LECOM Connection Winter 2019

THE

LECOM

ONNECTION

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine WINTER 2019

The LECOM Doctrine Limitless Opportunities

There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are

no limits

to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder.

John M. Ferretti, DO President/CEO Marlene D. Mosco Chair of the Board of Trustees

– Ronald Reagan

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

IN THIS ISSUE

Mark Kauffman, DO, MS (MedEd), PA Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Bradenton Eric Nicastro Acting Institutional Director of Communications and Marketing Stephanie Bruce Senior Communications and Marketing Specialist

FEATURE 06 The LECOM Doctrine – Limitless Opportunities 03

Message from the President

04

Credos of Our Calling - Fortitude

05

Erie Anatomy Lab Artwork by LECOM Medical Student

Joel Welin Communications and Marketing Specialist, Bradenton

10

LECOM Researcher Blazes New Trail in PCOS Study

13

New LECOM Study for Treating Musculoskeletal Ailments

Rebecca A. DeSimone, Esquire Chief Writer, Editor-in-Chief

14

Discipline, Dedication and Devoted Doctors

16

LECOM School of Dental Medicine Student Wins Leadership Award

18

LECOM Student Undertakes Mission of Compassion to Highlight PTSD

19

Three for the Road

21

Family Pharmacist Continues Family Legacy

22

Journey to Soccer Dream Finds Purposeful Path

23

Interprofessional Research Day 2018

24

LECOM Student Scholarship Fund Auctions

Sheena Baker Communications and Marketing Specialist

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.

John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO

02 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

DEPARTMENTS 28

Community is Our Campus

30

Student, Faculty, and Alumni Notes

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Expanding

Horizons John M. Ferretti, DO - President/CEO The start of a new year invites us to pause and to think deliberately about the ideals, causes and pursuits that are held nearest to our hearts. We, at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), know that you, the readers, share our belief that superlative medical education is immeasurably valuable, not just as a career achievement, but also as a human calling.

For LECOM, health care, and all that it engenders, has been at the apex of our mission from the very inception of our institution. It has formed the genesis of our existence and it has guided our objectives and our vision. It has steered our strategic planning and it has honed rigorously our paradigm of first-rate and innovative medical education.

LECOM Health exists as the foundational bulwark that underpins the mission, that champions the vision, and that advances the educational and medical core of a growing and ever-expanding network of medical exceptionalism.

Truly, the history of LECOM is inextricably intertwined with our health system. Our LECOM scholars learn and train in Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH), an acute care hospital and the regional leader in behavioral health and senior care. Our residents gain valuable first-hand experience while offering compassionate care to patients. As the teaching hospital for LECOM, MCH has numerous and ever-increasing residency and fellowship programs that train new physicians and pharmacists. Likewise, our Corry Memorial Hospital and our affiliated organizations, such

as Medical Associates of Erie (MAE), provide nurturing hubs of training and clinical practice education to our students. MAE forms the clinical practices arm of LECOM, a network of primary care physicians and specialists who not only provide health care, but who teach it as well. The entire network fits together effortlessly like the cogwheel of a finely tuned clock.

In only a short time, LECOM will embark upon a new offering – a new medical school on the campus of Elmira College in New York State.

Like its companion, LECOM at Seton Hill, LECOM at Elmira will offer the same stellar medical education as is evidenced across the LECOM nexus. The newest addition to the LECOM dynasty will ensconce the school solidly and irrefutably as the largest medical school in the nation.

Henry Ward Beecher noted that “greatness lies, not in being strong or vast, but in the right use of that strength and size; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry one above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction to his own.”

So it has been that the LECOM mission to educate with exceptionalism has become our cynosure. We have sought ever to carry up the hearts of our scholars as they navigate the journey into their medical callings.

Indeed, the greatness of LECOM Health has carried up countless hearts across many communities as it remains the watchword in any conversation or serious discussion involving 21st century health care. The umbrella network overarches our unremitting mission and ever-purposed passion to offer the best in medical education, the most accessible quality health care to our communities, and the fullest array of

osteopathic health and wellness options available in the nation.

After more than a quarter century of exceptionalism in medical education – as the largest medical school in the nation, with three national campuses and the only Osteopathic Academic Health Center in the country – LECOM continues to stand out boldly as the constant in the blaze of stars that have gathered in the healthcare constellation.

As the heavens widen to reveal a more expansive horizon, so too have the educational offerings, stellar accomplishments, and innovative undertakings of all that is LECOM. LECOM has set the standard for affordable education in a private medical college setting where graduates achieve outstanding board scores and journey forward to make a difference in the field of health care. LECOM has developed a reputation as a leader in medical education and patient care with its graduates highly sought after in the fields of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry.

Throughout these decades, LECOM has inculcated by example that one’s deeds are one’s monuments. Our mission, ever to educate supremely in the medical arts and sciences, has formed the bedrock foundation upon which has been established a dynasty of medical training and healthcare services.

Ever leading by the influence of example, LECOM remains the undeniable protagonist in shaping and in advancing the profound and purposeful calling of medicine.

As the winter gives way to the warming weather and the rebirth and renewal that accompanies the season, let us continue our march forward, broadening horizons and expanding our vision. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 03

CREDOS OF OUR CALLING

Fortitude•

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) holds, at its implicit center, a belief that fortitude is not only the ability to bear a difficult challenge, rather to turn that challenge into glory. It is true that patient fortitude attains the greatest rewards.

Fortitude underpins all aspects of a medical, dental or pharmacy calling and LECOM has long understood that very fortitude is the purifying test through which aptitude becomes ability. Essential to all, it strengthens the internal mettle as one travels the path from goals to accomplishment. The founders at LECOM view fortitude as a characteristic based upon inner resilience, driving will and determination to persevere through all trials and travails. The power of fortitude supplies that core-felt voice that urges one forward at a point that all strength has appeared to cease. LECOM educators inspire and encourage this profound characteristic throughout all elements of their training programs, recognizing that the ability to endure must become a habit so ingrained within the human state that it is stronger

than the desire to rest. Fortitude is a crowning quality. Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit through which those who endure find an ever-increasing confidence and peace. As concentrated patience forms fortitude, one discovers that there are few calamities that are not conquered by it. Charles Dickens assured that “those who learn endurance and fortitude are they who call the whole world ‘brother.’”

The scholars at LECOM are well aware that fortitude is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory is won. As one travels along tough paths, one must find strong shoes; not praying for lighter burdens, rather for stronger backs.

There is astounding power in possessing a cheerful strength committed to such endurance. Steeped in that unswerving fortitude, it is he or she who will do more in the same time, will do it better, and will sustain it longer than will the disconsolate or dour.

Fortitude subordinates ease to the strength of purpose. Its necessity as an attribute comes as no revelation to those answering the call of the health care professions. The advantages resulting from an ever-enduring mind, body and spirit are a driving force of a purposeful life. LECOM appreciates and inculcates the unanimity of mind, body and spirit. From that attribute of fortitude, which denies the readiness for agreeable desires, which fortifies the heart with determination, which overcomes the proclivity to offer excuses, which refuses to quit in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges – derives the heart and core of all victory.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of the nature of fortitude is the way in which one actually endures. The very manner in which a person endures his trials is more important than that which must be endured; for to be poised against loss and to meet adverse conditions gracefully is more than simple fortitude – it is the triumph of one’s soul.

For this reason, The LECOM Connection highlights Fortitude as a Credo of Our Calling.

04 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

Erie Anatomy Lab Features Work

by LECOM Medical Student

Yusra’s passion for art stems from her childhood. Growing up with three siblings, including older brother, Mansour, currently a fourth-year LECOM student, coloring was the particular way for the Toledo, Ohio, native to spend her special time with her father.

“Coloring was our thing,” she said. Over time, her interest in art developed further.

“I used to draw portraits, but when one is in medical school, all of one’s time is devoted to medicine,” Yusra explained. “Now I can't go a week without creating some type of art. It has become my way to de-stress.”

Creating Watercolor Skull enabled Yusra to simultaneously showcase anatomy, surgery and medicine. Having her artwork displayed prominently in the LECOM Anatomy Lab “means everything” to Yusra. “I look up to Dr. Kulesza and to Dr. Ferretti,” she averred. “It means the world to me that they would wish to display it.”

Another piece by Yusra, Love Comes Naturally, was featured in the 2017 art show fundraiser and it is now exhibited in the LECOM firstfloor lobby display case.

Albert Einstein once remarked, "The arts and sciences are branches of the same tree, for all of these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, toward lifting it from the sphere of a mere physical existence, and toward leading the individual toward freedom.”

This spirit is one shared by LECOM, for art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known. It enables one to find oneself and to lose oneself at the same time.

It is with these passages in mind that Watercolor Skull by Yusra Mansour, OMSII, now hangs in the LECOM Erie anatomy lab.

Yusra created the watercolor and acrylic piece

for the late-summer art show, held annually at the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center. LECOM Provost Silvia Ferretti, DO, purchased the piece for display in the lab.

“Yusra’s artwork definitely provides a bright spot in the lab,” beamed Randy Kulesza, PhD, LECOM director of anatomy. “It is easy for students to forget that their cadavers had families, careers and talents. I think that this piece will remind them of that aspect.

Plus, this piece showcases student talent and reminds us that students have interests beyond medicine,” remarked Dr. Kulesza.

“Medicine is a form of art, and both medicine and art heal,” Yusra said of her dual passions.

“Art is more about the mind and the spirit, while medicine is more technical, but both contribute to healing.”

Indeed, art is a glimmering star in our shared humanity, providing illumination for campus and community alike. Ever eager to advance the tangible and intrinsic benefits of the arts to our students and to our citizens, LECOM takes pride in the many talents of this fine scholar-artist.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 05

The LECOM Doctrine Limitless Opportunities Much can change in a lifetime. Indeed, a single life or an act can become transformative. While change may be inevitable, growth is intentional. The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. True leaders will agree that there is never a right time to undertake a difficult task, for the role of a leader is to help people find the vision of their potential and to view the challenges of their time as opportunities for growth. Without continual growth, such words as improvement, achievemen and success have no meaning.

By surmounting daunting challenges and by embracing limitless opportunities, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has demonstrated that it understands the way in which to bring about transformative benefits to each community in which it has come to lay its cornerstone.

06 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

Since its convocation in 1993, LECOM has played a definitive role in the educational excellence, purposeful service and economic growth in every sector within its ever-expanding reach. With its medical affiliates and through its comprehensive – and first ever – osteopathic academic health center network, LECOM always has endeavored to build upward from its solid foundation.

Substantive growth, development and institutional expansion have come about as a result of keen insight and prescient understanding of need in the healthcare arena, with the key to success being found often in the ability to innovate. For more than a quarter century, LECOM has demonstrated that it understands the way in which to bring about real educational and economic growth – benefitting scholar and community alike.

FEATURE

Construction is underway on LECOM’s fourth campus, LECOM at Elmira. The 49,000 square-foot facility, located on the Elmira College grounds, will welcome its first class of medical students in July 2020.

With more than $7 billion of beneficial economic impact and with its comprehensive osteopathic academic health center network supporting patients and populace, LECOM and its affiliates have created a veritable doctrine that bears out the sagacity of Henry Ford's credo: “The highest use of capital is not to make more money, but to make money do more for the betterment of life.” The LECOM doctrine of limitless opportunities has taken that adage to heart and to practice.

The leadership of its second President and CEO, John M. Ferretti, DO, has guided LECOM to national prominence, catapulting the Erie, Pennsylvania-based College to unprecedented growth.

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth,” astutely observed John F. Kennedy. LECOM has established itself in the vanguard of medical education in large part because of its innovative paradigms and its sagacious refusal to embrace conformity.

In 2000, within a period of only eight years after its founding, LECOM experienced an intensity of rapid growth as a small group of firstyear medical students arrived as pioneers in a new learning pathway.

LECOM would be the first of its kind to introduce an effectively innovative approach to medical education, Problem-Based Learning (PBL). By working in small groups through a platform of self-directed study, PBL students are tasked to think clinically and to solve problems in the same way in which a physician diagnoses a patient. Additional

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 07

innovative learning pathways would follow, establishing the definitive paradigm in medical education.

By 2002, College growth and enrollment required LECOM to triple the size of the original medical school building. With the acquisition of the neighboring LORD Corporation property in 2011, the College became expansively situated along West Grandview Boulevard where a parklike, 53-acre campus boasts an excellent view of Lake Erie.

A continually growing LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center also stretches along Peach Street in Erie as the College and community engage in the whole-body wellness nexus that has become LECOM Health, the only health system in the United States with an Osteopathic Academic Health Center. The College, Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH), and Medical Associates of Erie – the clinical practice network of physician offices located in Erie County – form the core of this highly innovative medical education and patient care system.

True to the College mission, LECOM added another milestone with the opening of its School of Pharmacy. LECOM held its first pharmacy school graduation in June 2005. Since that time, LECOM has granted the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree to thousands of graduates.

In addition to the original campus in Erie, LECOM has continued its role in the vanguard of national leadership in osteopathic medicine by developing a branch campus in Bradenton, Florida. Located in the palmembowered setting of Lakewood Ranch, a master-planned community in Manatee County, LECOM Bradenton welcomed its first class of medical students on September 13, 2004. With the enrollment of the Bradenton Class of 2011, LECOM became the largest medical college in the nation and its growth has continued steadily.

In 2007, the School of Pharmacy also expanded to Florida, offering a traditional four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree curriculum and graduating the first class from LECOM Bradenton in 2011.

Expansion continued as LECOM initiated the Masters of Science in Medical Education Degree Program at the Erie campus in 2005.

Training physicians to become teachers and leaders in the clinical education of future physicians, this postgraduate course became the first Distance Education Program at LECOM. In addition to filling the need for teaching physicians, LECOM recognized the need for professors who could teach anatomy, one of the vital basic sciences required in medical education. To address that need, the College introduced a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Anatomy Education.

To further expand the education of potential medical, pharmacy and dental school recruits, the College also offers the Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences Degree, a Masters in Medical Science Degree and the Health Sciences Post Baccalaureate Certificate.

As national need for more physicians grew, LECOM added two accelerated programs in the medical college, the Primary Care Scholars Pathway (in 2007) and the Accelerated Physicians Pathway (in 2011).

These programs allow qualified students to complete the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree in just three years.

The vision of LECOM continued in 2009 with the extension of LECOM Erie to the campus of the private liberal arts institution of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. LECOM at Seton Hill now has almost 500 students in total enrollment.

In January, LECOM officials unveiled plans for Parkside at Corry, a new independent senior living facility adjacent to Corry Memorial Hospital. Parkside at Corry will feature 39 one- and two-bedroom private apartment units and is on pace to open next spring.

08 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

FEATURE In July 2012, the LECOM School of Dental Medicine welcomed students in Bradenton, establishing yet a new era in the betterment of healthcare education. The first class of dental students graduated in 2016. These scholars undertake three years of academic and basic clinical training at LECOM Bradenton. They complete their fourth year of study at community-based dental outreach offices in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, and in Erie; sites chosen, in part, because of the enduring LECOM commitment to provide care where it is most needed.

Ever vigilant to broadening innovative trends in education, LECOM added two Distance Education Pathways in 2014. The School of Pharmacy Distance Education Pathway is one of only two online Distance Education Programs in the nation for pursuing the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree.

The online classes for the Masters in Health Services Administration have provided the highly sought after opportunity for professionals aspiring to take leadership roles in the administration of hospitals, clinical practices and in other health care facilities. LECOM also developed an online program for the Master in Science Biomedical Ethics Degree. This program fills the need for healthcare workers and administrators to recognize and effectively handle the ethical complexities and dilemmas woven into the current medical practice climate.

In 2011, LECOM expanded its community offerings in Erie by opening the Coffee Culture CafĂŠ and Eatery to provide a relaxing study space for students and an attractive venue for the public to enjoy coffee or a light fare.

In keeping with its unremitting mission of service and its unflagging goal to promote improved health for all, LECOM, in 2014, became the lead agency for the Safe Kids Erie Program, which previously had been administered by the Erie County Department of Health. Safe Kids Erie strives to educate families and to raise awareness of the fact that the vast majority of injuries to children can be prevented. LECOM leadership of the program has also created additional opportunities for students at the College to serve the community.

In 2014, LECOM also incorporated LifeWorks Erie into its family of health and educational services. The affiliation with LifeWorks Erie, which offers programs, services and lifelong learning opportunities for individuals age 50 and older, has complemented and enhanced the ability of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging to serve the growing elderly population throughout the region.

In 2015, as LECOM wholly recast the very paradigm in comprehensive patient-centered health care, the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging opened the 138-bed LECOM Senior Living Center adjacent to MCH. The welcoming and homelike environment, coupled with a skilled nursing facility, is the next generation of innovative, compassionate and comprehensive health care designed specifically for older adults.

Ever aware of changing community needs, LECOM recognized the disproportionately growing senior population in Erie County by adding a multifaceted component to its health care programs for older adults.

In order to broaden access to wellness for this growing age group, LECOM purchased Parkside Senior Living Communities comprised of three independent living and personal care apartment complexes, located in Erie, North East and in Millcreek.

The year 2016 began with multiple acquisitions, including Corry Memorial Hospital, LECOM Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and the Visiting Nurse Association of Erie County.

Growth continued in 2017, as LECOM Health became an equity partner with Warren General Hospital in Warren, Pennsylvania. The prodigious undertaking further solidified LECOM as the seminal provider of a healthful and proactive amalgam of comprehensive services that afford older adults independent decision-making options throughout each part of the continuum of care.

In 2018, LECOM expanded the number of psychiatric beds at MCH, making the hospital the third largest provider of psychiatric services in Pennsylvania.

As 2019 rang in with new promise, construction of a Rural Health Clinic in Corry led the undertakings. The new facility, attached to the hospital, along with the addition of an independent living community on hospital property will further broaden the ever-present LECOM commitment to rural communities.

Indeed, as one follows the flourishing timeline of all that is LECOM, it is clear that change may be inevitable, but growth is intentional. Knowing the way in which to grow is just as important as knowing when to do so. In this arena, LECOM always has chosen wisely.

As LECOM nears its third decade of excellence, it has developed an unassailable reputation as a leader in medical education and patient care, with its graduates highly sought after in the fields of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. LECOM also has set the standard for affordable education in a private medical college setting where graduates achieve outstanding board scores and journey forward to make a difference in the field of health care.

With 2019 fully underway, LECOM expands again with a brand-new medical college in the Southern Tier of Western New York. The latest expansion, LECOM at Elmira, connotes investment, fosters economic vitality and provides new physicians to support the health needs of the community where the need is high and general practitioners are few.

This state-of-the-art medical education facility will ensure that people in rural communities will have increased access to health care.

When fully underway, LECOM at Elmira will enroll 480 students, bringing the total LECOM medical student enrollment across all campuses to more than 2,700. Already established as the largest medical school in the United States and as the only osteopathic academic health center in the nation, LECOM is firmly ensconced in its position as the definitive standard in providing superlative education at an affordable cost.

Growth throughout these decades never has ceased in the areas of education, enrichment, character and community.

The LECOM doctrine of limitless opportunities boldly welcomes 2019 as its mission continues to bring purpose and a commitment to a vision that results in a better tomorrow for the generations of scholars who cross the threshold of a great institution and for the communities and larger world that they will serve in the calling of a lifetime.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 09

LECOM Researcher Blazes New Trail in PCOS Study Diana Speelman, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), along with a team of fellow osteopathic medical professionals and students at LECOM Erie, are investigating several research questions regarding the application of the principles of osteopathic medicine for the treatment of women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

This work, supported by LECOM through an 18-month American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Research Grant, seeks to study the most common hormone disorder in women.

PCOS affects up to one in 10 women, impacting the endocrine, reproductive, metabolic and psychologic health of those afflicted. Symptoms can include menstrual irregularity, excess male hormones, male

pattern hair growth and balding, obesity and obesity-related conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular dysfunctions, ovarian cysts, infertility, acne, depression and anxiety.

Despite its prevalence, the cause of the disorder remains a mystery, leaving physicians to manage patients' PCOS symptoms through the use of purely pharmaceutical methods.

The absence of natural treatment alternatives prompted Dr. Speelman to assess the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) and yoga as non-drug, holistic options for women to manage and to improve their PCOS symptoms.

The researchers are measuring the sympathetic nervous system to determine if increased sympathetic tone could be assessed by osteopathic structural

10 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

assessment instead of the more laborintensive, equipment-dependent physiological methods of assessment.

Another avenue of investigation in this study seeks to determine whether three months of weekly osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) of key points and utilization of ribraising techniques can improve sympathetic tone, endocrine and metabolic parameters, or psychological health in women with PCOS. Dr. Speelman and her team worked with staff at the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center to determine if three months of threetimes-per-week yoga practice can improve parameters in these areas.

Erie-area women between the ages of 20 and 44 who had previously been diagnosed with PCOS entered the study after undergoing

an initial screening by LECOM Health obstetrician-gynecologist, Chevelta Smith, DO. Once all preliminary measures were completed, subjects were divided into two intervention groups. The first group participated in weekly OMT sessions.

"One of our first findings was that even prior to the intervention, we could identify evidence of elevated sympathetic nervous system activity through an osteopathic assessment before some of the associated physiological signs began to show," Dr. Speelman noted.

"This finding means that an osteopathic physician may be able to discern elevated sympathetic activity in a patient with PCOS even before changes in heart rate, blood pressure and EKG findings are evident. If one can detect it earlier, potentially one can treat it earlier," affirmed Dr. Speelman.

our findings in women with varying ethnic backgrounds, ages and across a broader range," Dr. Speelman explained. "We also hope to assess other types of OMM to determine their benefits; to examine other non-drug interventions; and to evaluate whether women who practice yoga at home will see the same results,” she furthered.

When Andrew Taylor Still, DO, established the osteopathic medical philosophy more than a century ago, he established that the human body as a unit has the ability to heal itself and that physicians should treat the patient as a whole rather than merely treat the symptoms of disease or malady.

Assiduous researchers at LECOM always seek to view the individual as a whole and to offer holistic options and manipulation as a way to address disorders and disease.

With that profound philosophy in mind, Dr. Speelman's study to discover a more holistic, non-pharmaceutical approach to treat PCOS falls squarely into the corroboratory realm of discovery so soundly established by the father of osteopathic medicine.

In the rapidly changing field of medicine there is growing desire across the populace to avoid taking medication; patients are seeking other options. “Having people who are more receptive to alternative treatments makes these types of studies very timely,” concluded the LECOM professor.

LECOM takes great pride in supporting the keenly probative examinations undertaken by its faculty and scholars as they blaze a new trail in the advancement of osteopathic medicine.

The study also indicated that women's resting EKG and heart-rate recovery times following exercise improved after three months of weekly OMT interventions.

The second group of participants took part in hour-long, instructor-led yoga classes three times each week at the LECOM Wellness Center. "There has been evidence with other disorders and diseases that using yoga has helped to improve a person's overall outlook.

Yoga has helped to improve depression and anxiety levels, which we often see in women with PCOS," explained Dr. Speelman. As with the OMT group, Dr. Speelman saw positive outcomes with the yoga participants.

Following the study, Dr. Speelman and her collaborators detailed their results in two articles for the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Their findings concerning the yoga intervention have been submitted for peer review. Though Dr. Speelman was encouraged by the outcome of this initial research, the investigation into PCOS is far from complete.

1 IN 10

WOMEN suffer from PCOS

"We hope to conduct additional studies with larger groups to determine if we can replicate

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 11

Why choose a

Join the

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

LECOM Health doctors’ primary hospital is Millcreek Community You can become part of the only Hospital, the region’s leading hospital for geriatric care, behavioral health, rehabilitation, wound care and orthopedics.

Osteopathic Academic Health Center in

the nation led by the Lake Erie College of LECOM Health doctors can refer patients for specialty care Osteopathic Medicine.

anywhere – Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or wherever is best for the

Currently, we are seeking physicians care and convenience of the patient.* in Pediatrics, ENT, General Surgery, Neurology, and Rheumatology forLECOM our Health doctors belong to Medical Associates of Erie and practice Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, expanding practices.

General Surgery, Geriatrics, Integrative Medicine,

Please contact Dennis Styn at Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Orthopedics, to (814) 868-2504 or dstyn@lecom.edu Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Podiatry and learn more about available opportunities.

Primary Care and Medical Specialties. *Specialty care insurance coverage depends upon a patient’s insurance company.

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NEW LECOM STUDY Offers Broad Possibilities for Treating Musculoskeletal Ailments

An innovative clinical study is being undertaken by LECOM Musculoskeletal Institute Director Joshua Tuck, DO, and his team at the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, that could offer relief for people who struggle with shoulder injuries and musculoskeletal disorders.

Researchers with the LECOM Musculoskeletal Institute have teamed with medAppraise Inc. to test the effectiveness of the cutting-edge technology developed by the Bradenton, Florida-based data repository.

That technology, the Musculoskeletal Disorder Research System (MSDR), is being utilized to accurately track the progress of a medical intervention, such as physical therapy or osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), in patients with shoulder injuries. The Study also will determine the effectiveness and perhaps the superiority of such intervention in treating one of the most disabling and costly afflictions for individuals around the world.

According to the United States Bone and Joint Initiative, musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, acute joint pain, osteoporosis and sports trauma affect more than 1.7 billion people worldwide. These ailments trouble and torment 126.6 million Americans – one in two adults – and they account for an estimated 18 percent of all health care visits, costing approximately $213 billion annually to treat.

Two hundred study participants will form the assessment cohort with half of the contingent without shoulder ailments providing a baseline. The remaining portion of the group with impaired shoulder function and mobility due to arthritis, trauma, or sports injuries will

receive hands-on osteopathic manipulative medicine or physical therapy treatments.

are equivalent or if one is a superior form of treatment," explained the LECOM physician.

Once Dr. Tuck determines that a subject meets the research criteria through an initial consultation, the Wellness Center staff using the MSDR will assess the participant.

This new web-based technology system can provide musculoskeletal function measurements across four body quadrants.

The system uses the same motion-sensing software as that used in the Xbox Kinect gaming device.

If the research does substantiate the MSDR platform, Dr. Tuck envisions endless real-world applications for the protocol. "This platform could become the standard for testing if one seeks to join the military, to secure certain jobs, or to complete workers' compensation claims," he postulated. “One could develop criteria for the appropriate MSDR score required for certain work descriptions or for young athletes to play a season of baseball," he expounded.

Range of motion testing facilitated by 3-D sensors attached to the subject’s joints collect quantitative biometric data that is combined with the patient's initial assessment to generate the MSDR results.

From this review, patients are placed randomly into physical therapy or into OMM treatment groups. At the conclusion of the treatment phase, subjects are again evaluated using the MSDR. Enrollment in the study will continue until Dr. Tuck and his colleagues have registered 100 injury-free subjects and 100 subjects presenting with shoulder ailments.

Upon completion of the study, Dr. Tuck hopes the research will demonstrate that the MSDR will be a validated measurement tool for the pathology of the shoulder. “If 10 of us who are healthy and of the same age take the MSDR, it should give us similar scores,” noted Dr. Tuck.

"We also seek to determine that the MSDR can successfully and accurately track progress following some sort of physical therapy or OMM intervention. At the same time, we can determine if OMM and physical therapy

LECOM has been ever engaged in the limitless view of possibility in the field of healthcare education and in the realm of osteopathic medical advancements. As the LECOM Musculoskeletal Institute and the Wellness Center team work to complete the current study, it is clear that limitless research possibilities abound.

"We could be undertaking MSDR research with this group for many years to come.

Every year, every 18 months, we could be talking about another study with the MSDR," envisaged Dr. Tuck. “At the present moment, we are focusing upon the shoulder, but one could use this technology on the knee, perhaps on the hip, and on the neck.”

As the medAppraise software continues to develop and to become further refined, the options broaden; and LECOM, steadfastly in the vanguard of exceptionalism across its education and healthcare nexus, is solidly on the leading edge of a seemingly boundless inquiry.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 13

DISCIPLINE, DEDICATION AND DEVOTED DOCTORS

Herald LECOM Support of the Military

Tony Ruffa, DO, (left) and LECOM Health are proud to welcome military veterans like Matthew Carney, OMSIII, Bryan Anderson, DO, John Shafik, DO, and John McCarthy, DO, into the medical realm.

The parallel between medical practice and military service is found throughout the mission of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). In addition to maintaining a rigorous course of study and to preparing for residency, many students across the three campuses of LECOM commit their time and skill to serving in the United States armed forces. As graduates, they move forward, ever cognizant of a profound and enveloping phrase found within the Osteopathic Oath: "I will be ever vigilant in aiding in the general welfare of the community."

For a special group at LECOM Health Eastside Medical Center (EMC), the enduring pledge applies wholly to their personal missions.

Osteopathic physicians Bryan Anderson, John McCarthy and John Shafik are among several attending physicians and residents at EMC who are military veterans. Matthew Carney, a third-year medical student in his internal medicine rotation at the Eastside facility, also served his country before enrolling in the LECOM at Seton Hill program. As a group, they bring a unique perspective to the medical services provided to Erie residents.

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For Dr. Anderson, pairing medical school with service in the Air Force satisfied his boyhood goal of becoming a military pilot while earning a medical degree.

"Serving my country was always very important to me because so much has been afforded to me as an American through the burden carried by others and all that they have accomplished," explained Dr. Anderson.

"Often, it has been noted that ‘freedom is not free,’ rather, it has been paid for in the blood sacrificed by others. I have always wanted

to serve, and I have a great respect for our military and for all that they do," averred the LECOM alumnus.

is not the most glamorous lifestyle, but the importance of the service puts an added bounce in one’s step.”

After he graduated in 2013 from LECOM Erie, the Chicago native completed a general surgery internship at San Antonio Military Medical Center, gaining invaluable trauma experience before advancing as a flight surgeon to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

In that capacity, Dr. Anderson was charged with overseeing the medical care of F-16 and F-35 pilots. Considered Air Force "highvalue" employees whose vital and sensitive missions could be jeopardized by even the most minor illness or medical condition, it fell upon Dr. Anderson to ground these pilots, lest they make a mistake that could threaten "geopolitical relations for generations to come."

The medical field is much the same, as it contributes to the happiness and wellbeing of others. “I try to improve the lives of as many people as I can see during a day. It is a unique opportunity and it's a privilege," the physician asserted.

Upon fulfilling his service, Dr. Anderson returned to Erie to complete his orthopedic residency with LECOM Health. Dr. Anderson now has a new mission outside of the military, that of taking care of the citizens he so long protected in another way while wearing the uniform.

After graduation, Dr. Shafik fulfilled his military obligation, serving as United States Army active duty personnel from 2005-2008, including a deployment in Afghanistan.

It was an opportunity to work at the LECOM flagship hospital that lured Dr. McCarthy to Erie. However, his road to a family practice residency first began with an appointment to the Naval Academy. Six years of military service followed with deployments around the globe. Though he deeply valued the opportunity to serve his country, Dr. McCarthy realized his passion rested more fully with treating patients directly.

"In the Navy, the further one advances, the less direct interaction one has with people; and I realized that I love being around people, trying to help and to interact with them," he explained. "I saw an opportunity to make a life of that in medicine."

Osteopathic medicine appealed to Dr. McCarthy, affording him the opportunity to become a hands-on physician. In 2017, he graduated from LECOM Bradenton in his native Florida. That summer, he accepted a residency with LECOM Health.

"In the military, contributing to something larger than oneself is an essential part of the mission," underscored Dr. McCarthy. "It

Dr. Shafik's path led him from the suburbs of Baltimore to the shores of Lake Erie. As a teen, he followed a childhood ambition, accepting a college scholarship from the Towson University ROTC program and making a commitment to military service. A few weeks later, 9/11 changed the world and defined the future for the freshman political science student.

When he returned home, he decided to answer another lifelong calling, that of medicine.

After earning his physician assistant degree from Seton Hill University, he enrolled in the LECOM Accelerated Physician Assistant program. Dr. Shafik graduated from LECOM in 2018 and currently, he is completing his orthopedic residency at Millcreek Community Hospital.

Albany, New York native Matthew Carney was a self-described "idealistic" 17 year old with a strong sense of public service. Experience in Junior ROTC and as a Boy Scout led him to the armed services where he accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy. The patriotic youth selected the Medical Service Corps with the 10th Mountain Division, a unit that deployed on a regular basis.

Seeking to contribute to the American efforts abroad, the West Point graduate deployed to Iraq in 2009 as a platoon leader where he oversaw the logistics for a group of medics who provided first-level emergency care to three military bases and offered lifesaving medical training to Iraqi police and army personnel. In 2013, he deployed to

Afghanistan as a company commander. There, Commander Carney managed a much larger group of medical personnel who assisted a surgical team operating near the front lines.

A wide-eyed Carney had arrived overseas without medical training, but after six years and two deployments, his profoundly lifechanging experiences inspired him to become an osteopathic physician. In 2016, moved by all that he faced in war, the courageous soldier enrolled in LECOM at Seton Hill.

“Veterans who serve as part of LECOM Health and EMC benefit medical residents, students and patients alike,” stated fellow EMC attending physician Tony Ruffa, DO. “Their presence underscores the enduring commitment that LECOM has to superlative care.”

In addition to their excellent education, there exists an evident discipline to military residents who have been trained in a regimented lifestyle. Their strengths and skills, honed through the rigors of military service, are welcomed by LECOM as the College remains ever committed to community service.

"There's definitely a bond and a level of implicit understanding among veterans. We work well together as a team – we embrace a work ethic and a dedication to the mission,” added Carney.

LECOM strenuously supports the men and women, staff, student and resident alike, in the service of the nation. Indeed, the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has recognized LECOM President and CEO John M. Ferretti, DO, with the esteemed title of Patriotic Employer. Dr. Ferretti was distinguished for his contribution to national security and to protection of liberty by supporting and bolstering his employees in their service to the American National Guard and Reserve Force.

LECOM strikes a bold chord, ever pronouncing that dedication and discipline are the cornerstone of steadfast service. Whether to country or to countrymen, to fellow patriot or patient, the parallel between military service and medical practice is profound and ever valued at LECOM.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 15

LECOM School of Dental Medicine Student Wins Leadership Award

In lacrosse parlance, the phrase controlling the draw connotes a player’s ability to possess the ball and to patiently dictate the game.

A four-year starter on the University of Oregon lacrosse team, Schmidt was honored recently with the Pacific 12 (PAC12) Conference Leadership Award.

“I have always enjoyed availing myself of leadership opportunities and I have had a profound desire to lead those around me,” the LECOM student remarked.

Thus it is no surprise that Natalie Modly Schmidt, a first-year student at the LECOM School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, Florida, knows how to bide her time as she imperturbably awaits her opportunities.

“I was a student-athlete at the University of Oregon and they place a strong emphasis upon leadership, both on and off the field,” she noted.

Not only did Schmidt serve as team captain during her junior and senior seasons, but she also earned a spot on the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association

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Schmidt emphasized that she was particularly attracted to LECOM because of its superlative clinical emphasis and hands-on training, Since the focus of her work in dentistry will be patient-driven, “to be able to start that clinical work right away presents a great opportunity,”

Academic Honor Roll in 2017 and again in 2018. She was named a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic ScholarAthlete in 2016. In 2018, Schmidt earned Pac-12 All-Academic First-Team honors as well as the University of Oregon Jaqua Award, presented to the graduating senior student-athlete with the highest grade point average (GPA). Schmidt graduated in March of 2018 with a 3.90 GPA in general sciences and she also received a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship in July of 2018.

“We were involved in a great deal of community service in terms of making Lacrosse visible to local high schools through play and demonstrations,” commented the LECOM scholar of her team efforts. Her community service did not end with high school lacrosse demonstrations.

Recruited from high school in Annapolis, Maryland, Schmidt also served as a director and executive board member of the Oregon Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and she volunteered for such organizations as Special Olympics, the HOSEA Homeless Shelter, National Girls in Sports Day, Read Across America Day, and at monthly events for cancer patients. Schmidt also traveled to Nicaragua in 2016 as a dental assistant, where she provided medical care and educational courses in dental-hygiene to underserved communities.

Given the breadth of her interests and activities, there is little wonder that she was drawn to dentistry and to LECOM.

working with my hands and I was drawn to the artistic dimension that dentistry allows.”

Valuing a profession with strong patient interaction, Schmidt was also encouraged by her pediatric dentist, herself a community leader dedicated to her patients. “Her influence also called me to the profession as a way to continue leadership,” the LECOM student said of her mentor.

Schmidt emphasized that she was particularly attracted to LECOM because of its superlative clinical emphasis and handson training, “especially in the fourth year, when students travel to areas where people are in need of dental care.” Since the focus of her work in dentistry will be patientdriven, “to be able to start that clinical work right away presents a great opportunity,” averred Schmidt.

Highlighting her favorable opinion of group work and of team interactions in the LECOM Problem Based Learning Pathway, Schmidt noted that the environment brings different strengths to the group, much like a team, something to which the scholar-athlete readily relates. “The program definitely has enhanced my learning,” she stated.

LECOM congratulates this scholar-athlete.

The many talents demonstrated by Schmidt along with her determination and commitment to service are reflective of the noble mission of LECOM.

“In high school, I was quite interested in something medically related and I desired to pursue a health profession in some capacity,” Schmidt recalled. “I enjoyed

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 17

not talk about it, to hold it in, and then let it go.

I like to talk about what I’ve seen and done, but Tommy never talked about it.”

Following Dailey’s death, Burke and others sought to honor the 15-year Emergency Medical Services (EMS) veteran and to expose the mental health struggles experienced by first responders.

Adam Burke (third from left) pauses for a photo with Fayette County Sheriff James Custer, former New York firefighter David Carpenter and Robert Kelly, captain of the Footedale Volunteer Fire Department, during Fayette County Unites to Help People Coping with PTSD.

LECOM Student Undertakes Mission of Compassion to Highlight PTSD The value of compassion cannot be overemphasized. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has ever inculcated the importance of compassion, for it is an indispensable virtue of those called to the medical profession. Indeed, the College welcomes, nurtures and cultivates students who hold this vital attribute as their North Star.

It comes as little surprise that Adam Burke, a first-year medical student at LECOM at Seton Hill, would organize a meaningful and necessary discussion program as a tribute to his friend, Tommy Dailey Jr., who committed suicide in June 2018 after secretly battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for years. Dailey’s sudden death was a shock to those who knew him, including Adam, who trained under Dailey before becoming his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) partner for several years.

The program, known as Fayette County Unites to Help People Coping with PTSD, was held in McClellandtown, Pennsylvania, early in November of 2018. The event offered probative discussions about mental health issues, while paying tribute to Burke’s friend and fellow EMT. Faced with regular exposure to the scenes of fires, auto accidents, violent crimes, and similar

incidents, those men and women who seek to save may find themselves deeply affected by such traumatic events.

These daily and weighty responsibilities – combined with typically long work hours and oftentimes, sleep deprivation – can take a heavy toll upon the physical and mental wellbeing of a first responder, the effects of which can be serious, long-lasting, and even permanent.

One effect of such exposure is PTSD, a mental health condition triggered by a distressing event and associated with symptoms of depression, flashbacks, outbursts, and destructive behavior, among others. PTSD is becoming more regularly identified among first responders, a fact with which Burke is all too familiar.

“We did not know what he was going through,” said the LECOM student of his former trainer, adding that the 31-year-old had been on “some of the worst calls in the county, but one could never tell that Tommy needed help. He kept it to himself.” The ability to admit that a problem exists is difficult for first responders, Burke explained.

“We have to project an image of strength. People look to us for their medical needs,” he furthered.

“EMTs have seen it all. We have been taught to

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The Coping with PTSD event featured various local healthcare affiliates as well as representatives who offered the perspectives of military members and police. Keynote speaker David Carpenter, a former New York City firefighter, discussed his experience with PTSD after surviving the World Trade Center collapse on 9/11. Dailey’s mother, Sandy Duritsky, also addressed those in attendance, noting that one of her son’s final wishes was to help struggling first responders like himself.

What would Dailey have thought of the event?

“I think that he would have been appreciative and felt that his job was accomplished,” Burke mused. “He would have said that his voice had been heard, that a problem exists, and that it needs to be changed.”

Fayette County Commissioners presented a Certificate of Recognition to Burke for his role in creating the event. As he moves forward in his medical journey, Burke looks forward to practicing family medicine, a position that should afford him the flexibility to continue his involvement in PTSD and mental health projects.

Following the program, two paramedics approached Burke seeking to establish a Brotherhood Program that would draw together first responders on a monthly basis to meet and to talk in a relaxed setting. Representatives with Uniontown-area Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services and Highlands Hospital have discussed developing a peer review group to address the mental health issues and concerns of first responders. Plans for hosting semiannual barbecues are in the offing, the goal of which is to hold local EMS groups together as a tight knit family while emphasizing the see something, say something credo.

Burke has demonstrated the way in which each person, in his own way, has the ability to spread compassion into the hearts of his brethren. This future LECOM physician recognized that no greater burden can be borne by an individual than to know that no one cares or understands one's plight. He sought to act on that recognition and, in so doing, he has lessened the burden of his fellow man.

Three for the Road Sisters Laud LECOM Distance Education Pathway be home. I love that LECOM has given us that ability, while still affording us the stellar education that the school provides,” remarked Moira.

“The three of us have been interested in healthcare since our high school days, when we found that we excelled in the sciences. Our mom has primary pulmonary hypertension, diagnosed shortly after Siobhan was born, so we all grew up with the impact of that illness. Our family is very close because of it, and I think that it is the root of all of our interests in healthcare,” Moira expounded. Moira graduated from University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in psychology and pre-health sciences.

Sisters Moira, Siobhan and Cara Hubbell share a passion for medicine and will be among LECOM’s graduating class of 2022.

Cara, Moira and Siobhan Hubbell are three siblings pursuing their medical journey from afar. The appeal of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy drew the three sisters decisively to its Distance Education (DE) program.

Eschewing the option to undertake their pharmacy education at a physical location closer to their home, the siblings enjoy the comforts of their Branchville, New Jersey, homestead while they are enrolled in the LECOM School of Pharmacy DE Program.

“I first learned about LECOM at my local pharmacy. The pharmacist with whom I work is a LECOM alumna and she raved about the pharmacy school: its efficiency, advanced educational platform, professionalism and its fast pace,” recalled Cara. “I researched the program further and I learned that the Distance Education Pathway was available.”

After spending four years away at Saint Mary's College of Notre Dame in Indiana – majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry – she had a strong desire to return home and to be more involved in her community.

Cara is decisive about the benefits of LECOM Distance Education. “The recorded sessions are

a great study tool. Everything is easily accessed through one’s computer; therefore one can study, learn and work from anywhere. Being at home is my greatest advantage. It is a place where I am comfortable and I have the support of my sisters and parents every single day,” the oldest sister furthered. “Though we DE students may not be on campus, we are still involved in our community through community service and work.”

Cara, Moira and Siobhan are P1s and they plan to graduate together in 2022. “We are each other's most ardent supporters and advocates for success. We push each other and challenge each other every day,” Cara offered. During their undergraduate careers, Cara and Siobhan attended Saint Mary’s College (SMC), and Moira attended Notre Dame (just across the street from SMC). The sisters were delighted to learn that LECOM has recently partnered with Saint Mary's College for an Early Acceptance Program.

Middle sister Moira also highlighted the benefit of remaining in her community and continuing to work in her local pharmacy throughout her education. She personally viewed that aspect as the greatest advantage of the DE Pathway. “Our family is very close, and when we all attended school in Indiana, there was always a part of us that missed New Jersey and that wanted to

For Siobhan, the youngest of the three sisters, the main draw of the Distance Education Pathway was the idea of learning remotely and having the ability to be in different locations while learning.

“Distance Education is beneficial for me because I enjoy learning at my own pace. While there are strict deadlines, there is nothing preventing one from advancing in the material and moving forward,” affirmed Siobhan. “The professors always are at the top of their field and they make certain that they are available for their distance students. Despite having classmates throughout the United States, the DE Class of 2022 is extremely close. We talk with each other every day, and through engaging in the interactive sync sessions, I can now recognize my classmates voices.”

Having graduated with a bachelor of science in biology from Saint Mary's College, Siobhan has a marked interest in research as well as in the business aspect of pharmacy. A self-described “lover of animals,” she also sees the possibility of a career in veterinary pharmacy.

These scholarly sisters form a triumvirate of achievement as they work toward their pharmacy goals individually and as part of a caring family.

LECOM takes great pride in its Distance Education Pathway that has provided the platform for assiduous scholars nationwide to reach their personal potential in the calling of their life.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 19

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Family Pharmacist Continues Family Legacy There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all of the greatest virtues are created, strengthened and maintained. So said Winston Churchill in defining the important role of the family in the structure of human life. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has long echoed that tenet, holding fast to the traditional values that have defined the institution.

To have one’s path made clear for one is the aspiration of every human being in a beclouded and tempestuous existence. To have that path peopled with the support and guidance of family is a treasured windfall.

Perhaps for that reason 2012 LECOM School of Pharmacy graduate Colby Grove found his calling.

In becoming a pharmacist, Dr. Grove carries forward a family legacy that has endured for

more than 80 years and that has spanned three generations. Dr. Grove is one of nine family members who have become pharmacists, including his grandfather, both parents and an older brother.

The Grove name has been synonymous with the profession of pharmacy in the greater Springfield, Missouri, region for decades.

Grove Pharmacy, established by Dr. Grove's grandparents, Donald and Lucille, has been a Springfield fixture since 1952; today it is owned by Dr. Grove's father, Gary, and it includes several locations as well as a spa.

Like his father before him, Dr. Grove spent his formative years at the family pharmacy where he learned the business and where his passion for caring for others was ignited.

The pharmacy profession seemed to offer the right path for him. Despite his parents' attempts to encourage their children toward a

different profession, the budding pharmacist followed his parents’ example rather than their advice.

After completing the LECOM Accelerated PharmD Pathway, Dr. Grove returned to Missouri where he worked at a national pharmacy chain for several years. The demands of the big-box industry were daunting for the young pharmacist. It was a fortuitous opportunity in 2016 that Pleasant Hope city officials approached Dr. Grove and his brother, Whitney, about establishing a hometown-style pharmacy in the Springfield suburb. The brothers welcomed the opportunity with enthusiasm, opening The Pharmacy in July 2017. "The community has been great to us," beamed Dr. Grove.

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RAJIV AMESUR, DO Journey to Soccer Dream Finds Purposeful Path remove the game from me,” Dr. Amesur stated. “I was born to be a soccer player.”

Now, nearly seven years since he graduated from LECOM, Dr. Amesur has settled in Las Vegas. Recently, he completed his fellowship at Valley Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Amesur earned his Critical Care Medicine Board Certification and now he is dually certified in internal medicine and pulmonary disease.

He serves as a pulmonologist with Western Critical Care Associates in conjunction with Sound Physicians covering St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin and Siena campuses.

Dr. Amesur continues to play soccer at a high level and multiple times a week, joining numerous current and retired professional athletes and other high-profile individuals on the pitch. The list of fellow soccer enthusiasts includes former international soccer players, a Syrian Olympic gymnast, a Cirque du Soleil slackline artist, restaurateurs, professional poker players and a host of others.

Rajiv Amesur, DO, celebrates his fellowship graduation with his parents Gloria Amesur and Pradeep Amesur, MD, and fiancée Monica Sainz.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) holds a belief that endurance is not only the ability to bear a difficult challenge, rather to turn that challenge into triumph.

Dedication, determination and a strong work ethic are characteristics necessary for anyone pursuing a medical career. The same can be said of athletes seeking to compete at the highest levels of professional sports. For 2012 LECOM graduate Rajiv Amesur, DO, the traits honed while advancing through the ranks of professional soccer have helped to propel him into a career in pulmonology and internal medicine and to position him in a place where his skills were most needed.

Dr. Amesur began playing soccer at the age of 4. A talented forward, the Ohio resident participated in the United States Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program and he was heavily recruited by college teams, ultimately playing for Case Western Reserve University where he was twice named Academic AllAmerican Student-Athlete.

Dr. Amesur spent his summers competing with clubs in Brazil where he gained experience and exposure. He played for the United States Under-23 Men’s National Team and he signed with Club América, one of the most prominent soccer organizations in Mexico. However, after only two years on the soccer circuit, an irreparable hamstring injury forced his early retirement from professional soccer.

Dr. Amesur’s path next led him to the LECOM Erie campus where he pursued a degree in osteopathic medicine. The road was not an altogether unfamiliar one for Dr. Amesur, who estimated that he is, quite possibly, the 34th person in his family to enter the medical profession.

Despite his career-ending injury, Dr. Amesur’s passion for soccer remained undaunted.

He formed a LECOM soccer club and he recruited other medical students to compete against athletes at nearby Gannon and Mercyhurst Universities. “You could remove me from the game, but you could never

“Many former athletes come to Las Vegas when they retire, and some are coaches of the local youth premier leagues,” said Dr. Amesur, who further noted that Las Vegas is becoming a soccer mecca, much like Los Angeles, Texas and Florida. “A number of current, big-name athletes also live here and they compete with us in the off-season.”

The doctor explained that teams also have played against notable athletes-turnedcelebrities, such as Rod Stewart, Gordon Ramsey and Jason Statham.

Soccer helps Dr. Amesur stay physically fit and mentally sharp while also serving as a beneficial form of stress release after experiencing particularly arduous days in the medical field.

One glaringly stressful and horrific day occurred in October 2017 when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concert goers at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on the Las Vegas Strip. The shooter killed 58 people and injured more than 500 attendees before turning the gun on himself. At the time, Dr. Amesur was in the final year of his

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THE PROBATIVE PILLAR Interprofessional Research Day 2018 More than 80 students and medical residents participated in the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Interprofessional Research Day November 2. The event highlighted one of the core pillars of the LECOM mission – research – as students and residents marked the noteworthy day with their presentation of abstracts, posters and lectures.

Research is a cornerstone of probative academic achievement and it is key to providing a well-rounded education for the next generation of osteopathic healthcare professionals. The annual LECOM Research Day provides participants with a vital opportunity to showcase their work while offering an equally informative experience for fellow contributors and attendees.

The wide-ranging collection of abstract submissions were categorized either as student research or resident research and they were further subdivided into the lecture session or poster session categories.

First-year doctoral student Robert Waters, MS, garnered the top honor in the Student Lecture Session category for his study entitled, The Effect of Cinnamaldehyde Ointment on Prevention and Treatment of Staphylococcus Aureus and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. He completed his research under the guidance of Daniel Austin, PharmD, Nancy Carty, PhD, and Christopher Keller, PhD. The assiduous doctoral candidate completed a sweep of the first-place student honors,

also claiming the top prize in the Student Poster Session category with his piece entitled, The Effect of Potential Confounding Variables on the Detection of Borrelia Burgdorferi in Ixodes Scapularis Ticks. As with his lecture session study, Waters executed his research with oversight provided by Drs. Carty and Keller. While a master's student in 2016, the accomplished scholar previously captured first-place honors in the same division.

Yusra Mansour, OMS2, earned second-place honors in the Student Lecture Session for her research entitled, Auditory Midbrain Hypoplasia and Dysmorphology after Prenatal Valproic Acid Exposure. The LECOM scholar was joined in her analysis by fellow secondyear students Sarah Mangold and Devon Chosky under the charge of Randy Kulesza, PhD. The third-place Student Lecture Session Award was received by Haley Prough, OMS3, for her research entitled, Comparison of the Force Required for Dislodgement Between Secured and Unsecured Airways. The LECOM student conducted her study under the auspices of Curtis Davenport, DO, Christian Martin-Gill, MD, Henry Wang, MD, James Mayrose, PhD, and Jestin Carlson, MD. First-year student Auryaa DeChick, MS, earned the second-place Student Poster Session Award for her research entitled, Skeletal Muscle Abnormalities in a Prenatally Androgenized Rat Model for PCOS. She completed her study with collaborative guidance provided by Mary Petro, Jack Lee, PhD, and Diana Speelman, PhD.

The third-place prize in the Student Poster Session was awarded to second-year medical student, Ryan Zimmerman, MS, for his poster entitled, Repeated Prenatal Exposure to Valproic Acid Disrupts Ascending Projections to the Central Nucleus of the Inferior Colliculus. He performed his analysis under the review of Dr. Kulesza.

In the Resident Physician Lecture Session, Lidianny Polanco, DO, received first-place honors for her research entitled Thyroid Storm Due to Abuse of Exogenous T3 and T4 for Weight Loss. Timothy Howland, MD, and Gurdeep Singh, MD, joined Dr. Polanco in her research.

The study entitled Necrotizing Fasciitis and Spinal Epidural Abscess Unusual Presentation earned Mohamed Saad Eldin, MD, a secondplace award in the lecture category. He collaborated with Ahmed Khalil, MD, and Naidu Latasha, MD, on the investigation.

Dr. Khalil received a third-place tribute for his lecture entitled, An Unusual Presentation of Primary Aortic Mural Thrombus. He conducted his research with Dr. Eldin.

Jonathan Callegari, DO, garnered the highest honor for the Research Day Resident Physician Poster Session. Dr. Callegari collaborated with Matthew Cald, DO, Jae Chang, DO, and Kevin Little, MD, on work entitled, A Retrospective Analysis of Upper Extremity Injuries Sustained in Pediatric Soccer Players.

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LECOM ERIE The LECOM Student Scholarship Auction held November 10 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center was the 25th annual event – and this year, it was set against a backdrop of a winter wonderland. As a foot of snow blanketed the region, more than 1,200 guests filled the thronging gathering place. Bidders participated eagerly in the event that has become the glimmering gem in the student scholarship crown. The LECOM-sponsored benefit and fundraiser for future doctors, pharmacists and dentists is an enthusiastically anticipated event that provides monies raised to assist the financial needs of matriculating medical students as they answer their health care calling.

A wintery ambience set the scene as the 2018 offerings at the Erie Scholarship Auction included more than 900 items, presented both in a silent and in a live-auction format.

Enticing travel getaways, fabulous works of art, collectibles and memorabilia were displayed in brilliantly arrayed settings. Christmas and holiday decorations offered early options for the holiday shopper seeking to take advantage of gift-buying opportunities. Making any sports enthusiast beam with delight were tickets to major sporting events presented in abundance.

The theatre-goers were not to be forgotten as theatre offerings and concert event tickets abounded for the highest bidder.

The live auction segment of the program offered almost 40 items for bidders to peruse.

A Pittsburgh Steelers Game Day Tailgate Party hosted by Louis Lipps, a renowned Steelers wide receiver, was a highly coveted item. The famed No. 83 enticed prospective bidders as he described his native Louisiana gumbo and Southern cuisine that he serves to guests before the Steelers take the field.

Philanthropists Flood Student Scholarship Auctions 24 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

One of the highest value items was that of a new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. Interstate Mitsubishi owner Joe Bizzarro teased the gala attendees with his description of the gleaming vehicle. A winner of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design Good Design Award, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross drew the winning bid of $26,000. LECOM alumnus James Lin, DO, was the victorious bidder.

The vision of summer sailing and glistening warm waters enticed bidders to raise their bid cards frequently for the chance to sail on a yacht, the Scott Free. Scott Enterprises owner Nick Scott took to the stage to describe a relaxing cruise aboard his luxury yacht.

Guiding the evening program, emcee Jamie Murphy, LECOM assistant director of student affairs, encouraged bidders to participate in the Student Scholarship Raffle with the lucky winners traveling to Cancun and St. Lucia.

Msgr. David Rubino, LECOM director of external affairs, offered a moving and meaningful invocation, entreating those gathered to pray for the future physicians, pharmacists and dentists who benefit from the generous donations. In a deserving tribute to veterans, Rubino thanked those who have served and sacrificed to keep our great nation safe and free.

Many key sponsors made the evening a resounding success. PNC Bank, the presenting sponsor and Highmark, the primary care scholarship sponsor, anchored the success of the evening. A full list of the major Student Scholarship Fund contributors is set forth separately in this issue.

The falling snow served as little deterrence to special guests who traveled intrepidly from Buffalo, New York, and from Pittsburgh to participate in the evening events. Six members of the National Women’s Hockey League, the Buffalo Beauts, joined in the festivities to greet guests. The team members included Nicole Hensley, the team goalie who helped Team USA win the gold medal at the Olympics, and former Mercyhurst University players Emily Janiga and Julia DiTondo. More than 350 students worked at the gala as runners, ticket sellers and as bid spotters for the live auction segment of the program.

Even though the LECOM tuition rates are among the lowest in the country, many students still graduate with considerable indebtedness. Since 1994, LECOM has awarded student scholarships totaling more than $35 million. The LECOM Student Scholarship Fund provides nearly $5 million annually distributed among its students.

Every dollar raised at the auction benefits LECOM students as they pursue their noble dreams of becoming osteopathic physicians, pharmacists, and dentists.

LECOM Bradenton The yearly gathering of Suncoast area leaders, philanthropists and supporters proved to be a record-breaking one as hundreds of notables turned out for a night of camaraderie and generosity on October 13. The LECOM Bradenton Student Scholarship Fund Auction hosted its 13th annual event at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom on the shimmering shores of the Sarasota Bay. The glittering affair welcomed an array of LECOM allies all seeking to provide their hearty endorsement of the LECOM mission by way of their spirited bidding and sponsorships.

and Silvia M. Ferretti, DO, LECOM provost, vice president, and dean of academic affairs, the hosts of the fundraising gala.

Scholarship recipient and LECOM Bradenton School of Medicine student Levi Harris provided the invocation, offering a depth of sincere gratitude to God and recognizing those assembled with his words of appreciation for the Scholarship Fund. Antonio Arias and Sara Lobauer presented an impassioned thank you message to the attendees, articulating to the assemblage of eager patrons their personal depth of gratitude and that of their classmates.

Noted Bay News 9 Senior Anchor Al Ruechel – father of a LECOM medical graduate – emceed the evening festivities.

A delightful cocktail reception was followed by a silent and a live auction at the black-tie affair as Broadway veteran Ann Morrison performed several musical theatre tunes and self-styled

Chaired by LECOM Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Mark Kauffman, DO, and additionally overseen by Communication and Marketing Specialist Joel Welin – 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, @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 25

songs. A proud sponsor of the auction, Ms. Morrison delighted the audience with an engaging rendition of Hey Old Friends, the Stephen Sondheim song that she originated in her Broadway role in Merrily We Roll Along.

Classical cellists Emil and Dariel Liakovetsky rocked the ballroom at the close of the evening with their unique musical offerings. Emil is a first-year School of Dental Medicine student at LECOM in Bradenton, and the brothers were recent finalists on the television hit America's Got Talent.

of the evening was that of intense support of the students focused decidedly upon building futures. Companioned with the LECOM Auction in Erie, the annual fundraisers have raised millions.

Above the murmuring din of the amiable conversations of the guests, bids were placed on more than 500 donated items. The record number of items added interest and delight to the surveying bidders. Auctioneer Jeff Burchard, of Auctions Unlimited, encouraged the willing live-auction bidders as the spirit of philanthropy engulfed the dedicated attendees resulting in several collegial bidding battles.

A backstage tour hosted by on-air personality Tucker Carlson on his Washington, D.C. Fox News set was a highly coveted item as well, with the bid breaking its recorded value.

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. The permeating theme

Some of the more interesting items on the live auction block included a private helicopter tour of the Sarasota Coast; a VIP travel package to the Puerto Rico Open; a guitar autographed by country music superstar Kenny Chesney;

Several interesting bidding episodes punctuated the evening, with one such moment occurring as a spirited bidding skirmish for a weeklong trip to Paris. The item was successfully captured

by Dr. Eugene DiBetta at the conclusion of an amiable paddle battle.

Unquestionably, the event was a resounding success with 52 sponsored tables accommodating 500 guests as they dined, conversed and tendered their bids.

S ave Save Sav Sa aveethe thhe Date Dat Da aate ttee

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Hyatt Regency Sarasota, Florida

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Erie Bayfront Convention Center Visit LECOM.edu/alumni for the latest auction news 26 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

and an autographed sketch of the Charles Shultz beloved beagle, Snoopy. Stunning jewelry peppered the offerings, among which included an unique Gemz Jewelers customdesigned red copper, turquoise and diamond necklace. Autographed sports memorabilia, dinners, massages, tickets to various theater productions and to professional sports events, holiday-themed gifts, hotel packages and a variety of appealing baskets to entice the tastes of every attendee filled the burgeoning silent auction tables.

The commitment to excellence advanced and advocated by LECOM remains unyielding.

More than 75 LECOM students and 50 employees volunteered their services during the auction.

At the close, those in attendance may have headed home with a less weighty pocketbook or with a slimmer billfold, but without question, they left in their parting much more than dollars as they championed a cause that will transform the lives of those who will come to define the health care of a generation.

EARN YOUR MASTERS IN HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION DEGREE ONLINE 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.

• 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 meet busy professional schedules; • Current LECOM students and alumni are eligible to apply for a LECOM School of Health Services Administration tuition scholarship*.

LECOM is proud to introduce a distance education program to prepare qualified health care leaders to meet the challenges of 21st Century medicine. For more information, contact us at (941) 405-1535 or mhsa@lecom.edu College of Osteopathic Medicine • School of Pharmacy • School of Dental Medicine School of Health Services Administration • Masters/Post Baccalaureate www.LECOM.edu *Students must apply to the MHSA program prior to enrollment deadline to qualify.

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Wreaths Across America

World AIDS Day

Salute Our Troops

Safe Kids Erie

On December 15, 2018, members of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists joined veterans and members of the Erie community for Wreaths Across America at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home. During this annual national program, volunteers pay respect to veterans by placing wreaths at service members’ gravesites at cemeteries throughout the country.

Members of the Military Medicine Club represented LECOM at the Erie BayHawks Annual Salute Our Troops Game held on January 27, 2019.

28 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

LECOM Erie held its Annual World AIDS Day Commemoration on November 30, 2018, to show support for those living with HIV/AIDS and remembrance for those who have died from the virus. Students, faculty, and staff formed a human red ribbon, placed ribbons on the LECOM Tree of Remembrance and Hope, and they also created a Memorial Quilt Panel.

LECOM Sigma Sigma Phi collaborated with Safe Kids Erie at JoAnna Connell Elementary School on January 10, 2019, to teach students about the importance of a healthy heart.

COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Community of Smiles

Operation Christmas Child

The LECOM School of Dental Medicine and Cate Alvaro, a senior at Pine View School in Sarasota, Florida, teamed with Delia Smith, Salvation Army Shelter Program Manager, to distribute toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other oral hygiene items to an underserved community. The event, on December 7, 2018, was part of Alvaro’s Creating a Community of Smiles Gold Award Project for the Girl Scouts.

In November of 2018, the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) Club at LECOM at Seton Hill gathered donations for Operation Christmas Child - an international relief project of Samaritan’s Purse - that provides children in need with shoe boxes packed with much-needed supplies.

Over a two-week period, CMDA collected items from Seton Hill University students, faculty, and staff to fill 23 shoe boxes with toys, clothes, hygiene products, and school supplies to benefit children around the world.

Rho Chi Induction

River Regatta

The Gamma Tau Chapter of the Rho Chi Society (pictured) and the Gamma Iota Chapter of Phi Lambda Sigma welcomed new students from the LECOM pharmacy classes of 2019 and 2020 during the Induction Ceremony held on January 12, 2019. Kristen Gawronski, PharmD, also joined Rho Chi as a 2019 Faculty Initiate.

LECOM Bradenton students greeted visitors and answered questions during the Fifth Annual Bradenton Area River Regatta held on February 9, 2019.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 29

NOTES

STUDENT NOTES

College of Medicine New of officers have been elected for the LECOM at Seton Hill Student Government Association. They are first-year medical students, Amanda Jacubowsky, President; Michaela Hull, Vice President I; Nirja Inamdar, Vice President II; Urma Jalil, Secretary; and Michah DeBenedetto, Treasurer.

Don Jude Jayamaha, OMS4, received a first place award at the 14th Annual Regional Science Consortium Research Symposium, held in November of 2018, for his poster entitled The Effect of Carvacrol and Thymol on Growth Inhibition of Staphylococcus Aureus and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.

Brody Lipsett, OMS3, was the recipient of a Chester P. Steininger Memorial Medical Scholarship.

Yusra Mansour, OMS2, Sarah Mangold, OMS2, Devon Chosky, OMS2, and LECOM faculty member Randy Kulesza, PhD, co-authored a manuscript entitled, Auditory Midbrain Hypoplasia and Dysmorphology After Prenatal Valproic Acid, for Neuroscience. Mansour received a first-place award for an oral presentation of the same title at the 14th Annual Regional Science Consortium Research Symposium. Additionally, Mansour co-authored an article entitled, Auditory Brainstem Dysfunction, NonInvasive Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis and Monitoring of Alzheimer’s Disease in Young Urban Residents Exposed to Air Pollution. Kaitlin Blackburn, DO, (LECOM 2017) also participated in the preparation of that piece. Mansour also created the artwork for the article, both of which were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Research.

Shannon Myers, OMS1, participated in the Clarion University Presidential Commission on the Status of Women Panel Discussion entitled, Women Inspiring Women for Career Success.

Robert Waters, MS, a medical microbiology education doctoral candidate, earned second place in his oral presentation entitled, The Effect of Cinnamaldehyde Ointment on Prevention and Treatment of Staphylococcus Aureus and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa at the 14th Annual Regional Science Consortium Research Symposium.

Jennifer Witek, OMS2, participated in the 2018 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIKKD) Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes. She presented her findings entitled, Inhibition of Endocytosis Alters Glucose-Evoked Calcium Influx in Beta Cells, at the National Research Symposium (sponsored by the National Institute of Health) at Vanderbilt University.

School of Pharmacy Hannah Becker, P1, recently joined the Community Women’s Club (a volunteer organization) in North East, Pennsylvania.

Clare Dyczkowski, P3, and Emma Wysocki, P3, have received the American Society of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition Pharmacy Practice Section New Practitioner of the Year award for their work on the LECOM Nutrition Support elective. The elective was developed and delivered as part of a 10-week independent research elective rotation under the guidance of Kristen Gawronski, PharmD.

30 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

Annahita Forghan, P4, had a series of articles published in Diabetes in Control.

The articles were entitled, How Many Steps Are Needed to Improve Quality of Life for 70 Year Olds?, Why Checking for Depression is Important for Patients with Diabetes, Living with Family Obesity Raises Risk for Type 2 Diabetes, Can AI Detect Diabetic Retinopathy More Accurately?, Prolonged Sitting Can Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Why Suggest a Low-Carb Diet for Your Patients, Association Between Food Insecurity and A1C, Can We Use Improved Genetic Risk Scores to Predict Diabetes?, Can Green Tea Increase Risk of Type 2 Diabetes?, How Personality and Emotions Increase Diabetes Risk, How Body Weight Affects Insulin Resistance of Youths, How Does Weight Fluctuation Affect Type 2 Diabetes? and Functioning Beta Cells Survive in Type 1 Diabetes.

Arsalan Hashmi, P4, wrote an article entitled, Reversal of Prediabetes with Medication in High-Risk Populations, published in Diabetes in Control.

Clarke Powell, P4, had an article entitled, Stricter Treatment Targets for Gestational Diabetes Leads to Earlier Births, No Difference in Birth Weight, published in Diabetes in Control.

Angela Reyes, P4, had several articles published in Diabetes in Control. The pieces covered a variety of topics, including: Vitamin D Deficiency and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, Gut Flora Composition and Abundance Differs in Diabetes, Poor Glycemic Control Increases Infection Risk, Time in Range Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy, Prevalence of Urological Complications Among People Who Have Type 1 Diabetes, Elevated Depressive Symptoms and Disability Among Patients Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes, and Interrupting Sedentary Behavior with Physical Activity Has Benefits.

NOTES Michael Zaccaro, P4, had a series of articles published in Diabetes in Control.

His contributions included: Canagliflozin in Patients with Diabetes and Kidney Disease, Preserving Beta-cell Function in Youth Newly Diagnosed with Type 2 or Prediabetes, New First-in-Class Drug for People with Type 1 Diabetes, Association Between Use of Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Serious Adverse Effects, Association of Severe Hypoglycemia and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes, Effect of Insulin Price on Medication Adherence in Patients with Diabetes, Can Automated Text Messages Improve HbA1c?, Feasibility of Incorporating Personalized Health Planning into Shared Medical Appointments for Patients Who Have T2, Comparative Efficacy of Insulin Pumps vs. Multiple Daily Injections for Pregnant Patients with Type 1 Diabetes, Glycemic Variability and Development of Retinopathy, Omega 3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Type 2 Diabetes, The Residual Thrombotic Effects of Hypoglycemia in People with Type 2 and Reducing Risk of Macrovascular Disease With Bariatric Surgery. Zaccaro also had an article entitled, ADA’s Position Statement on Type 2 Diabetes in Youth, published on the Bloodsugardiabetes.org website.

FACULTY NOTES

College of Medicine Alice Hudder, PhD, and Kim Moscatello, PhD, contributed to an article entitled, First-Year Experience Implementing an Adaptive Learning Platform for First- and Second-Year Medical Students at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, published in the January 2019 Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Randy Kulesza, PhD, third-year medical students Amanda Smith and Samantha Storti, and 2010 LECOM alumnus Richard Lukose, DO, collaborated on an article entitled, Structural and Functional Aberrations of the Auditory Brainstem in Autism Spectrum Disorder, which was published in the January 2019 Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Scott Lim, DO, co-authored an article with his son, Geoffrey Lim, MD, entitled, Intralesional 5-Fluorouracil for the Nonsurgical Management of Low-Risk, Invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma, published by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Todd Nolan, PhD, contributed to an article entitled, Changes to an Active Learning Curriculum in Osteopathic Medical Education: Effects on Exam Outcomes and Board Scores, published in Medical Science Educator.

Mohammed S. Razzaque, PhD, contributed a Letter to the Editor for the December 2018 Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. In the piece, Dr. Razzaque details the importance of optimal magnesium balance for maintaining normal cellular and organ functions.

Diana L. Speelman, PhD, fourth-year students Christian Menezes, Heather Menezes, Vishesha Patel and Stephanie Bouwer, OMS3, along with LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center staff members Sarah E. Davis, DO, and Jan Hendryx, DO, co-authored an article entitled, Correlation Between Physiologic and Osteopathic Measures of Sympathetic Activity in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, for the January 2019 Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Dr. Speelman had a second article entitled Nonpharmacologic Management of Symptoms in Females with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Narrative Review also published in the same journal.

Joshua A. Tuck, DO, Jordan Ramage, OMS3, and former Millcreek Community Hospital resident Smith M. Meads, DO, co-authored an article entitled, Femoral Nerve Palsy with Concomitant Patellar Dislocation in a Ballet Dancer, published in Orthopedics. Dr. Tuck also became a fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics in October.

At the time, he was one of the first 48 osteopathic orthopedic surgeons to obtain subspecialty certification in orthopedic sports medicine through the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery.

School of Pharmacy Kelly Scolaro, PharmD, was interviewed for a Seattle Times article entitled, Brain-eating Amoeba Death Highlights Importance of Safe Neti Pot Use.

School of Dental Medicine Nader Abdulhameed, BDS, coauthored an abstract entitled, The Use of Different Photoinitiator Systems in Photopolymerizing Resin Cements Through Ceramic Veneers, published in Operative Dentistry. He also coauthored an article, Comprehensive Analysis of Laserscanner Validity Used for Measurement of Wear, published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation.

Purushottam Lamichhane, PhD, coauthored a piece entitled, Checkpoint Inhibition: Will Combination with Radiotherapy and Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery Improve Efficacy? in the journal, Medicines. Dr. Lamichhane also coauthored an article entitled, Urolithin A, A Novel Natural Compound to Target PI3K/ AKT/mTOR Pathway in Pancreatic Cancer, published by the American Association for Cancer Research.

@1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 31

NOTES

ALUMNI NOTES Class of 2008

Class of 2013

Class of 2016

Katie Graham, DO, recently passed her American Board of Medicine Board Examinations. Currently, she is working as a hospitalist for Apogee Physicians in DuBois, Pennsylvania.

Nathan Rech, DO, has announced his engagement to Alyssa Meier. The couple plans to marry April 27 in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Dr. Rech is an orthopedic surgery resident with University Hospitals in Cleveland.

Jason Lee, DO, has joined the physical medicine and rehabilitation team at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Faribault, Minnesota.

Mark Thomas, PharmD, contributed an article entitled, Appreciating the Patient Journey in Specialty Pharmacy, to the Specialty Pharmacy Times.

Class of 2009

Class of 2014

Daniel Leisinger, DO, has joined the staff of Covenant Clinic Family Medicine in Oelwein, Iowa.

Gale Garmong, PharmD, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association Educational Foundation Board of Directors.

Class of 2011

Jennifer Silvis, DO, was one of three nationally recognized resident physiciansurgeons to receive the EAST/John M. Templeton, Jr. MD Military Call to Service Scholarship, an award open to active and reserve service members across the United States. Dr. Silvis has served with the United States Air Force since 2003 and currently, she is a flight surgeon for the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sophia Davis, DO, has joined the foot and ankle team at the Orlando Orthopedic Center in Florida.

Ashley Hartley Halloran, PharmD, recently was appointed Director of Pharmacy at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York.

Elizabeth Spaar, DO, was a featured guest on an episode of Broadcast Podcast.

Timothy Volk, DO, an orthopedic surgeon with the North Dakota Jamestown Regional Medical Center, has expanded his services to include patient care at CHI Mercy Health in the Valley City community.

Class of 2012 Ashley Pence, DO, published an article on NorthCentralPA.com entitled, The Guide to Foolproof Babyproofing During the Holidays.

Stephen Watkins, DO, recently joined the orthopedic surgical team at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, New York.

Class of 2015 Michael Albring, DO, recently joined Southwest Medical Associates of Las Vegas, Nevada as a hospitalist.

Heather Krasa, DO, was a featured panelist on the St. Luke’s Now television healthcare series aired on WFMZ-TV throughout the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and Philadelphia regions in Pennsylvania.

Anum Waqar, DO, joined the internal medicine team with Summit Medical Group in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.

32 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

Class of 2017 Matthew Irwin, DO, has joined the staff of Penn Highlands Orthopedics in DuBois, Pennsylvania.

Class of 2018 Sally Habusta, PharmD, is the LECOM recipient of the 2018 Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA) Outstanding Pharmacy Student Award.

Currently, Habusta is the clinical documentation fellow at Sanofi through the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program in New Jersey.

LECOM Family Mourns the Loss of Faculty Member The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) dims its collective lights as the College family takes heavy-hearted note of the loss of faculty member, William “Bill” J. Wentz, DMD, who passed away unexpectedly on March 3, 2019.

Dr. Wentz grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, earning his doctor of medicine in dentistry degree from the University of Pennsylvania. For more than 20 years, Dr. Wentz operated his own dentistry practice in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania; and throughout his career, he completed extensive continuing education, undertaking advanced training in surgical procedures and implant dentistry.

- Continued From Page 21 For Dr. Grove, the one-on-one customer relationship is a well-received departure from the retail chain mindset, harkening to all that was instilled in him during his years in the family pharmacy. "I like the small-town feel, knowing your patients, and being able to call them by name when they come in," the caring pharmacist remarked.

The calling clearly has beckoned to Dr. Grove. Providing first-rate, quality customer service is a lesson that has been passed from generation to generation in the Grove family and the superlatives extend to their employees as well. Beginning with family patriarch Donald Grove, the link in the chain from the past to the future is solid and strong.

"He would go to any length to take care of a customer," said Dr. Grove. "That's what made his business successful."

In 2015, Dr. Wentz joined the LECOM School of Dental Medicine, bringing more than 40 years of experience to his role as a general dentist preceptor at the LECOM Dental Offices in Defuniak Springs, Florida. During his time at LECOM, the 73-year-old educator served as a valued mentor to students and as an amiable and trusted colleague to faculty and staff.

Indeed, the Grove brothers have taken that credo to heart in coming to the aid of their customers. "One woman was unable to afford compounding and her insurance would not cover it. Without the medication, she could have lost her vision," explained Dr. Grove. "We decided to assume the cost. Her not being able to afford $40 was not worth her losing her eyesight."

All in service to the medical profession know that educators are not born, rather they are made; and like anything worthwhile, they are made through hard work. As a skilled dental practitioner, Dr. Wentz demonstrated a devotion to cultivate the aspirations of young scholars toward all that is attainable. He sought to release their potential so that they aspire to a similar standard. For indeed, high standards and successful attainment of those standards emerges from one's willingness to meet vigorously the challenges of duty.

Dr. Wentz accomplished this objective with great aplomb and he will be long remembered with a deep and abiding admiration throughout the halls of LECOM.

While Dr. Grove has followed in his family's footsteps, he recently added a new duty to his roster when Missouri Governor Michael Parson appointed the LECOM alumnus to the State Board of Pharmacy. With the appointment, Dr. Grove became the first in his family to serve in that capacity. His new position will carry additional responsibilities, including disciplinary oversight. Dr. Grove noted that the board seeks to make technological advancements in the industry while still ensuring that patient care is a first priority.

The entire LECOM family extends words of solace to Dr. Wentz’s life partner, Andrea Kohn, to his son, Conor, and to his daughter, Kylin. May the light of his truly purposed life bring a sense of hope and inspiration to others as his mission lives on in that which he leaves behind.

"I think that my grandfather would be very, very happy," Dr. Grove said of his establishing his own pharmacy and of being appointed to the Board of Pharmacy.

As the new year began, the Grove brothers expanded their pharmacy footprint, purchasing Ash Grove Pharmacy, another small-town, family operated drug store dating to the late 1800s. With this acquisition, the Groves surely will perpetuate and revivify the family pharmacy heritage as an indelible institution in Missouri. @1LECOM | LECOM CONNECTION 33

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fellowship and he answered the urgent call for on-site assistance.

Second place in the poster session category was bestowed upon David Wilhelm, OMS3, for his piece entitled, A Case of Traumatic Splenic Laceration in a Division II Football Player: Advisable Versus Safe to Play Considerations. The LECOM student completed his research under the aegis of James Cornell, DO, and Patrick Leary, DO.

His familiarity with critical care helped him navigate through the crowd and assess victims quickly. Dr. Amesur noted that responding to the mass casualty event was one of the worst events that he had ever experienced.

In that moment of maelstrom, having a background in trauma medicine was “a blessing in disguise,” and Dr. Amesur credits his education at LECOM for thoroughly preparing him for that heinous event and for his career in pulmonology and internal medicine.

“The opportunities offered to me at LECOM brought me to this point,” he said. “LECOM will take the student where he seeks to go if the student uses the many tools that the school provides.”

Clearly grateful to LECOM, Dr. Amesur concluded, “I am very happy with the field that I have chosen and with the life that I have.”

Dr. Amesur is a testament to the LECOM view that endurance is a characteristic based upon inner resilience, driving will and determination to persevere through all trials and travails no matter where the road may lead. There are few calamities that are not conquered by it. His timely presence, expert training and rapid response at the scene of one of the worst attacks in decades is proof positive that his path was well chosen.

Please contact the LECOM Communications & Marketing Department at (814) 866-6641, or email communications@lecom.edu.

All submissions are subject to editing for clarity and length.

34 LECOM CONNECTION | WINTER 2019 | LECOM.edu

Patrick Fessler, DO, captured the third-place position for his poster, Total Joint Arthroplasty in a Third World Country: A Honduran Experience. Dr. Fessler was joined in his analysis by Stephen M. Sweeney, MPAS, PAC, Patrick Laird, and Peter Daily, MD. The LECOM mission statement pledges to prepare future osteopathic physicians, pharmacists and dentists through programs of excellence in research. It is not surprising that this estimable occasion found students and residents alike determinedly presenting their scientific studies and sharing their findings.

The entire event – both varied and probative – proved to be a resounding success as it underscored the profound and weighty value of LECOM research and the constant commitment to the mission that defines LECOM exceptionalism.

LECOM August 4-8, 2019

Conference Information

CME Credits

LECOM Summer Primary Care 2019 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, gastroenterology, orthopedics, legal matters and so much more!

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

Registration Information Standard Registration: $1,600 Adjunct Faculty Registration: $1,350 Commuter Registration: $475 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.

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.

Contact Us

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SAVE THE DATES Be a part of the excitement!

July 1-7, 2019 Peek’n Peak Resort, Clymer, NY

February 10-16, 2020 Lakewood National GC, Lakewood Ranch, FL Proceeds will benefit the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund

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