend lectures about deeply probing topics central to the issues affecting health care and the public.

In a forum entitled: From Bench to Bedside, five LECOM speakers presented various sessions that resulted in large audience attendance.

One of the highly featured events of the week centered upon a session presented

by Rear Admiral Scott F. Giberson, Acting Deputy Surgeon General, in which he offered a presentation reflective both of the changing health care system and of the health-related challenges facing the growing number of older adults.

LECOM was exceptionally proud to have had the opportunity to welcome RADM Giberson as the Commencement Keynote Speaker for the Pharmacy Class of 2012, bestowing upon him an honorary LECOM degree.

RADM Giberson reprised his 2012 presentation at the Chautauqua event with his comprehensive and probing lecture addressing the importance of interprofessional collaboration among health care providers - to

include pharmacists, physicians, dentists, nurses, and others. His discourse centered upon his hope for a fundamental, paradigm shift from “health care to health;” where the former focuses upon being reactive to sickness and disease (after which, it may be “too late,” to remedy the problem), while the latter emphasizes prevention and being proactive with regard to achieving positive outcomes. RADM Giberson’s message resoundingly echoed the osteopathic philosophy of treating the “whole person,” as opposed to treating only the symptoms.

His lecture drew over 2000 interested attendees to the packed amphitheater.

In addition to the participation of RADM Giberson, a number of LECOM physicians also lectured. Many of the lectures focused upon successful aging, and the way in which the growing number of older adults can slow the aging process. Proper diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices, such as not using tobacco, were discussed in the Forum. Other lecturers included leaders from academic medicine, researchers, hospital executives, surgeons, and public health philanthropists all of whom were quite well received by the audiences.

The event galvanizes the partnership that LECOM has come to establish with one of the oldest and leading educational programs in the nation. The Health Forum advances the fuller understanding of health care

-Continued on Page 33 @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 25

Join the LECOM Family of Physicians Treating Erie’s Families We are the physicians of the Clinical Practices of LECOM. Our goal is to provide our patients with the very best osteopathic, whole person care – mind, body and spirit – for a lifetime of optimal health.

You can become part of the osteopathic profession’s only Academic Health Center led by the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

We’re currently looking to hire physicians for Obstetrics/Gynecology, Urology and General Surgery for our growing practices.

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

THE CLINICAL PRACTICES OF

LECOM LAKE ERIE COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Pharmacy Students Volunteer for Heart Walk

American Pharmacists Month

First-year student pharmacists Brittany Palmer, Macy Bauer, Keighlene King, and Megan McCoy were among the LECOM students who volunteered during the 2014 Erie County Heart Walk.

Bojana Stevich-Heemer, PharmD, Assistant Professor (second from left), and first-year student pharmacists Mason Koehle, Chelsey Hughes, and Elizabeth Harrington educated members of the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center on dietary supplements as part of their outreach efforts for American Pharmacists Month.

Beast on the Bay

Bridging the Gaps

Kim Tran, OMS2, was among the LECOM students who volunteered for the Barber Beast on the Bay at Presque Isle State Park. Tran and the other students loaded and unloaded sandbags that competitors carried along the designated course.

Nearly 30 LECOM students devoted 6,000 hours this summer to working with underserved and economically disadvantaged populations through Bridging the Gaps, a community service-focused program designed to help health professionals and others make a difference in their communities. The students developed projects for local nonprofit agencies and organizations.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 27

PRIMARY CARE

CONFERENCE

MARCH 6-8, 2015

2015

PRESENTED BY:

Primary Care 2015 offers a unique learning experience for physicians and health care professionals seeking to learn the latest information on medical advancements and treatment options. LECOM faculty and guest lecturers will present topics pertinent to primary care physicians, as well as specialists.

Primary Care 2015 will focus on health problems commonly seen in the offices of primary care physicians. The objective of this three-day seminar is to provide participating physicians with information about new medical advancements in order to increase the scope of treatment options available to primary care physicians and to enhance the physicians' existing knowledge of topics that will be covered. Following Primary Care 2015, the physician should be able to apply this new medical information in diagnosis and treatment, thus improving patient care.

PHYSICIAN REGISTRATION PRIMARY CARE 2015

To register, visit lecom.edu/cme Registration and fee deadline: March 3, 2015

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine anticipates Primary Care 2015 being approved for up to 20 AOA Category I-A CME credit hours pending approval by the AOA CCME. LECOM anticipates this activity will be approved for up to 20 prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians. An application for CME credit will be filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending. Primary Care 2015 will include up to 5 hours devoted to patient safety and risk management requirements.

PRIMARY CARE IN SARASOTA August 16-21, 2015 • Hyatt Regency, Sarasota, Florida

Can’t attend our conference at Peek’n Peak? Save the date for our summer CME conference in Sarasota, Florida!

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Day of Hope

Students Help Rebuild Playground

Third-year dental students Brianne Wade, Leah Wyssmann, Judy Marcovici, Jasmine Shafagh and Joslyn Rubin participated in a Day of Hope. LECOM dental students participated in two Day of Hope events: at First Baptist Church in Bradenton and Church of the Palms in Sarasota.

Sarah Manners (OMS2, foreground) helps clear an overgrown playground in Detroit. LECOM Bradenton medical students traveled to Detroit July 29-Aug.1 as part of the American Osteopathic Foundations Human Touch Leadership Project. Manners and secondyear students (not pictured) Robert Cooper, Melissa Huynh, David De la Pe単a, Anthony LaHood, Christina Mesoraca, Katherine McCarthy and Swetapadma Pattanaik were honored by the AOF for their service.

Students Travel to Nicaragua

Dental Students Teach Proper Flossing

Led by LECOM Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Thomas Quinn, DO (center), medical and pharmacy students and faculty participated in a medical mission trip to Nicaragua. Those joining Dr. Quinn included: Lauren Gabriel (OMS2), Christina Mesoraca (OMS2), Shabnam Khoie (OMS2), Melanie Duhamel (OMS2), Kristina Bettencourt (P4), Danielle Moore (P4), Julie Krapfel (P4), James Ghattas (OMS2), Evander Meneses (OMS2), Matthew Soberano (OMS2), Millet Yang (OMS2), Andrew Corbett (OMS2), and Charles Doerner (OMS2). Faculty members making the trip included Kathryn Samai, Pharm.D., and Susan and William Spielberg (adjunct).

Rania Abdel-Malak (D2) and Taylor Minkus (D1) participated in a Day of Hope at Church of the Palms in Sarasota. Day of Hope is a community outreach event that provides back-to-school medical check-ups for children in need.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 29

NOTES

STUDENT NOTES

College of Medicine – Erie Campus Zachary Lyon (OMS2) and Benjamin Switzer (OMS2) received the $500 Rossnick Humanitarian Grant from the American Osteopathic Foundation.

College of Medicine – LECOM at Seton Hill Margaret Ciavarelli (OMS4) received the American Osteopathic Foundation Human Touch Student Leadership Project Award.

Lauren Mathos (OMS3) was chosen for the American Osteopathic Foundations $2,000 Welch Scholars Grant

College of Medicine – Bradenton Campus Second-year medical students Robert Cooper, David De la Pena, Melissa Huynh, Anthony LaHood, Sarah Manners, Christina Mesoraca, Katherine McCarthy, and Swetapadma Pattanaik received the American Osteopathic Foundation Human Touch Student Leadership Project Award.

Charles Doerner (OMS2) received the $500 Rossnick Humanitarian Grant from the American Osteopathic Foundation.

Erin Greenup (OMS4) received a $2,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation of Tampa.

Brooke Johnson (OMS3) is the recipient of the American Osteopathic Foundation Burnett Osteopathic Student Researcher Award. The $2,000 award is presented annually to one student in recognition of dedication to osteopathic-oriented research.

Shane Joseph (OMS4) received a $1,000 scholarship from the Volunteer Auxiliary Inc. of Westside Regional Medical Center in Plantation, Fla. Sheel Patel (OMS3) received the American Osteopathic Foundation $2,000 Welch Scholars Grant.

School of Pharmacy – Bradenton Danielle Moore (P4) and Heather Sirek (P4) teamed up to win the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) Clinical Skills competition. They competed against other student pharmacists from the Bradenton and Erie campuses. The event involved an interactive, team-based analysis of clinical scenarios for hospital/health-system pharmacists.

Justin Read, PharmD, Captain, USAF, was awarded 30 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

the Air Force Commendation Medal. A 2011 graduate of the School of Pharmacy at LECOM Bradenton, he was honored for his meritorious service as Officer in Charge, Inpatient Pharmacy Element, 96th Medical Support Squadron, 96th Medical Group, 96th Test Wing, Elgin Air Force Base, Florida.

Jelena Cusanelli (P3) received a $1,000 scholarship from the Manatee Community Foundation.

Christina Dawkin (P4) received a $2,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation in Tampa.

Aila Haghgoo (P1) received a $2500 scholarship from the Carroll Hospital Foundation in Westminster, MD. Amanda Peebles (P2) received a $1,400 scholarship from the Community Foundation for Sarasota County; a $2,000 scholarship from the Emily and Roland Abraham Educational Fund; and a $1,000 scholarship from Peace River Electric Cooperative.

Katie Schumacher (P3) received a $3,700 scholarship from Griffith Morgan from Karns City High School in Karns, PA. Kyler Shane (P4) received a $1,000 scholarship from the Sun City (Fla.) Center Rotary Club.

Medicine at Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, WV, and he serves as President-Elect of the West Virginia Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Class of 2006 Duangnapa S. Cuddy, DO, received the $2,000 Rossnick Humanitarian Grant from the American Osteopathic Foundation.

Charles Payne III, DO, has been named Medical Director for the East Liverpool (Ohio) City Health District.

Class of 2007 David E. Connor Jr., DO, has joined Neurosurgery Arkansas on the Baptist Health Medical Center campus in Little Rock, Ark.

Class of 2008 Victor Awuor, DO, has joined the practice of Drs. Albert J. Camma and Jeffrey Lobel in Zanesville, OH. Dr. Awuor specializes in neurosurgery.

Daniel J. Harmon, DO, has joined the staff of Orthopedic Center of Florida in Fort Myers. Dr. Harmon specializes in adult reconstruction of the hip and knee.

Tang Tang Zhao (P4) received a $1,500 scholarship from the Walmart Foundation.

Derrick J. Plahn, DO, has joined Franciscan Physician Network Indiana Heart Physicians in Indianapolis.

School of Dental Medicine – Bradenton

Class of 2009

Matthew Conley (D1) received a $475 scholarship from the Kiwanis Club of Labelle, Fla.

Trasey Holloway Falcone, DO, is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician and Medical Director at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital in Kentucky.

Rachel Miller (D3) received a $2,000 Lowengard Scholarship from the Foundation for Enhancing Communities in Harrisburg, PA. Sandra Santos (D3) received a $2,000 scholarship from the KML Foundation in Tampa.

ALUMNI NOTES

Jerry Fowler, DO, is co-author of Major Bleeding During HeatMate II Support, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Class of 2010 Angela Caswell-Monack, DO, has joined Bayside Health Association as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Lewes, DE.

Class of 2004

Katie Chapman, DO, has joined the Emergency Department medical staff at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

Christopher Good, DO, has joined UPMC Northwest Specialty in Titusville, Pa. Dr. Good specializes in cardiology.

Guadalupe Herrera-Garcia, DO, has begun a maternal fetal medicine fellowship at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.

Class of 2005

Laura Kohlhepp Nelson, DO, recently joined the Emergency Departments at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire and Menomonie, WI.

Nicole Clapper, DO, a family medicine physician, has joined Conemaugh Health System.

Chris Gooch, DO, is the medical team leader for the Jefferson (Ohio) SWAT team. Currently, he is the Assistant Program Director of Emergency

Khuong Nguyen, DO, is a hospitalist at White Plains Hospital in New York.

Brianne Plante (Paulson), DO, has joined

NOTES Kingsdale Gynecologic Associates in Columbus, OH. Gregor Thebaud, DO, has joined J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon, PA. Dr. Thebaud specializes in sports medicine.

Class of 2011 Michelle L. Bretzius, DO, has joined Bayhealth Family Medicine in Smyrna, DE. Christine Crocker, DO, JD, received the American College of Osteopathic Internists’ Resident Award for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching.

John Fetchero III, DO, has joined Family Practice Associates of Orange Park, Fla. Kenneth M. Long, DO, recently joined Picayune Family Practice Clinic, a service of Hattiesburg Clinic in Mississippi.

FACULTY NOTES College of Medicine

John Angeloni, DO, has been appointed Vice Provost and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the Bradenton campus.

Mark Best, MD, received a certificate in Laboratory Management from the American Society of Clinical Pathology, Lab Management University and he presented a poster entitled: CQI applied to PBL: Challenges and Solutions at the annual meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators in Nashville, TN. Sonia Dillon, PhD, has been appointed Institutional Director of Diversity.

Peter Thomas, DO, has joined Mount Nittany Physicians Group in State College, PA, as a hospitalist.

Amber M. Eade, Ph.D., has been elected Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Westmoreland (PA) Choral Society.

Jonathan J. Vitale, DO, completed a dual DO/MD family medicine residency at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago.

Thomas Quinn, DO, received $7,500 in medical supplies from the American Osteopathic Foundation Ready Relief Box Grant.

Eric Yoder, DO, has joined Bronson Family Medicine in Portage, WI, as an Internal Medicine Hospital Specialist.

Justin Siebert, PhD, co-authored a review article: Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans in the Nervous System: Inhibitors to Repair, published in BioMed Research International.

Class of 2012 Denise Traficante, PharmD, married Tyler Covert on September 13, 2014 in Amherst, NY.

Class of 2013 James Lozada, DO, is an anesthesiology resident at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Class of 2014 Benjamin Kelley, DO, has been accepted to an otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery residency at Detroit Medical Center. Dr. Kelley was the recipient of the LECOM Dean’s Award.

Rachel Kelley, DO, has been accepted into a family medicine residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Troy, MI. Dr. Kelley was the recipient of the LECOM ACOFP Award.

Michael Parslow, DO, has joined the family medicine residency program at St. Elizabeth Medical Center Utica, NY. Christine (Wilk) Sickles, DO, is a primary care resident at Lewis Gale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Va.

Travis Small, DO, co-authored Allogenic Blood Transfusion Following Total Hip Arthroplasty: Results from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2000 to 2009, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc. Joshua A. Tuck, DO, co-authored a book chapter Open All-Suture Repair Technique for the Treatment of Athletic Pubalgia, published in Sports Hernia and Athletic Pubalgia.

School of Pharmacy Hershey S. Bell, MD, MS Med. Ed., Dean of the LECOM School of Pharmacy has been appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Trustees of Mercyhurst Preparatory School.

Sarah Dombrowski, PharmD, co-authored Key Factors Associated with Successful Integration of Patient Care Services in Dispensing Workflow: A Traditional Community Chain Pharmacy Evaluation, published in the Pennsylvania Pharmacy Association Grant Report.

Frank Etzler, PhD and Michael Madden, PhD, co-authored The Test of Logical Thinking as a Predictor of First-Year Pharmacy Students’ Performance in Required First-Year Courses, published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.

Michael Madden, PhD; Danielle DeBias, PharmD,

MS; and G. Elliott Cook, PharmD, co-authored Characteristics of Acetaminophen Users Compared with Nonusers during Pregnancy, Behavioral Problems, and Hyperkinetic Disorders, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.

Inna Miroshnyk, PhD and Sabiruddin Mirza, PhD, co-authored Microfluidics-Assisted Engineering of Polymeric Microcapsules with High Encapsulation Efficiency for Protein Drug Delivery, published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics Justin Scholl, PharmD, has been named one of the Pennsylvania Pharmacy Association 10 Under 10 Award winners. The 10 Under 10 Awards recognizes the top ten pharmacists practicing for less than ten years and who demonstrate commitment to advancing the profession, maintaining involvement in PPA and other pharmacy associations, and/or service to the community.

Ruhi Ubale, PhD, co-authored three articles The Effect of Antisense to NF-kB in an Albumin Microsphere Formulation on the Progression of Left-Ventricular Remodeling Associated with Chronic Volume Overload in Rats; Induction of Death Receptor CD95 and Co-stimulatory Molecules CD80 and CD86 by Meningococcal Capsular Polysaccharide-Loaded Vaccine Nanoparticles; and Development and Validation of a UPLC Method for Rapid and Simultaneous Analysis of Proton Pump Inhibitors - to be published in the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Journal and the Journal of Drug Targeting.

Ryan Wargo, PharmD and Marcus Campbell, PharmD, co-authored: Is Xylitol Effective in the Prevention of Acute Otitis Media? - published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

School of Dental Medicine Anton Gotlieb, DDS, has been appointed Executive Associate Dean for the School of Dental Medicine.

Carolyn Primus, PhD, co-authored Physical Properties of New Generation Tricalcium Silicate Dental Materials, published in Bioceramics Development and Applications.

Wellness Center Tyler Travis, MS, Executive Director of the John M. and Silvia Ferretti LECOM Fitness and Wellness Center, has been named strength and conditioning coach for the Mercyhurst University Men’s Hockey team for the 2014-15 season.

The LECOM Connection is proud to report about the accomplishments of our graduates, faculty, and students. Often, we learn about these achievements through news reports. We appreciate The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine being mentioned in the articles and we ask that you note that you are a LECOM graduate, student, or faculty member when submitting news articles to your local media. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 31

LOSS SHAKES LECOM FAMILY Remembering Dr. Carlo J. DiMarco

The LECOM family offers heartfelt words of goodbye in solemn tribute to the eldest child of Argia and Domenico DiMarco, to the husband of Maria DiMarco; and to the father of Carlo and Stephen. Countless people family, friends, patients, students, colleagues will long remember Carlo DiMarco, DO, as the heir to a weighty legacy and a leader in the osteopathic tradition; a healer for those who had need; an educator for those following the noblest of callings, the soul of his family - a man who led by example and who lived by his virtuous principles.

Growing up in a Philadelphia, Italian-American family, Dr. DiMarco received the faith-filled, grounded guidance that shaped his devotion to family, to education, and to osteopathic medicine. As the first of his family born in America, Dr. DiMarco was imbued with the love of learning as his parents instilled in him their spirit of reverence for education.

His father, Domenico had been a professor of languages at the University of Rome and after emigrating from Italy, taught languages at LaSalle University in Philadelphia for more than 50 years.

As Regional Dean of Clinical Medicine and a professor of ophthalmology at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. DiMarco was Director of the Ophthalmology Residency Program at Millcreek Community Hospital. As a Fellow of the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, he had served as team ophthalmologist for the Philadelphia 76ers and for the Erie BayHawks

Dr. Carlo DiMarco embraced the spirit of resilience and good humor and found always the obligation to give of himself.

Those who loved him, and who ache with his passing, know Dr. DiMarco by the other titles that he held: father, brother, husband - and for so many at LECOM - colleague, mentor, and above all, friend.

Carlo DiMarco was the eldest son of the family who became his focus; the determined dreamer who became its rock. He was the clever, insightful child who led the way for his brothers, Eugene DiMarco, DO; Claude DiMarco, DO; and Anthony DiMarco, DO toward the illuminating glow and purposed path of a medical education.

32 LECOM CONNECTION | FALL 2014 | LECOM.edu

Indeed, Dr. DiMarco was the “Happy Warrior” of whom the poet William Wordsworth spoke when he wrote: As daunted more; more able to endure, As more exposed to suffering and distress; Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.

Through his own medical practice, Dr. DiMarco became committed to healing the suffering of others - a practice that would span almost four decades.

As a past president of the American Osteopathic Association, a former president of Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association, and a former president of the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgeons, Dr. DiMarco has long

maintained a leadership role within the osteopathic medical profession.

His life’s work gave healing and health, vision and joy. He was a superlative educator, a strong and steadying voice in the timehonored osteopathic profession and one who championed all that it means to be a leader in the calling.

Dr. Carlo DiMarco was a product of an age when the joy and nobility of education and the aspiration of the possible were girded by the love of family, the respect of accomplishment, and the unremitting knowledge that one person could make a difference.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is saddened by the sudden loss of its “son” and it marks with gratitude the years that he spent with his LECOM family. Truly, one cannot know for certain the length of our earthly journey; nor can one foresee the trials that will test us along the way. One cannot know God’s plan for us. Yet, as Dr. Carlo DiMarco demonstrated to all - we can live out our lives with purpose, and with love, and with joy. We can use each day to show those who are closest to us the depth of our caring, and we can treat others with the kindness and respect that we wish for ourselves. We can learn and grow from our failures; and we can strive ever to make a better world, so that someday, if we are blessed with the chance to look back upon our time here, we know that we spent it well, that we made a difference; that our fleeting presence had a lasting impact upon the lives of others. Dr. Carlo DiMarco did just that.

NOVEL BY LECOM CHIEF WRITER TAKES READERS ON UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY The new novel by LECOM Chief Writer and Editor of the LECOM Connection, Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire (nom de plume: Anne Radcliff), marks her fiction genre debut with a wholesome story, entitled: Faith’s Lesson The Chronicles of Barrow’s Hollow, (published

by Inspiring Voices).

Set in late 1800s Maine, Faith’s Lesson takes readers along with the protagonist, Faith Hale, on an intriguing and unexpected journey. Beginning with a mysterious letter and leading to a time-shifting flight, the coming-of-age story is one of personal growth and intentional living. Faith’s Lesson offers readers a memorable and deeply moving experience, complete with valuable lessons about love, fortitude, faith, forgiveness, and the direction that comes from within.

Rejecting the dystopian, edgy, and countercultural themes embraced in literature today, DeSimone (Radcliff) provides a wholesome and wholly literary body of work with a positive message.

“The composition harkens to the formally crafted books of yesteryear, when a well-told tale demanded a certain literary element.

Grammar, usage, and style mattered,” DeSimone explained.

The turn-of-the-century New England heroine, armed with tenacious self-reliance and wit; bolstered by faith and values, finds herself in a world of circumstance quite unlike that of her own, as she begins a journey of discovery. “I think that the theme of the novel is evocative of the deeply rooted traditional values and the integrity of vision that so palpably resonates at LECOM,” suggested DeSimone.

exceptionalism and for me, that is an essential quality, central to a full and purposed life,” remarked DeSimone.

The lawyer-turned-writer practiced law in Pennsylvania for more than two decades.

She served as Western Pennsylvania Media Relations Coordinator for George W. Bush, dispatched to Florida as one of the lawyers involved in the 37-day Presidential vote recount, and she worked as a Florida campaign organizer for John McCain. With political science and English degrees from Colgate University and a Juris Doctor degree from Case Western Reserve University, DeSimone has had six book titles, countless articles, and a collection of poems previously published.

Faith’s Lesson by Anne Radcliff is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

-Continued from Page 25 issues affecting the communities throughout the region. Each week, the Chautauqua Institution attracts approximately 8000 people.

From across the nation and across the globe, many of these people are community and business leaders in their own hometowns.

The LECOM-sponsored event was an opportunity to provide a superb educational experience for these visitors.

“We teach our students to take a holistic approach to treating the ‘whole person’ – mind, body, and spirit. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine stands ever ready to engage and to enlighten the minds and spirits of the Chautauqua Community,” remarked LECOM President and CEO, John M. Ferretti, DO. The resounding success of the 2014 LECOM sponsorship of Health Week does not end with the Chautauqua Season as LECOM and the Chautauqua Institution continue their partnership with another sponsorship in 2015 and beyond. “The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is committed to service, as evidenced by its credo, ‘not for ourselves, but for others;’ and LECOM continues to embrace a thriving partnership with the Institution,” assured Dr. Ferretti.

For nearly 140 years, Chautauqua has been extremely successful in promoting life-long learning among its thousands of visitors each year.

“LECOM has long been a leader in the advancement and development of the best in human values through a commitment to programs and undertakings that encourage important medical, educational, and serviceoriented excellence in our time and that stimulate a comprehensive community involvement,” noted Dr. Ferretti. Such peerless level of expertise and dedication promises excellence and attainment in the teaching of the health care disciplines. That superlative commitment is key to the LECOM mission as the College continues to be a primary resource that serves to deepen the understanding and to advance medical excellence into communities far and wide by fostering enriching educational experiences such as the Chautauqua Health Forum.

Some may know Radcliff’s alter ego, DeSimone - as an attorney, others may recall her former media relations work in political campaigns - but, DeSimone stated that during her time with LECOM, over the past five years, “she has found her true home.”

“LECOM is a place that inspires @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 33

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

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

Each year, the college conducts fundraisers only for the purpose of providing scholarships to our students. Through these efforts and support from the LECOM community, LECOM students were awarded $3.7 million in scholarship aid this year.

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

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

Erie, PA 16509

The

LECOM Stu de n t S c h o l a r sh i p Fu nd

NEXT TIME, IN THE LECOM CONNECTION:

Those Who Dared - A Tribute to the First Graduates of LECOM

The LECOM Connection honors those first graduates who dared to set out upon a path untrodden.

They captured the personality, ambition, vision, and reality of the College that would transform medical education and grow to become the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation. The inaugural journey of those men and women of LECOM - the “firsts” - has resulted in a flourishing development of a core message that articulates to the world our superlative education and unparalleled health care mission.

“If one dares to advance confidently in the direction of one’s dreams, and endeavors to live the life that one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in the common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

The “firsts” tell the story of LECOM; who we are, all that we value, and that for which we stand. They reflect our core strengths and our positions to attain the vision to which we aspire for the future.

Like the rung of a ladder that is not intended as a step upon which to remain indefinitely, LECOM enabled each graduate to place another foot higher still, to advance and to achieve - to find uncommon success in the common hours.

What have the members of the inaugural class been doing since they graduated? The answer is as diverse and as disparate as each individual practitioner - however, the call of home, the familiar and beloved place where one may find one’s truly defined purpose is found in the soft and gentle voice that speaks to every medical professional in the most hidden places of their being. It is a voice that only can be heard by those who allow themselves to be touched by the compassion of healing.

The next issue of the LECOM Connection will chronicle the tales of some of these first graduates; exploring the successes of those who have found themselves, today, in the place to which their hard work and superlative education of yesterday have brought them.

For truly, the LECOM vision is the promise of that which each student one day shall be; the ideal is the prophecy of that which each scholar shall, at last, unveil. Join us next time!

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