2016_Digest_Fall

FALL

2016

DIGEST PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

A LEGACY OF

PCOM PIONEERS AND TRAILBLAZERS

FEATURE

VOL. 77, NO. 2, USPS, 413-060 Digest Magazine is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications under the direction of Wendy W. Romano, chief marketing and communications officer.

EDITOR Jennifer Schaffer Leone, MA PUBLICATION DESIGN Abigail Harmon ART DIRECTION Melissa Kelly CONTRIBUTORS – FEATURES Nancy West David McKay Wilson CONTRIBUTORS – UPDATES Renee Cree Alyssa D’Addieco Barbara Myers CONTRIBUTORS – CLASS NOTES Institutional Advancement Staff Laura Hilbert CONTRIBUTORS – MY TURN Neal S. Walker, DO ’97 PHOTOGRAPHY Bruce Fairfield Melissa Kelly Anthony Stalcup Paige Thatcher SEND QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT DIGEST MAGAZINE TO: Marketing and Communications, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 4180 City Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19131-1695 215-871-6300 communications@pcom.edu SEND INFORMATION FOR CLASS NOTES AND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Institutional Advancement, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 4180 City Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19131-1695 215-871-6120 alumni@pcom.edu Periodical postage is paid at Upper Darby, PA, and at additional mailing offices.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the College or the editor.

DIGEST

Dear Alumni and Friends: Life is inherently risky; the greatest risk is to do nothing.

Perhaps that’s why I admire Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine so much. Our College was founded

by Oscar John Snyder, DO, and Mason Wiley Pressly, DO, two young physicians who—with a pioneering spirit— were determined to build something much bigger than themselves. And our College has grown and flourished because of so many men and women who have pushed the boundaries of knowledge with their innovative approaches to scientific discovery.

This issue of Digest Magazine relates the stories of several members of our College community: medical and scientific explorers, intellectual risk takers, entrepreneurial trailblazers, health advocates and activists, student leaders, and accomplished alumni. Their perspectives, insights and experiences provide a nuanced view of the ever-changing life of PCOM and its place in the world.

Jay S. Feldstein, DO ‘81 President and Chief Executive Officer

© 2016 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

All rights reserved.

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

CONTENTS 2 Updates 8 Feature: A Legacy of PCOM Pioneers and Trailblazers

10 A New Framework for 2

14

Engagement: Unifying the PCOM Alumni Association

14 Pioneering Milestones 18 PCOM’s “Rock Star” Goes to Antarctica

24 Hanging Up His

Stethoscope for Roads Not Taken

28 10

Class Notes

33 My Turn Essay

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24

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DIGEST 2016

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UPDATES

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2016 Spring and summer were once again seasons of celebration, as more than 770 students graduated from PCOM and GA–PCOM, eager to begin their careers as healthcare professionals.

On May 27, GA–PCOM held its eighth annual ceremonies for the biomedical sciences, pharmacy and osteopathic medicine programs, which graduated 279 students. U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, of Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, spoke to students during the morning ceremony, urging them to contemplate the significance of their accomplishments and the attendant responsibility. John R. Potts III, MD, senior vice president for surgical accreditation at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, spoke at the afternoon ceremony.

PCOM held its 125th DO Commencement ceremony on June 7, with more than 260 students moving on to some of the most competitive residencies in the country. Brian A. Nester, DO ’88, MBA, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, presented the Commencement address. The season concluded with PCOM’s Graduate Programs Commencement ceremony on July 29. More than 233 students received their advanced degrees in clinical and school psychology, mental health counseling, counseling and clinical health psychology, organizational development and leadership, forensic medicine, biomedical sciences and physician assistant studies.

Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, president and CEO, expressed pride in all of the graduates, and hoped they felt awe at their new stations in life. “You will be granted access to humanity in its strongest and frailest states,” he said. “You will be hope and healing.” *Numbers as of date of ceremonies

MEET THE CLASS OF 2016 EVAN BRADLEY, MS/PSY ’16 First in his family to graduate from college, Mr. Bradley used his experiences to help others like him succeed. He worked within several urban school districts in the Delaware Valley to help students transition into adulthood successfully. He says that teachers, parents and students are often blamed for poor academic performance, but attention should be paid to the effects of the learning process and a student’s environment on learning capabilities. “There is a unique cultural-historical legacy that needs to be examined critically when offering support services to low-income and culturally diverse students,” he says.

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JURIS EYLER, MS/PA ’16

At four years old, Mr. Eyler and his sister were abandoned by their parents in their home country of Latvia; Mr. Eyler had to take care of sister. Now he hopes to provide care for his patients, as he did for his sister. “I learned at a very young age to find the positives in any situation, and not take anything for granted.

As a physician assistant, there will be times when I’ll have to deliver bad news to my patients. By helping them to see some of the positives in their situation, I can help them to mend.”

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

SAMIR GALA, MS/ BIOMED ’16, GA–PCOM

After being revived from cardiac arrest, losing family members to cancer, and following his father’s diagnosis with a rare form of leukemia, Mr. Gala came to believe he was meant to work in the healthcare field. He arrived at GA–PCOM’s biomedical sciences program with an interest in infectious disease. Interning with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he attended White House conference calls on the Zika virus and the opioid and gun violence crises. He says, “My degree and experiences will prove instrumental in my future development as a multifaceted physician.”

RENZO GONZALEZ, PHARMD ’16, GA–PCOM

Dr. Gonzalez came to the United States with his family from Lima, Peru, when he was eight years old. His bilingual skills proved useful to him when, after graduating from Emory University with a dual degree in chemistry and Spanish, he began working as an interpreter for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. He soon became interested in a pharmacy career where he knew he could put his bilingual skills to use. Community pharmacy became his passion due to the expanded clinical role of pharmacists. “Pharmacy embodies so much more than the prototypical retail pharmacist. I am excited to be a part of this new wave of pharmacists,” he says.

MATCH NUMBERS 100% DO STUDENTS (BOTH CAMPUSES)

MICHAEL STEFANOWICZ, DO ’16

While working as a social worker with Project Home, a nonprofit that aids Philadelphia’s chronically homeless, Dr. Stefanowicz saw how primary care could greatly improve the lives of the underserved. While at PCOM, he became involved with the Primary Care Scholars Program, and through that organization helped set up basic health screenings and shared medical appointments with DO and psychology students at a men’s homeless shelter where he’d worked at while at Project Home. “The opportunity to provide care across the spectrum of life has always appealed to me,” he says. “It’s why I came to PCOM.”

ALANA STEPHENS, DO ’16, GA–PCOM

“It is exciting to find a specialty that you ‘click’ with in your passions and strengths,” says Dr. Stephens.

“I found mine in neurology.”

In the future, while serving as a physician, teacher and researcher, she aspires to be a leader in this rapidly developing field. Dr. Stephens began a neurology residency at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, in July, and hopes to pursue a fellowship after residency. “I have the desire to fill a need in an area where there will be an increase in demand as advances in medicine increase life expectancy and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s become more prevalent,” she says.

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33

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PCOM School of Pharmacy Class of 2016 students matched to post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) pharmacy practice residency programs.

DIGEST 2016

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UPDATES

BUILDING A PIPELINE FOR SUCCESS

Despite being the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, Hispanics account for only about 4 percent of practicing physicians, according to a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges. To address the dearth of Hispanic health practitioners, PCOM has partnered with two of Philadelphia’s largest Hispanic-serving educational institutions—ASPIRA, Inc. of Pennsylvania Schools, and Esperanza, Inc.—to help raise interest in science, technology, engineering and math, plus medicine (STEM+M), at the high school and undergraduate levels and encourage Hispanic students to pursue health careers.

At the heart of these partnerships is PCOM Opportunities Academy—an intensive, five-week summer program designed to provide a pipeline to route motivated students interested in

STEM+M toward four-year degree programs and into training for the health professions.

Each week focused on a chronic health topic—diabetes, neurological disorders, cancer, infectious disease and cardiovascular disease—with lectures led by PCOM students, faculty and alumni.

Academy students also received SAT and ACT preparatory materials, heard from healthcare leaders from various disciplines and made field trips to area scientific education institutions.

“Because there is such a lack of practicing physicians and providers who are Hispanic, many students who might have an interest in the STEM+M areas simply don’t have any exposure to those areas, or feel those careers are not an option,” says Lisa McBride, PhD, former chief diversity officer at PCOM. “We want to inundate these students with science in every aspect of their lives—from the academic, to the social, to the cultural—to show them that a career in the health professions can be an attainable goal.”

PCOM and its partners will monitor the outcomes of the Academy by measuring students’ performance during the program, any changes in students’ career goals and confidence levels, and the Academy’s influence on partner institutions’ curricula and teaching methods.

Outside of the Academy, PCOM faculty will collaborate yearround with faculty from ASPIRA Schools and Esperanza on professional and curriculum development and the establishment of practicum and research opportunities. Currently, students from ASPIRA Schools can participate in the College’s affiliations with national health career preparatory programs, and students from Esperanza College’s Science and Medical Assisting programs are provided access to PCOM’s laboratories and simulated clinical environments. ASPIRA Schools also serve as clinical practicum sites for PCOM’s School Psychology graduate programs.

CAMP CARDIAC AND CAMP NEURO GA–PCOM was the site of some serious learning—at the high school level—this summer. Camp Cardiac and Camp Neuro, week-long camps for students 15 and older, gave about 35 youths the opportunity to learn the science behind the health of the heart and the brain.

Hosted by GA–PCOM osteopathic medical students, the day camps focused on education and real-world experiences in health care.

For the second year in a row, GA–PCOM offered the camp experience to high school students from cities across Georgia. Supported

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by faculty members, five osteopathic medical students including Nicole McManus (DO ’19), Morgan Myers (DO ’19), Yasmeen Shariff (DO ’19), Hannah Shin (DO ’19), and Chelsea White (DO ’19), planned the five-day camps. A large group of medical students volunteered to help, while the DO Council funded the camps.

Campers received an introduction to the clinical setting and learned about such topics as anatomy and physiology of the heart or brain, the pathology of a heart attack, suturing, CPR, physical therapy, the nervous system and neuron physiology, the stages of a stroke, taking

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

vitals and recording medical history, and living a healthy lifestyle—both mentally and physically. They also explored a variety of careers in health care. Overall, the camps did

what they were designed to do: interested high school students in future medical careers while giving medical students the opportunity to share their knowledge about the human body.

NEW HEAD OF RESEARCH NAMED Mindy George-Weinstein, PhD, has been named PCOM’s chief research and science officer. In this role, she will oversee the Division of Research, which provides operational support, resources, intramural funding and development for research activity across all functional areas for both the Philadelphia and Georgia campuses. Dr. George-Weinstein had previously served the College for more than 20 years and most recently was a professor of biomedical sciences at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. She continued her affiliation with PCOM by lecturing to DO students and collaborating with faculty researchers.

Dr. George-Weinstein’s research focuses on analyses of the roles of Myo/Nog cells in neuroprotection, wound healing, fibrotic diseases and cancer. Myo/Nog cells, which she and her team discovered at PCOM, are crucial for normal embryonic development and respond to wounding and tumors in the adult.

Her lab developed methods for identifying, isolating and killing these cells in a variety of organs and species, including humans.

These technologies have led to several patents and have the potential to be used therapeutically.

Dr. George-Weinstein earned her doctorate in developmental biology and her bachelor’s degree in nursing, both from Thomas Jefferson University. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania.

BREAST CANCER HEALTH FAIR HELD AT GA–PCOM Fighters, survivors, family members and friends interested in learning about breast cancer attended a free Breast Cancer Health Fair at GA–PCOM in May. Organized by Abigail Hielscher, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy, the health fair provided information about the importance of nutrition and health during and after breast cancer diagnosis, the link between breast density and cancer, and the benefits of exercise.

The fair also offered a look at breast cancer research currently under way at GA–PCOM. “My lab is interested in determining how the environment in which a tumor cell resides promotes breast cancer,” Dr. Hielscher says.

“Given my connection with the disease and scientific interest in it, I wanted to provide an engaging event where participants would have the opportunity to learn more about the disease,” she says.

Several organizations including Gwinnett Medical Center, other community-based groups and student-led clubs participated by providing educational resources on health and well-being. Raffles, door prizes and light refreshments were offered, in addition to a breakout yoga session.

GUIDING YOUNG WOMEN ON THE PATH TO MEDICINE College students who are the first in their family to go on to higher education can face difficulties when they arrive on campus, unsure of exactly how to navigate the new world, often without anyone to turn to. Medicine for Education, a nonprofit started by Cierra Lewis (DO ’18) and run by her, Kenneth Chen (DO ’21) and Ishan Garg (DO ’18), aims to show young women from underserved communities learn how to get into medical school, and how to succeed once they get there.

Ms. Lewis herself had difficulties navigating higher education, despite knowing she wanted to be a doctor since the age of eight. She says that when

she arrived at Ursinus College as an undergraduate, she had no point of reference for higher education.

“I believe my counselors and advisors wanted to help, but I also think there’s a perception that you already have a basis of knowledge when you want to become a doctor,” she says.

“But that’s not necessarily true, especially when you don’t have those types in your family to turn to.”

In 2015, Medicine for Education recruited high school students from nearby Philadelphia High School for Girls for its Summer Academy.

The girls learned about medicine from first-year DO students and practiced their clinical skills

in the Dr. Michael and Wendy Saltzburg Clinical Learning & Assessment Center. At the start of the academic year, each high school student was paired with two to three DO student mentors. Members of the mentor-mentee groups regularly communicate about various topics, not just related to medical school.

“What if girls with an interest in medicine—especially those

from underserved areas—could learn how to navigate that system from those who had already been through it, before having to take a five-year hiatus like I did?” asks Ms. Lewis.

“That’s why I started Medicine for Education.”

DIGEST 2016

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UPDATES

$3M+ INVESTED INTO GEORGIA CAMPUS’ SIMULATION CENTER RENOVATION Students have access to a new and improved Simulation Center thanks to a more than $3 million renovation at GA–PCOM. The Simulation Center, housed in the campus’ Old Peachtree Road building, gives GA–PCOM students the opportunity to practice clinical skills, develop crucial communication abilities and demonstrate that they have achieved clinical competence. Through the use of standardized patients and human patient simulators, the center provides students with the opportunity to practice techniques and diagnosis in a

supportive environment prior to treating real patients.

Originally a 1,800-squarefoot facility consisting of five patient exam rooms and three simulation rooms, the Simulation Center underwent major renovations to accommodate the campus’s increase in enrollment. In addition to the control room, reception area and administrative offices, the newly renovated Simulation Center increased in size to 7,000 square feet and features four simulation rooms and ten patient exam rooms, as well as an upgrade in equipment and technology.

INSTITUTIONAL FUNDRAISING SUCCESS FISCAL YEAR 2016 RESULTS

$3,041,189 $ , , PCOM

12%

TOTAL NUMBER OF DONORS INCREASED OVER FY2015

100%

PCOM BOARD OF TRUSTEES PARTICIPATION

34%

INCREASE IN COMMITMENTS OVER FY2015

100%

PCOM EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PARTICIPATION

PCOM is pleased to announce its fundraising results for fiscal year 2016—one of its most successful years. From July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016, PCOM secured just over $3 million in commitments from alumni, faculty, staff, parents, corporations and foundations, and other organizations. This represents a 34 percent increase over last year’s commitments.

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STUDENTS EXPLORE DRONE USE IN EMERGENCY SETTINGS Time is of the essence during a medical emergency; the quicker emergency personnel can reach a person in distress, the better. A group of medical students at PCOM is exploring the use of a drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), to see whether EMT response times could be shortened, and ultimately, patient outcomes could be improved.

In a poster presented at the Philadelphia Campus’s annual Research Day, students explained that they were able to use a UAV in a mock emergency setting to transport a portable electrocardiogram (ECG) device to a person in distress. The UAV was able to reach the person, and that person was able to use the ECG to transmit back accurate data.

“At this initial stage, we’ve shown that our UAV was able to deliver an ECG in an amount of time that would be significantly shorter than traditional delivery methods,” says

MariaLisa Itzoe (DO ’19), one of the project collaborators.

“Our hope is that the UAV could be used to gather information and transmit it back to the team who is en route, so that they can be better prepared to effectively and appropriately treat the patient once they arrive on site.”

The multiyear project will continue to explore different-sized equipment, longer flight distances and additional emergency scenarios.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM BEGINS IN GEORGIA

While some students enjoyed a carefree summer, others began a new academic journey. For the 20 students who were accepted into the GA–PCOM inaugural Physician Assistant (PA) Studies class, school was in session. Housed in the Suwanee campus’s Northlake building, the program consists of an intense 26-month curriculum that ends with graduation in July 2018.

The students have academic credentials from institutions across Georgia, such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, LaGrange College, the University of Georgia, the University of North Georgia and Valdosta State University. With backgrounds in biology and exercise science and many with master’s degrees and intercollegiate sports experience, the students have worked as EMTs, paramedics and medical assistants. Some have participated as teachers on Georgia State University’s Bio-Bus, and all completed many hours of hands-on patient care experience.

FIRST RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN 20 YEARS LAUNCHES IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA Colquitt Regional Medical Center has launched Georgia South, a new family medicine residency program. The hospital received national accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association, and recruited its first three residents, all graduates of GA–PCOM. This program is only the second residency program in Southwest Georgia, and the first in more than two decades.

The southern region of Georgia has a shortage of primary care doctors, and the new residency program focuses on training and recruiting physicians who will stay in the area to practice. As the residency program begins producing physicians, the estimated economic impact is more than $1.5 million per new physician and the creation of five new jobs supporting the physician.

The three-year program will enroll three residents per year for a total of nine when the program is fully developed. Start-up of the program has been supported by the South Georgia Medical Education and Research Consortium. Funding was awarded to the consortium to support the Colquitt Regional program through the Georgia Board of Regents and the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce. Primary care residency development is an initiative supported by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia legislature. In the past four years, more than 400 new residency positions have been added in Georgia.

The Georgia South Family Medicine Rural Residency at Colquitt Regional Medical Center is affiliated with PCOM, and works with PCOM MEDNet (Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institute).

DID YOU KNOW? The PCOM Doctor of Pharmacy program was granted full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and the MS/EdS and PsyD programs in school psychology were nationally recognized by the National Association of School Psychologists as meeting national standards for graduate preparation in school psychology.

DIGEST 2016

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FEATURE

A LEGACY OF PCOM PIO WHATEVER YOU CALL THEM, MEMBERS OF THE PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE COMMUNITY ARE ALWAYS BLAZING UNUSUAL TRAILS TO SUCCESS.

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

NEERS AND TRAILBLAZERS In the feature articles that follow, read about alumni leaders who chanced dissolving—as a corporate entity— the College’s 114-year-old Alumni Association for an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen alumni engagement and nurture alumni loyalty and pride.

Celebrate pioneering moments in the College’s history and PCOM influencers who have helped to advance and transform the science and practice of medical, health and behavioral disciplines.

Follow the story of Kerin M. Claeson, PhD, associate professor of anatomy, who spent five weeks as part of a 13-member international team of paleontologists, prospecting for fossils in the barren Antarctic wilderness.

And read about the cross-country ride of James Quigley, DO ’75, who, at the age of 67, trekked through 15 states over 50 days to raise money for ALS and to stretch his body, mind and spirit.

DIGEST 2016

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PIONEERS AND TRAILBLAZERS

A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR ENGAGEMENT: UNIFYING THE PCOM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

by Nancy West

In January, following three years of intensive study and discussion, the PCOM Alumni Association Board of Directors approved a new organizational structure for the Association that will provide greater benefits for alumni, students and the College.

The journey toward this new structure began in 2013 during a strategic plan review, led by past Alumni Association president Hal S. Bendit, DO ’84. The Alumni Association Board of Directors began discussions about the role and engagement of the Board and what the Association could and should be doing to support both the College and current students. During these discussions, it became clear that many alumni were confused about the entity to which they were making donations, since they received solicitations from both the Alumni Association and the College. As discussions continued, it was also evident that while the Association did spend donations it received 10

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

on supporting the College and students, significant dollars were also being spent on maintenance of the separate organizations, including insurance and accounting services.

The Board voted unanimously to approve the dissolution of the Alumni Association as a separate organization and the integration of the Association as a department of the College as of July 1, 2016. “It became clear that a smaller, more nimble core Board would be better suited to respond to the needs of our alumni and students,” says Dr. Bendit. “In merging with the College, who already supported our efforts through Institutional Advancement, we felt that we could better achieve our goals together versus working as two distinct organizations.”

“With this structure, alumni will know exactly who they are making donations to and what those donations are being used for,” says Dana Shaffer, DO ’85, past president of the Alumni Association during the time of this merger.

“Further, the Association Board will have better direction about the things we can and should be doing for the alumni, students and the College.”

In deciding on this new structure, the Association’s Executive Committee spent many hours reviewing bylaw provisions and types of association structures. “Most Association members belong to other alumni associations from undergraduate schools, so they researched how they are organized and shared that information,” notes Dr. Shaffer. It was found that the new Alumni Association model is far more prevalent than the previous one.

The entire Association Board was guided by the book Race for Relevance, by Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers, both experts in association management. “This book is being widely read and used by many osteopathic association boards of directors, and it was helpful to us in recognizing the changes we needed to make to become a more effective and responsive organization,” relates Dr. Shaffer.

After discussing the book, the Executive Committee took input from the Association Board about what the organization could and should do. Based on the Board’s extensive comments, the Committee drafted bylaws to incorporate all those thoughts.

Carrie Collins, JD, chief advancement officer, also served as a resource in developing this new organization to meet more of the ongoing fundraising needs the College will have.

Dr. Feldstein with Dr. Shaffer.

“During the process, we tried to listen and take into account everyone’s concerns,” notes Dr. Shaffer. “We had ongoing discussion and consensus building, and we tried to incorporate minority opinions in the final document.

“In this new paradigm, we wanted to make the Alumni Association Board of Directors a lot more inclusive of all programs—graduate as well as osteopathic,” he emphasizes.

HISTORY OF THE PCOM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION On September 8, 1902, graduates of the first classes of Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO), which would later become known as Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), held a meeting with the idea “to promote the prosperity and extend the influence of Alumni and their Alma Mater, and to encourage a high standard of Osteopathic education and practice.” At that meeting, they formed the Alumni Association and elected officers.

1916

The Alumni Association established a drive for funds for the College, and began raising money annually for the College’s general fund.

1949

The Association officially incorporated in the State of New Jersey as a non-profit corporation, managed by a representation of a regional group of alumni to serve as officers and members of the Board of Directors.

1963

The Alumni Affairs Office was established on campus.

1983

The Association incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, giving it an increased role in providing financial support for education by starting programs such as the Alumni Student Loan Fund.

1984

2010

Representatives from all graduate degree programs and the student body of the Philadelphia and Georgia campuses were added to the Association Board.

2016

The Alumni Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to merge with PCOM as of July 1, 2016, thus dissolving their 501(c)(3) status. New bylaws created Alumni Councils to represent and support all alumni and students from all graduate degree programs on both campuses. This merger will enable the Alumni Association to fulfill its mission of promoting the interest and welfare of PCOM, and cultivating communication and relationships among all graduates, students, administration, faculty and staff. The Association will focus all of its efforts on engagement and outreach to both students and alumni of all graduate degree programs.

The Association gained official representation on the PCOM Boards of Trustees.

DIGEST 2016

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PIONEERS AND TRAILBLAZERS “Our College has diversified with our current programs, and it is important to incorporate all the disciplines to be more involved with the alumni base,” says Darlene Dunay, DO ’83, past president of the Alumni Association, who, during her tenure, oversaw bylaw changes in preparation for the merger.

The new bylaws created a set of Alumni Councils to support all alumni and students from all graduate degree programs on both campuses. This will result in increased Board outreach to alumni and students, creating better programs and services for all.

The new structure of the Alumni Association is more inclusive of graduate program alumni. Pictured with College administrators: The first graduates of the Biomedical Sciences program.

ALUMNI SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

Institutional Advancement recently conducted a survey of alumni from all programs nationwide for use by the PCOM Alumni Association in developing future initiatives. More than 1,000 responses were received overall. Following are a few highlights of the survey findings:* • More than 77 percent of alumni expressed an interest in being a mentor. Nearly 70 percent were interested in being a guest speaker for a student club or class.

• More than 60 percent of alumni who responded said that Association resources should be used for scholarships and student support.

• A majority of alumni who responded said that PCOM should provide opportunities for professional networking with alumni and that the College should provide continuing education seminars.

The Alumni Association will address these and other issues in future meetings. * Not all respondents answered every question.

Percentages relate to those alumni who responded to each particular question mentioned.

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Four councils were designated, each with representatives from their own specific groups: • The Executive Council runs the business of the association, with responsibility for finances, budgeting and administration; • The DO Council is responsible for activities and functions related to DO alumni; • The Professional Careers Council is responsible to all graduate degree program alumni except DO; and • The Trainee Council is responsible for all student and resident activities and functions.

“In the past, 95 percent of our discussions at Association Board meetings were related to the DO program, even though we tried to include members from the other graduate degree programs,” relates Dr. Shaffer. “Now the individual Councils can discuss and do work that is appropriate for their particular graduate programs, such as mentoring students, raising money and scholarships for each graduate degree program and providing social events for students in those programs.”

The Councils first met individually at the Alumni Association’s semi-annual Board meeting in June 2016; they will meet during Board meetings twice a year.

“When the Councils meet, they address their own agenda items, then come back together as an entire group to share ideas and report what they would like to do,” explains Dr. Shaffer.

Under the new structure, the Councils seek input from Institutional Advancement when they want to plan an activity that requires financial resources. Then they present the idea to the entire Association Board, who decides how it would best be accomplished.

“This structure will allow the Alumni Association to be more visible and supportive of what alumni do—a greater benefit to the alumni, students and the College,” says Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, president and chief executive officer. “We believe the new structure will facilitate stronger communication with the alumni. I applaud the efforts of our Association in developing such an effective new organization.”

The Alumni Association has moved its assets of approximately $694,000 to a newly created endowed fund called the Alumni Association Endowed Activities Fund, which will be managed by the College with the institution’s other donor-funded endowments. Income from the endowment will be used to support the College, and the Alumni Association Board of Directors will make recommendations for its use. In the past, for example, the Association donated $100,000 to each of the Philadelphia and Georgia Campuses for their clinical learning and assessment centers. Recently, $35,000 was donated for renovation of one of the College’s clinics in western Pennsylvania.

“These donations are also helpful to Institutional Advancement staff when they meet with donors,” explains Dr. Shaffer. “Staff can point out that our Alumni Association has already donated to a project or program, which encourages others to donate as well.”

Any future gifts made in support of the Alumni Association, will be added to the principal of the

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ENSURES GREATER OUTREACH The new bylaws for the PCOM Alumni

Association created four Alumni Councils to support all alumni and students from all graduate degree programs on both campuses. This organizational structure will ensure greater outreach to alumni and students and better programs and services for all.

PCOM

Current PCOM Alumni Association President David Coffey, DO ’84, congratulates class president Benjamin Whitfield, DO ’16, at Commencement.

endowed fund. In addition, a new operating budget for the Association will be funded by the College for travel expenses and awards.

“This structure enables the Alumni Association to focus more on its mission, which is helping students and alumni, because they no longer have to be concerned with the business aspects of running the association,” says Pamela Ruoff, MS, executive director, alumni engagement.

“The greatest advantage of the new Association structure is the creation of a better network between students and alumni,” adds Dr. Dunay.

In addition to scholarships, financial support, social events and other programs offered in the past, the Alumni Association hopes to provide more programs and services in the future, including: • More volunteer opportunities for alumni to provide mentoring for students, speak to student clubs and give guest lectures in the classroom. With 65 student clubs and organizations, there is no shortage of ways that alumni can provide advice and guidance to their future colleagues.

• Better ways for alumni to connect with each other online through new technology. An increased desire of alumni to stay connected with one another outside of alumni events has prompted Institutional Advancement to begin investigating various software and online applications for communication.

• Continuing education panel discussions with an integrated healthcare focus. The Professional Careers Council has suggested CE panel discussions that would appeal to health professionals in various fields.

• The opportunity to learn a foreign language through Mango Languages at no cost to alumni through the PCOM Library portal.

• Fundraising initiatives to benefit the Alumni Association Endowed Activities Fund.

PCOM Alumni Association Board of Directors PCOM President Executive Council DO Council Professional Careers Council (all graduate degree programs, except DO) Trainee Council (students and residents) Advisors Alumni Association Board Representative to PCOM Board of Trustees Executive Director, Alumni Engagement Director Emeritus Alumni who are interested in volunteering can contact Marianne Mancini, director, alumni engagement, at 215871-6121 or mariannema@pcom.edu.

“Our main objective is to make the Alumni Association a more efficient organization that is responsive to all alumni and students, and one they can feel proud to belong to,” concludes Dr. Shaffer.

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PIONEERING MILESTONES: PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTE

CHAMPIONING MISSION-CENTERED NOTIONS OF HOLISTIC AND INSTITUTIONAL FOUNDING

After Andrew Taylor Still founded the first school of osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri, in 1892, his students, Oscar John Snyder, DO, and Mason Wiley Pressly, DO, sought to open an osteopathic institution in an eastern city. They selected Philadelphia, which had not only a long history of progress and culture, but also a tradition of leadership and innovation in medicine. In 1899, the Philadelphia Stephen Girard Building, 1899 College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO) began in two rooms in the Stephen Girard Building, 21 South 12th Street. The nation’s 12th osteopathic college, and only the second (after Boston) on the East Coast, it was officially incorporated on January 12, 1899.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

The Alumni Association of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine was formed in 1902. W. B. Keene, DO ’00, served as first president; Edward D. Burleigh, DO ’01, as vice president; and Harry E. Leonard, DO ’01, as secretary-treasurer. From its onset, the Association offered prizes, published Dr. Keene theses and collected specimens for the College Museum. The Association hosted alumni gatherings, including an annual banquet held during Commencement weekend. Above all, the Association’s earliest role was one of influence and advocacy; the Association helped to extend the course of PCIO osteopathic medical study from three years to four years (1910) as well as to open the Osteopathic Dispensary (1911), which would later become the Osteopathic Hospital of Philadelphia.

COEDUCATION OF THE SEXES

Dr. Williamson

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While the controversy of coeducation in American medical schools continued to play out throughout the period, one of two graduates of the PCIO Class of 1900 was a woman. Gene G. Banker was a beloved general practitioner, esteemed for her osteopathic treatments, who served the Germantown (Pennsylvania) community for 60 years.

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Phoebe T. Williamson, MD, was among the first faculty of PCIO. Dr. Williamson lectured on gynecology and obstetrics. As of 1907, three out of 15 faculty members at the College were women.

During the Great Depression, as the proportion of women applying to and working in medical schools declined, Ruth Waddel Cathie, DO ’38, was appointed

the first female chair of a basic science department at the College. At that time, she was the only woman to hold such a position in Philadelphia with the exception of those at Women’s Medical College.

OPATHIC MEDICINE

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE

by Jennifer Schaffer Leone

WELCOMING OF MINORITIES

From its founding, PCOM welcomed ethnic minorities among its admissions applicants. Jews and Italians found spots at the College when other medical schools in the city were closed to them. The College also welcomed second-career students; one of the oldest graduates was Elizabeth H. Bomheur, DO ’68, who was 52 when she earned her degree.

Meta L. Christy, DO ’21, was the first African American graduate of PCOM and the first black osteopathic physician in the nation. Dr. Christy established her lifelong practice in San Miguel County, New Mexico, where there were no women physicians and few African Americans.

One of the College’s most well-known minority graduates was Ethel D. Allen, DO ’63, who worked in community medicine in some of North Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods. She later entered the political realm, becoming the first African American elected to an at-large

seat on the Philadelphia City Council (1975). She delivered the seconding speech in support of President Gerald Ford’s nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention. And in 1979, she was made Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Beginning in 1978, PCOM launched a minority information effort to proactively Dr. Christy continue to increase the recruitment of minorities including African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans—an effort that continues today under the auspices of the Office of Diversity and Compliance.

TRAINING OF DECORATED MILITARY

While osteopathic physicians were not commissioned as medical officers in the US Armed Forces until the mid-1960s, once they were, they quickly rose through the ranks. Three decades after the Armed Forces drafted the first DOs into the Vietnam War, it appointed Lieutenant General Ronald R. Blanck, DO ’67, Surgeon General of the United States Army (1996).

Among other commissioned military pioneers were Lieutenant Commander Joseph Piorkowski, DO ’80, who earned the Navy Commendation Medal for service as a flight surgeon; Lieutenant Colonel Thomas A. Quinn, DO ’66, who was the first osteopathic physician to command a battalion-size medical unit in the Pennsylvania National Guard; Captain L. Edward Antosek, DO ’72, who was appointed Senior Medical Officer (Navy) of the USS Abraham Lincoln, and later, State Surgeon; Major Les Folio, DO ’87, who was appointed Chief of Flight Medicine at the 77th Medical Group, McClellan Air Force Base; and Sue Bailey, DO ’77, who was named Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs at the Department of Defense by President Bill Clinton.

Among the first to achieve flag rank were Rear Admiral James H. Black, DO ’62, and Rear Admiral Hugh P.

Lieutenant Commander Piorkowski at right.

Scott, DO ’64, in the US Navy; Lieutenant General Ronald R. Blanck, DO ’67, in the US Army; and Brigadier General John S. Kasper, DO ’78, and Brigadier General Richard D. Lynch, DO ’66, in the US Army Reserve.

Annually, PCOM graduates between 8 and 9 percent of each osteopathic medical class into the military.

Among all graduates of the College’s academic programs, there are more than 750 military service members, most of them active in practice/duty.

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FRONTING GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION

In 1928, the College launched the nation’s first osteopathic residency program in radiology. When William S. Spaeth, DO ’25, chairman, pediatrics, formed the College’s first pediatric residency in 1948, it was the first such program in the osteopathic profession. And it was H. Willard Sterrett, DO ’17, who established the first formal residency program in urology accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

In 1980, the Division of Osteopathic Principles and Practice established the nation’s first AOA-approved residency program; and in 1995, under the leadership of Alexander S. Nicholas, DO ’75, the department pioneered an undergraduate fellowship program.

Following national approval of a single accreditation system for graduate medical education by July 2020, the College’s surgical residency program, headed by Arthur J. Sesso, DO ’81, was among the first osteopathic residency programs to gain pre-accreditation status from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Through osteopathic manipulative treatment, students learn to use their hands to diagnose, treat and prevent illness.

(July 2015). PCOM MEDNet (Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institute) was one of the first of the AOAsponsoring institutions to receive pre-accreditation status.

EXPANSION OF ACADEMIC OFFERINGS

After nearly a century of training osteopathic physicians, PCOM introduced its first graduate degree program, the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences, in 1993.

Today, the College offers additional graduate degree programs in Aging and Long-Term Care Administration, Clinical Psychology, Counseling and Clinical Health Psychology, Forensic Medicine, Mental Health Counseling, Organizational Development & Leadership, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant Studies, Public Health Management and Administration, and School Psychology. All students, regardless of their chosen academic path, are committed to caring for the whole person as a foundation of their educational pursuits.

Biomedical Sciences

School Psychology

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Forensic Medicine

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Pharmacy

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Myriad special events marked the College’s Centennial year, which culminated with a Centennial Ball hosted

by President History book signing by Dr. Koop Leonard H. Finkelstein, DO ’59, and Chairman of the Board Herbert Lotman. The ball, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on October 9, 1999, was attended by more than 1,200 alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends.

As part of the preparation for the Centennial, thousands of photographs, documents, artifacts and memorabilia were catalogued, an oral history program was completed and a series of historical exhibits was installed in Evans Hall. The archival effort resulted in the creation of the College’s history book: To Secure Merit: A Century of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, authored by Carol Benenson Perloff. United States Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, penned the book’s foreword.

Centennial Ball, October 1999

CREATION OF GEORGIA CAMPUS – PCOM

Official Ribbon Cutting, GA–PCOM, November 2005

In 2004, during the tenure of President Matthew Schure, PhD, PCOM established a branch campus in Georgia with a focus on helping to fill the need for more healthcare professionals in Georgia and the surrounding states.

The first class of 78 osteopathic medical physicians and 12 graduate students graduated from GA–PCOM in 2009. Among the graduates of the GA–PCOM class of 2013 was Serennah Harding, DO ’13, who at age 22 became one of the youngest doctors in the United States.

Since its founding, GA–PCOM has been positioned for growth. Academic programs including Pharmacy and Physician Assistant Studies have bolstered the curricular offerings. The campus has also positioned itself as a strong economic development asset to Gwinnett County.

GA–PCOM, Suwanee, Georgia

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PCOM’S “ROCK STAR” GOES TO ANTARCTICA

KERIN M. CLAESON, PHD, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ANATOMY, PROSPECTS WITH AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF PALEONTOLOGISTS

by David McKay Wilson Back in the day—some 66 million years ago—Antarctica was a verdant playground for lumbering dinosaurs, rangy reptiles and lush expanses of flowering plants, with its surrounding waters teeming with all sorts of fish.

Today, it’s mostly ice-covered, though a spit of rocky coastline along the James Ross Island Group by the northern Antarctic Peninsula is revealed during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer. That provided the landscape for Kerin M. Claeson, PhD, associate professor of anatomy, and her 13-member international team of paleontologists to prospect for fossils this past February and March.

There, the team spent five weeks combing the peninsula for sedimentary rocks that held evidence of what life was like before a huge meteorite slammed into the Yucatan at the end of the Cretaceous Period, sending into extinction 65 percent of the world’s species.

They hit pay dirt.

The team boxed up more than a ton of fossils, including Dr. Claeson’s hefty haul of ancient marine vertebrate fossils. Her discoveries included rows of fish scales, a slew of shark teeth, articulated vertebrae, parts of fish skulls and

dense masses of disarticulated bone. Her colleagues, on the hunt for dinosaur fossils in a land rarely examined by paleontologists, dug up bones of a marine reptile called the giant plesiosaur. They also found fossils of dinosaurs, birds and plants that once thrived there.

In a region known for its inhospitable weather, the Antarctica Peninsula Paleontology Project—called AP3— experienced a spate of good weather during the late austral summer. Dr. Claeson spent ten days camping in the barren Antarctic wilderness.

“We were very lucky,” says Dr. Claeson. “There were many days without snow or rain, so lots of rocks were exposed. We really covered a lot of ground.”

The trip to Antarctica was the latest field trip for Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s newly minted associate professor, who holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Stony Brook University, a master’s degree in organismic and evolutionary biology from the University of Massachusetts and a doctoral degree in vertebrate paleontology from the University of Texas at Austin. She was researcher-in-residence at Ohio University’s Center for

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“She’s tough as nails, whip-sharp and super driven…she gets so focused when she is in the field.”

Ecology and Evolutionary Studies and an instructor of anatomy at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine before arriving at PCOM in 2012.

She’s now about to begin her fifth year of teaching anatomy to first- and second-year medical students while involved in myriad research projects. She’s on the team that teaches the anatomy lab for 13 weeks to 270 incoming osteopathic medical students.

Dr. Claeson lectures on development in the early stages of life to the first-year students and teaches neuroanatomy to second-year students.

Like paleontologists, Dr. Claeson says medical students need to develop their “search image” when coming to understand the human body. “They are going to learn how to look at things, and feel things,” she says. “And they get better at seeing.”

By late June 2016, as she was preparing to teach an anatomy course for physician assistant students, Dr.

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Claeson awaited the fossil shipment. Of the 14 boxes she packed while in the field, two will come to her lab at PCOM for study. The rest will be stored at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, where she can take the findings out on loan for further examination.

She says there was the possibility that researchers found fossils with evidence of new species from the prehistoric world.

Dr. Claeson was recruited for the Antarctic research sojourn by Matthew C. Lamanna, PhD, assistant curator of vertebrae paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, who wrote the National Science Foundation grant to fund the expedition, and Patrick O’Connor, PhD, a professor and paleontologist at Ohio University.

Dr. Lamanna says Dr. Claeson took on a leadership role at the AP3 camp on Seymour Island, where she came upon a layer of sedimentary rock that was loaded with fish fossils. He notes it could be one of the few deposits of fossils directly linked to the extinction event. He says Dr. Claeson became enthused at the discovery.

“She’s tough as nails, whip-sharp and super driven,” says Dr. Lamanna. “She gets so focused when she is in the field. And she was effectively the driving force behind the Seymour camp.”

“ When we are looking at anything that’s extinct, we don’t get to watch behavior, or know anything up front.”

A PALEONTOLOGIST ANATOMIST

Dr. Claeson’s research interests are broad. At PCOM, she’s planning to study the effect of nutrition and light on the skeletons of zebrafish in her new Evans Hall fish lab, where she’s in the process of breeding scores of fish for project. “In a single night, we can get 100 fish that are bred,” she says. “We’re getting our numbers up so we can begin to run the experiments.”

She’s working with colleagues in London on the fossil of a giant sawfish, which was unearthed in a Moroccan limestone quarry by workers with an eye for chunks of rock that may shelter fossils within.

Another one of Dr. Claeson’s initiatives looks to create a digital catalogue for paleontology and evolutionary research studies that fill eight file cabinets, which she was given from a Kentucky collection that dates back to the 19th century.

She’s also working with graduate students on an issue at the heart of osteopathic medicine: the effect of manual manipulation on the musculoskeletal structure of patients. She’s using the analytic tools employed by paleontologists to detect shape changes, this time to provide evidence of the impact osteopathic manipulative medicine has on the human body.

It might seem odd to have a paleontologist who scours the Antarctic shores for fossils teaching medical students

about the intricacies of human anatomy. But Dr. Claeson says many of her colleagues have found positions teaching anatomy because the process used to study fossils can be adapted to study the human form. “When we are looking at anything that’s extinct, we don’t get to watch behavior, or know anything up front,” she says. “We are foundationally anatomists. We see the way an animal was formed, and then extrapolate behavior from what we see.”

Dr. Claeson’s study of OMM’s impact on the skeletal structure is a case in point. This past year, she conducted research that analyzed patients with chronic back pain.

The patients were being treated by DOs and OMM fellows who hypothesized they could reduce pain and use manual manipulation to improve their patients’ posture. The study began by taking photographs of patients’ backs and analyzing those images by using a system called geometric morphometrics, which created landmarks on the photos.

Another round of photographs was taken after the OMM treatments, with the landmarks then compared to see if the body’s shape had changed. The study was detailed in one of the myriad research posters that line the corridor outside Dr. Claeson’s office.

“The students spent many many days with the clinicians, photographing the treatments, and marking those digital photos,” she says. “We were able to see that there was some morphological change associated with the treatment.”

Physicians and paleontologists even share tools of their trades. Among those in regular use are noninvasive digital imaging systems. Dr. Claeson is using a CT scanner on her study of a giant saber-toothed salmon fossil. “The CT scan is a very useful tool,” says Dr. Claeson, who clicks through CT scan files on her computer to show a visitor how the scan revealed the structure inside the rock. “When an animal becomes a fossil, the part that was bone is usually more dense than the rock, so the contrast works in your favor. We are able to begin to piece out what’s rock and what is bone as we digitally dissect the pieces.”

Inside her Evans Hall office, you’ll find fossil-finding tools, such as the marsh pickax that hangs from the wall—a gift from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology after she helped host a national conference while a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas. There’s also an aging Apple Power Mac G4 computer that runs a program cataloguing phylogenetic trees of fish species that cannot be read by newer computer software.

She sits at her computer in an upholstered chair that belonged to Tage Nielsen Kvist, PhD, the former chair of PCOM’s Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, who retired

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this year. “I’d always remarked that I loved that chair,” says Dr. Claeson. “When I got back from the trip, it was here in the room.”

THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION

The AP3 expedition, which was sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs, was several years in the works. The research team had been trying to get there for years. In 2013 and 2014, the team was prepared to embark on the US Antarctic Program’s research vessel, Laurence M. Gould. But heavy sea ice surrounding the James Ross Island Group made the passage impossible.

Undeterred by the Antarctic ice, by 2015, the team had upgraded their research vessel to the 308-foot-long Nathaniel B. Palmer, a National Science Foundation research ship designed for Antarctic ventures, and equipped with a small boat and helicopter to ferry the researchers to their far-flung research destinations if the sea ice proved too thick.

Then one of the warmest Antarctic summers on record melted the ice around the research region, which is located at about 64 degrees south latitude.

Getting to Antarctica takes time. The AP3 team flew two days to reach southern Chile, where they undertook five days of training in the intricacies of camping in the polar reaches. The ship then motored for four days through the Straits of Magellan, the Drake Passage and the Weddell Sea before arriving at their desolate destination.

On day trips, teams would be dispatched to their research sites on Vega or Seymour Island. While on the ship, they’d meet at 7:30 a.m. to learn about that day’s plan, await the weather report and decide whether to be transported by boat or helicopter. Then they’d be dropped off, and picked up hours later. If the snow started falling, they’d radio in for an earlier pick-up.

“One day the snow piled up, but then the next day, we had a windstorm that blew it clean away,” Dr. Claeson says.

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Temperatures ranged from 20 to 50 degrees during daytime hours. While camping, Dr. Claeson slumbered in a sleeping bag that completely covered her head. She would awake to observe hoarfrost crystals on the tent.

Once, she dried a pair of pants outdoors that had become

“ At night, the team would gather to eat dinner, talk about their research or watch a movie. If the night sky was clear, they’d venture outside to stargaze.” wet while prospecting. It turned out that the water in the fabric froze instead of evaporating. “My pants melted while I was wearing them,” she recalls.

What made it so cold was the incessant wind, which would howl out of the south. The researchers would layer up with fleece, down parkas and windbreakers. Dr. Claeson had a pair of ski goggles in her pack, just in case the wind was really blowing, and put toe warmers in her boots on frigid days. If it got too cold, Dr. Claeson would simply drop and knock off a round of push-ups to warm herself up.

One glorious day on the Antarctic Peninsula started out so warm and sunny that Dr. Claeson had taken off her parka and rolled up her leg warmers when she set out with a colleague to prospect for fossils. But when they reached the peak of False Island Point off Vega Island, they were blasted by an icy wind, and scrambled to don their coldweather gear.

On days that were simply too windy, the AP3 team would remain on board the research vessel, or hunker

down in the makeshift labs at their camping site. The team’s microscopes then came in handy. Such days gave Dr. Claeson the time to prepare, identify and catalogue specimens that she’d found.

At night, the team would gather to eat dinner, talk about their research or watch a movie. If the night sky was clear, they’d venture outside to stargaze. One night the Southern Lights flickered green across the vast Antarctic sky.

While the team was primarily prospecting for evidence of prehistoric dinosaurs, Dr. Claeson focused on finding fossils of fish as she walked through the rock fields with a backpack filled with her research tools: a rock hammer, a chisel, a pickax, a whisk broom, a GPS device and a radio.

“Whenever paleontologists are looking for mammals or other vertbrates, you are always going to find fish,” says Dr. Claeson. “Water helps with the burying and hardening process. Major floods and disasters can create fossilizing potential, and where you have water, you will have fish.”

The team headed to rock fields where previous expeditions had made finds. When in the field, paleontologists have what Dr. Claeson calls a “search image.” She’ll be looking for a sedimentary rock, usually rounded, which may hold an answer to nature’s evolutionary history if a fossil is revealed once it is cracked open.

Dr. Claeson has an idea of the texture she’s looking for on a rock’s surface. In Antarctica, it was rocks that were shiny and black at the surface. “When the rock gets exposed to bad weather, the fossilized bone gets very dark and black,” she explains. “On the first day I found something like that, and then I kept looking around and kept finding them.”

On one day, she found shark teeth in rocks with a whitish tinge. On another day, she found rocks with fossils with a bluish tinge.

At other times, the team would come across actual bones on the ground as they walked, and looked, very closely.

Near the end of the trip, on a hillside on Vega Island, the

team found what turned out to be the bone of a dinosaur.

“It was a huge deal,” she says. “We needed to spend more time there. So we returned to the spot, lined up and crawled on our hands and knees. It reminded me of back in elementary school when a girl had lost an earring on the playground. Then we found another piece. If we’d had more time, we would have found more.”

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HANGING UP HIS STETHOSCOPE FOR ROADS NOT TAKEN

JAMES QUIGLEY, DO ’75, DEFIES AGE IN A CROSS-COUNTRY RETIREMENT RIDE THAT RAISES FUNDS FOR ALS

by David McKay Wilson On the final day of his cross-country bike tour, James Quigley, DO ’75, rode a leisurely 17 miles from Burlington, Massachusetts, to the Atlantic Ocean at Revere Beach, where he touched his front wheel into the Atlantic Ocean.

The water contact came just 50 days after Dr. Quigley’s group of 21 cyclists left the shores of the Pacific on Manhattan Beach near Los Angeles and embarked on an epic journey of 3,400 miles on two wheels.

The bike tour was a personal challenge for the lanky 6’3” Dr. Quigley, who found his rhythm pedaling through the desert, across mountain peaks, and through the Great Plains, blessed with steady westerly winds, and rain on just two days. It was also a time for Dr. Quigley to raise research funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal motor neuron disorder.

Dr. Quigley and Kevin McCauley, a biking friend and former patient from Dr. Quigley’s San Diego-area family practice, set a goal to raise $40,000 for ALS research when they departed on May 8. Three weeks later, they reached McPherson, Kansas, and had raised almost $10,000. By the time they reached the Atlantic, they’d raised $22,000 and

were still intent on reaching their goal of $40,000.

Among his fellow Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine alumni supporting the drive were Gary Agia, DO ’75; Eugene Andruczyk, DO ’75; Michael L. Mansi, DO ’75; Anthony Niescier, DO ’75; Richard A. Pascucci, DO ’75; and William A. Wilson, DO ’76. “It was amazing to check our fundraising progress each week,” says Dr. Quigley.

“Who knows? Maybe we’ll find our mystery donor to match what we’ve already raised.”

Mr. McCauley recalls dreaming up the expedition many years ago in Dr. Quigley’s examining room. They hatched the idea for real in 2014 while hiking eight days in the Andes Mountains to reach the 15th-century Inca citadel Machu Picchu. By then, Dr. Quigley had retired from North Coast Family Medical Group, where he had practiced for 30 years (in 2015, he retired from his clinical research practice).

Their fundraising efforts were inspired by the vision of Michael J. Ramirez, a San Diego-area businessman and athlete who, after being diagnosed with ALS in 2009, set up Team Godfather Charitable Foundation to raise funds for ALS research. He died in 2012.

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F EI O P A TNUE RE ER S A N D T R A I L B L A Z E R S

Near the end of the ride, the 67-year-old Dr. Quigley stopped in Vermont to visit Andrew LeClaire, a bedridden ALS patient who had connected with them through Mr. McCauley’s daily blog. He had a hereditary form of the disease that had felled 30 of his relatives, including a brother, a sister and a niece.

“Andrew has a great awareness of his plight and a great sense of humor about it,” says Dr. Quigley. “Words don’t do justice to what it feels like to be in the presence of someone who sees the end is coming, accepts it, and is still engaged. He was present with us—and is so with his family, his community and his church.”

Riding across the United States in 50 days is not for the faint of heart. But doing so on a tour organized

by Crossroads Cycling made it a whole lot easier. The route—from southwestern California to the Northeast of New England—went through 15 states, had riders averaging about 85 miles a day and staying at hotels along the way. A team of eight, and three vehicles, supported the 21 riders. On six days, the international group, which included five riders from the United Kingdom, and five women, rode more than 100 miles.

“We entered deep into the pain cave a couple of times, but most of the time we were laughing,” recalls Mr. McCauley. “My cyclist pal, Jim, was ever talkative, enthusiastic and always positive.”

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Each morning, three groups would head out at 15-minute intervals. Dr. Quigley would ride his carbon-fiber Specialized Roubaix with 28-inch tires, with between three and eight other riders. They’d fall into formation in what cyclists call a pace line, in which one cyclist takes the lead on a rotating basis, and others follow behind, single file, a foot or two apart, to cruise in the aerodynamic slipstream in the leader’s wake.

“I’ll never be in as good shape as I am now, for the rest of my life,” says Dr. Quigley.

The tour’s worst day came early, when their group had 24 flat tires on a 116-mile stretch through the southern California desert, and the temperature hit 109 degrees on a road shared by tractor-trailers. One cyclist got scraped up and broke his clavicle when he went down after a motorist’s side-view mirror struck him as he negotiated a railroad crossing.

Dr. Quigley, who was a competitive college tennis player, ran half-marathons not long after graduating from PCOM. But a sore right knee led him to cycling in 1980 because the exercise has little impact on the joints. “It turned out to be the perfect sport for me,” he says. “You go out for a couple of hours and blow off all your worries.

You need to keep focused when you are on the road; the exercise helped me keep in shape and remove myself from the stress of medicine.”

Before he began the tour, Dr. Quigley wondered how his mid-60s body would respond to the challenge of a ride that would last over seven weeks. He exceeded his expectations by closely monitoring his carbohydrate, protein, electrolyte and fluid intake. His 3,000 miles in the saddle during his six-month training regimen before heading east on May 8 had him well prepared for what was to unfold.

“This age thing is a bugaboo,” says Dr. Quigley. “I kept thinking I was going to slow down, but my body really responded.”

“There is a lesson I learned from my adventure that I believe can apply to all of us,” reflects Dr. Quigley.

“Ultimately it is this: nothing is impossible. The size of the undertaking doesn’t have to be as big as my cycling adventure, but I encourage anyone to take on a new challenge. With time and persistent training, you can achieve surprising results. Go for it!”

“You need to keep focused when you are on the road; the exercise helped me keep in shape and remove myself from the stress of medicine.”

Read more about Dr. Quigley’s tour: https://jqsbigadventure.com.

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CLASS NOTES

1967

Sherman N. Leis, DO, Bala Cynwyd, PA, was a panelist at PCOM’s first Transgender Medicine Symposium in April.

Dr. Leis is professor and chair of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at PCOM and founder of the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery.

1970

SAMUEL STRAUSS, DO ’71, MPH

A Dream Come True

by Laura Hilbert

From a young age, Samuel Strauss, DO ’71, MPH, Round Rock, Texas, was inspired to practice medicine by his family physician. But at the same time, having watched Neil Armstrong take humankind’s first steps on the moon, Dr. Strauss was absolutely enthralled by space exploration.

After he graduated from PCOM, Dr. Strauss served in the U.S. Navy as a submarine medical officer assigned to nuclear submarines and diving units around the world. He then switched military branches and joined the Air Force, where he became a flight surgeon and went on to complete his residency training in aerospace medicine. Not too long after he retired from the military, he found the perfect job to mesh his childhood dreams and career accomplishments: working as a physician for NASA at the Johnson Space Center.

Dr. Strauss presently serves as the NASA medical monitor for the Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or spacesuit. He supports NASA astronaut training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, where astronauts learn to do spacewalks. This unique training is conducted in a 40-foot-deep, 6.2-million-gallon immersion pool designed to hold full-size mockups of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Being involved in this training means that Dr. Strauss has been certified as a NASA Nitrox SCUBA diver, and he frequently observes trainings underwater. He has also been able to dive in the spacesuit, about which he says, “It’s a lot like being locked inside a pressurized shell and looking out through a fishbowl lens. It’s really demanding work, and tasks that may seem simple take a tremendous amount of effort, concentration and skill.”

Dr. Strauss is also the medical officer for the vacuum chamber astronaut training, where he flies as a flight surgeon during reduced gravity trainings and is assigned to dive on special missions. As the medical officer, he also gets to “float and fly” on NASA’s “Weightless Wonder” aircraft, designed to fly in zero gravity conditions.

For Dr. Strauss, working at Johnson Space Center is “more like a dream come true than a job. I love getting up every morning and coming to work. There is always a new and fascinating challenge and so much to learn.” What makes it so meaningful for him is the privilege of working directly with astronauts. From boyhood, watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon, to becoming a physician who serves next to the men and women who conduct space expeditions, Dr. Strauss is living out his childhood dream and more.

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

John W. Becher, DO, Newtown Square, PA, president, American Osteopathic Association, was featured as an expert in The DO (June 2016), in which he discussed the urgent need for research into the causes and prevention of gun violence. In May, Dr. Becher was keynote speaker for Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine’s commencement.

Arthur J. Mollen, DO, Scottsdale, AZ, has expanded his non-profit organization, the Mollen Foundation, with an additional fundraising event: a celebrity golf tournament. Dr. Mollen and his wife, Paige, founded The Mollen Foundation to help underserved youth in their community by promoting health and fitness. The foundation also puts on an annual 10K and half marathon to raise funds. Dr. Mollen is a practicing physician, U.S. Air Force veteran and medical correspondent for “Good Morning Arizona.”

1974

George D. Vermeire, DO, Oreland, PA, was selected president-elect of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Vermeire is the medical director in the Northeast Region for Aetna, Inc., and is also the Aetna liaison to the American Osteopathic Association.

1976

Edward H. Ridings, III, DO, Lewistown, PA, joined Geisinger FHA Surgical Services. Dr. Ridings is a general surgeon and will be seeing patients in Lewistown.

1977

Michael A. Washinsky, DO, Drums, PA, was featured in an article in the Standard Speaker (Hazelton), “Family Practice: Two Local Doctors Work with Their Children” (June 2016). The article highlights Dr. Washinsky’s practice with his daughter, Dr. Jodi Lenko, at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Dessen Center.

1978

Joseph A. Cable, DO, Orwigsburg, PA, has joined Mount Nittany Physician Group Pulmonary Medicine. Dr. Cable previously practiced at Pottsville Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital, serving as co-director of Good Samaritan’s intensive care unit.

1979

Timothy J. McCloskey, DO, Williamsport, PA, was elected to serve on the board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. McCloskey is head of pediatric allergy and immunology at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

Carol L. St. George, DO, York, PA, was reelected to serve on the board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. St. George maintains a private practice in York and is an active staff member at Memorial Hospital.

William A. Wewer, DO, Harrisburg, PA, was reelected secretary/treasurer of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association at the association’s Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Wewer serves as a partner at Family Practice Center, P.C., in Steelton.

1980

Victor J. Scali, DO, Swedesboro, NJ, has been named the 2016 recipient of the Bruce D. Horton, DO, FACOEP-D Lifetime Achievement Award by the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians.

The award is presented to a physician who has excelled in emergency medicine, is recognized as a field expert by his/her peers, and has served nationally and regionally in the profession. Dr. Scali served as the president of the Foundation for Osteopathic Emergency Medicine from 2004 to 2006, and continues to serve on its board of trustees.

He also has been the long-time program director of the Emergency Medicine Residency program at Rowan University – Kennedy Hospital.

1983

Gary A. Aaronson, DO, New Hope, PA, has been named among Philadelphia Magazine’s “Top Docs 2016” for pulmonary disease.

Darlene Ann Dunay, DO, FACOFP, Old Forge, PA, was inducted into the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians

CLASS NOTES at the 53rd Annual Convention & Scientific Seminar held in April in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Richard J. Snow, DO, FACOFP, Columbus, OH, was inducted into the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians at the 53rd Annual Convention & Scientific Seminar held in April in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1984

Patrick J. Kerrigan, DO, WilkesBarre, PA, was honored in a book for his outstanding service to his community and contributions to medicine in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Kerrigan has previously been honored with a key to his hometown of Wilkes-Barre and was named “Man of the Year” by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.

Richard A. Ortoski, DO, Erie, PA, was installed as president of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Family Physicians Society (POFPS) in May during the POFPS President’s Installation Luncheon. Dr. Ortoski is regional dean, chair of the primary care education department, and clinical professor of family medicine and human sexuality at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

1985

Charles H. Bell, DO, Franklin, TN, has been appointed chief medical officer at Parallon Technology Solutions. Dr. Bell will provide physician leadership in the development and implementation of information technology to support care delivery and data capture. Previously, Dr. Bell was vice president of Advanced Clinical Applications for Hospital Corporation of America.

Keith L. Zeliger, DO, DuBois, PA, announced the reopening of his practice, Penn Highlands Orthopedics, to non-emergent, elective patients at his new office location in DuBois.

1986

Deanne S. Endy, DO, Hummelstown, PA, was elected vice president of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Family Physicians Society during the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Endy is chief medical officer at the Harrisburg Military Entrance Processing Station and maintains a private practice in Hummelstown.

1987

H. William Craver, III, DO, Braselton, GA, dean and chief academic officer, osteopathic medical program, GA–PCOM, was invited

in March as a guest of the White House to attend the 2016 National Rx Abuse & Heroin Summit. Dr. Craver joined other healthcare providers and professionals in Atlanta to collaborate on preventing drug abuse.

Anthony E. DiMarco, DO, Glen Mills, PA, was installed as the 105th president of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association at the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. DiMarco is the managing physician at Parkesburg Family Medicine and medical director at LG Health Urgent Care. He is a faculty member at PCOM, Penn State University College of Medicine and Christiana Health System.

Joan M. Grzybowski, DO, Conshohocken, PA, was elected vice president of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Grzybowski is a family medicine physician at PCOM. She also was a speaker at PCOM’s first Transgender Medicine Symposium in April.

Robert S. Jones, DO, Mohnton, PA, was reelected to serve on the board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly, held in May. Dr. Jones is medical director of Reading Health Partners and medical director of process improvement/ clinical integration for Reading Health System. He is also director of osteopathic medical education at Reading Hospital and medical co-director for Horizon Healthcare Services in Lancaster.

Stanley J. Savinese, DO, Ridley Park, PA, has been named among Philadelphia Magazine’s “Top Docs 2016” for palliative care.

Dr. Savinese is chief medical director of the VNA Hospice of Philadelphia and co-director of Palliative Care Services at Temple University Hospital. He is also a palliative care attending physician at Hahnemann University Hospital.

1988

Robert R. Rodak, DO, Erie, PA, has been named the 70th president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians. As president, Dr. Rodak will serve as the PAFP’s spokesman and the face of the family physician community. A fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Rodak has served in various leadership positions with the Hamot Primary Care Network and the Saint Vincent Medical Group.

1990

Robert T. O’Leary, Jr., DO, Bonita Springs, FL, was among the featured lecturers for Iberia Bank’s Living Well Health Series, which focused on innovative treatments for patients suffering from pain. Dr. O’Leary is a pain management and rehabilitative physician for the Physicians Regional Healthcare System.

1991

Sophia J. Michailidis, DO, Moorestown, NJ, an obesity medicine physician, has joined Geisinger Health System and will see patients at Geisinger Center for Weight Management & Nutrition.

Michael D. Rebock, DO, Farmington Hills, MI, was named chief medical officer at Beamont Hospital in Farmington Hills.

Previously, Dr. Rebock was medical director of Trauma Services at Beaumont Hospital, a position he held for eight years.

1992

Gene M. Battistella, DO, Moon Township, PA, was reelected vice speaker of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association House of Delegates during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Battistella is a co-owner and physician at West Hills Medical Providers, Inc., and vice chairman of the board of directors at Ohio Valley Hospital in McKees Rocks.

1993

Joseph A. Ronsivalle, DO, Elmira, NY, has joined Guthrie Healthcare Systems as chairman of the Department of Radiology. He is currently seeing patients in Sayre.

1994

Anthony V. Matejicka, II, DO, Toms River, NJ, was appointed chief medical officer at Nyack Hospital. In this role, Dr. Matejicka will serve as a member of the senior leadership team and will oversee all physician activities throughout the organization, placing emphasis on clinical program development and performance improvement.

1995

Jeffery J. Dunkelberger, DO, Lewisberry, PA, was reelected speaker of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association House of Delegates during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Dunkelberger is a family physician at Enola Family Practice and a team physician for East Pennsboro Area School District.

Jennifer Graham-Achmoody, DO, Clearfield, PA, joined the pediatrics department at Geisinger – Philipsburg. Prior to joining Geisinger, Dr. Graham-Achmoody was a pediatrician at the Clearfield Center for Children’s Care/Penn Highlands Center for Children’s Care and was chief of pediatrics at Clearfield Hospital/Penn Highlands Clearfield.

Christine N. McGinn, DO, New Hope, PA, was a speaker for PCOM’s first Transgender Medicine Symposium in April.

Dr. McGinn is the founder of the Papillon Gender Wellness Center in New Hope.

Brian J. Murphy, DO, West Chester, PA, will be leading the new location in Western Delaware County for CrozerKeystone Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Associates. Dr. Murphy is a physiatrist, having practiced physical therapy for five years prior to becoming a physician. He will also oversee patient care at Crozer-Keystone Regional Rehabilitation Centers at Delaware County Memorial Hospital and Taylor Hospital.

1997

David Bohorquez, DO, Plantation, FL, celebrated the opening of OrthoNOW Biscayne (March), where he serves as medical director. OrthoNOW is the nation’s only network of orthopedic urgent care centers.

Daniel R. Taylor, DO, Philadelphia, PA, was interviewed on a WHYY segment discussing the effects of poverty on young patients. Dr. Taylor is an associate professor at Drexel University College of Medicine and director of community pediatrics and child advocacy at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.

Neal S. Walker, DO, Phoenixville, PA, was the recipient of the 2015 Frank Baldino Bioscience CEO of the Year award. Dr. Walker serves as president and chief executive officer at Aclaris Therapeutics. Dr. Walker is a board-certified dermatologist and an entrepreneur with over 18 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry.

1998

Kevin Snow, DO, Holyoke, MA, was featured in an article in the Sunday Republican titled “A Good Scare Is Worth More to a Man Than Good Advice” (June 2016). Dr. Snow is a physician with Western Mass Physician Associates, affiliated with Holyoke Medical Center.

DIGEST 2016

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CLASS NOTES

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

Burgert-Lon baby

Rachel D. Amodio, PsyD ’13, Toms River, NJ, and husband, Paul, announce the birth of their son, Ethan, born on October 24, 2015.

Brandon Z. Bell, DO ’12, Brooklyn, NY, wed Lauren Arnold on May 29, 2016.

Christine E. Burgert-Lon, DO ’09, Philadelphia, PA, and husband, Adam Lon, welcomed their second child, son Christian, born on June 25, 2016.

Catherine G. Caruso, DO ’14, Portland, OR, and husband, Matt, announce the birth of their son, Everett, born on September 16, 2015.

Tricia M. Loehrig, DO ’02, Feasterville Trevose, PA, and husband, Robert, welcomed daughter, Charlotte Victoria, born on April 15, 2016.

1999

Janie L. Orrington-Myers, DO, New Bern, NC, joined Beaver Dam Community Hospital’s Surgical Specialists clinic. Dr. Orrington-Myers is a general surgeon, specializing in advanced laparoscopic, endoscopic, robotic and breast surgery.

Antonios Thalassinos, DO, Galloway, NJ, was named vice president of the board of trustees at Cape Regional Health System in Cape May.

2000

Christopher A. Davis, DO, Springfield, PA, was reelected to serve on the board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Davis is a physician at Springfield Sports Science Center and is medical director at Heartland Home Health Care and Hospice. He is also a staff physician at Springfield Hospital and Harlee Manor Nursing Home.

Adrian C. Demidont, DO, Norwalk, CT, co-chaired the first Transgender Medical Symposium at PCOM in April, also serving as a lecturer. Dr. Demidont is the director of transgender medicine at the Circle Care Center in Norwalk.

Nicole J. Heisman-Rifkin, DO, Collegeville, PA, authored an article in the House Calls section of The Mercury titled “Blood Pressure: Essential Numbers You Need to Know” (April 2016). Dr. Heisman-Rifkin is a member of the 30

Saccone baby

Loehring baby

medical staff of the Department of Internal Medicine at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center.

Scott J. Loev, DO, Dresher, PA, has been elected director-at-large of the Pennsylvania Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Dr. Loev will represent physician pain specialists throughout the state of Pennsylvania as the representative to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. He also serves as clinical assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Temple University School of Medicine.

Michael J. Orris, MBA, DO, Paradise Valley, AZ, was recognized in Phoenix Magazine as a “Top Doc.” Dr. Orris is a partner and lead surgeon at Weight Loss Institute of Arizona, and performs hundreds of weight-loss surgeries each year.

Kathy L. Rumer, DO, Ardmore, PA, was a speaker at PCOM’s first Transgender Medicine Symposium in April. Dr. Rumer is an aesthetic and reconstructive surgeon at Rumer Cosmetic Surgery in Ardmore.

2001

Louis C. Cimorelli, Jr., DO, Pipersville, PA, joined William Penn Family Practice. Dr. Cimorelli is a family physician specializing in joint injection, osteopathic manipulation, laceration repair and skin biopsy.

Heather L. Lockner, DO, Coatesville, PA, authored an article in The Mercury titled “Go with Your Gut: How to Manage Stomach Health” (April 2016). Dr. Lockner is on the medical staff

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Tunis baby

Shannon R. Long, DO ‘14, Charleston, SC, and husband, Kyle, welcomed son, Benjamin, on May 5, 2016.

Jamie A. Peters, DO ’05, Roaring Brook Twp., PA, and husband Tom Hopkins, DO, announce the birth of son, Zachary, born on May 13, 2016.

Peter J. Saccone, DO ’09, Sicklerville, NJ, and wife, Christine, announce the birth of daughter, Stella, born on March 18, 2016.

Cassandra L. Tunis, DO ’12, Clarks Summit, PA, and husband, Dr. Justin Tunis, welcomed their second child, son Giovanni, born on August 19, 2015.

at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, and is in practice with Collegeville Internal Medicine.

2003

Kenneth Charles Plowey, DO, Pittsburgh, PA, joined the medical staff as president of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center East Hospital in Monroeville.

2004

Rachna Anand, DO, Philadelphia, PA, has joined the team as a medical oncologist at Olympic Medical Cancer Center.

Brian L. Sperling, DO, Ringoes, NJ, led a series of lectures at Hunterdon Medical Center titled “What’s a Man to Do?” The lectures focused on prostate health, sexual health and testosterone. Dr. Sperling is a urologist with Hunterdon.

Joshua Jacob Stutzman, DO, Hughesville, PA, joined Susquehanna Health OB/GYN.

2005

David M. Kanze, DO, Bellingham, WA, had his article “Care for the Health Care Provider” published in Medical Clinics of North America (March 2016).

Sean McMillan, DO, Mullica Hill, NJ, was a recipient of a 2016 Healing Spirit Award given by Lourdes Health Foundation. Dr. McMillan is chief of orthopedics and chief of surgery at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County and director of orthopedic sports medicine and arthroscopy

at Lourdes Medical Associates. The award honors a Lourdes physician for his/her compassion, dedication to patients and years of service.

Chad P. Walker, DO, Clarks Summit, PA, joined the medical staff of Tyler Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Walker is a rheumatologist, affiliated with Professional Orthopedic Associates.

2006

Andrew T. Darlington, DO, Peachtree City, GA, served as the “Doc” in Fayette Hospital’s “Walk with a Doc 2016,” discussing a health topic of his choice followed by a walk through the Aberdeen Village Shopping Center with community members. Dr. Darlington is a cardiologist specializing in advanced heart failure at Piedmont Heart Institute.

R. Jason Hartman, DO, Philadelphia, PA, opened a new practice in the Philadelphia area with Jonathon D. Castle White, MBA, DO ’12. The practice, RestoreIV, focuses on intravenous vitamin and nutrient therapy and serves patients with conditions ranging from migraine headaches and chronic pain to chronic fatigue, Crohn’s disease and more.

Anthony G. Helwig, DO, Lebanon, PA, has joined WellSpan Orthopedics in Lebanon County.

Tiffany L. Reed, DO, Jamestown, NC, was featured in a segment on My Fox 8 titled “Memory: What’s Normal vs. When to Worry” (June 2016). Dr. Reed offered her expertise on normal signs of aging and mem-

CLASS NOTES

ory, and when you should consider consulting your physician. Dr. Reed is a geriatric specialist at Piedmont Senior Care and a member of the Cone Health medical staff.

2007

Nevin Charles Baker, DO, Greensburg, PA, has joined Excela Health as part of the team in the Heart and Vascular Center.

Dr. Baker came from Geisinger Medical Center, where he completed fellowships in cardiology and interventional cardiology.

Erik G. Polan, DO, Cherry Hill, NJ, was featured in two Philadelphia Inquirer articles: “The Trouble with Pain in Lower Back” (April 2016) and “Lyme Disease: What You Need to Know” (June 2016). Dr. Polan is a general internist and instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine at PCOM.

2008

Peter F. Bidey, DO, Philadelphia, PA, authored an article for Philly.com titled “Mild Stomach Flu: What’s the Best Way to Stay Hydrated?”

(June 2016). He also wrote “Are You and Your Partner Ready to Get Pregnant?” (April 2016).

2009

Brian D. Day, DO, Spencerport, NY, joined the medical department at St. Ann’s Home. Dr. Day is a family/ geriatric physician, and his primary responsibilities will be long-term care.

Tiffany L. DuMont, DO, Pittsburgh, PA, joined the physicians of Pulmonary and Critical Care. Dr. DuMont completed her residency in internal medicine at Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, and went on to complete a pulmonary/ critical care fellowship, serving as chief fellow, at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Monique A. Gary, MS/Biomed ’05, DO, Wyncote, PA, was a speaker at PCOM’s first Transgender Medicine Symposium in April. Dr. Gary is a breast surgical oncologist at Grandview Health in Sellersville.

Matthew F. Geromi, DO, San Diego, CA, was named associate medical director at Magellan Health/Blue Shield of California.

Michael E. Kaminsky, DO, Gainesville, FL, was named chief resident of the anesthesia program at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital.

2010

Joseph Anthony Laureti, III, DO, Middletown, PA, has joined the medical staff of Easton Hospital as an internal medicine physician. Dr. Laureti completed his

BRYAN KEVIN HARRELL, DO ’09, GA–PCOM The Storytelling Doctor of Atlanta

by Laura Hilbert Bryan Kevin Harrell, DO ’09, Douglasville, Georgia, has always had a love of writing. Dr. Harrell practices occupational medicine at Nova Medical Center; at night, he works on novels. “I’m not sure what the tipping point was. I always had stories in me. As I was sitting in the desert in Afghanistan, I started writing,” he says.

Upon graduation from Georgia Campus – PCOM, Dr. Harrell joined the Navy and was deployed to the Middle East. “There is not always a lot to do when you’re deployed. Writing helped to pass the day and night.”

His writing has paid off.

In May 2015, Dr. Harrell’s released his debut novel, The Infertile Heart: The Doctors of Atlanta, Book 1.

The book—the first of a planned three-part series—is set in a fictional women’s health practice in Atlanta.

It is themed around medicine, sports and the military—and its genre is romance. (And if you read closely, you may find mention of GA–PCOM.) Dr. Harrell, known as BK Harrell in the literary world, believes that art and science go hand in hand. “Art opens up a side of our brains that scientists don’t often use,” he says. “Osteopathic physicians—in particular—understand and practice the art of medicine. We have the ability to be more compassionate, more understanding, and we can see multiple sides of things.”

Dr. Harrell’s second book is due to be published in 2017. residency in internal medicine at PinnacleHealth Community General Osteopathic Hospital.

Jennifer Anne Lorine, DO, North Wales, PA, was elected to serve on the board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association during the association’s 108th Annual Clinical Assembly held in May. Dr. Lorine maintains a private practice in Blue Bell and is a clinical instructor at PCOM. Shavon S. Yannuzzi, DO, Dublin, OH, joined a new group, Columbus Inpatient Care, at Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus.

2011

Brenda Buzydlowski, DO, Philadelphia, PA, was featured in an article, “Helping Manage Serious Illness,” published in the News of Delaware County (May 2016). Dr. Buzydlowski is a palliative care physician with Holy Redeemer Health System.

2012

Jonathan D. Castle White, MBA, DO, Huntingdon Valley, PA, opened a new practice in the Philadelphia area with R. Jason Hartman, DO ’06. The practice, RestoreIV, focuses on intravenous vitamin and nutrient therapy and serves patients with conditions ranging from migraine headaches and chronic pain to chronic fatigue, Crohn’s disease and more.

2013

Raymond W. Deen, DO, Milledgeville, GA, graduated from Floyd Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Deen will practice family medicine at Oconee Family Medicine Center in Milledgeville.

Scott D. Glassman, PsyD, Cherry Hill, NJ, was featured as an expert in an article, “Being Good to Yourself Yields Big Benefits” (Philadelphia

Inquirer, April 2016). Dr. Glassman is a clinical assistant professor of psychology and associate director of the master’s program in mental health counseling at PCOM. Emily Keeler, DO, Quakertown, PA, completed her residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s University Hospital, where she served as chief resident her final year. Dr. Keeler has begun a two-year fellowship in rheumatology at Hershey Medical Center.

Patrick C. Kindregan, DO, Cumming, GA, graduated from Floyd Medical Center’s family medicine residency program. Dr. Kindregan now practices family medicine at Morrow Family Medicine Center in Cumming.

2014

Alison P. Mackey, PA-C, Lancaster, PA, joined

IN MEMORIAM Irving B. Aronow, DO ’64, Shelter Island, NY, June 14, 2016.

John Baba, Jr., DO ’61, Woodland Park, NJ, February 29, 2016.

Samuel J. Black, II, DO ’76, Butler, PA, July 6, 2016.

Robert G. Bowman, DO ’61, West Olive, MI, July 22, 2016.

William C. Bryers, DO ’54, Warrington, PA, June 25, 2016.

Robert B. Davies, DO ’54, Lebanon, PA, August 5, 2016.

Sean P. Harvey, DO ’91, Newtown, PA, March 21, 2016.

Bradford R. Hinkle, DO ’73, Beachwood, NJ , July 22, 2016.

Jan S. Kapcala, DO ’78, Stroudsburg, PA, July 24, 2016.

PinnacleHealth Family Care in Middletown. Ms. Mackey was previously with Fox Chase Cancer Center.

2015

Charmaine Aguilar, MS/Psy, Wilkes-Barre, PA, has been named multicultural student outreach coordinator at Misericordia University, where she will oversee multicultural education programming and promote inclusion campuswide. She will also work to increase the diversity of the university’s student populations.

Michael B. Klein, PsyD, Pittsford, NY, was appointed chief fellow in pediatric behavioral health at the University of Rochester Primary Care Clinic. He was also awarded Postdoctoral Fellow of the Year for 2015.

Edward L. Kurello, DO ’66, Hanover Township, PA, April 11, 2016.

Nancy Elizabeth Madden, PsyD ’04, Wyncote, PA, April 11, 2016.

Michael T. Nadolny, DO ’64, Brighton, MI, January 9, 2015.

Monique M. Nebolon, DO ’97, Bend, OR, October 9, 2015.

Desmond J. Nunan, DO ’81, Ocala, FL, July 5, 2016.

Paul P. Pesce, DO ’66, Aventura, FL, May 27, 2016.

Walter W. Schwartz, DO ’51, Broomall, PA, March 14, 2016.

Gerald L. Weaver, DO ’54, East Earl, PA, March 3, 2016.

Oscar R. Weiner, DO ’47, Philadelphia, PA, July 24, 2016.

Marijane Zimmerli-Lee, DO ’80, Palos Verdes Estates, CA, May 2, 2016.

DIGEST 2016

31

CLASS NOTES

REUNION WEEKEND 2016 Reunion Weekend 2016 was filled with celebrating, reconnecting with old friends, and reminiscing about times at PCOM. Hundreds of alumni returned to campus to take part in the festivities. From the luncheon on June 3rd to honor the 50th Reunion Class, the Class of 1966, to the Alumni and Family BBQ Saturday afternoon, to the Grand Reception on Saturday evening, it was a delightful weekend with plenty of conversation and laughter, and one that will certainly be remembered.

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS PRESIDENT’S APPRECIATION RECEPTION November 12, 2016, Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue Join us to celebrate Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and

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enjoy food, beverages and music at our gathering of alumni and friends, as we discuss the College’s future and your contributions to its success.

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

FOUNDERS’ DAY January 27, 2017, Evans Hall Lobby and Georgia Atrium Alumni are invited to attend our annual celebration of the College’s founding. At the ceremony, O. J. Snyder and Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medal recipients will be recognized.

ALUMNI WEEKEND June 2-4, 2017 Save the date for Alumni Weekend 2017!

To see a list of current alumni events or to register for any of the events above, visit pcom. edu/alumni/alumni-events/

MY TURN

INCREASING MY SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

by Neal S. Walker, DO ’97 There is a certain self-autonomy to being a physician as the profession requires a mix of patient care, business savvy and creative experimentation/innovation/leadership. At the same time, that independence requires passion, openness to change and expansion, and ambition for achievement. Perhaps that is why the gap between physician and entrepreneur isn’t so wide. Many of the characteristics it takes to become an effective entrepreneur are the same ones that lead us to become physicians in the first place.

Prior to medical school, I worked at Johnson & Johnson as well as at a small start-up technology company called Bio Med Sciences, where I was able to see the contrast between a large and small organization. And during the summer between my first and second year of medical school, I worked on the development of Prilosec (omeprazole) at Astra Merck Inc. In conjunction with my twin brother who was working there at the time, we had an opportunity to develop a solution that enabled the company to submit its data electronically to the US Food and Drug Administration. From that experience, we developed Octagon Research Solutions, Inc., a software company that specializes in helping biopharma companies submit clinical data to regulators.

We grew the company to 450 people prior to its acquisition by Accenture P.L.C. in 2012.

As I continued with my medical training, I became more interested in outpatient medicine and, specifically, dermatology. Dermatology was attractive to me because of the blend of clinical care, surgery and histopathology. Upon graduating from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, I completed an internship at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. I then fulfilled my dermatology residency at PCOM under the tutelage of Howard Goldman, DO ’85 [clinical associate professor, internal medicine, division of dermatology], and Stephen Purcell, DO [clinical professor, internal medicine, division of dermatology].

While I enjoyed my experiences as I became increasingly involved in patient care, I realized that I desired to increase my sphere of influence. I came to believe that I could impact more patients by driving innovation in health care more broadly. My early interest in drug development resurfaced; my twin brother, who continued to be active in the industry, encouraged my aspiration. I went back to school—and through weekend coursework, obtained my master of business administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Today, as president and chief executive officer of Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc., a public (as of 2015) clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing innovative and differentiated therapies to address significant unmet needs in dermatology, I consider myself to be a true “doctorpreneur.” As a physician, I understand both patient care and practical clinical practice issues. As an entrepreneur, I live in a boundless world of opportunity to drive innovative change in health care. I am able to seize new ventures with a sense of purpose—and now I am able to help other physician entrepreneurs to develop their concepts and navigate the entrepreneurial waters.

Since 2002, I have raised over $200 million for various life science companies that I have founded or co-founded—and I have had my share of successes and failures. Over the years, I have come to realize that there are more similarities than differences between being a practicing physician and an entrepreneur. Both roles involve managing risk, leading teams, understanding how to work with multiple stakeholders, and driving the optimal outcome for all involved. For any colleagues who are contemplating making the leap into entrepreneurship and increasing their own sphere of influence, the chasm is not as wide as it first appears.

DIGEST 2016

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Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 4170 City Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19131 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage P A I D Upper Darby, PA Permit No. 167

Late Summer Perspective: The Robert Gober, DO ’78 Fountain and Donor Garden, Philadelphia Campus