THE CLASS OF 2016 LECOM Holds History-Making Ceremonies
Dare to have a dream for dreamers make the miracles, dreamers right the wrongs, and dreamers shape the world. Sacrifice for your dreams for one will not gain from a dream too easily reached, and above all believe in yourself - for upon that your dream depends. Abundant dreams filled the halls of multiple event centers this spring as the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) graduated its accomplished scholars to meet the calling of their lives. Marking an historic occasion for LECOM as it graduated the largest class in the chronicle of its history - as well as graduating its first ever class of dentists - the College awarded 964 degrees as it held its 20th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2016, at the Erie Insurance Arena. During the Ceremony, 248 students from the Erie campus and 105 students from the Seton Hill campus received the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree. LECOM Erie awarded 537 degrees. In addition to the medical graduates, 134 Doctor of Pharmacy Degrees were awarded to the graduating scholars, and 14 students received the Master in Health Services Administration Degree (including 10 dual degree recipients). Additionally, 31 students received the Master of Science in Medical Education Degree; and another five students were awarded the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences Degree.
The LECOM at Seton Hill College of Medicine class recognized Alexandria Boley and Lauren Mathos, DO, as the first students accepted to LECOM through the Early Acceptance Program (EAP) partnership with Seton Hill University. After completing three rigorous years of undergraduate studies at Seton Hill, Drs. Boley and Mathos were accepted into the LECOM College of Medicine in 2012 and they were awarded their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees on May 29, 2016. LECOM Bradenton held its Commencement Ceremony a week later than the Erie event, on June 5, 2016. That ceremony was particularly significant as the 100 inaugural School of Dental Medicine students received their Doctor of Dental Medicine degrees after beginning classes in 2012. Fifty students from the class spent a year in Erie for clinical training, while another 50 students completed a year of clinical training in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. Adam Rose, DMD, a native of Beaver, Pa., was among the first students accepted
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into the School of Dental Medicine, and after the four-year program, he was eager to be graduated and to continue to represent LECOM. Joining the dental students were 190 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree candidates; 117 Doctor of Pharmacy degree students; and 19 Master in Health Services Administration degree recipients. Across the campuses, one of the primary missions advanced by LECOM is to prepare dentists who can provide oral health care to communities exhibiting a need for more dentists. Florida ranks third in the nation for its number of communities designated as Dental Health Shortage Areas; while Pennsylvania is seventh nationally. LECOM has recognized the integral role of dentists in improving the health of patients. That aspect of preventive medicine complements the osteopathic principles of total health care as taught by the LECOM College of Osteopathic Medicine and its School of Pharmacy. The same profoundly purposed focus extends