UPDATES
PCOM SOUTH GEORGIA CONTINUES PROGRESS
Progress continues on the development of PCOM South Georgia, an additional location of PCOM in Moultrie, Georgia. From construction, to faculty and staff hiring, to student interviews, to accreditation proceedings, the new osteopathic medical campus is rapidly moving toward an August 2019 start date. Construction of the 75,000-square-foot PCOM South Georgia facility has been underway since May 2018, with JCI Contractors of Moultrie serving as the general contractor. More than 90 percent of the subcontractors working on the project are local to the region. In April 2018, a groundbreaking ceremony was held—bringing a broad cross-section of some 500 of South Georgia’s healthcare, education, development, political and community leadership together to celebrate the establishment of PCOM’s additional location. In May 2018, Michael J. Sampson, DO, FAOASM, was named the chief academic officer and associate dean, while Joanne
Jones, a 33-year veteran of PCOM, was appointed to serve as the campus officer. Marla Golden, DO ’88, FAOCP, was named the full-time director of clinical education, covering both the South Georgia region and the Jacksonville, Florida, areas. Teaching faculty are interviewing for positions, while admissions representatives are making visits across the region. At the end of September, the Office of Admissions had received more than 4,000 applications for the inaugural 55-member DO student body. Accreditation for the additional location, under the purview of the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, is progressing for the Moultrie location, with a site visit planned for February 13–15, 2019. All in all, the project is moving full speed ahead so that the class of 2023 will be off to a smooth start on August 12, 2019.
SAMPSON, JONES TO LEAD PCOM SOUTH GEORGIA Michael J. Sampson, DO, FAOASM, has been named associate dean and chief academic officer, PCOM South Georgia. Dr. Sampson previously served as associate dean for clinical integration, clinical education coordinator, director of the Simulation Center, and as an associate professor of family/sports medicine at GA–PCOM. Joanne Jones, MBA, has been named campus officer, PCOM South Georgia. Ms. Jones’ most recent experience includes serving as the executive director of PCOM’s MEDNet and as the College’s designated institutional official to ensure that all residency programs under PCOM’s authority adhere to compliance standards of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Under the direction of Dr. Sampson, Ms. Jones is responsible for directing the school’s operational, non-academic activities. 4
PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE