LECOM Connection Winter 2018

THE

LECOM

ONNECTION

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine WINTER 2018

WHY

DO MORE STUDENTS APPLY TO LECOM THAN TO ANY OTHER MEDICAL OR PHARMACY SCHOOL?

At its very core, a medical college is a product of the Throughout the decades, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has propelled itself onto the world stage. Through the implementation of innovative ideas and under the auspices of visionary leaders, remarkable changes and developments have contributed to its unique form and character, the result of which have made LECOM one of the most sought after educational institutions in the arena of medicine and healthcare.

At a time when many institutions seemed content with introverted educational experiences, LECOM was broadening its educational horizons by introducing new and cutting-edge pathways, by extending

distance education, by adding programs and degree offerings, and by expanding clinical experiences. Throughout all of this flourishing array, LECOM has sustained a profound commitment to the medical disciplines.

Indeed, as a medical institution of the first order, LECOM is distinguished by high-caliber faculty engaged in regular scholarship, and as a place where students demonstrate habits of thoughtful and intellectual discourse with them.

From Erie to Greensburg, Pennsylvania and to Bradenton, Florida, one observes the LECOM scale as a manageably-sized campus offering an abundance of activities, both in and out

of the classroom. The energy on campus presents a source of positivity as students enjoy a sense of place.

Whether in Pennsylvania, situated near the shimmering shores of Lake Erie, or in the warm glow of the Florida sun, the quality of the LECOM campus shapes the student experience and it has become a central ingredient in the LECOM undertaking. This sense of place is understood as a source of possibility that supports a keen sense of community and one that serves as a powerful connection of alumni to their educational institution.

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 Marlene D. Mosco Chair of the Board of Trustees Silvia M. Ferretti, DO Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs Hershey Bell, MD, MS (MedEd) Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Pharmacy Mathew J. Bateman, PhD, DHEd Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Mark Kauffman, DO, MS (MedEd), PA Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton Pierre Bellicini Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Eric Nicastro Assistant Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Stephanie Bruce Communications and Marketing Specialist Nick Blake Public Relations Specialist

students that it attracts.

At its very core, a medical college is a product of the students that it attracts.

Talented students, a preeminent faculty, and an effective and professional staff, thrive on campus as LECOM continues to be consistently regarded among the finest medical colleges in the nation.

As LECOM continues to aspire to greatness it does not compromise its efforts. As a firsttier institution of medical education, LECOM possesses a remarkably proud and loyal alumni, who, while at LECOM, developed exceedingly enduring bonds to each other and to their Alma Mater.

In the pages that follow, you, the reader will become familiarized with that which comprises the LECOM experience. You will understand the reason that students are making LECOM their first choice when applying to schools in the medical professions.

Joel Welin Communications and Marketing Specialist, Bradenton Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire Chief Writer Editor-in-Chief The LECOM Connection invites you to contribute to our publication. If you have news of alumni achievements, research or student activities, please contact the Communications & Marketing Department, at (814) 866-6641, or email communications@lecom.edu.

John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO 04 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2018 | LECOM.edu

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Why Do Students Choose LECOM? The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is a place in which minds flourish and grow. It is a treasure trove of discovery where students convene to learn in the osteopathic thinking of the ages using the innovative methods of the future.

I have long been interested in that which forms the driving force that brings to us our talented scholars.

Many recognize LECOM as offering the very best in medical education. Others think of us for offering online distance education courses.

I meet many people who know us first and foremost for our innovative independence – central to everything we do – preparing medical students to be honorable and useful citizens and future leaders.

Regardless of the reason for its wellrecognized name, LECOM tends to attract top students, year after year.

Indeed, because LECOM attracts top-tier academic talent, outstanding performers favor matriculating at LECOM. LECOM students tend to have superior board scores and the College consistently ranks among the named achievers in nationally regarded reports, publications and reviews – a feature that, justifiably, is most appealing to applicants.

LECOM is fortunate to have a supremely talented faculty and administrative team.

Effective leadership is the hallmark of our LECOM credo. Accordingly, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine attracts the top professors because of its reputation, its funding and its student body.

The best professors at LECOM are also attracted by the most interesting and innovative curricula and projects. They, in turn, also attract more students who are eager to learn from them.

Additionally, LECOM tends to recruit very prominent and successful leaders; and throughout its quarter century of educational excellence, it has developed an incredibly successful alumni base (whether in clinics, hospitals or private practices) that also assists current students with their career ambitions.

So, just what are the particulars of the LECOM success, those ever so nuanced details that distinguish LECOM from all others? This issue of the LECOM Connection offers valuable answers for student, educator, alumni, and casual reader alike.

Our LECOM faculty is comprised of instructors who know their subjects inside and out – but who also know the way in which to engage and to challenge students and to propel learning ever forward. They use their expertise to cultivate habits of thought that enable students to grow and to adapt throughout their lives.

Key attitudes distinguish the best college students from their peers. These individuals begin with a belief that intelligence and

aptitude are expandable, rather than static.

From this perspective, our scholars make connections across disciplines to develop a broad-based cognitive understanding that enables them to solve problems rather than simply to seek out pat answers. Intrinsically motivated by their own sense of purpose, LECOM students are not hindered by a momentary failure nor are they overly taken by conventional ideas of success. For them, success is a byproduct of pursuing intellectual curiosity, solving challenging problems, and taking risks as they learn and grow.

While motivation gets one started, commitment keeps one going and working toward a meaningful goal elevates one every day along the way.

Few schools offer the sense of community that LECOM fosters, or support their students with as much funding, resources, and useful advice as does LECOM. Professors and students alike truly care about one another, which leads to an unshakable bond of collaborative discourse.

The multiple campus settings offer an array of environments, each with its own distinctive personality and all great places to study, live, and work. From our diversity we find unity; from our vibrant campus life comes our purposed sense of community; from our highly skilled training and medical education comes our next generation of medical professionals ready to bring forth their talents to the 21st century.

Why do people choose LECOM? I invite you to peruse the pages that follow; as you, the reader, will discern, the recipe for our success rests in the details of a much broader picture.

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IN THIS ISSUE FEATURE

05

Message from the President

08 Revealing the

Philosopher's Stone

07

Credos of Our Calling - Bravery

14

Robert J. George, DO, Dean Emeritus

15

Mark Kauffman, DO, MS Med Ed, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM Bradenton

16

Master of Science Biomedical Ethics Program

17

Joining Forces to Provide Home Health and Hospice Care

18

Something's Afoot at the Mall

19

Going to the Dogs

20

LECOM Bradenton Hosts Annual White Coat Ceremony

22

Philanthropists Gather at Annual Student Scholarship Auctions

26

Saluting LECOM Alumna Louise Del Negro, DO

27

In Memoriam – Navy Lt. James A. Mazzuchelli, DO

34

Medical Associates of Erie Physician Spotlight

DEPARTMENTS 28

Community is Our Campus

31 Student, Faculty, 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.

06 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2018 | LECOM.edu

CREDOS OF OUR CALLING

The last word of the American National Anthem proclaims the fortitude of a spirit valued and cherished by those who serve in the medical profession. From the battlefield medical teams to the local paramedics, from physicians rushing to an emergency room after a community crisis, to doctors facing the contagion of global disease, the characteristic of bravery exists as an ever-present through line in the life of medical practitioners.

The quality of having or displaying mental and moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty is an important one for those who find their calling in the medical field.

Bravery embodies the choice and willingness to confront hardship, to surmount obstacles, to clarify uncertainties, and to act rightly in the face of chaos, opposition, discouragement, or personal loss. The characteristic includes aspects of perseverance and patience.

According to the influential philosopher and theologian, Thomas Aquinas, bravery is among the cardinal virtues.

Bravery•

Thucydides pointed out that, “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of that which is before them, yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.”

Indeed, history admires the wise, but elevates the brave. The opposite of bravery is not cowardice but conformity. LECOM has ever been an advocate of excellence and individualism, the powerful amalgam that supports a brave spirit.

LECOM scholars recognize that one does not write the story of one's life with words, rather one writes it with bold and brave actions.

Those who serve in the field of health care are ever aware that the future may lay upon them more than one stern test. The past will have taught each medical professional the way in which to meet it unshaken. The power to discern the unseen from the seen, to trace the implications of things, to judge the whole piece by the pattern – and to face these challenges unbowed, this is the bravery of spirit imbued in the LECOM progeny.

No blessings come without burdens. No successes come without sacrifice. For this reason, Bravery is the Credo of Our Calling.

Bravery is a sort of endurance of the soul. ~ Socrates

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FEATURE

REVEALING THE

PHILOSOPHER'S STONE "If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone."

– Benjamin Franklin

American foundational values have long proved instructive. Benjamin Franklin advised his countrymen to spend wisely. It was the entrepreneurial spirit that allowed Franklin to build wealth, to serve his community, and to create a better world for future generations.

This renowned polymath – author, printer, scientist, humorist, statesman and diplomat – did not merely endow the world with his numerous inventions or with a young country called the “United States of America," he also contributed a legacy of boundless personal wisdom and advice from his many writings.

Some of his best advice is financial and it just so happens, it has not been lost on the visionary founders of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM).

those expended times-over for educations at other institutions of higher learning. LECOM saves tuition dollars while training supremely capable, highly qualified medical professionals and by making the greatest and most favorable economic impact upon the communities and regions in which its schools are located. Here are the facts as keenly, methodically, and scrupulously parsed:

This magazine will elucidate, for some, a thought-provoking, attention-grabbing, and ostensibly curious discovery. For most however, it may not be deemed a “discovery” at all – it may be just good old common sense.

After studying student responses to assess multitudinous factors such as cost of tuition, degrees offered, classroom and clinical courses, research opportunities, national board performance, location favorability, postgraduate opportunities, reputation and additional key aspects, then subsequently comparing those findings to other similar institutions, the results unequivocally demonstrate that while cost of tuition may motivate many students to choose LECOM, a powerful performance on national board scores is also driving applications to the College of Medicine. Students have indicated resoundingly that LECOM board score performance is a considerable factor in making LECOM their medical school choice. The strength of the didactic curriculum at LECOM is also determinative in their choice.

LECOM has demonstrated that dollars spent to educate future scholars are better utilized, more effectively spent, and result in more favorable outcomes across the board than

When the time comes for medical students to prove that they are ready to leave the classroom for clinical education in hospitals and physician offices, they must pass the

Indeed, when one asks, "Why do more students apply to LECOM than to any other medical or pharmacy school?" Comes the return: "Value for dollars."

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Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) series of testing. The results show that LECOM prepares its students well for these exams. The COMLEX Level 1 (Clinical Evaluation) Board Scores indicating first-time pass rates for testing cycles for the academic years 2012/13 to 2016/17 show LECOM consistently nearing 100% in pass rates. Tracking the rates across the five-year period, LECOM has outpaced the national pass rate by almost 10%. Figure 1

100 98 96 94 92 90 88

Bradenton Erie National

86 84 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Bradenton Erie National

A similar success is observed in tracking the results of the COMLEX Level 2 (Clinical Evaluation) Board Scores. The COMLEX LEVEL 2 is required for graduation and admission into postgraduate medical education programs. First-time pass rates for testing cycles for the academic years 2012/13 to 2016/17 show LECOM students in the 95% range; again outscoring the national average by almost 5%.

The COMLEX Level 2 PE (Performance Evaluation) Board Scores as well as COMLEX Level 3 Board Scores (taken before completing residency training) indicating first-time pass rates for testing cycles for years 2012/13 to 2016/17 maintain a now familiar theme: LECOM students are scoring consistently at or above the national averages.

Bundle this stupendous series of yearly achievements with the fact that across the board, from Erie to Seton Hill to Bradenton, LECOM alumni are matching into their chosen residency, graduate medical education program, or military program at an almost 100% rate. Figure 2

6 2017 Figure 1: COMLEX Level 1 Board Scores First time pass rate

Thus, while affordability is indisputably a boon, the test results and match rates make LECOM an obvious choice for those heeding the instructive morsels of Franklin’s wisdom.

That illustrative theme is similarly observed in the LECOM School of Pharmacy where the affordability of tuition is viewed as a motivating factor, paired with favorable accessibility based upon the LECOM location. The estimable LECOM didactic and clinical training is also a keen factor in the student selection process for prospective Pharmacy scholars.

100% 95% 90%

According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the five-year national average for on-time graduation is 89%. The LECOM School of Pharmacy graduation rates consistently have exceeded the top national graduation rate by a 5% average.

85% 80%

In the LECOM School of Dental Medicine (SDM), a powerful curricula factor seems compelling for students who unequivocally listed the clinical and didactic training (respectively) as the foremost reason for choosing LECOM, surpassing even the affordable tuition aspect.

75% 70% 65%

Match Rate

60%

2014 2015 2016 2017 Match Rate 2017 Figure 2: LECOM Match Rates

10 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2018 | LECOM.edu

Boasting on-time graduation rates of 100% in 2016, the LECOM school of Dental Medicine is turning heads. Moreover, the NDBE Level 1 and Level 2 first-time pass rates are 96% and 91% respectively. A scrupulous examination of records, including enrollment, graduation data, community benefit, dollars expended, value-ratios received by communities, and a comparative analysis of other colleges and universities show that LECOM is leading the way in cutting-edge education while offering it at a very affordable rate. The LECOM results are evocative of fellow Pennsylvania native, Franklin, who counseled, “Spend one penny less than thy clear gains.”

FEATURE School of Pharmacy Tuition Repayment LECOM $162,223 Average

$250,006

Highest $447,881

As for maintaining low-cost tuition – LECOM leads by large measure.

The cost to attend the College of Osteopathic Medicine is the second lowest among private medical colleges in the United States. At just over $32,000 per year, the LECOM tuition is less than half that of the highest tuition nationally (nearly $68,000). Considering that LECOM campuses are in affordable communities, the total cost presents a significant bargain for the superlative quality of education that LECOM provides to its students.

Likewise, the LECOM School of Pharmacy tuition is among the lowest in the country and it costs only half that of the highest tuition charged nationally.

Amortized over 15 years at 6% interest.

94%

The five-year national average for on-time graduation is 89%.

LECOM School of Pharmacy graduation rates have consistently exceeded the national average.

The LECOM School of Dental Medicine tuition runs below the national mean and at just under $50,000, it is less than half of the highest dental school tuition (nearly $108,000).

Benjamin Franklin cautioned, “think what you do when you run in debt: you give to another power over your liberty.” Low tuition means lower debt. With a typical borrowing rate of six-percent, LECOM physician alumni are saving more than $102,000 over the life of an average loan and more than $213,000 compared to the physicians with the highest debt.

Meanwhile, transmuting value to the dollar, LECOM has demonstrated its commitment to increasing access for low income students by making medical education affordable.

In addition to all of the impressive and favorable statistics and figures, sometimes it is simply best to poll the audience. Many LECOM students have articulated individualized reasons – those singular and standout points – that compelled them to join the LECOM family: “The opportunity to take the Master of Medical Science Program brought me to LECOM,” states one scholar; while another values the “ability to undertake rotations non-locally.”

The “overall school ranking,” was on another student's list of must haves; while a LECOM SDM student found “the Dental Outreach Clinic in the fourth year,” attracting of attention.

Says another: “The availability of the 4+4 Program allowing a matriculation agreement with undergraduate institutions interested me very early on,” while “preparedness for professionalism in clinical rotations,” was also highly praised.

From students favoring “the Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway (APAP) with its ability to offer a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in three years,” or those seeking “an early exposure to a graduate-level

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Osteopathic Medical College Tuition Comparison 2017-2018 LECOM Bradenton (Resident) $30,980 LECOM Bradenton (Non-resident) $33,125 LECOM Erie $32,800 Average $49,697 Highest - CCOM $67,880 Data according to www.aacom.org

Private Pharmacy School Tuition Comparison 2017-2018 LECOM Bradenton (Resident) $22,925 LECOM Bradenton (Non-resident) $26,305 LECOM Erie $26,520 LECOM Distance Ed. $25,530 Average $41,148 Highest - Pacific University $73,716

clinical experience under the supervision of specialist providers,” to those welcoming a “small, but thriving campus atmosphere,” LECOM has held special appeal.

LECOM is not merely a cut above the rest by the numbers, says one satisfied scholar: “The faculty at the interview made me feel so much more welcome than I had felt at other interviews.”

For many LECOM students, the college was their choice because of proximity to their homes in Pennsylvania, Florida and surrounding states. They are able to graduate from LECOM, find Post-Graduate Medical Education close-by their homes and eventually establish their medical, dental practice in proximity to where they have ties to family and friends. This choice serves to quell the brain drain – the consequence of which presents great public benefit.

LECOM remains a major driver of economic impact within the Commonwealth with more than three-quarter billion dollars for Pennsylvania and $180 million for Florida. With sound resources, come sound scholars – creating a circular power of the purse and the purpose.

Data according to www.aacp.org

College of Medicine Tuition Repayment

LECOM $199,285 Average Debt

$301,948 Highest $412,423

Amortized over 15 years at 6% interest.

Dental School Tuition Repayment

Indeed, it took less than 20 years for LECOM to become the largest medical school in the nation; and since achieving that milestone in 2011, the College has continued to grow across its three campuses and using its innovative educational pathways. The LECOM imprimatur has attracted an ever-increasing array of applications; and by 2016, the College surpassed Drexel University as the most applied to medical college in the United States. That year, the 15,475 applicants to LECOM, outpaced large city medical colleges such as Touro in New York City, Georgetown in Washington, D.C., Temple and Thomas Jefferson Universities in Philadelphia and Boston University.

How had a college situated in the fourth largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania attracted so many more students than had these other colleges? Let us conclude by recognizing the prescient vision of the LECOM founders, whose insight and innovation brought new physicians into small cities and rural towns when others in the field refused to look beyond big city medical schools. These provident and foresighted LECOM leaders were committed to providing superlative and innovative medical education, to placing professionalism and community service foremost upon their list of goals, and to educating and training at the highest levels the new healthcare professionals who would come to Erie and Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and to Bradenton, Florida.

As the national economic climate improves and as discerning Americans spend wisely in its boon, those seeking higher education find that the most prudent investment makes the best sense. Taking a line from Benjamin Franklin’s Almanac “a penny saved” truly is “a penny earned.”

LECOM $308,011 Average Debt

$381,741 Highest $655,758

Amortized over 15 years at 6% interest.

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FEATURE

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Robert J. George, DO TO HOLD POST AS DEAN EMERITUS

defined the commitment to excellence and an unremitting concentration upon service than has Dr. Robert J. George.”

Dr. George received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Youngstown State University in Ohio and his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Bioscience.

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) places an exceptionally high value upon its mission and educational goals; stressing the importance of preparing students to become osteopathic medical professionals through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care, and community service that enhance the quality of life through improved health for all humanity. For more than a decade, Robert J. George, DO, has encouraged LECOM students to strive for professionalism, advancing an awareness of humanity to carry those principles forward when they become practicing physicians.

Dr. George has served in a variety of roles with the American Osteopathic Association, including Chairman of the Committee on Hospital Accreditation. He served as Chairman of the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians, and President of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians as well as the Academy of Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators.

Dr. George received the 2017 President’s Distinguished Service Award from LECOM President and CEO, John M. Ferretti, DO. In presenting the Award, Dr. Ferretti emphasized, “There are few educators and medical professionals who have better

Dr. George served as Medical Director and Director of Medical Education at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital in Ohio, and at St. John Detroit Riverview Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, before joining LECOM Bradenton as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. He was instrumental in establishing one of the first branch campuses for a medical college when LECOM began development of the Bradenton campus in 2004.

Aside from his many administrative duties in Bradenton, Dr. George has served as Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at LECOM. It is clear that not only has Dr. Robert George been a leader in education, but he has personified all that it means to be a community servant and philanthropist. His capable and superlative work as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM Bradenton has placed him in the very forefront of providing for the healthcare needs of the Southwest Florida region.

Dr. George has championed various community programs across the region and throughout the state to foster an academic health system with the goal of bringing the best quality health care to the communities that he touches. He has done this by practicing the principles of osteopathic medicine throughout all aspects of his work – and by creating affiliations with organizations that provide further opportunities for better training of new physicians.

Dr. George has demonstrated an impassioned commitment to the Southwest Florida community, philanthropically supporting

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organizations such as the Galvano OneStop Center for the homeless and indigent, the Cancer Support Community, and the V Foundation – a national cancer research charitable organization. He zealously lives the LECOM mission – one that pledges community service as a central part of the commitment to prepare students to become more compassionate caregivers. Dr. George has set that example by supporting organizations that have similar goals and aims as those advanced by LECOM. Many LECOM successes have come about in noteworthy measure due to the unfaltering leadership of Dr. George. He never has avoided the challenging path; finding great purpose in his life’s mission as a central principle. Such sense of purpose is essential to leaders; and Dr. George, at all times, has been possessed of great direction, goal and mission.

His common-sense approach to leadership has been a refreshing and noteworthy attribute in a world beset by bureaucratic complications. Yet, Dr. George’s affable spirit and ready heart has been ever-prepared to address any imbroglio; always equipped to change course or to hold the course when needed – if that course be sound and virtuous.

Dr. George departs the hallowed halls of LECOM in this new year, retiring to embrace a new phase of his purposed life. Though he prepares to take his leave of the school that he loves, his legacy will remain.

Recently, the LECOM Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Robert George to serve in the venerable position of Dean Emeritus.

Though retirement may be viewed by some as an ending or a closing, for Dr. George, it represents a new beginning - a new capacity in which his sagacious guidance will remain inextricably linked with the College that he so reveres.

While one may retire from an esteemed position or may relinquish a particular title, it is a surety that this great LECOM leader will be part of the LECOM family for many years to come.

Mark Kauffman, DO, MS Med Ed

NAMED ASSOCIATE DEAN OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AT LECOM BRADENTON A change in leadership at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) campus in Bradenton, Florida welcomes Mark Kauffman, DO, MS Med Ed. Dr. Kauffman now holds the position of Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM Bradenton, stepping in for Robert George, DO, who has retired.

Dr. Kauffman served previously as Associate Dean of Students, Enrollment Management and Graduate Studies at LECOM. “It is appropriate that the founding Dean of LECOM Bradenton, Dr. George, mentored and helped to select his successor, a LECOM graduate from the early years of the Erie campus,” LECOM Provost, Vice President, and Dean of Academic Affairs, Silvia Ferretti, DO affirmed.

In 1990, Dr. Kauffman earned his B.S. as a Physician Assistant from Saint Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania. He worked as a key team member for the Department of Transplantation at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh until 1996, when he entered medical school at LECOM. Dr. Kauffman was graduated second in his class from LECOM in 2000, receiving his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree. He is board-certified in Family Medicine, having completed his residency at LECOM Health affiliate Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie.

Dr. Kauffman continued his Family Practice residency at Millcreek Community Hospital where he became Chief Resident in 2002, graduating in June of 2003. He then served at the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center until 2007, when he joined LECOM as full-time faculty.

Dr. Kauffman returned to LECOM as a cynosure of accomplishment, developing the History and Physical Examination curriculum, becoming Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and later serving as Assistant Dean of the LECOM School of Graduate Studies.

Recognizing his true specialty as that of a medical school teacher and as a mentor to medical students, Dr. Kauffman completed his

studies for the Masters of Science in Medical Education in 2010.

He also led the development of the Masters in Health Services Administration Program, which prepares administrative leaders for the changing world of healthcare. Dr. Kauffman also served as peer reviewer for numerous journals. He has written many texts including, History and Physical Examination: A Common Sense Approach; The History and Physical Examination Workbook: A Common Sense Approach; and the COMLEX Level 2-PE Review Guide.

In addition to his publishing and clinical work, which have brought great acclaim to Dr. Kauffman, he has been the deserving recipient of a bevy of awards and honors, including his being the two-time recipient of the Clinical Faculty of the Year Award. Dr. Kauffman was recognized by the Veterans Affairs Ethics Consultation Service and he was also a threetime recipient of the Veterans Administration Performance Award. His accomplishments while serving the Veterans Administration are noteworthy and plentiful.

Dr. Kauffman has served as a presenter and as a developer of a host of scholarly activities.

He has been actively involved as an advisor for student remediation needs and he has functioned as a moderator for the LECOM Student Journal Club. His service to the College has long been wide-ranging, from his work on the Student Scholarship Committee, the Faculty Council, the Student Progress and Graduation Committee, and the Student DO of the Year Committee to identify just a few.

As proud husband to Michele, and as the father of three, Dr. Kauffman brings a strong and palpable sense of family purpose to medicine and healthcare. In addition to his demonstrated credence that a solid family foundation is his priority, Dr. Kauffman is an individual who does not believe in limits, a principle that he employs every day in his work at LECOM. Proving Winston Churchill’s adage that an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty, Dr. Kauffman welcomes the challenge to follow in the august footsteps of his predecessor.

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MASTER OF SCIENCE BIOMEDICAL ETHICS PROGRAM New Era in Healthcare Education Flourishing at LECOM A new generation of healthcare professionals are encountering cultural and social attitudes, values, and beliefs that may differ from their own experiences and traditional perceptions.

It is increasingly necessary that anyone engaged in healthcare delivery be possessed of a strong understanding of these differences and be able to deal effectively with them to provide the best patient outcomes.

To this end, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has developed and implemented a Master of Science in Biomedical Ethics Program (MSBE) – a distance education program that answers the call for better prepared healthcare workers.

This Program of applied ethics education seeks to move learners beyond knowledge acquisition and skills development to the integration of behavioral changes that result in the delivery of excellent patient-centered care.

Modern health professionals are expected to adequately develop and to hone their interprofessional skills. Working collaboratively and cooperatively is critical, not only to

maintain the integrity of their professions, but also to ensure the best treatment outcomes for their patients.

The MSBE is designed to provide flexibility for busy working professionals and for students who can complete the degree in as few as 18 months. The competency-based learning Program is delivered in an interactive online environment, combining multiple methods of instruction. Individual courses use various teaching methodologies driven by adult learning principles: interactive scenarios; PowerPoint presentations; podcasts; assigned readings from textbooks and from other recommended sources; self-assessments; forum discussions; guided role plays; teamwork activities; chat rooms; as well as live discussions.

The MSBE Program is useful for physicians, researchers, physician assistants, nurses, chaplains, clergy, educators, social workers, and healthcare advocates of all sorts.

Individuals earning this degree will be placing themselves into high demand for palliative care

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and for end-of-life care positions, as these are the very caregivers who accompany family members through the difficult final moments.

This Program also will benefit those seeking higher education to prepare for health care compliance and patient-care management/ research careers.

Whether students are preparing for, or continuing, a career in healthcare, science, law, chaplaincy/church ministry, education, social services, advocacy, or management, the MSBE will provide the ethical understanding required to confidently approach their respective disciplines armed with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and mindset.

LECOM recognizes that leaders and professionals in the vanguard of health care carry a particular responsibility for improving patient-centered care. The MSBE Program will help to assure that the care provided is ethics-based, respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs and values; and that clinical decisions are guided by the patient’s values. LECOM MSBE online classes began in January of 2018.

JOINING FORCES TO PROVIDE HOME HEALTH AND HOSPICE CARE LECOM Health, Saint Vincent Hospital and Visiting Nurse Association of Erie County Shared values underpin a recent partnership between LECOM Health and Saint Vincent Hospital by combining resources and expertise to more efficiently and effectively provide needed services to the community.

Millcreek Community Hospital, Saint Vincent Hospital and the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Erie County have agreed to combine assets and resources of Regional Home Health and Hospice (RHHH) with those of the VNA of Erie County to create a single, unmatched provider of home health and hospice services for residents of Erie, Crawford and Warren Counties.

The VNA of Erie County is one of the oldest home health providers in the country, delivering services in the community since 1906. Formed in 2003, RHHH was jointly owned by Saint Vincent, Millcreek Community Hospital, and Corry Memorial Hospital – the last two entities are also part of LECOM Health.

nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and personal care assistance.

LECOM Health, as an integrated, comprehensive academic health center dedicated to healthcare education and to whole person lifelong patient care, has a deep commitment to enhance the health of its community through service, promotion of clinical innovation, and research. LECOM Health includes Millcreek Community Hospital and the VNA within its umbrella nexus.

Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania is one of eight hospitals within the Allegheny Health Network (AHN). The AHN is a part of Highmark Health, an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the Western Pennsylvania region. LECOM Health and Saint Vincent Hospital are focused upon preserving healthcare choice and providing affordable, high-quality care to the communities that they serve.

Medical excellence, the hallmark of all LECOM Health endeavors will be at the center of this undertaking.

The larger VNA will offer home health and hospice services, including speech therapy, physical and occupational therapy, and comfort/palliative care, in addition to other services. Many members of the clinical staff of RNs, LPNs, therapists, social workers, and home health aides will transition from RHHH to provide care at the VNA. LECOM Health is proud to be an integral part of this new venture to provide the quality of care that has long been its priority.

The VNA will now care for more than 7,000 patients annually, providing a variety of home health and hospice services, including skilled

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 17

SOMETHING'S AFOOT AT THE MALL Something is afoot in the arena of improving community health. LECOM Health and LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center have introduced a new Millcreek Mall Walkers Program. The LECOM Walk for Wellness is a 1.2 mile route through the Mall that features fitness stations where walkers can exercise.

of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging, “LECOM Health is delighted to launch this health and wellness program in collaboration with the Millcreek Mall. Supporting regular exercise and providing health information and screenings are the best ways to build a healthful community,” noted Dr. Lin.

According to James Lin, DO, the Vice President of Senior Services and Adult Living at Millcreek Community Hospital and Director

The LECOM Walk for Wellness encourages exercise by offering community members greater access to walking, specific exercises and health resources in a clean, safe, weatherproof environment.

Kiara Catanzaro, Millcreek Mall Marketing Director, voiced enthusiasm about the Mall partnership with LECOM Health. “We are grateful for LECOM Health and for the Wellness Center that continue to support programs to improve community health and fitness,” she affirmed.

The Walk for Wellness includes eight fitness stations that feature exercises designed by the fitness experts from the LECOM Medical

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Fitness and Wellness Center. “Exercises include stretches and squats that will warm up muscles and build strength,” said David Hopkins, LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center Fitness Manager.

Participants in the free LECOM Walk for Wellness may attend monthly health education programs presented by physicians from Medical Associates of Erie (MAE), an affiliate of LECOM Health.

The program topics are designed to educate participants about heart health, women’s and men’s health, colon cancer, cataracts and diabetes among other topics. Cardiologist Carmine D’Amico, DO, presented the first talk in February of 2018.

Current mall walkers and those interested in becoming mall walkers may take advantage of free screenings, health information, giveaways and enjoy healthful refreshments. All walking levels are welcome.

Going to the Dogs LECOM Researchers Find Cancer Clues in Innovative Partnership with BioScent DX The scene could be that found in any kennel or humane society, but for a few keenly important and distinguishing factors. Paul, the beagle, bounds from his canine cubicle with a wiggle and a shake, his seemingly limitless energy elicits instant smiles from the faces of interested onlookers. He sprints into the training room where he looks up expectantly at Heather Junqueira for instructions.

“Find it,” she commands and Paul goes to work directly. The obedient beagle finds nothing in the first container, nor in the second; but the third vessel holds the prize: cells donated by a person with breast cancer.

Once Paul detects the scent, he sits to indicate his treasure. Heather rewards him for his accuracy with an approving “Good boy!” The affirmation is followed instantly by a treat and a sharp snap of a clicker to mark the successful discovery.

Junqueira, of Myakka City, former Breed Manager for Southeastern Guide Dogs in Bradenton, Florida, is teaching her eight hounds to positively identify biomarkers for cancer by using the dogs’ astounding senses of smell.

Her company, BioScent DX is amplifying

information gleaned by German scientists along with that provided by the Pine Street Foundation in California to determine whether cancer cells can be detected in human saliva, as well as in blood serum and breath condensate.

A beagle has thousands more scent receptors than do dogs of other breeds. The olfactory lobe area of a beagle’s brain is about 40 times larger than that found in a human brain, making the beagle’s sense of smell thousands of times more acute than that of a human. That attribute along with the specialized vomeronasal cortex (aka: Jacobson’s Organ) and the highly developed portion of the hypothalamus region of the canine brain that allows dogs to store scents for later recall, makes this breed’s sense of smell a powerful and an unquestionably unique research tool.

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) researchers, faculty members, and students will then test the positively identified samples to isolate the biomarkers that the dogs have indicated.

“Our LECOM team will provide the scientific aspect of this project to reinforce all that Heather is doing, and then we’ll determine if

we can further advance the testing,” explained faculty member Thomas Quinn, DO. To participate in the testing, cancer patients must not yet have received treatment for their disease. Patients wear a fabric mask for about three minutes, thus capturing breath condensation in it. Participants also can submit a saliva swab. The testing is free and donors may submit as many samples as they wish.

“The website: www.bioscentdx.com sets forth all of the information necessary for anyone interested to request a kit and to submit a sample. They ask, it’s sent, and they return it; it is really that simple,” Junqueria assured.

Study participants may elect to receive a report of the testing results of the sample.

The beagles of BioScent DX have attended the Englewood Community Hospital Hands Across Our Community Cancer Foundation event and the Manatee Memorial Hospital Breast Cancer Support Group.

The knowledge and possibility that cancer markers can be isolated with the help of man’s best friend is unequivocally uplifting and for this reason LECOM takes great pride in going to the dogs.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 19

LECOM BRADENTON HOSTS ANNUAL WHITE COAT CEREMONY

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Bradenton campus marked the noteworthy transition from classroom study to clinical education when 433 students received their white coats on Saturday, January 27, 2018, at the Harvest Center in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

First-year LECOM medical and pharmacy students from the Class of 2020 received their white coats as a triumphant sign of achievement at the 14th Annual White Coat Ceremony.

College of Medicine students numbering 191 along with 138 School of Pharmacy students received their white coats as family, friends,

“As you are assisted in putting on your white coats in front of this audience of family and friends, keep in mind that the white coat represents the foundation for the masterful care that you will provide.” ~ Shinelle Green, PharmD and colleagues looked on in beaming approval.

The White Coat is a symbol of trust between doctor and patient; of compassion, and of the purity of a medical professional’s purpose.

The first White Coat Ceremony at LECOM was conducted in 1996; and each year,

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the ceremony recognizes the precious significance of training physicians in the combined attributes of medical knowledge and compassionate care. The two inextricably linked qualities – refined and perfected – result in the finest medically trained and caring doctors in society today.

LECOM President and CEO John M. Ferretti, DO; Provost, Senior Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs Silvia M. Ferretti, DO; Associate Dean for LECOM Bradenton Mark Kauffman, DO; Dean Emeritus Robert George, DO; and Dean of the LECOM School of Pharmacy Hershey S. Bell, MD, welcomed first-year students into their respective health care professions.

President Elect of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association James Voirin, DO, congratulated the Class of 2020, and he noted the importance of becoming involved with the state organization.

LECOM alumni Julia Pfaff, DO (Class of 2012) addressed the medical students. Shinelle Green, PharmD (Class of 2013) addressed the pharmacy students.

Dr. Pfaff encouraged the gathered class that the education that they receive at LECOM will not only prepare them for clerkships, residencies, and life as an attending physician, but it will also prepare them to score resoundingly well on their Board Examinations.

The White Coat Ceremony for the LECOM School of Dental Medicine Class of 2021 took place earlier on Saturday morning as 104 attendees gathered to mark their milestone of attainment. The event celebrated the sixth White Coat Ceremony for the School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Pfaff is board eligible in otolaryngology and ophthalmology and she serves as a member of the medical team at Fyzical Health in Sarasota. This esteemed LECOM graduate has taken the LECOM spirit and mission to heart – she is an avid LECOM supporter and one who has echoed the LECOM commitment to community and campus as a leader and as an exemplary clinician.

Along with Drs. John M. and Silvia M. Ferretti, and Dean of the LECOM School of Dental Medicine Mathew J. Bateman, PhD, esteemed guests included Francis Curd, DDS, Assistant Dean of of Diversity and Inclusion; Marc E. Ottenga, DDS, Assistant Dean of Pre-clinical Education; and Dr. James Houston, Faculty Council President.

Dr. Green practices as an emergency medicine clinical pharmacist at the C.W. Bill Young Medical Center in Bay Pines, Florida. She encouraged pharmacy students to keep faith with the important symbol of the white coat. “As you are assisted in putting on your white coats in front of this audience of family and friends, keep in mind that the white coat represents the foundation for the masterful care that you will provide as a pharmacist,” she said.

Each of the ceremonies brought to bear the enduring LECOM tradition that inspires future health care professionals to commit to the highest principles related to the practice of osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. Their education takes them along a new path whereupon they will interact with physicians, pharmacists, and dental practitioners in clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies throughout the country. This is the moment during which students begin their personal pursuit of providing quality health care for the lifetime of their patients – and it is a moment during which LECOM is immeasurably proud of its scholars.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 21

Philanthropists Gather at Annual Student Scholarship Auctions LECOM ERIE More than 800 unique live and silent auction items were up for bid on Saturday, November 11, 2017, at the 24th Annual LECOM Student Scholarship Auction held at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. All proceeds from the event assist deserving LECOM students to defray the cost of medical, dental and pharmacy school educations.

More than 1,000 guests attended the 2017 event; and, as is ever the trend at the LECOM Auction, many interesting and unusual items drew the attention of the bidders.

Interstate Mitsubishi donated a 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 5-Door Hatchback, complete with all of the latest features.

Tickets to a 2018 Notre Dame football game, donated by Paul Hakel, of Hakel Fabrizio Financial Group proved to be another highly coveted item.

Many other must-have items were included in the Auction, including tickets to professional baseball, football, and basketball games, professional sports memorabilia, jewelry and unique gift items for the holidays.

More than 250 LECOM students and 100 employees volunteered their services during the Auction, making it yet another successful event for the benefit of the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

SPONSORS OF THE 2017 LECOM ERIE SCHOLARSHIP AUCTION Presenting Sponsor - $50,000 PNC Bank Principal Sponsor - $35,000 Mary L. Eckert John M. Ferretti, DO Silvia M. Ferretti, DO First National Bank Esther J. Fucci The Hakel Fabrizio Financial Group – UBS Nancy Peaden Platinum Sponsor - $30,000 Coca-Cola Refreshments Hagan Business Machines Vantage Healthcare

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Gold Sponsor - $15,000 Church & Murdock Electric HUB, International Interstate Mitsubishi Kingsview Enterprises Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Millcreek Community Hospital Richard Olinger Rabe Environmental Systems, Inc. Silver Sponsor - $7,500 Arent Fox, LLP Building Systems, Inc. Frank Fatica, DO and Carmelina Fatica Vincent Fierro, DO Friends of LECOM Insurance Management, Inc. Mark Kauffman, DO and Michell Kauffman, JD LM Wander & Sons Medical Associates of Erie Employees Millcreek Community Hospital Medical Staff Nassau Paradise Island Destination Promotion Board Networking Technologies Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Roofing Power Wellness Scott Enterprises

Seton Hill University Richard Terry, DO and Maria Terry Walgreens WICU, WSEE and The CW WJET-TV and FOX 66 Judith Zboyovski Bronze Sponsor - $3,200 Arnet Carbis Toothman, LLP Baltimore Orioles Hershy Bell, MD and Marianne Bell Terry Buckwalter Citizens Bank Alice Coppola Fund Corry Memorial Hospital Thomas Czarnecki, DO Steve and Dana Demetriou Erie Community Foundation Fiber Solutions Irv Freeman, PhD and Julie Freeman, JD Gannon University Happi 92.7 Erie Radio Company HBK Source Financial David and Kim Holmberg Howard Hanna Jan Hendryx, DO Suzanne Kelley, DO Key Bank Keyser Consulting LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center LECOM School of Pharmacy Faculty Leon Sychuk Construction Marquette Savings Bank David McGarvey Medline Industries, Inc Kevin Novak, MD and Marie Novak Rachel Ogden, Pharm D and Dan Ogden Richard Ortoski, DO Penelec/First Energy Pennsylvania Golf Association PGA TOUR Pittsburgh Pirates ProSource, JMPDS, Inc. Rite Aid Roth Marz Partnership RWF Millcreek Seaway Windows Raymond Seifert, DO and Carol Seifert, MD Regan Shabloski, DO and Cheryl Moore, DO Jim Stokes/Thomas Kinkade City Market Dennis and Sandy Styn Aaron Susmarski, JD Boyd Watterson Asset Management

Bay City Psychiatry Beitler McKee Optical Pierre and Loretto Bellicini BNY Mellon Wealth Management Christopher Carbo, DO and Ann Marie Carbo Jason Carlson, DO and Shannon Moore-Carlson, DO Garrett Clark, DO and Marie Clark Mr and Mrs Iftikhar Chaudhry Chautauqua County Regional Development Citizens Bank Cumulus Media Cura Hospitality Curtze Food Services Dickey, McCamey & Chilcote (Klemensic) e4 Services Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists of Northwestern Pennsylvania Engel O’Neill Advertising Erie Bank Erie BayHawks Erie Management Group Jeffrey Esper, DO Ronald Esper, DO and Kathleen Esper Marguerite Evanoff Jurkovic, DO and Ivan Jurkovic Karl Falk, DO Amy Farris, DO First Energy Corporation Greg Fischer

Douglas Fronzaglia, DO and Angela Fronzaglia, RN John Gallagher, DO and Catherine Gallagher Kathy Gennuso, MSBLE and Rich Gennuso George H. Althof Plumbing Robert George, DO and Goldie George Jason Goldberg, DO and Candace Goldberg Steven Habusta, DO and Kathryn Habusta Paul and Debbie Hakel The Hammocks Danielle Hansen, DO and Corey Hansen HBK Source Financial Healogics Randy Heemer, PharmD and Bojana StevichHeemer, Pharm D Highmark Alice Hudder, PhD IPAAR/Dr. Bateman Jefferson Educational Society Joseph McCormick Construction John Kalata, DO and Roberta Kalata KimKopy Printing Matthew Kwon Lake Shore Savings Bank LECOM Institute for Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine LECOM Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LECOM Senior Living Center LECOM SGA Pharmacy Class of 2017 LECOM Health Visiting Nurse Association LifeWorks Erie

Patron Sponsor - $1,600 A. Anthony & Sons, Inc. AFLAC Victor and Olga Arballo Mark Baker, DO and Bonnie Baker John Balmer, DO and Pat Balmer Ranko Barac, DO and Melissa Barac, PharmD Barber National Institute @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 23

James Lin, DO Longo Plumbing Lorei Photography George and Paula Lyons Malady & Wooten Maleno Development Meredith Marcincin, DO McCreary Roofing Fernando Melaragno, DO and Kimberly Melaragno Mercyhurst University Eric Milie, DO and Christina Milie Kim Moscatello, PhD Kenneth Morrison Larry and Gloria New Foundation Northwest Savings Bank Northwestern Mutual Oasis Footwear, LLC Obsidian Group Mary Porreco PremCom Presque Isle Downs and Casino Quattro Advisors Quinn Law Firm Charles Rohrbach, DO and Elaine Rohrbach

Michael Rowane, DO and Barbara Rowane, MD Ivan Rusilko, DO Mayor Joyce Savocchio SGA Class of 2017 Seton Hill Class of 2017 Stevens & Lee Financial S&Lutions St. Vincent Hospital David and Sondra Sussman Mark Terrell, EdD Melanie Titzel, PhD Frank Tursi, DO Urban Engineers, Inc. Michael Visnosky, JD Vital Source Technologies Brian Viviano, DO and Elizabeth Viviano Weber Construction, LLC Westminister Place Partnership Wilkins Company Heath Mathew Yanicko, DO Yardmaster

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LECOM Bradenton Suncoast area leaders, philanthropists, and supporters turned out for the yearly gathering of spirited generosity on the evening of October 28, 2017, as the LECOM Bradenton Student Scholarship Fund Dinner and Auction Gala hosted its twelfth annual event. The shimmering and indulgent affair welcomed a plethora of LECOM allies seeking to provide their deepest support through their lively bids as they vied for a vast assortment of donated prizes.

Chaired by LECOM Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Robert George, DO, and

by Associate Dean of Students, Enrollment Management, and Graduate Studies Mark Kauffman, DO and additionally overseen by Communication and Marketing Specialist Joel Welin – all whose efforts, team coordination and superlative attention to detail was unmistakable – the evening welcomed esteemed notables, including John M. Ferretti, DO, LECOM President and CEO, and Silvia M. Ferretti, DO, LECOM Provost, Vice President, and Dean of Academic Affairs, who hosted the fundraising festivity at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota Grand Ballroom.

Scholarship recipient and LECOM Bradenton School of Dental Medicine student, David Gonzalez, provided the invocation offering a depth of sincere gratitude to God and recognizing those assembled with his words of appreciation for the Scholarship Fund.

A delightful cocktail reception was followed by a silent and a live auction at the black-tie affair as the band, Fetch, expertly performed classic rock tunes coupled with fabulously self-styled original songs. Fetch is comprised of four brothers, two of whom have profound LECOM links. The band holds a special place in the hearts of the LECOM family as the lead singer, John, is a 2010 graduate of the medical school.

As music wafted above the gentle din of the surveying guests, bids were placed on more than 400 donated items. Auctioneer Jeff Burchard, of Auctions Unlimited, encouraged the willing live-auction bidders as the spirit of philanthropy gripped the dedicated attendees and ultimately resulted in several friendly bidding skirmishes.

The benefit and fundraiser for the future LECOM doctors, pharmacists, and dentists is a keenly anticipated October event that provides monies raised to assist the financial needs of matriculating students. Companioned with the Auction event in Erie, the annual fundraisers have raised millions.

As the largest medical school in the country (and as the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation) with campuses in Erie and Greensburg, Pennsylvania, the LECOM facility, located in Lakewood Ranch, Florida extends to generations of medical practitioners a dedicated commitment to exceptionalism and to educational distinction. The Auction Gala event is evocative of that charge as administrator and attendee alike join in the fundraising bidding.

The cost of a medical school education for the future health care practitioner of today can approach $250,000. The burden upon students to meet the onerous financial obligations while balancing the demands of a rigorous and exacting medical program is arduous. This grand occasion affords significant support and succor to the scholarship recipients. The delight that they found in being part of the program was readily apparent.

The night was a resounding success with 43 sponsored tables accommodating more than 350 guests as they dined and tendered their bids. Silent auction items included tickets to various theater productions and to professional baseball, football and hockey games; holidaythemed gifts; and a number of original paintings by local artist Judi Light.

Some of the more interesting items on the live auction block included Club Tickets to the Tampa Bay Rays; a lease of a 2017 Toyota Corolla LE; stunning jewelry - among which included a fabulous Gemz Jewelers customdesigned azurite-malachite-and-diamond necklace; autographed sports memorabilia; dinner, massage, and hotel packages; a spate of get-away trips; and a variety of appealing baskets to entice the all and sundry tastes of every attendee. A custom-framed Thomas Kinkade certified original print generously offered by the Market Gallery in Savannah, Georgia drew more than $5,000.

The continuing commitment to excellence advanced and advocated by LECOM remains steadfast. More than 75 LECOM students and 50 employees volunteered their services during the Auction Gala. Perhaps even if, at the close of the Gala, those in attendance headed home with a less weighty pocket-book or with a slimmer billfold, it is without question that they left in their wake more than dollars as they championed a cause that will surely transform lives for generations to come.

SPONSORS OF THE 2017 LECOM BRADENTON SCHOLARSHIP AUCTION Emerald Sponsor - $20,000 Benco Dental Diamond Sponsor - $15,000 Pittsburgh Pirates/Bradenton Marauders Platinum Sponsor - $10,000 John M. Ferretti, DO Silvia M. Ferretti, DO Robert George, DO Hyatt Regency Sarasota Immediate MedCare & Family Doctor Meisinger USA SDI North America Silver Sponsor - $5,000 Mathew J. Bateman, PhD Coltene Whaledent Kavo-Kerr Oakley Landscaping Premier Dental Products Shofu Dental Corp.

Whip Mix Corp.

Willis-Smith Construction Bronze Sponsor - $2,500 FOMA Jan Pro of Manasota Mark Kauffman, DO John and Michelle McKay, TB Consultants Patron Sponsor - $1,600 Charter One Hotels Constagny, Brooks, Smith & Prophete Francis M. Curd, DDS, and Pamela Curd Rebecca DeSimone, Esq. Katie Dinh, DMD DSG Clearwater Eye Associates of Venice Anthony J. Ferretti, DO, and Sarah Ferretti FOMA District 7 HCA Healthcare/Blake Medical Center Manatee Memorial Hospital Jeffrey Myers, Esq. Tim Novak, DBA PNC Bank Prime Care – Stephen P. Coppa, DO Prime Parking Systems, Inc. Regions Bank SMR Commercial SOMA of LECOM SYSCO VitalSource Julie Wilkinson, PharmD Thomas Yoon, DMD

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 25

SALUTING LECOM ALUMNA Louise Del Negro, DO Louise Del Negro, DO, a member of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Class of 2003, received a very special honor late last year when she was awarded a Joint Civilian Commendation Medal from the United States Army.

Dr. Del Negro serves as the Medical Director of the Central Command (CENTCOM) Clinic at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The clinic provides care exclusively to active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces.

These men and women must be ever prepared and ready for immediate deployment to the Middle East.

Dr. Del Negro, who is a government civil servant, is the first civilian physician ever to be decorated at CENTCOM, which is the division of the Department of Defense that oversees the comprehensive war against ISIS in Syria and the Taliban in Pakistan.

The medal and citation were presented to Dr. Del Negro by Major General Terry Ferrell, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army in recognition of her service as staff physician and as Chief of Executive Medicine at CENTCOM from 2014-17.

The official citation reads: Dr. Louise Del Negro distinguished herself by exceptionally meritorious service as Staff Physician and Chief Executive of Medicine, United States Central Command Clinic, 6th Medical Group, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, from 16 June 2014 to 18 July 2017.

During this period, Dr. Del Negro worked tirelessly to address the medical needs of Central Command personnel and their families, earning the praise of many local civilian specialists, making her the go-to provider for complex medical cases, and literally saving the lives of service members under her care.

She has been instrumental in maintaining

26 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2018 | LECOM.edu

the readiness and effectiveness of personnel assigned to Headquarters United States Central Command.

Indeed, the accomplishments of Dr. Del Negro are singularly distinctive. They carry with them great personal credit representative of her selfless dedication; they reflect highly upon the 6th Medical Group, the United States Central Command, the Department of the Air Force, and upon the Department of Defense.

In addition, her skill and expertise are representative of the superlative LECOM training that she has carried with her into a challenging and intensely demanding position.

Extending its most ardent congratulations to Dr. Del Negro in recognition of this prestigious honor, LECOM proudly offers abiding appreciation for her service to a grateful nation.

Physician-Soldier’s Measure of Devotion Lives On

Navy Lt. James A. Mazzuchelli, DO

The entire Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) family has been shaken by the sudden loss of Navy Lt. James A. Mazzuchelli, DO, a flight surgeon based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. Originally from Orange Park, Florida, the 32-year-old physician graduated from LECOM in Bradenton, Florida in 2014. He died February 24, 2018, as a result of injuries that he sustained when he was struck by a tail rotor of a helicopter. The precise cause of the incident is under investigation by the United States military.

While at LECOM, Dr. Mazzuchelli was enrolled in the F. Edward Hébert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), which allows qualified medical and dental students to earn full tuition in addition to a monthly stipend.

Dr. Mazzuchelli matched into a family medicine residency program at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39.

“His willingness to join the Navy and to elect to serve faithfully with the Marines should give a sense of pride to all of us who serve our country, that we are surrounded by heroes every day,” said Col. Matthew Mowery, Commander of MAG-39.

Dr. Mazzuchelli was known as “Doc Mazz” to his squadron, the Stingers. “He immersed himself in the camaraderie of his squadron, which became a second family to him,” said his stepfather David Cheers.

Dr. Mazzuchelli was a respected and stalwart LECOM alumnus. Word of his passing has affected the College deeply. He was an energetic and vibrant force, a benevolent humanitarian, and he was possessed of an evident fervor of purpose. His absence leaves an immeasurable hole in the fabric of the LECOM family.

A tireless champion of country and a devoted guardian of American exceptionalism – the force of which strengthens our great nation – the selfless physician and sailor donated his organs in a final life-saving act. Surgeons were able to save Dr. Mazzuchelli’s heart, kidneys, and liver for organ donation, giving him a final chance to save lives.

“If you give someone a heart, it changes their life forever and maybe they get to have children. Maybe in two generations, they discover a cancer cure,” reflected Cheers.

“They wouldn’t be alive today if James hadn’t donated his heart.”

Indeed, Dr. Mazzuchelli was a standard bearer – a compassionate, capable, and beneficent physician. His is a legacy that will remain as a testament to the lives that he has saved in the service of others.

LECOM remains grateful for this noble physician-soldier whose integrity burnished those he touched with a sense of the possible, and whose last full measure of devotion was given that others may live.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 27

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Christian Academy SLC

Bradenton SDM Give Kids A Smile

Erie SOMA Gift Wrapping

SafeKids Colon

LECOM Erie medical students, assisted by students from the Erie Leadership Christian Academy, read stories, participated in arts-andcrafts projects, and engaged in challenging games with residents at the LECOM Senior Living Center.

The LECOM Erie Chapter of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) and the College of Medicine Mentoring Club transformed a campus case room into a secret workshop over the Christmas holidays. Students caringly wrapped each Giving Tree gift and they delivered the packages to the residents of the LECOM Senior Living Center and to youngsters at the Erie Heights YMCA. 28 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2018 | LECOM.edu

More than 220 volunteers served 240 young patients at the Annual Give Kids A Smile event at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, Florida. The free services included dental screenings and cleanings, X-rays and sealants, minor restorations (fillings) and simple extractions.

LECOM Erie medical, pharmacy, and dental students joined with SafeKids Erie to attend the Imagination Expotarium. The event was held at the Bayfront Convention Center. Students offered health and safety information to the public. LECOM provided a giant, walk-through, inflatable colon used as an educational tool to highlight various diseases.

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Erie Blood Pressure Screenings

Bradenton Regatta

Erie SOPCOM BayHawks

Stand Down Bradenton

During an event held at LifeWorks Erie, students from the Rho Chi Society and from the American Society of Consulting Pharmacists (ASCP) conducted blood pressure screenings. The scholars spoke with patients about hypertension and they explained the importance of medication adherence.

The LECOM Erie School of Pharmacy and the College of Medicine (SOPCOM) attended an Erie BayHawks game. The scholars performed blood pressure screenings, chatted with community members about health issues, and distributed flu shot information.

Students from the LECOM Bradenton College of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, and School of Dental Medicine joined more than 100,000 attendees at the Fourth Annual Bradenton Area River Regatta in Bradenton and Palmetto, Florida. During the event, students conducted blood pressure and blood-glucose screenings, and they offered healthcare information to interested guests.

Members of the LECOM Bradenton Dental Military Club donated their services to the Veteran Stand Down 2017. Veteran Stand Down is a community-based intervention program designed to help homeless veterans address their individual challenges as they begin to rebuild their lives.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 29

Join the

Why choose a

LECOM Health LECOM Family of Physicians doctor?

Treating Erie’s Families

LECOM Health doctors belong to the only academic health center headquartered in northwestern Pennsylvania – LECOM Health.

We are the physicians of Medical Associates of Erie - the Clinical Practices LECOM Health doctors provide medical care and teach of LECOM. Our goal is to provide to our at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, the nation’s patients the very best osteopathic, whole largest medical school. person care – mind, body and spirit – for a lifetime of optimal health. LECOM Health doctors accept all major insurances.

You can become part of the only LECOM Health doctors’ primary hospital is Millcreek Community Osteopathic Academic Health Center in the region’s leading hospital for geriatric care, Hospital, the nation led by the Lake Erie behavioral College of health, rehabilitation, wound care and orthopedics.

Osteopathic Medicine.

LECOM Health doctors can refer patients for specialty care Currently, we are seeking physicians in anywhere – Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or wherever is best for the ENT, Neurology, Pain Management and care and convenience of the patient.* Pediatrics for our expanding practices.

Please contact Dennis Styn at LECOM Health doctors belong to Medical Associates of Erie and (814) 868-2504 or dstyn@lecom.edu to practice Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Geriatrics, Integrative Medicine, learn more about available opportunities.

Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Orthopedics, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Podiatry and Primary Care and Medical Specialties.

*Specialty care insurance coverage depends upon a patient’s insurance company.

WELCOME TO WELLNESS

WELCOME TO LECOM HEALTH

LECOM

H E A LT H

MEDICAL ASSOCIATES OF HOSPITAL ERIE MILLCREEK COMMUNITY

LECOM Health doctors. Choose one today to join a health system that will focus on your overall wellness for life.

LECOM Health doctors. Choose one today to join a health Visit LECOMHealth.com/clinical-practices Visit LECOMHealth.com/phys system that will focus on your overall wellness, for life.

NOTES

STUDENT NOTES

College of Medicine

Margeaux Dennis, OMSIV, was a co-author with two LECOM faculty members, Mark Terrell, EdD, and Justine Schober, MD, on three articles that were published in Clinical Anatomy. The articles were entitled: The Anatomy of Abdominal Flap Phalloplasty for Transgender Surgery; The Anatomy of the Forearm Free Flap Phalloplasty for Transgender Surgery; and The Anatomy of the Musculocutaneous Latissimus Dorsi Flap for Neophalloplasty.

John Scott Donoghue, OMSII, matched into an orthopedic surgery residency at Navy Medical Center in San Diego, California.

Meera Gill, OMSII, was the recipient of the Second-Year Award at the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association Conference.

Alex Hodgens, OMSI, and family welcomed baby daughter, Sloane Lei Hodgens, on Christmas Day 2017.

Shane McMahon, OMSI, was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.

Sally Habusta, P3, was accepted to the Sanofi/ Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship.

Christina Schuler, P2, was installed as the 201718 Student Director - West for the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.

Fabio Rodriquez, P3, had an article entitled, Safety and Efficacy of New Long-Acting Exenatide Formulation published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Kay Lynn Tran, P3, had three articles published entitled: Can Vaccinations Increase or Decrease Risk for Type 1 Diabetes? published in Diabetologia; Pre-Pregnancy Vitamin D Intake Reduces Gestational Diabetes Risk, published in the Journal of Diabetes; and Long-Term Benefits of Linoleic Acid in Type 2 Diabetes, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

School of Dental Medicine Kyle Piha, P4, and Sara Taghikhani, P4, became engaged on December 23, 2017. The couple met during their first year at LECOM and they will be married in Houston, Texas in April of 2018.

FACULTY NOTES College of Medicine

Leah Saylor, OMSIII, was a co-author with LECOM faculty member Justine Schober, MD, on an article that were published in Clinical Anatomy. The article was entitled: Anatomy of Genital Reaffirmation Surgery (Male-to-Female): Vaginoplasty Using Penile Skin Graft with Scrotal Flaps.

Erika Allen, PhD, co-authored an article entitled, Esveratrol and Pinostilbene Confer Neuroprotection Against Aging-Related Deficits through an ERK1/2-Dependent Mechanism, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.

Michael Slater, OMSIV, was a co-author with two LECOM faculty members, Mark Terrell, EdD, and Justine Schober, MD, on two articles that were published in Clinical Anatomy. The articles were entitled: Anatomy of the Pedicled Anterolateral Thigh Flap for Phalloplasty in Transitioning Males and Neovaginal Construction with Pelvic Peritoneum: Reviewing an Old Approach for a New Application.

Colleen Cole-Jeffrey, PhD, co-authored a paper entitled, Beneficial Effects of Angiotensin-(1-7) on CD34+ Cells from Heart Failure Patients, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology.

Usman Zahaeer, OMSIV, was a co-author with two LECOM faculty members, Mark Terrell, EdD, and Justine Schober, MD, on an article that was published in Clinical Anatomy. The article is entitled: The Anatomy of Free Fibula Osteoseptocutaneous Flap in Neophalloplasty in Transgender Surgery.

School of Pharmacy Miranda Dzurko, P3, created a display at the Erie County Public Library as part of the Erie County HIV Task Force Program. The Program raises awareness about people living with HIV/AIDS.

Warner Farr, MD, retired United States Army Colonel, was honored as a Distinguished Member of the Army Medical Department Regiment.

Julia-Heya Karcic, DPM, offered a presentation at the University of Szeged in Hungary entitled, A Cukorbeteges Lab or The Diabetic Foot.

John Kalmey, PhD, Leah Labranche, MSC, Randy Kulesza, PhD, and Stephen Sweeney, OMSI, and Samantha Storti, OMSI, coauthored an article entitled, Identification of an Aberrant Testicular Vein Draining the Right Kidney, published in the International Journal of Anatomical Variations.

Mark Kauffman, DO, was a co-author on an article entitled: Plantar Warts: Highlighting the Relationship Between Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Adequate Clinical Management that was published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Randy Kulesza, PhD, co-authored a study entitled, Neonatal Exposure to Monosodium Glutamate Results in Dysmorphology of Orofacial Lower Motor Neurons, published in Folia Morphologica.

Patrick Leary, DO, participated as a faculty member for a Prolotherapy Course in Cancun, Mexico.

Amitabha Ray, MD, had an article published in Cytokine and Growth Factor Reviews entitled, The Potential Role of Leptin in Tumor Invasion and Metastasis. Dr. Ray also had an article entitled, Tumor-Linked HER2 Expression: Association with Obesity and Lipid-Related Microenvironment, published in Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation.

Mohammed S. Razzaque, PhD, had an article published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association entitled, Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function.

Christopher Rial, DO, presented a series of lectures to LifeWorks Erie about the prevention and treatment of common musculoskeletal complaints. Dr. Rial also presented a community lecture at Corry Memorial Hospital addressing the benefits of exercise.

Kevin Thomas, DO, provided OMT treatment and presented information about musculoskeletal overuse injuries during a conference hosted by the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association.

School of Pharmacy Hershey Bell, MD, and Damarys Padilla, P2, had a letter entitled, Flexner, Educational Reform, Social Accountability, and MetaCurriculum, published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.

Kristen Gawronski, PharmD, and alumna Elizabeth Harrington, PharmD, had a piece entitled, An Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in Academia: More Benefit than Burden, published in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning.

Kathleen Hitchcock, PharmD, addressed the Health Occupations Students of America Club at Pine View High School in Sarasota, Florida.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 31

NOTES Sunil Jambhekar, BPharm, attended a conference at Nirma University in India to discuss Pharmaceutics.

Daniel Leisinger, DO, joined Covenant Clinic in Waterloo, Iowa, as a family medicine physician.

Michelle Rabinovich, DO, joined WellSpan Family Medicine - Stonebridge in New Freedom, Pennsylvania.

Lakhu Keshvara, PhD, was an invited speaker for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Technology in the Pharmacy Education and Learning Webinar Series.

Joseph O’Hanlon, DO, was named as Fellow in the American College of Surgeons during the Annual Clinical Congress in San Diego, California.

Dr. O’Hanlon is a partner in Southeastern Ohio Physicians, Inc.

Diane McKay, PsyD, is working with the University of South Florida in the effort to combat the opioid epidemic.

Shea Payne, PharmD, joined Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, as the pharmacy manager.

Victoria Reinhartz, PharmD, represented LECOM at the Manatee Memorial Hospital (MMH) Operation BREATHE Initiative. The event was designed to reduce COPD readmissions and to secure a pilot program partnership between Community Paramedicine and the MMH Resident Clinic.

Jasmine Weaver, DO, joined Lakeland Regional Health in Lakeland, Florida, as a family medicine physician.

Julie Creighton, DO, was welcomed to the Board of Directors for the Shiawassee Community Foundation in Owosso, Michigan.

Class of 2011

Ryan Harris, DO, joined Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the field of internal medicine.

School of Graduate Studies Tim Novak, DBA, has been nominated for the Drug Free Manatee Champion of Prevention Award. Novak was cited for his efforts as a member of the Addiction Crisis Taskforce and for his leadership in addressing the Manatee County opioid epidemic.

ALUMNI NOTES Class of 2002

Melissa Hanna, DO, joined Kettering Physician Network Primary Care in Xenia, Ohio, specializing in internal medicine.

Class of 2004 Kristin Shaneyfelt, DO, was recognized by Continental Who's Who as a 2017 Pinnacle Professional in the Medical Field. Dr. Shaneyfelt is an OB/GYN at Starling Physicians in Connecticut.

Darin Stettler, DO, recently joined Elevated Health in Syracuse, New York, to work in the area of ketamine injection therapy.

Class of 2007 Paul Green, PharmD, gave a TEDx Talk about antimicrobial stewardship at TEDx Erie.

Class of 2009 Naseem Jahdi, DO, joined West Virginia University Medicine University Healthcare Physicians in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as a rheumatologist.

Timothy Busian, DO, joined the Alexandria Clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota, as a family medicine physician.

Nicholas Phillips, DO, joined Holy Redeemer Health System in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania, as an orthopedic surgeon.

Jason Stienecker, DO, had a column published in the Lima News that focused on the advanced lung cancer screening being offered at Lima Memorial Health System. Dr. Stienecker practices at Lima Memorial Pulmonary and Sleep Center in Lima, Ohio.

Joel A. Strehl, DO, joined Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, Michigan, as a specialist in general surgery and critical care surgery.

Sara Swain, DO, joined UPMC Susquehanna Primary Care Team in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, as a family medicine physician.

Travis Swartz, DO, joined Essential Health St. Mary’s - Detroit Lakes Clinic in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, as a general surgeon.

Ashley Yelinek, DO, completed a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

Class of 2014 Tyler Bates, DO, joined WellSpan Family Medicine – Hayshire in York, Pennsylvania.

Brian Nguyen, DO, joined Dignity Health in Woodland, California.

Class of 2016 Brook Krbec, DO, offered a presentation during the Johns Hopkins Hospital Pediatric Grand Rounds.

Class of 2017 Nadine Jean-Baptiste, DMD, opened Bayberry Dental, a full-service family dental practice, in Lithia, Florida.

Brendan Lawson, DO, matched into an ophthalmology residency at the University of South Carolina.

Nouman Mujahid, DMD, is managing an Aspen Dental practice in Panama City, Florida.

Christina Todaro, DMD, recently joined Aspen Dental in Adrian, Michigan.

Class of 2012 Timothy M. Burns, DO, joined OrthoCincy at Griffin Elite Sports and Wellness in Erlanger, Kentucky, as a non-surgical sports medicine and regenerative medicine specialist.

Class of 2013 Omar Chohan, DO, co-authored a pathology/ radiology textbook entitled, 23 Autopsies - A Companion for the Study of Pathology.

Ward H. McCracken, DO, completed a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

32 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2018 | LECOM.edu

B

Be a part of the

EXCITEMENT! The 2018 LECOM Health Challenge will take place July 5-8, 2018 at Peek’n Peak resort in Clymer, NY. A weeklong schedule of events will include a Pro-Am, followed by four official rounds of tournament competition.

Proceeds will benefit the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

Learn more at

www.lecomhealthchallenge.com

2016 LECOM Health Challenge winner, Rick Lamb

MEDICAL ASSOCIATES OF ERIE

PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Three New Physicians Appointed to the Clinical Practices of LECOM Welcome to the Medical Associates of Erie (MAE) Physician Spotlight, an informative segment that introduces and focuses upon three MAE physicians who recently have joined LECOM Health.

These medical professionals are providing superlative health care in the community and promoting the advancement of medicine in their specific areas of LECOM Health.

While the three physicians featured in this issue specialize in various areas of medicine, all of them share a common goal: A singular dedication to providing the best possible health care to the communities that they serve, resulting in better overall health and wellbeing for all.

Meghan McCarthy, DO

Fernando Melaragno, DO

Monika Murrillo, MD

specializes in Psychiatry and Human Behavior and she is a member of the LECOM Class of 2006.

specializes in Endocrinology and he is a member of the LECOM Class of 2007.

specializes in Infectious Diseases. She joins MAE after serving as a hospitalist at Armstrong Memorial Hospital in Kittanning, Pennsylvania.

After earning her degree from LECOM, Dr. McCarthy remained in Erie, completing her psychiatric residency at Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH) in 2010.

Following her residency, Dr. McCarthy completed a Community Psychiatry Fellowship with the Pennsylvania Leadership Council. She was Board Certified in Psychiatry in 2016.

After earning his degree from LECOM, Dr. Melaragno completed his internal medicine residency at Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH).

Following his residency, Dr. Melaragno completed an endocrinology fellowship at Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, New York.

Before joining MAE, Dr. McCarthy served for nearly a decade as the Chief Psychiatrist in short term, long term, and dual diagnoses at Stairways Behavioral Health. She also served as the outpatient psychiatrist, supervising and assisting the recoveries of individuals with serious mental illnesses.

34 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2018 | LECOM.edu

Dr. Murrillo earned her degree at the El Bosque University Colombian School of Medicine in Bogota, Colombia in 2006. In 2014, she completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Following her residency, Dr. Murrillo completed an Infectious Diseases Fellowship with Allegheny Health Network in 2017. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.

LECOM August 13-16, 2018

Conference Information

CME Credits

LECOM Summer Primary Care 2018 in Sarasota, Florida offers a unique learning experience for physicians and health care professionals seeking the opportunity to learn the latest information on medical advancements and treatment options.

LECOM anticipates AOA and AAFP approval for 20 Category 1-A Credits. All lectures will be held between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. allowing time for afternoon activities around Sarasota.

Topics for this year cover cardiovascular issues, pediatrics, pain management with and without medication, OMM demonstrations, legal matters and so much more!

LECOM clinical faculty will present topics from the perspective of a primary care physician.

How To Register To reserve your spot for the LECOM Summer CME Conference in Sarasota, Florida, go to lecom.edu/cme to register. Adjunct faculty can receive a discount by emailing or calling the CME conference office.

Registration Information Standard Registration: $1,550 Adjunct Faculty Registration: $1,300 Commuter Registration: $450 Standard and Adjunct Faculty Registration includes CME fee, four (4) nights lodging at the Ritz Carlton, Sarasota, Florida and breakfast Monday through Thursday. Commuter Registration includes CME fee and breakfast. It does not include a hotel stay.

Contact Us

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SHOW YOUR LECOM PRIDE! LECOM License Plates Now Available in Pennsylvania

LECOM alumni and friends of the College can now display their LECOM pride wherever they drive. A purchase of a LECOM license plate supports the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

Standard plate: $125.* Personalized plate: $230.*

VISIT LECOM.EDU/ALUMNI/LICENSE-PLATE TO ORDER YOUR PLATE

* Price includes PA license registration and production fees and a tax-deductible donation to the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund.

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