PCOM Digest #2 2022

NUMBER 2

2022

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

BRICKS AND MORTAR STORIES OF THE PLACES THAT INDELIBLY MARKED THE COLLEGE’S HISTORY

FEATURE

VOL. 83, 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 CONTRIBUTORS – FEATURES Janice Fisher Jennifer Schaffer Leone Dan O’Connor David McKay Wilson CONTRIBUTORS – UPDATES Daniel McCunney Orla Moloney Barbara Myers Dan O’Connor Jordan Roberts CONTRIBUTORS – CLASS NOTES Institutional Advancement Staff Mel Daley Meghan McCall PHOTOGRAPHY Daniel Shippey Photography Bruce Fairfield Melissa Kelly Photography Anthony Stalcup

Dear Alumni and Friends, Buildings tell stories. Architecture creates a visual space between the past, the present and the future. It is an intersection in the timeline of a place and its people.

Of a College. Of a noble profession.

ILLUSTRATION Mike Shisler (@drawn.there) 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

© 2022 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

All rights reserved.

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As Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine moves toward its 125th anniversary, this issue of Digest Magazine reminds us that buildings and special structures constitute the foundation of our institution’s story of change, growth and innovation.

Some buildings, rooms and collections bear the names of visionary leaders, beloved teachers, deceased classmates and generous benefactors—the very people whose contributions helped PCOM become the academic institution it is today. Others simply set a scene and invite us to recreate a moment in our own minds—to recall memories of those who touched our lives, academically, professionally and personally. That’s what happened for me when I was asked to reflect on my experiences studying anatomy under Vincent T. Cipolla, DO ’46, an eccentric yet brilliant professor and mentor whom I admired so much.

I hope you will follow this issue—and the series of issues to come— as Digest unearths and explores the collective stories that are the PCOM stories.

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

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

C O NT E N TS 2

Updates

8 Advancing Alumni 10 Bricks and Mortar:

Illustrated Stories of the Places That Indelibly Marked the College’s History

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18 Reflections: 125 Years Through 125 Stories

20 A Little Bit of History: The Angus Cathie Museum of Anatomy

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Reflections (Continued): 125 Years Through 125 Stories Class Notes

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR In honor of the College’s 125th anniversary, Digest Magazine commissioned Mike Shisler (@drawn.there) to illustrate the College’s campus locations. Mr. Shisler’s illustrations are created through the technique of plein air painting, which allows him to capture the essence of a landscape or subject by incorporating natural light, color and movement. A nomadic artist, he hails originally from Philadelphia and holds a degree in architecture from Temple University.

DIGEST 2022

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UPDATES

THE COLLEGE CELEBRATES COMMENCEMENT On May 23, students in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program at PCOM were joined by family, friends, faculty, staff and administrators to celebrate the College’s 131st Commencement ceremony at Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts. The 241 members of the class of 2022 will soon begin their residencies and internships at hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country. These osteopathic physicians will pursue careers in a number of specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, anesthesiology and more.

Three days later at PCOM Georgia, 236 doctoral students graduated at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta: 123 DO students, 73 doctor of pharmacy students and 40 doctor of physical therapy students.

“Care for your patients and yourself in the holistic manner that is intrinsic to your osteopathic heritage. Focus—and refocus again—on the whole person,” said PCOM President and Chief Executive Officer Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, in his address in Philadelphia.

The class of 2022 had the unenviable experience of starting their clinical rotations just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to sweep across the globe. They have persevered through unique challenges, but await an uncertain healthcare landscape.

“Today is a day of celebration,” said Dr. Feldstein. “At the same time, it must be recognized that the world you are graduating into remains an unsettled one.”

“Your foundation is here at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine,” said David A. Bitonte, DO ‘80, MBA, MPH, FACOA, Commencement Speaker Ala Stanford, MD, FACS, FAAP. Dr. Stanford is a pediatric surgeon whom President Joe Biden recently appointed regional director for the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Stanford founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, which provided coronavirus tests and distributed vaccines to Philadelphia’s most vulnerable and hardesthit neighborhoods. “Reach back when you need help, but also recognize that in your mind, in your heart and in your hands you have the ability to heal, and that is a blessing and a gift.”

College alumnus Anthony J. Silvagni, DO ’82, PharmD, MSc, FACOFP dist., FCPP, FAFPE, was the keynote speaker for the PCOM Georgia ceremony. He was an educator for more than 50 years and, most notably, former dean of osteopathic medicine at the Nova Southeastern University – Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. In his remarks, he reminded graduates to always work together as a team. “No profession, or more importantly individual professionals, can practice well completely independent in today’s complicated and rapidly changing healthcare environment. Respect each other’s strengths and work together to give the best patient care possible.”

Separate military pinning ceremonies also took place as part of the celebratory festivities.

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Newly minted pharmacists at PCOM Georgia’s Doctoral Programs Commencement.

LaVar S. Williams, DO ‘22 (center), and his fellow PCOM Georgia graduates celebrate Commencement.

Jay S. Feldstein, DO ‘81, president and chief executive officer, hoods Ala Stanford, MD, FACS, FAAP.

Twelve military graduates take their oaths at the Military Pinning Ceremony held in Philadelphia.

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UPDATES

PINNING CEREMONY FOR THE “COVID CLASS” The DO class of 2024 spent a large portion of their first two years of medical school in COVID isolation, cut off from in-person contact with their instructors and classmates, and, for health and safety, denied the rite of passage that is the real-time White Coat Ceremony. This spring, the class of 2024 made up for lost time with a one-of-a-kind pinning ceremony that marked the end of classroom training and the beginning of thirdyear rotations with regional hospitals and physicians.

During the ceremony, DO students in Philadelphia and in Georgia turned to their right and pinned the lapel of the white coat of their neighbor.

“This moment was an opportunity to gather one more time as a class before we all go our separate ways,” says Megan Sullivan (DO ’24), chair of the PCOM DO class of 2024.

“With this pin, we’ll wear our PCOM pride out on our rotations and have a piece of our class with us as we move on.”

Meraash Mahajuodeen (DO ’24) pins a classmate during the DO class of 2024 pinning ceremony.

KENNEDY’S DISEASE ASSOCIATION GREAT ROAD TRIP MAKES A PCOM PIT STOP The North American segment of the 2022 Kennedy’s Disease Association (KDA) Great Road Trip concluded on May 18 with a visit to Heather L. Montie, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Bio-Medical Sciences at PCOM, and her research team. Dr. Montie, her staff and students are investigating potential therapeutic interventions for Kennedy’s disease, a neuromuscular condition caused by a mutation in the androgen receptor; it results in men having progressive motor dysfunction beginning in their fourth to fifth decade of life. There’s no cure or therapy for this disorder. For Dr. Montie, the research is deeply personal. She’s a carrier, her father passed away from Kennedy’s disease and other family members are suffering from it.

Standing at right on the front seat of the Citroen 2CV is Heather L. Montie, PhD, associate professor, Department of Bio-Medical Sciences.

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The KDA Great Road Trip is a transcontinental journey in a refurbished 35-year-old, 29-horsepower Citroen 2CV from Los Angeles to Rome, from April to July 2022. The total distance driven will be 4,300 miles in the United States and Canada, and 2,300 miles in Europe. The goal of the journey is to raise awareness about KD and raise research funds.

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

PHILADELPHIA SURGERY CONFERENCE BEGINS ANEW After two years, the Philadelphia Surgery Conference returned to PCOM in March to rave reviews from the 80 or so first- and secondyear medical students who attended the popular student-led surgical skill-building event. At this year’s session, attendees walked through several hands-on stations designed to teach students surgical procedures they’ll encounter on rotation: intubation, knot tying and suturing, laparoscopic box training, central line placement, running a code, casting and splinting, inserting a chest tube, suturing, sterile-scrubbing into an OR, and gowning and gloving.

General and orthopedic surgery residents as well as attending physicians, including many PCOM alumni, conducted the workshops, ran case scenarios in the Simulation Lab and worked with students on the laparoscopic and robotic simulators.

First- and second-year osteopathic medical students spend the majority of their time in the classroom or the library, and, as a result, have little to no experience with basic surgical procedures they’ll encounter during their clinical rotations, which begin in their third year.

“It was a low-stress learning environment as opposed to being out on rotation,” says Erin Hart (DO ’24), president of the Wisely Surgical Association and one of the lead organizers of the event.

“The real impact is the confidence we have going into rotations.

Having these experiences going into clinical rotations can be really helpful so you’re not overwhelmed.”

Participants gave the conference high marks on surveys. “The entire day was awesome, definitely my favorite thing I’ve done

Students at the Philadelphia Surgery Conference prepare a mannequin for surgery. at PCOM so far,” wrote one student. “I loved being able to learn new skills as well as talk with physicians and residents about their own experiences. I think it was great to have small groups so everyone really got to practice the different skills and not feel rushed or overwhelmed by too many people at once.”

PCOM STUDENTS EXCEL ON MATCH DAY with residency programs across the country for continued training after graduation.

In Philadelphia, matches took place for students in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) and Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD) programs. At PCOM Georgia, students in the DO, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs learned where they’d be spending their next one to five years in residency training, depending on the program.

For the first time in more than two years, PCOM students gathered to celebrate Match Day in person, surrounded by family, friends, faculty and administrators. Despite the anxiety and tension of waiting to open their envelopes, the overwhelming sentiment from students was relief—to have the match behind them and to finally get a chance to connect and celebrate with their classmates in person.

PCOM students proudly display their Match Day residency programs.

The PCOM Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine class of 2022 at PCOM and PCOM Georgia excelled in this year’s match cycle, achieving 100 percent and 99.2 percent match rates, respectively.

Match Day, held this year on March 18, is an annual tradition coordinated by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), a private, nonprofit organization that matches medical students

In Philadelphia, students in the DO program matched into 28 specialty areas in the NRMP, the Military Match, and the urology and ophthalmology matches. This year’s match included 71 percent of fourth-year DO students matching into primary care and other core specialties.

Students in PCOM Georgia’s DO program matched into 19 specialty areas in the NRMP, the Military Match, and the urology and ophthalmology matches. A total of 58 percent of fourth-year PCOM Georgia students matched into primary care and other core specialties.

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UPDATES

2022 FOUNDERS’ DAY CELEBRATES PCOM’S HISTORY AND CONTINUED LEGACY Day. His dedication was—and still is—steadfast. … John brought his business savvy to PCOM’s leadership. His tenure was one of academic and facility expansion, endowment growth and moderate increases in medical student tuition, tempered by a 44 percent growth in scholarship aid. Under his watch, enrollment rose 9 percent. Scholarship aid grew 44 percent. PCOM’s endowment grew 183 percent to $575 million. John was especially instrumental in the opening of both PCOM South Georgia in 2019 and Meta Christy House in 2021. Today’s honor is so well-deserved.”

Mr. Kearney, a Scranton, Pennsylvania, area native who chartered a bus full of supporters to the event, acknowledged in his remarks the many people who supported and guided his efforts through the years. He made a special tribute to his beloved late son, JD, who was enrolled at PCOM and whose dream it was to become an osteopathic physician. And he concluded his remarks with endearing words about his late wife. “Lois and I have received many honors in our lives together,” he said, “and I believe that Lois should share today in the celebration and the honor of receiving the O.J. Snyder [Memorial Medal] with me because, truly, I do not deserve an award without her.”

Jeffrey M. Branch, EdD, and John P. Kearney were this year’s recipients of the Alumni Association Certificate of Honor and the O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal, respectively.

The PCOM community celebrated the 123rd anniversary of the founding of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; the legacy of founders Mason Wiley Pressly, DO, and Oscar John Snyder, DO, who sought to bring the osteopathic philosophy of whole-person health care to Philadelphia; and the accomplishments of the 2022 Founders’ Day award recipients on April 29.

Alumni Association Certificate of Honor

Jeffrey M. Branch, EdD, assistant professor and chair, Organizational Development and Leadership, received the Alumni Association Certificate of Honor. Shanda Lucas-O’Dennis, MS/ODL ’09, awards committee chair, PCOM Alumni Association, introduced Dr. Branch. “He embodies distinguished service and loyalty to the College,” she said.

O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal

John P. Kearney, past chairman and present vice chairman, PCOM Board of Trustees, was the recipient of the O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal. In his introduction of Mr. Kearney, President and Chief Executive Officer Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, noted, “In all his years at the helm, there was never a time when John missed a PCOM event: a Board meeting, a Commencement Ceremony, a Founders’

Upon receiving his award, Dr. Branch remarked on the experience, “I am humbled by receiving this award. I feel honored. I feel grateful that these students are given to us—that we have an opportunity to share our hearts, our spirit, our knowledge with them.”

SISTAHS IN MEDICINE SHINE LIGHT ON INEQUITIES MINORITIES FACE Sistahs in Medicine, a PCOM South Georgia initiative that supports Black women in medical and graduate school, shared with PCOM students inequities that minorities face in health care through a series of online panel discussions held this past April.

PCOM alumni and faculty members served as speakers on topics such as microaggressions, implicit bias, perseverance as Black women and Black maternal health.

The panelists suggested ways PCOM students can best advocate for patients of different backgrounds. During Black Maternal Health Week, for example, panelists discussed why Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Those causes range from the variation in quality health care to underlying chronic conditions, structural racism and implicit bias.

PCOM hosted a series of online panel discussions to highlight health inequities that minorities face.

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It is efforts such as these that underscore the College’s aims to further embed diversity, equity and inclusion in its curriculum, policies, processes and practices to advance student, faculty and staff performance and excellence in service to communities.

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A HEALTHIER PHILADELPHIA PCOM is collaborating with health insurers, hospital systems, medical schools and government officials across the Philadelphia region to form Accelerate Health Equity, a multi-year, city-wide initiative aimed at fighting racism within health care.

For the past decade, Philadelphia has consistently ranked last out of the state’s 67 counties for health outcomes in Pennsylvania, according to County Health Rankings data analyzing quality of life, health factors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. Accelerate Health Equity is digging deep into the data and shaping pilot programs to address health conditions and social determinants of health.

Accelerate Health Equity, launched in March, aims to hasten the pace of progress.

Participating organizations are working together to design measurable pilot programs to combat Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, president and chief executive officer, highlights PCOM’s involvement in Accelerate Health Equity. disparities ranging from such issues as maternal morbidity and mortality to cancer screening and prevention, neigh- health care underscores our mission,” says PCOM President and borhood conditions and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Chief Executive Officer Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81. “Ultimately, the intent of Accelerate Health Equity is to improve the health of our “The College’s work is aligned with this strategy. We teach and friends and neighbors and serve as a model to help other compractice compassion and service as essential components of munities.” being a healthcare professional. Our commitment to community

PCOM SCHOOL OF PHARMACY DEVELOPS MEDICAL CANNABIS CONCENTRATION Beginning next academic year, Doctor of Pharmacy students can customize their degree program with a new medical cannabis concentration that will involve a one-credit course followed by a five-week clinical rotation at a Philadelphia-area dispensary during the fourth year. The medical cannabis concentration is a result of a collaboration between PCOM and Organic Remedies, a Pennsylvania-approved marijuana research center and clinical registrant partner, with six dispensary locations across Pennsylvania. PCOM and Organic Remedies have signed a long-term agreement to conduct research on the therapeutic applications of medical marijuana.

“Not many other pharmacy programs offer this hands-on training experience with a dispensary,” says Naushad Khan Ghilzai, BPharm, PhD, PCOM School of Pharmacy’s associate dean for academic affairs, who expects 10 to 15 PCOM Georgia School of Pharmacy’s cannabis concentration students to add the begins next academic year.

For more news, cannabis concentration.

“Our students will be more stories, event knowledgeable and better trained than other pharmacy graduates, which will give them a photos, videos competitive advantage in the workforce.”

With more states (37 at press time) legalizing medical marijuana and more dispensaries opening across the country, pharmacists are expected to play an increasingly important role in dispensing and counseling the two to three million patients who are prescribed marijuana for such conditions as neurological disorders, opioid dependence, inflammatory diseases and sickle cell anemia.

“Because of the central role that pharmacists play in medical cannabis, the current and projected workforce needs across the country are enormous,” says Michael Lee, PhD, assistant dean for professional and student affairs for the School of Pharmacy. “We hope to position PCOM as a leader in this area by offering this unique training experience.”

and podcasts from PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia, visit pcom.edu/news.

DIGEST 2022

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ADVANCING ALUMNI

Q&A SHAZIA SOHRAWARDY, DO ’17 – SUBJECT OF UPCOMING DOCUMENTARY ON WOMEN OF COLOR ON THE FRONT LINES OF COVID-19 by Meghan McCall In early 2020, Shazia Sohrawardy, DO ’17, Brooklyn, New York, was wrapping up her emergency medicine residency at Brookdale Medical Center. Dr. Sohrawardy quickly found herself working in the epicenter of the pandemic.

Now, her experiences during those first few months of COVID19 are part of an upcoming documentary, “I’m Doing My Job,” a 48-minute film following the personal lives of six South Asian and Black female emergency room physicians serving on the front lines. PCOM recently sat down with Dr. Sohrawardy to discuss her experience.

AS A SOUTH ASIAN WOMAN IN MEDICINE, WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU EXPERIENCED WHILE SERVING ON THE FRONT LINES THAT SURPRISED YOU? I’m a tiny brown woman. I’m 5’1” with a high-pitched voice. I’d be lying if I said that my colleagues don’t base their trust in you, in part, on how you look. But during the height of COVID, I didn’t get much of that. There was a sense of teamwork and mutual respect. Once you’re in the trenches, no one is thinking about differences or divisions. No one has time to process their preconceived notions. If you were able to give direction and make decisions, you were respected. I felt like I finally got to be in my role without the hurdles of breaking down barriers.

YOU WERE STILL IN RESIDENCY AT THE TIME THE DOCUMENTARY WAS FILMED. WHY DO YOU THINK IT CAME NATURALLY TO YOU TO STEP UP TO LEAD DURING THAT TIME? Some of it is cultural. My family is crazy, loud and big. When we get together, there are 40 conversations going on at once, and it’s complete chaos. I really think that helped me be in a room of 200 patients and take charge. I also think that women are just bosses. We multi-task really well. When given the opportunity to lead without having to punch down walls, women shine. We’re capable of so much.

WHAT IMPACT HAS PARTICIPATING IN THE DOCUMENTARY HAD ON YOU? Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of South Asian friends. Through the documentary, I met other educated, powerful, non-traditional South Asian women. First-generation South Asians struggle a lot with living a dual life, balancing the expectations of traditionalism with the realities of living in a Western world. It’s nice to have a network of women that I can connect with on that level.

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Participating in the documentary has also been very healing. I think I’m finally starting to heal from the PTSD that I didn’t know I had. Making new friends, going to film festivals and meeting people who have watched my story has been therapeutic.

Throughout med school and residency, I put my personal interests on the back-burner. I feel so much more alive now and like I’m entering a new chapter of my life. The documentary has given me a way to transition to the next step.

WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE THE DOCUMENTARY HAS ON VIEWERS? First and foremost, I hope it can help people see what was going on inside—that this pandemic wasn’t fake. Going through what we went through felt like this epic expedition or journey that has changed us.

There are also many stereotypes of brown, South Asian women being quiet or traditional. I think the documentary does a good job of breaking those stereotypes and showing that we are leaders. I hope the film empowers all women to go into medicine and feel like they can make a difference and be strong.

“ Once you’re in the trenches, no one is thinking about differences or divisions. No one has time to process their preconceived notions.

I felt like I finally got to be in my role without the hurdles of breaking down barriers.”

Dr. Sohrawardy is an attending emergency room physician at Brookdale Medical Center. PCOM is a proud sponsor of “I’m Doing My Job” and will host a virtual screening and panel discussion this fall. For updates and more information on the film, visit Instagram.com/imdoingmyjob.

OUR STORY. OUR HERITAGE. OUR INSPIRATION. Introduction by Jennifer Schaffer Leone; reflection stories by Janice Fisher, Dan O’Connor and David McKay Wilson

In this issue of Digest Magazine, we place buildings and spaces in the context of the College’s growth over 125 years.

Commissioned illustrations paired with architectural histories bring to light the legacies of generations. We revisit—with new photography—the inimitable Angus Gordon Cathie Museum of Anatomy and remember many beloved anatomy and physiology teachers and mentors. We also offer reflections on alumni and philanthropists whose impact endures—in bricks and mortar—on the PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia campuses.

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125YEARS STORIES 125 THROUGH

DIGEST 2022

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125 YEARS THROUGH 125 STORIES

BRICKS AND MORTAR ILLUSTRATED STORIES OF THE PLACES THAT INDELIBLY MARKED THE COLLEGE’S HISTORY

by Jennifer Schaffer Leone; illustrations by Mike Shisler

Familiar buildings evoke nostalgia. They harbor history and tradition, and they constitute the foundation of our College’s story of change, growth and innovation.

In the pages that follow, you will find original ink and water-colored illustrations—commissioned by Digest Magazine for PCOM’s 125th anniversary. The renderings unveil the College’s past, present and future in a novel way.

Look with new eyes at PCOM’s campus buildings, structures and spaces. Perceive the light and shadow, scale and proportion, the sense of place and the spirit of the historical moments.

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

STEPHEN GIRARD BUILDING AT 21 SOUTH 12TH STREET, PHILADELPHIA THE COLLEGE’S FIRST HOME, 1899–1900

WITHERSPOON BUILDING, WALNUT, JUNIPER AND SANSOM STREETS, PHILADELPHIA

Through the vision of Mason Wiley Pressly, DO, and Oscar John Snyder, DO, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s legacy began. At least a dozen medical schools and hospitals were on the scene in 1899 when the physicians set their sights on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a mecca for medical education. They incorporated the Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO) in January 1899.

THE COLLEGE’S SECOND HOME, 1900–1903 By the end of the first year, the College outgrew its space in the Stephen Girard Building. The academic year beginning February 1, 1900, commenced in PCIO’s second downtown location: the newly built Witherspoon Building at Juniper and Walnut Streets. For three years, PCIO occupied the entire south side of the sixth floor with classrooms, clinical facilities and laboratories.

Drs. Pressly and Snyder sought a space for the College’s first home and found it in two rooms of the Stephen Girard Building, a new 13-story office tower located at 21 South 12th Street. Located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, the building was considered at the time to represent the Beaux-Arts and to be among the most elegant office structures in the nation. Built in 1896, the Girard Building and the entire city block (bordered by Market, Chestnut, 11th and 12th Streets) was once entirely owned by Stephen Girard, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, banker and philanthropist. He purchased the land from John Dunlap, an Irish printer known for publishing the first copies of the Declaration of Independence.

The 11-story Witherspoon Building was designed by architect Joseph M. Huston and constructed by William Steele and Son, Carpenters and Builders. It was originally built (1895–1897) for the Presbyterian Church. It is named for John Witherspoon, who served as the first president of Princeton University.

1899 Philadelphia College of Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO) is incorporated.

The academic year begins in the College’s second downtown location.

1900 DIGEST 2022

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125 YEARS THROUGH 125 STORIES

33RD AND ARCH STREETS, PHILADELPHIA 1903–1908

As the number of students and faculty grew, the College moved to larger quarters, establishing a campus at 33rd and Arch Streets. Located in the suburban Powelton Village section of West Philadelphia (across the Schuykill River from downtown Philadelphia), the academic building was a seven-story Victorian stone mansion with gas lighting and a big wrap-around porch, surrounded by grassy lawns. Didactic classes were held in the mansion’s ornate parlor; the second floor housed osteopathic treatment and operating rooms. Anatomic dissections were consigned to the basement.

During this time [1906], PCIO also opened the Osteopathic Dispensary at 1617 Fairmount Avenue. The three-bed facility directed a clinic for the underprivileged of the community seeking osteopathic treatment.

1903 The College establishes a campus at 33rd and Arch Streets.

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1715 NORTH BROAD STREET, PHILADELPHIA 1908–1912

PCIO migrated to yet another site in 1908 in search of more adequate facilities for the growing classes that were to begin a mandatory four-year, eight-month curriculum.

The College rented an Italianate brownstone building in a residential neighborhood. The area was positioned north of the Market Street railroad viaduct and was steeped in Gilded Age grandeur.

The high-rise structure at 1715 North Broad Street comprised two large lecture halls, three classrooms and a gynecological operating room. It had a separate division for the anatomical and other laboratories as well as a gymnasium.

The College opens an Osteopathic Dispensary on Fairmount Avenue.

1906

832 PINE STREET, PHILADELPHIA 1912–1916

Again seeking more space, the College moved in 1912 to a five-story apartment house in the city’s Colonial neighborhood (Society Hill). Around the corner, at 410 South 9th Street, the first osteopathic hospital to be chartered in Philadelphia was also established. Before and after the turn of the century, several other medical institutions were nearby: Pennsylvania Hospital, the Pennsylvania Dental College and the Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb.

The Pine Street building had had an interesting use in 1889: a small chapel on the second floor housed a Black Catholic congregation led by Rev. Patrick McDermott, who had taken charge at the request of Mother Katharine Drexel, the Philadelphia philanthropist, nun and later saint (canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000). McDermott’s expanded congregation would become the basis of St. Peter Claver, Philadelphia’s first Black Roman Catholic church, in 1892.

19TH AND SPRING GARDEN STREETS, PHILADELPHIA 1917–1929

Shortly before the United States entered World War I, PCIO moved into new quarters in Philadelphia’s Fairmount section. A $60,000 fundraising campaign enabled the College to purchase its first buildings, including a hospital.

The Reyburn Mansion, located at 19th and Spring Garden Streets, became the cornerstone of the campus. The home had belonged to John Edgar Reyburn, mayor of Philadelphia. With the design services of Philadelphia architects DeArmond, Ashmead & Bickley, the brick and terra-cotta mansion was transformed into classrooms and laboratories.

The College erected a three-story, 52-bed hospital building to the rear of the property in 1918. This was the first osteopathic hospital to be built with funds contributed by the public. It boasted a considerable surgical amphitheater.

In 1919, the College acquired two adjacent townhouses located to the east of the mansion—one became the College annex, Dispensary and Clinic, and the other the Nurses’ Home for the College’s new Training School for Nurses.

1908

The College purchases its first buildings, including a hospital.

The College rents a brownstone building at 1715 North Broad Street.

1917 DIGEST 2022

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125 YEARS THROUGH 125 STORIES

48TH AND SPRUCE STREETS, PHILADELPHIA 1929–1972

In 1927, the 19th and Spring Garden Street buildings were placed on the market, and a search began for a new location that could accommodate the need for enlarged educational and hospital facilities. A public fundraising campaign was launched; various sites in North Philadelphia were explored by the Board before selecting a residential neighborhood in West Philadelphia known as “Garden Court.”

A tract of land was purchased at the northeast corner of 48th and Spruce Streets. Ground was broken in the winter of 1929, and construction by the William Steele Company proceeded at a rapid pace. The 75,000-square-foot building, designed in Collegiate Gothic style by Camden

1921 The College is officially renamed Philadelphia of Osteopathy (PCO).

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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

architects Lackey and Hettel, opened for occupancy— almost simultaneously with the Stock Market Crash.

Picturesque and dramatic, the building was magnificent in both mass and composition. It was created of stone and brick with a slate roof and casement windows. The main entrance on Spruce Street was flanked by two towers. It opened into a large lobby that connected the College and hospital units. The basement consisted of 40 treatment booths—an outpatient department for third- and fourthyear students to gain clinical skills (booth doctors). The College unit boasted a 500-seat auditorium, offices, classrooms, laboratories and dissection areas. The hospital portion could accommodate 80 patients. The third floor of the hospital featured a surgical amphitheater that could seat approximately 200, a private operating room and an anesthetizing room.

Construction begins on a 75,000-square-foot building at 48th and Spruce Streets.

1929

CITY AVENUE, PHILADELPHIA 1973–PRESENT

Board Chairman Frederic H. Barth initially led PCOM to City Avenue; he had outlined an ambitious plan for a modern academic medical center to include a hospital. In 1957, the College purchased 16 acres of land and the Tudor Revival–style Moss Estate (today, Levin Administration Building) housed on it. The estate was renovated to become an administration building situated at the heart of the new campus.

Construction of the College campus site was phased over several years. Designed by architects Supowitz and Demchick, the 228-bed hospital, Frederic H. Barth Pavilion, was completed and dedicated in 1967. The facility featured a state-of-the-art surgical center with five operating room suites; a 12-bed psychiatric unit; a clinical laboratory; and coronary care, intensive care and cobalt units.

Construction of a six-story combined classroom, laboratory and library structure with sophisticated equipment— Dr. Barth’s noble vision—began in 1970. The campus’s principal building, Evans Hall (pictured above), was named for H. Walter Evans, DO, professor of obstetrics, who organized and chaired the Department of Preventive Medicine and guided the College’s program during the post-war years. The building was billed as “the last word in osteopathic-medical educational facilities.”

In August 1977, PCOM acquired a five-story, 150,000-squarefoot office building adjacent to the campus, located at 4190 City Avenue. Erected by a New York City firm, the building was constructed of glass window walls wrapped around steel-reinforced concrete support columns. It was renovated by the College to include classrooms and lecture halls, conference rooms, research and OPP labs, faculty offices, outpatient offices for staff physicians, a bookstore, business offices and a print shop, and a School of Allied Health.

1957

The Frederic H. Barth Pavilion is dedicated.

The College purchases 16 acres of land and the Moss Estate (City Avenue).

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625 OLD PEACHTREE ROAD NORTHWEST, SUWANEE, GEORGIA PCOM GEORGIA, THE COLLEGE’S BRANCH CAMPUS, 2005–PRESENT

PCOM’s reach into the South officially ensued in 2004; an assessment of growing health disparities in the southern United States substantiated an infrastructure for support of new osteopathic and healthcare education programs.

The College chose suburban Atlanta for its first branch campus. The College purchased a 20-acre property in Suwanee, seeking to transform a 150,000-square-foot abandoned clothing warehouse into a modern educational facility. Architectural firm Granary Associates led the master design, utilizing quadrants of the building for the medical

1967 The College renamed Philadephia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).

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school with plans to develop the remainder of the building in phases as academic programs grew.

PCOM Georgia includes two architectural focal points taking advantage of natural light through the use of skylights and partitions. The main building is an expansive one-story brick structure with stone accents; a walking trail wraps around the edifice. Inside there are large and small classrooms, conference and study areas, practice suites, research and multi-use laboratories, a simulation center, a physical therapy education center and an osteopathic care center.

A second 21,000-square-foot building, Northlake, owned originally by an engineering firm, houses College administrative offices and academic departments.

Construction of Evans Hall begins.

2005

1970

The College opens branch campus, PCOM Georgia.

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

2050 TALLOKAS ROAD, MOULTRIE, GEORGIA

PCOM SOUTH GEORGIA, THE COLLEGE’S ADDITIONAL LOCATION, 2019–PRESENT The establishment of PCOM South Georgia in 2019 marked a new era in healthcare education in Southwest Georgia, making significant inroads in the growing and systemic disparities in rural health care.

Located in the heartland of South Georgia’s thriving agricultural sector, Moultrie, Georgia, is a place known for natural beauty. The facility is built on 30 acres off Tallokas Road, a tract of land donated by Jeter Partners, LLC, a company owned and operated by local real estate developers Jimmy and Dan Jeter. Sasaki Associates, Inc., served as the principal architectural firm, and JCI Contractors of Moultrie served as construction manager.

PCOM South Georgia is thoughtfully built into the rural landscape, among the countless longleaf and loblolly pines. The structure takes advantage of the open site and stretches out in four distinct wings framed around a central common space that functions as the social heart

The Department of Education approves the College’s application to obtain university status (institutional status only).

2015

of the building—a place of connection for the College community. On the north side of the building, at the public entry point, the wings of the building frame an entry courtyard that features native wildflowers and plantings.

The 75,000-square-foot facility, which represents an investment of $30 million, includes expansive classrooms, osteopathic manipulative medicine and anatomy labs, a simulation center, exam and practice rooms and an information commons.

A NOTE ON SOURCES: Most of the information in this article is taken from Carol Benenson Perloff’s 1999 history of PCOM, To Secure Merit: A Century of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 1899–1999, available at digitalcommons.pcom.edu/history/. PCOM’s archives and yearbooks were also consulted.

2019 PCOM South Georgia is established.

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ANGUS G. CATHIE, DO ’31, MSc, FAAO

D

r. Cathie knew anatomy about as well as any person could, and he taught anatomy about as well as anyone possibly could. He had a distinct love of the profession of osteopathic medicine. … He also had the unbelievable ability to draw anatomic pictures on the blackboard, using multiple colors, with both hands at the same time—while he was also lecturing. … You did hope you would not be called on to participate in a discussion for which you probably would not have the full knowledge he expected.

So people were somewhat reticent and would slink back in their chairs during his lectures. … In those days, a group of four or five students worked together on one body. Dr. Cathie would move diligently from table to table, reviewing the anatomy, correcting our impressions, helping in our dissections. He was absolutely superb in that respect. … On the other hand, I recall one situation very early in our program when we were doing the dissection, and he was at the front of the class having lunch.

That hit some people in a strange way, and a few had to leave the room. … In the second semester of our junior year, Dr. Cathie taught a class in osteopathic manipulative therapy. Of 100 people in the class, 75 people failed his final exam.

Fortunately, I passed, but unfortunately I was the class chairman, and it was incumbent upon me to go down to the dean of the school and say, ‘I remember, from my master’s degree in education, that if an overwhelming majority of your class fails a test, either there was some problem with the test or you didn’t teach it well.’ They then called Dr. Cathie down to discuss the matter with me. And I had to take the onslaught after repeating what I had said to them, but he did agree to give another exam for those 75. I had to withdraw from being the chairman of the class for the rest of the semester, which was about a month or so. But, in retrospect, it didn’t harm me whatsoever, and it did

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Dr. Cathie is synonymous with anatomy at PCOM and in the osteopathic profession.

help the class. I think it was the makeup of the test, to be perfectly honest. He was a wonderful teacher.”

As told by Jay Harris Joseph, DO ’56

RUTH WADDEL CATHIE, DO ’38

D

r. Cathie [at the time, Dr. Waddel] was an my achievements, and I told her that I had had some truly excellent teacher and a very hard taskmaster big footsteps to follow in.” who wanted her students to understand the pathology of the diseases they were going As told by Lillian Hynes-Longendorfer, DO ‘67 to be seeing in clinical practice. When you first met her in the classroom, you were scared to death of her. I can remember pulling all-nighters just to pass her exams. But when you got to really know her, she was a cupcake. … She wasn’t only a good teacher; she was a good student as well. She’s probably among the first women to be certified in cytopathology, studying under Papanicolaou himself. I asked her to teach me how to do Pap smears, and spent many afternoons after class with her learning how to read them. … I also had the opportunity to see her on a more personal basis. A Dr. Cathie devoted few of us women students wanted to 21 years of her life form a chapter of Delta Omega, one to teaching and practicing pathology of the female medical sororities on the at the College, campuses of the other medical schools mentoring along the in town. We needed a mentor, and she way many women very graciously and very enthusiastically students. agreed to take on that role. We had our meetings at her home, where she provided both professional and personal guidance. Some of it dealt with how we were looked upon as women in the profession—good advice in terms of just being who you are and doing what you have to do. She was the first woman to chair a basic science department at PCOM [and at that time, the only woman—other than those at Women’s Medical College—who held such a position in the entire City of Philadelphia]. … Dr. Cathie suggested that I take a career in pathology. But I really didn’t like the idea of doing a lot of autopsies, and at that time they did a heck of a lot more than we do today.

But after about eight years in general practice, I decided to go into something with a lifestyle that was more in line with raising a family at the same time.

And I chose pathology and laboratory medicine, which led me to teaching positions and three directorships of hospital laboratories. … Years after Dr. Cathie had retired, I met her at one of the American Osteopathic Association conventions. She congratulated me on

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UPDATES

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Angus G. Cathie, DO ’31, MSc, FAAO, and Dean Otternbein Dressler, DO ‘28, inspect specimens in the cases in the anatomy laboratory at 48th and Spruce Streets (circa 1948).

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

THE ANGUS GORDON CATHIE MUSEUM OF ANATOMY

by Jennifer Schaffer Leone

Angus G. Cathie, DO ’31, MSc, FAAO, was one of the most highly-respected anatomists of his era. Upon his graduation from Philadelphia College of Osteopathy (PCO) in 1931, he immediately joined the faculty. He would serve the College for 40 years as professor and chair of the Departments of Anatomy and Osteopathic Principles and Practice.

While he influenced generations of students in the classroom, Dr. Cathie’s most enduring legacy may be the College’s collection of pathological and anatomical specimens that bears his name: the Angus Gordon Cathie Museum of Anatomy. The museum was dedicated in January 1983, as part of the Founders’ Day/Alumni Weekend program. Dr. Cathie’s widow, Ruth Waddel Cathie, DO ’38, former chairman of pathology at PCOM, attended the ceremony.

President Thomas M. Rowland, Jr., LLD (Hon.) offered remarks at the time: “Dr. Cathie firmly believed that a thorough knowledge of human anatomy was essential to the practice of osteopathic medicine. He drew upon

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every resource at his command to instill that appreciation in our students.”

Today, the Angus Gordon Cathie Museum of Anatomy is located on the sixth floor of Evans Hall. Antique glass cases house a repository of medical specimens that represent illness and trauma as well as normal anatomy.

The collection, which dates back to 1935 and includes over 1,000 samples, enables the history of medicine and public health to inform health care and the health sciences.

Many of the specimens were enhanced by Dr. Cathie’s own artistry: arteries painted red, veins blue and nerves yellow. Vintage labels—oxidized by time—still proffer the pathology. The specimens also impart the spatial orientation of structures—critical to learning palpation and diagnostic skills.

Specimens from the Angus Gordon Cathie Museum of Anatomy are eligible to review for research purposes upon request.

A sampling of anatomical specimens as identified: “the second to the fifth lumbar vertebrae showing productive bone changes”; “articulated right hand of an adult”; and “a complete set of ribs from the left side of a thorax showing sixteen fractures.” The last is a plastinated heart meticulously enhanced by Dr. Cathie’s own artistry.

Images photographed by Melissa Kelly with thanks to Kerin M. Claeson, PhD, professor of anatomy and director of the Cathie collection.

President Thomas M. Rowland, Jr., LLD (Hon.) and Ruth Waddel Cathie, DO ’38, unveil a bronze plaque at the dedication of the Angus Gordon Cathie Museum of Anatomy (1983).

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VINCENT T. CIPOLLA, DO ’46

W

hen I first applied for admission to PCOM, Dr. Cipolla was a member of the interview committee.

He asked me only one question: ‘Do you know who invented spaghetti?’

And I said, ‘No.’ ‘Well,’ he told me, ‘the Chinese actually invented spaghetti, not the Italians.’ And that was the extent of our interaction. … The next time I saw him was in the fall of 1977, in my first anatomy lecture held in Evans Hall.

His opening line was, ‘You gotta know your anatomy, boy, or the guy down the street will.’… The anatomy lab was at 48th and Spruce Streets, where the old hospital used to be. The anatomy lab was almost like an attic, with the smell of formaldehyde everywhere. It had a great feel to it. … You had to wear a tie, which on the surface seems absurd. But I think in part the reason was Dr. Cipolla’s profound respect for the people who had donated their bodies to medical science. In my kind of rebellious way, I would wear a flannel shirt with a tie.

One day, early on, Dr. Cipolla just kind of looked at me and grinned, and then that was it. … In anatomy lab, you have partners, you’d be helping each other out. And every once in a while, I’d turn around and, over my shoulder, he’d be there, listening. … I loved anatomy.

I would often go down to the lab on Saturdays. Dr. Cipolla asked me one day, ‘Why are you here all the time?’ I said, ‘It’s a chance to have the cadaver all to myself. I don’t have to share it with my lab partners.’

He got a kick out of that. … Over the course of time, he’d walk around during lab, and he’d ask one table an anatomy question, and if they didn’t get it, he’d say, ‘Hey, Feldstein. You know the answer.’ So we had this mutual respect, an intellectual understanding. … He was a general surgeon in the Medical Corp and he would throw in tidbits, with clinical correlation, during anatomy lectures—practical examples of what you were learning. … He could be difficult; he was as eccentric as they come—definitely the type of individual you either loved or hated. Had I struggled in anatomy, it might not have been as much fun. But he was brilliant.”

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Dr Cipolla put his anatomy students on guard: “You gotta know your anatomy, boy, or the guy down the street will.”

As told by Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, President and Chief Executive Officer, PCOM

CAMILLE DiLULLO, PhD

I

got to know Dr. DiLullo first when I was in the biomedical sciences program. She was like a mother to me at PCOM. And there were some striking similarities to my own mom in that they’ve both experienced hardships in their lives, gone through a lot of things, but that’s never been an excuse for them to stop or to stall. You just keep moving forward. She was an amazing woman, and when she passed away, it was like losing a confidant and a best friend. … Dr. DiLullo was maybe five feet tall, quite petite. She was grace and mercy and strength and beauty. Being a woman in medicine, a woman in a mostly male academic department for a very long time, she had to speak up. If something needed to be addressed, she was going to address it. She thought things through and wasn’t going to change her mind. … At times, I questioned her decisions, and she just looked at me, and I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll go ahead and do the work instead of questioning what you’re telling me to do.’ She was trying to convey to me, ‘I know it’s getting rough, but you’ve got to push through.’

And that’s what I needed. …The number one thing Dr. DiLullo cared about was the person. She conveyed that to us, when we became medical students, always stressing how your patients come first. … As an educator and researcher, she was demanding, yet, she was very patient. So she touched a lot of us as mentees because you knew that even though she was pushing you, it’s because she cared about you. … When I was an osteopathic medical student, she helped me start the nonprofit Medicine for Education to teach high-school girls from underserved communities how to get into medical school and succeed once they get there. She was unyielding in her commitment to training and mentoring women and inspired my work. …We also shared a love of Dr. DiLullo lived by fashion, and looking your best and three rules: speak presenting your best to the world. She your mind, put patients first and always did. Dr. DiLullo commanded the always look your whole room—and she was the smallest best. thing in there.”

As told by Cierra Lewis, MS/Biomed ’16, DO ’18, MEd

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TAGE KVIST, PhD

D

r. Kvist was part of the reason I agreed to transition from pharmaceutical research back into academia. I had been out of the teaching environment for probably a decade, so I was nervous. He was a great mentor, able to advise without critiquing my personal style. … Understanding how to present a dissected specimen to students on an exam might seem straightforward, but there’s an art to it. And Dr. Kvist was able to guide me and others to make sure we were assessing students in a fair but appropriate manner. When I started here at PCOM, he had us sit down as a department and go through every question on a written exam to make sure the scientific content was accurate.

That was his level of commitment to the reputation of the courses. … He was the first chair of the Department of BioMedical Sciences and was instrumental in helping a diverse group of faculty integrate into one umbrella group—able to navigate different personalities, and different courses and requirements, and bringing us together so that we worked cohesively. … Throughout all of this, he was very humble. He wasn’t looking for recognition. He just did the the work he did, including his work as one of the earliest educators to begin plastinating biological specimens for teaching purposes, and he was proud of the work he did. He had been at PCOM for 39 years when he retired. … Dr. Kvist had a very dry sense of humor, and it was incorporated into every one of his lectures, but very rarely did you hear students laughing. Later, though, students would tell me, ‘I listened to his lecture again, and he’s really funny!’ His humor was so subtle that, in the moment, you could miss the nuances. … One thing that endeared him to students was that he spent unscheduled hours helping them in the anatomy lab. Medical students took gross anatomy as their first course, and a lot of times they were overwhelmed by volume. He probably helped countless students get through that first term over his years here. … As a mentor, he gave me a perspective on

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The first chair of the Department of BioMedical Sciences, Dr. Kvist touched countless students and faculty during his 39 years at PCOM.

caring about students and the job that we’re supposed to be doing: trying our best to make sure that they’re successful.”

As told by Michael P. McGuinness, PhD, Professor of Anatomy, Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, PCOM

JoANNE PIERINGER, PhD

W

hen I started teaching at PCOM, I up a scholarship fund in JoAnne’s name, along with a listened to tapes that students had brick laid in the Donor Garden outside Evans Hall.” made of JoAnne’s lectures. It was so easy to follow her. JoAnne was a very good teacher. … She always had a As told by Ruth Thornton, PhD, Professor smile. I remember giving one lecture when I had just Emerita started teaching. Those lecture rooms are huge, holding about 270 people. And there she was in the audience, near the front. At one point when I looked up, she had the best smile on her face. It was such a wonderful thing to see. … JoAnne was probably about five foot four or five, with short, straight hair and looked like she would be no-nonsense. And in some cases she was; she was a strong woman. But really, she was just fun. She never got frustrated with me, with students, with anybody. Students loved her! … When JoAnne met Barbara [now Dr. Thornton’s spouse] and me, we were a couple. We remember going to events and how welcoming she was of both of us. She was always interested in people. …

JoAnne’s field was lipids—so was her husband’s [Ronald Pieringer, PhD, was Dr. Thornton’s professor when she was a doctoral student at Temple University]— and that’s not my favorite subject. So she and I complemented each other intellectually. … JoAnne had her own research. But when Dr. Mochan [Eugene Mochan, PhD, DO ’77, then department chair] was there, he had a particular research project in molecular biology he wanted the department to do. JoAnne was able to shift gears on this ongoing project. She was a kind of gung-ho type of person: ‘I’m just going to jump in here, and I’m going to do it. And I’m going to enjoy it.’… I became the chair of the department after Dr. Mochan stepped down. I found that a lot of my ideas about how to approach students and how to manage people had come It was hard to from JoAnne. We only overlapped for miss Dr. Pieringer’s smile, cheery perhaps two years before she passed disposition and away, and I didn’t realize at the time how genuine interest in much I was getting from her. There was other people. no expectation of her being my mentor; it just happened. …When she died, Dr. Mochan, Dr. Ruth Borghaei and I set

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JASON O’NEAL, PharmD ’14

O

ur favorite hangout was the study room. That’s where you’d often find Jason, James [Lindsay, PharmD ’14] and me, cracking jokes while perusing our pharmacology books. More than a few times, Jason retreated there on his own to lie on the floor and to pray the pain of sickle cell anemia away—once in the middle of an exam. … Our study room now bears Jason’s name, dedicated in loving memory to my best friend and fellow graduate of PCOM’s inaugural PharmD class, a lasting tribute to Jason Walton O’Neal’s grit, gumption and sly smile I’d do anything to see again. …

Complications from sickle cell disease took Jason from us on August 12, 2016, too young at age 35 and only two years after he’d accomplished his goal of becoming a pharmacist, which at times seemed like an impossible dream when you consider the many health obstacles he had to overcome during those four years. … Jason was the first person I met at PCOM Georgia. We showed up for our pharmacy school interviews together in 2010, nervous and excited and hoping we’d be accepted into the school. You know how you meet someone for the first time, but you sense you’ve met before? That’s how it was with Jason and me. Turns out, we had graduated a year apart from Southwest DeKalb High School some 10 years before our paths crossed again. … The truth is, I didn’t know how sick Jason really was—nor did his other classmates or professors. Jason kept his illness private and didn’t want anyone’s pity. The only outward signs of his disability were a limp in his right leg from a childhood stroke that many mistook for a strut, turned-in fingers on his left hand and his tall (6 foot), slender (130-pound) frame. … Yet it was hard not to notice all the classes Jason missed while hospitalized with repeated bouts of pneumonia.

‘Sicklers’ are susceptible to lung infections. ‘You were in the hospital?’ classmates would ask when he’d reappear on campus. ‘Man, this is normal for me,’ was all he’d say. …

That was the thing about Jason. He just kept on resisting, persisting and never, ever giving up despite his punishingly cruel and relentlessly unforgiving illness. … It’s tough not

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Jason O’Neal beamed with pride upon graduating with his PharmD degree from PCOM Georgia in 2014.

Photo courtesy Beulah O’Neal

having him here—in our daily text messages, at Atlanta Falcons games and at my sons’ birthday parties—but Jason continues to inspire and amaze me, just as I hope he does for future PCOM School of Pharmacy students.”

As told by Eddie Williams, PharmD ’14

DAN AND JIMMY JETER

W

e acquired 130 acres of land in Moultrie, healthcare professionals and the shared interest of Colquitt County, right in the center of improving health care for Georgians. The College Southwest Georgia. We donated 30 wanted to make Moultrie a better community, and they acres, and kept the remaining 100, and certainly have. We are honored to be part of the the College built and opened PCOM PCOM story.”

South Georgia in 2019. There is the potential for growth; you could have housing on the back half, where you get As told in their own words—Dan and Jimmy Jeter a nice residential feel, with a spring-fed lake and a creek and pine trees and native grasses. There’s a whole lot of wildlife back there too: deer, quail, turkey; they all make their home in this little rolling area in the bottomland. …

As real estate developers, we understand the need for medical buildings in Moultrie. We have a development on 15 acres less than a mile to the south of PCOM South Georgia, right by the hospital. The building started out with one OB/GYN practice, and now we have nine medical buildings there. It was a very positive investment experience, and it gave us the sense of the possibilities if we were to have a school to educate physicians and other healthcare professionals on the tract of land. … We believed that having a medical school here would be good for the health of South Georgia. National statistics show that when health professionals finish their training, they often settle within 50 or 60 miles of their place of training for the duration of their career.

That’s proved true for the first classes; the majority of those who graduate from PCOM South Georgia plan to stay in Southwest Georgia. … We’re a rural county with poultry processing, cotton, peanuts, soybeans, corn. Our economy is split between agribusiness, government, manufacturing and retail.

Our YMCA has been around for 100 years, our arts center is second to none for a community of our size, and our diving facility has attracted Olympians Jimmy (left) who come here to train. … People are and Dan (right) coming to Southwest Georgia. About 50 Jeter, real estate percent of our high school graduating developers, classes return to Colquitt County to generously live and work. They recognize the great donated the land for PCOM South quality of life. They desire to live and Georgia. raise their children here. … We’re so glad that PCOM came into the region with the self-interest of educating

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META L. CHRISTY, DO 1921

I

come from a family of immigrants, and I’m the first in my family to attend medical school. So for me to know the story of Dr. Christy, another Black, minority woman, who did something so unorthodox, really is a motivator. … She was a pioneer: the College’s first African American student and the first African American doctor of osteopathic medicine. When she died, she was a widely known and respected osteopathic physician. She healed so many, especially the poor. …

You see pictures hanging on the walls of PCOM of a lot of people who have had an impact. But when you walk into the College and see the face of someone who looks like you, when you see her name on a new [student housing] building, that’s very meaningful. … Dr. Christy had to be a very tough woman to be able to go to medical school when she did [1917–1921]. One brother and her father had died by the time she was ten. And her mother, one of the biggest supports she had, passed away just a few years after she graduated A pioneer, Dr. from PCOM. Just understanding how Christy was the courageous she was, how resilient, how first African American student she didn’t let anything keep her back—I at PCOM and really adore that. … I’m transitioning the first African out of my role as the co-president of the American doctor Student National Medical Association of osteopathic on campus, which works to increase the medicine in the nation. presence of minorities in medicine as well as to help support them throughout their journey. I work for the diversity office on campus as well, making presentations for their mentorship program. I’m also involved in a nonprofit organization, but it’s about the resources you provide. … Now that Girls on a Mission with Ambition. I’ve talked to students I’m here, I have a lot of people I can reach out to, ask about being in medical school, and to students already questions. They tell me, ‘I do this because someone in college or taking a non-traditional route who want to did it for me, and I want you to be able to do it for get back into the swing of things. I mentor them mainly somebody else.’ ” because I didn’t have that. … When I was in college, Google was my best friend, because I didn’t have As told by Beverly K. Andre, MS/Biomed ’20 many people in my life who were physicians, let alone (DO ’24) physicians who looked like me. So I had to do a lot of the work figuring out what I should study and how to get into medical school. It’s not just about representation,

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CLASS NOTES

1963

Vincent A. DeMuro Sr., DO, Toms River, NJ, retired from practice at Bartley Manor and Bartley Assisted Living.

1966

Alex S. Macaione, DO, Medford, NJ, retired after 48 years of practicing dermatology.

He looks forward to enjoying more sun and more golf.

1967

Sherman N. Leis, DO, Bala Cynwyd, PA, retired at age 80 after 48 years spent in practice.

During his career, Dr. Leis founded and directed the PCOM Plastic Surgery Residency Program, teaching thousands of students and training over 100 plastic surgeons. He hopes to have made a lasting impression on each student, patient and colleague he has worked with over the years.

1976

Stephen N. Finberg, DO, Paradise Valley, AZ, was featured in a Channel 12News story, “Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Remain in Short Supply at Arizona Hospitals” (January 12, 2022).

1977

Edward P. Balaban, DO, Penllyn, PA, was named the 2022 Advocate of the Year by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Joan L. Moore, DO, MSc, Frankford, WV, is still practicing oncology as a locum. Dr. Moore also spends her days enjoying time with her four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

1978

Kenneth J. Baker, DO, Norridgewock, ME, recently retired from his 43-year career in general practice. After graduating from PCOM in 1978 and completing a rotating internship at the Osteopathic Hospital of Maine in Portland, Dr. Baker opened his private practice in Norridgewock.

In addition to his private practice, Dr. Baker held volunteer and staff physician positions at Pine Tree Camp, Redington-Fairview General Hospital, Waterville Osteopathic Hospital, Goodwill-

DAVID BARON, DO ’78 Supporting the Mental Health of Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympics

by Meghan McCall Long before the U.S. Olympic Committee invited him to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing to serve as Team USA’s sports psychiatrist, David Baron, DO ’78, knew that mental well-being was as important to an elite athlete’s performance as nutrition and conditioning.

A third-generation psychiatrist, Dr. Baron had studied the impact of mental health on athletic performance throughout college, his time at PCOM and during his internship. Dr. Baron’s first Olympic experience, at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, sparked an interest in working with athletes and high-end sports. “We had some Dr. Baron athletes with panic attacks and anxiety issues, and because I was a psychiatrist, they quietly referred them to me,” says Dr. Baron.

While the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing marked Dr. Baron’s sixth time serving as a physician for the Games, this was the first year he was asked to serve in an official sports psychiatry capacity for Team USA. Today, Dr. Baron is considered an expert in the field of sports psychiatry, serving as a consultant for the NCAA, on the Behavioral Health Advisory Board for the International Olympic Committee and on the Behavioral Health Committee for the NFL. Throughout his time in the field, Dr. Baron has noticed a shift in how the athletic community addresses mental health.

“We never talked about it before, and athletes suffered in silence,” says Dr. Baron. “A lot of the prejudice toward mental health is starting to change, and I think a great driver of this has been athletes like Michael Phelps and Simone Biles who are speaking out about the importance of mental health. When you have high-profile marquee athletes discussing their mental health struggles, that institutes more change than any paper or book that I or my colleagues have ever written.”

The U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee made a strong commitment to supporting the behavioral and mental health of athletes going into the 2022 Winter Olympics, in large part because of restrictive COVID regulations that caused significant anxiety and depression, says Dr. Baron. Safety measures in place to protect teams from COVID included a threeday quarantine for the entire team at a hotel before flying to Beijing, daily testing and not being able to leave the Olympic Village. “We weren’t locked in our rooms, but we did have to stay in the bubble of the Olympic Village,” explains Dr. Baron.

What had an even greater impact on athletes was the absence of their support systems and loved ones. “Competing in nearly empty arenas just wasn’t the same,” says Dr. Baron. “You couldn’t have your loved ones cheering you on. Only your coaches and teammates were there to support you.

That, paired with being in a bubble of sorts, caused the biggest stress for most athletes.”

While Team USA had a large behavioral health team, Dr. Baron was the only psychiatrist. He hopes to see more psychiatrists and more osteopathic psychiatrists at the next Olympics. “We have a unique skill set, given our combination of osteopathic training and psychiatric training. We understand the connection between movement and mental health,” he says.

In addition to his work in sports, Dr. Baron serves as senior vice president, provost and professor of psychiatry at Western University of Health Sciences and is passionate about opening doors for future osteopathic physicians.

Hinckley School, and Togus VA Medical Center, all in central Maine. He is grateful to PCOM for providing him with the opportunity and education to be of service to his community.

1983

Daniel F. Battafarano, DO, San Antonio, TX, was granted the designation of master by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Dr. Battafarano was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the ACR and the field of rheumatology through scholarly achieve-

ment and service to patients, teaching and the profession.

Nancy E. Braese, DO, Rye, NH, is serving as a preceptor for the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency Program at Portsmouth Hospital.

Larry P. Doroshow, DO, Maple Glen, PA, was a featured guest on an episode of SBN Newsmakers, where he discussed diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (March 24, 2022).

Carol L. Henwood, DO, Pottstown, PA, was the recipient of the 2022 American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians

(ACOFP) Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors outstanding individuals who have demonstrated career-long service to patients, osteopathic family medicine and the ACOFP.

1985

Bruce H. Grossinger, DO, Wynnewood, PA, was a guest on a podcast episode titled “The Lawyers of Pond Lehocky Show with Guest Dr. Bruce Grossinger of the Philadelphia PRP & Stem Cell Institute” (March 7, 2022).

Additionally, Dr. Grossinger was featured as a guest on the podDIGEST 2022

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CLASS NOTES

cast Pro2Pro with Marla Viturello (August 26, 2021).

Joan Sureck Naidorf, DO, Alexandria, VA, had her book, Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients: A Guide for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals, published by the American Association for Physician Leadership. In her book, Dr. Naidorf uses a multitiered approach to bring awareness and introduces simple, actionable tools that every physician, nurse and care-provider can use to change their mindset and actions to avoid patient-associated burnout.

1986

Karen E. Arscott, DO, MSc, Waverly, PA, received her certification in addiction medicine from the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

David M. Brill, DO, Bay Village, OH, was featured in an article published by Yahoo! Life titled “If You Notice This on Your Body, Have Your Blood Checked” (February 12, 2022).

Jon S. Fisher, DO, Jamison, PA, received the 2021 Outstanding Service Award from Body Focus International.

1989

Emil P. Lesho, DO, Webster, NY, was interviewed for an article published by FingerLakes1.com titled “Should I Get COVID-19 on Purpose? Doctors Say This Is a Bad Idea” (January 19, 2022). Dr. Lesho is an infectious disease physician at Rochester Regional Health.

James J. Tayoun Jr., DO, Somers Point, NJ, joined the staff at the surgical division of Shore Physicians Group in Somers Point.

1991

Elizabeth A. DeFoney Olek, DO, San Francisco, CA, was appointed senior vice president of clinical development at Kronos Bio, Inc. Douglas P. Dietzel, DO, East Lansing, MI, joined the orthopedics and sports medicine team at Sparrow Medical Group in Lansing.

Eileen L. Hug, DO, West Bloomfield, MI, was appointed community assistant dean for the College of Human Medicine’s Detroit campus based at Henry Ford Hospital.

Felecia S. Waddleton-Willis, DO, Silver Spring, MD, received the Conclave of Fellows Award at the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians 59th Annual Convention and Scientific Seminar in March 2022.

Bruce W. Peters, DO, Toms River, NJ, was named a 2021 Top Doc in Otolaryngology by New Jersey Monthly Magazine (January 11, 2022).

Craig J. Ross, DO, Trappe, PA, was featured by Risk & Insurance in an article titled “2022’s Million Dollar Question: What Will the Workplace Look Like Coming Out of COVID?” (March 20, 2022). The article explores a few takeaways from a conference panel discussion led by Dr. Ross, who is a regional medical director with Liberty Mutual.

1992

1990

1993

Robert P. Finkelstein, DO, Bradenton, FL, started an integrative dermatology practice after taking an integrative dermatology one-year course in 2020. This experience allowed Dr. Finkelstein to use osteopathic holistic training and philosophy within the specialty more effectively.

30

Wende A. Goncz, DO, Wexford, PA, was named president-elect of the UPMC Passavant medical staff. She will begin her term as acting president in January 2023.

Dr. Goncz currently serves as clinical director of anesthesia and vice-chair of the UPMC Passavant Anesthesia Department.

Joyce Wanglee Wald, DO, Narberth, PA, was profiled as a “Heart Health Champion” by Philadelphia Magazine (February 2022).

Michael J. Reihart, DO, Columbia, PA, was appointed director of Emergency Services at Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center.

1994

Paula L. Jones, DO, Powell, OH, was featured by Surat Khabar Sports in a profile titled “Paula

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Jones, DO, an Emergency Physician with Rejuvenate You, LLC” (January 24, 2022).

1996

Joseph M. Flynn, DO, Titusville, FL, was featured in an article in WHAS11 titled “What Is Omicron BA.2? Understanding the Newest COVID Variant and How to Protect Yourself Against It” (March 24, 2022). Dr. Flynn serves as chief administrative officer for Norton Healthcare.

1998

Simona C. Eng, DO, Salisbury, MD, was named interim chief medical officer of TidalHealth Peninsula Regional.

1999

Jennifer K. Stuck, DO, Malvern, PA, was featured in an article published by the Bump titled “What Happens at the 20-Week Ultrasound?” (March 21, 2022).

2000

Nicole M. Garofola Bentze, DO, Lakewood Ranch, FL, was inducted as a Fellow at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Medical Women’s Association on March 26, 2022.

Keith A. Boell, DO, Danville, PA, co-authored a study published by NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery Journal titled “Collaboration to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening Using Machine Learning” (March 16, 2022).

Suzan E. Marshall, DO, Spokane, WA, was profiled by the Spokane Journal of Business in an article titled “Plan B Forensics Seeks Answers in Death Cases” (March 24, 2022). Dr. Marshall is the owner of Plan B Forensics, LLC, a death investigation company based in Spokane that works on cases throughout the United States.

David J. Thomas, DO, Hermitage, PA, joined the Surgical Specialists Practice at Steward Medical Group as a general surgeon.

2001

Millicent A. Channell, DO, Philadelphia, PA, is the 2022-2023 president-elect of the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO).

On March 24, 2022, during the AAO Annual Convocation in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Channell was elected by the Academy’s membership. After spending this year as president-elect, Dr. Channell will become the 20232024 president of the AAO. Dr. Channell will be the first African American to hold this office.

Sharee L. Livingston, DO, Lancaster, PA, was appointed as a board member for Patients R Waiting, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating health disparities by increasing diversity in medicine.

2002

Joshua S. Coren, MBA, DO, Hatboro, PA, is the recipient of the 2022 American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians Osteopathic Family Medicine Educator of the Year Award.

This award honors an individual who exemplifies the osteopathic family medicine profession’s highest standards of excellence in teaching and who has made significant, commendable and long-standing contributions to the academic advancement of osteopathic students, residents and the osteopathic profession.

Rebecca J. Johnson-Castillo, DO, Warsaw, IN, joined the staff at Goshen Physicians Family Medicine in Ligonier.

Suraj K. Saggar, DO, Ridgewood, NJ, was appointed to the Enzolytics, Inc. advisory board.

Gregory T. Wilson, DO, Reading, PA, has joined the cardiology team at Geisinger St. Luke’s in Schuylkill County.

2003

Catherine R. Mauss, DO, Biglerville, PA, recently opened her own practice, Gettysburg Osteopathic Family Health Center.

Sherri L. Sandel, DO, Somers, NY, was featured in a profile by Wag Magazine titled “Medicine with a Personal Touch” (April 8, 2022). Dr. Sandel was recently appointed medical director of Northern Westchester Hospital/ Northwell Health in Mount Kisco.

2004

Sharon Virginia Elwell, PsyD, Drexel Hill, PA, is enjoying retirement after a 27-year career

in psychology. Dr. Elwell now spends her time seeking out and engaging in opportunities to support social justice and the environment in the Philadelphia area.

CHRISTINA ESPOSITO, PsyD ’04, EdS ’06

2005

by Meghan McCall

Brian A. Acunto, DO, Brigantine, NJ, was inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who Biographical Registry. Dr. Acunto was recognized for his outstanding work in the emergency medicine field (April 8, 2022).

Tammy L. Dietz, DO, Austin, TX, was featured on the Marquis Who’s Who list of celebrated professionals in the field of medicine (February 22, 2022).

Chavone D. Momon-Nelson, MBA, DO, Carlisle, PA, was featured in an article published by PennLive.com titled “Enrollment of First-Year Black Medical Students Climbs to Historic Levels” (February 16, 2022).

Rebekah A. Sensenig, DO, Yorktown, VA, an infectious disease specialist with Riverside Health System, was interviewed by 13News Now for an article titled “Health Experts: If You Catch Omicron, You Could Still Get Long COVID” (January 27, 2022).

2007

Laura A. McGowan, DO, Clarence Center, NY, has joined the staff at Mount St. Mary’s Lockport Health Center as a primary care physician.

Alfredo L. Rabines, DO, New York, NY, chief medical officer at Bayonne Medical Center, was interviewed by the Hudson Reporter for an article titled “Bayonne Medical Center Coping with Post-Holiday COVID19 Surge” (January 11, 2022).

2008

Jay D. Bhatt, DO, MPH, Chicago, IL, was appointed executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and the Deloitte Health Equity Institute. In this role, Dr. Bhatt will direct the research, insights and eminence agenda across the life sciences and health care industry while driving high-impact research and collaborations to advance health equity.

Peter F. Bidey, DO, MSED, FACOFP, Haddonfield, NJ,

Empowering Families through ADHD Coaching As the mother of a child with ADHD, Christina Esposito, PsyD ‘04, EdS ‘06, understands the unique challenges that the disability can have on parents and families. In 2020, Dr. Esposito fused her expertise in clinical psychology and school psychology to found Branch Upward, an ADHD and behavioral coaching service focused on teaching parents strategies to empower their children.

“ADHD is so often misunderstood by parents and teachers,” says Dr. Esposito. “It’s a hidden disability. These poor kids are told to just try harder or work harder, but the kid is dancing as fast as they can.”

Dr. Esposito While schools and individual therapists can provide resources and accommodations for children with ADHD, Dr. Esposito noticed a lack of professionals who could help with everything—from the child’s academic needs, to their social needs, to their needs at home. With a focus on coaching, Dr. Esposito is able to teach practical, forward-focused strategies to parents and families in a collaborative environment.

To make her approach work, Dr. Esposito requires parents to be involved in her sessions. She explains, “Parents often don’t realize how their actions impact the child. When I work with mom, dad and other family members to teach them to react differently, it greatly reduces some of the behavioral outbursts and ADHD symptoms in the child.”

One way that Dr. Esposito gains greater insight into a family is by meeting with them in their homes. “I get more insight into the family dynamic and how to make small changes that parents don’t even realize could help them in their everyday lives,” Dr. Esposito explains.

While at PCOM, Dr. Esposito says she learned the importance of collaborating with other professionals. Beginning with when she noticed her daughter struggling with ADHD and now as a coach, Dr. Esposito frequently works with pediatricians, physical therapists, occupational therapists and even professional organizers.

“Children with ADHD sometimes struggle with transitions throughout the day. I partner with a professional organizer to come into the home to determine how we can set up the child’s room, desk or mudroom to make that transition easier,” explains Dr. Esposito.

Besides collaborating with other professionals, Dr. Esposito enjoys a high level of collaboration with the parents she works with. As a fellow parent of a child with ADHD, Dr. Esposito feels she’s able to easily connect with and empathize with her clients. “I’ve sat on that side of the table. I known what it’s like to watch your child struggle. If someone like me would have been available when I was in their shoes, I would have hired them in a heartbeat,” Dr. Esposito says. vice-chair of the Department of Family Medicine, PCOM, was appointed to the 20222023 Board of Governors of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Additionally, Dr. Bidey was featured in a US News Health article titled “Night Sweats: What You Need to Know” (February 23, 2022).

Alexandra M. Buford, DO, Somers Point, NJ, joined the staff at Shore Physicians Group in their primary care division.

Nicole M. Geissen, DO, Chicago, IL, was featured in an article by NBC5 Chicago, “Rush University Medical Center to Hold Lung Cancer Screenings for Firefighters” (March 24, 2022). Dr. Geissen, a thoracic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center, participated in a special series of lung cancer screenings for firefighters in Chicago.

2009

Amy Lee Curry, DO, Williamsport, PA, joined the colon and rectal surgery team at UPMC Williamsport.

Matthew A. Moffa, DO, Pittsburgh, PA, was featured in an article published in the Sacramento Bee titled “Omicron BA.2 Subvariant Is Steadily Growing but May Not Pose a Serious Threat” (March 28, 2022).

Dr. Moffa serves as medical director of infection prevention at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital.

2010

Chadd K. Kraus, DO, Lewisburg, PA, was appointed director of research for the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). As the first person to hold this position, Dr. Kraus will lead the effort

to build the research group at ABEM. Research initiatives will include analyses of certification programs, the specialty and physician education.

2011

Aravindhan Arumugarajah, MS, DO, Valparaiso, IN, was recognized by Marquis Who’s Who for his expertise in the nephrology and hypertension fields.

Carol K. Kniess, DO, Forksville, PA, joined the emergency medicine team at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayer.

2012

Aaron E. George, DO, Montpelier, VA, was interviewed

by WDVM News for a report titled “Doctors Say ‘Stay Safe’ During Super Bowl Celebrations” (February 12, 2022). Dr. George DIGEST 2022

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CLASS NOTES

serves as chief medical officer for Meritus Health.

Christine E. James, DO, Williamsport, PA, joined the staff at UPMC Williamsport as a psychiatrist.

2013

Scott D. Glassman, PsyD, Cherry Hill, NJ, director, Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program, PCOM, was featured in a prevention.com article titled “Music May Be Just as Powerful as Exercise at Improving Mental Health, Research Says” (March 29, 2022).

Hilary S. Haack, DO, Berlin, MD, was the recipient of 2022 American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians New Osteopathic Physician of the Year Award. This award honors physicians who have made significant contributions to family medicine between two and five years after entering the specialty.

Aja N. Jackson, DO, Philadelphia, PA, was interviewed for the article “Another Year, Another Variant: COVID-19 Omicron Strain” published by the Delaware State University student-run news publication, the Hornet Newspaper (February 17, 2022).

Asif Jawaid, DO, Marietta, GA, was featured in Marquis Who’s Who Top Doctors for his outstanding work in the field of cardiology (January 7, 2022).

Rebecca B. Lantz, DO, State College, PA, has been appointed as medical director of University Health Services at Pennsylvania State University.

Kayla Opalin Cort, DO, Elk Grove, CA, joined the faculty at University of California San Francisco as an assistant professor of clinical radiology.

2014

Thea Gallagher, PsyD, New York, NY, has joined the Department of Psychiatry at New York University Langone Health as an assistant professor and the digital mental health, outcomes and wellness coordinator.

2015

Carl L. Byrd, III, DO, Morristown, TN, joined the staff at East Tennessee Center for Orthopaedic Excellence.

Elizabeth A. Palumbo, PsyD, West Orange, NJ, wrote an article published by Bergen County

Moms Inspired Living titled “How to Use Guided Imagery for Increasing Focus During Distracting Days” (March 31, 2022).

Sarah R. Wagner, DO, Dresser, WI, joined the staff at UPMC Williamsport as a psychiatrist.

2016

Meghan Maloney, PA-C, Hilton Head Island, SC, was profiled by the Hilton Head Monthly Voice in an article titled “The Ladies of Hilton Head Dermatology” (March 31, 2022).

Valerie L. Nguyen, DO, Anacortes, WA, joined the staff at Island Primary Care – M Avenue as a pediatrician.

Charlie Suero, MS/Psy ’12, Womelsdorf, PA, was profiled by the Daily Collegian, the student-run newspaper at Pennsylvania State University, in an article titled “Alumnus Uses Penn State Berks Degree as SteppingStone to Make Global Impact” (March 10, 2022). In the article, Mr. Seuro talks about his academic journey and how it led him to pursue his passion of teaching while living abroad in Asia.

2017

Zachary M. Smith, DO, Tuscaloosa, AL, was featured in an article published by the Times-News titled “Dr. Zach Smith Talks Alternative Payment Model” (February 5, 2022). In this article, Dr. Smith discusses direct primary care as an innovative alternative payment model that has been shown to improve access to high-functioning health care with a simple, flat, affordable membership fee.

2020

Necie Liggeons, MS/ODL, Philadelphia, PA, deputy chief advancement officer, PCOM, co-authored a book with Carrie Collins, JD, PhD, chief advancement and strategic planning officer, PCOM, titled Development Metrics for Small Shops. Their book is available now through the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It is part of the CASE Handbook Series, which delivers ideas, insights, tips and advice to help advancement professionals thrive in their careers.

REUNION 2022 For the first time since 2019, the College hosted in-person reunions this spring. To compensate for missed gatherings due to the pandemic, three years’ worth of classes were invited to celebrate.

On May 24, alumni from PCOM Georgia’s DO and Pharmacy classes of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017 reunited for an elegant evening of dinner and dancing at the Gas South District in Duluth.

On June 4, over 230 DO alumni and guests returned to Philadelphia to mark milestone celebrations. Festivities included a traditional 50th Reunion luncheon; a Class of 1981 Cocktail Reception hosted and planned by Jay S. Feldstein, DO ‘81, president and chief executive officer; and a Reunion Grand Reception for all classes held at Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue.

PCOM Georgia alumni at the Reunion cocktail dinner held at the Gas South District.

32

The Class of 1972 marks its 50th Reunion.

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Jay S. Feldstein, DO ‘81, president and CEO, hosts a reception for his class.

IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORIAM

Martin Bisk, DO ’58, Cherry Hill, NJ, April 1, 2022 John C. Bradford Jr., DO ’55, New Holland, PA, January 18, 2022 John F. Callahan, DO ’67, Dallas, PA, May 28, 2022 Eugene Cohen, DO ’56, Cherry Hill, NJ, November 29, 2021 Stanley W. Doe, DO ’49, Tower City, PA, February 23, 2022 Ralph V. Franciosi, DO ’59, Edgewater Park, NJ, April 27, 2022 Frederic J. Friedlin, DO ’56, Pitman, NJ, April 16, 2022 Jerry W. Haston, DO ’78, Laverock, PA, April 1, 2022 Walter F. Keller, DO ’76, Portland, ME, March 24, 2022 P. Denis Kuehner, DO ’65, Sanibel, FL, January 27, 2002

SAUL JECK, DO, FACOOG Elkins Park, PA, June 16, 2022

Dr. Jeck retired from the College in June 2015, and was named professor emeritus. For 41 years, he served as professor and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency program. During his tenure, PCOM’s OB/GYN residency program grew from four to nearly 30 residents.

As a private obstetrics and gynecology practitioner, Dr. Jeck held hospital staff appointments at PCOM Hospital, City Line; Parkview Hospital; Delaware Valley Osteopathic Hospital; Lower Bucks Hospital; the Medical College of Pennsylvania; Mercy-Fitzgerald Hospital; and Roxborough Memorial Hospital.

During his illustrious career, he delivered over 13,000 babies and performed surgery on tens of thousands of patients. Dr. Jeck provided exceptional health care along with his two mentors, partners and longtime friends, the late Emanuel Fliegelman, DO ’42, and the late Simon M. Lubin, DO ’38, MD. Dr. Jeck served the osteopathic profession as president of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists and as a member of many professional associations.

Dr. Jeck was lauded time and time again as a teacher and mentor. Among his many awards, he was named to the American Osteopathic Association Mentor Hall of Fame. At PCOM, he received the Emanuel Fliegelman, DO, Humanitarian Award, was a two-time recipient of the Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, and was a recipient of the O. J. Snyder Memorial Medal.

Dr. Jeck was also an accomplished violinist who played alongside eventual members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

M. Lee Loser, DO ’52, Harrisburg, PA, April 15, 2022 Anthony V. Marturano, DO ’57, Glendale, CA, January 28, 2022 Alan Lewis Menkes, DO ’67, Murrieta, CA, March 29, 2022 Stanley M. Poleck, DO ’69, Detroit, MI, January 8, 2022 Danette M. Reid, MS/ODL ’14, Glenside, PA, May 29, 2022 Robert Sinnott, DO ’85, Lansdale, PA, May 25, 2022 Milton D. Soiferman, JD, DO ’78, Lake Worth, FL, May 16, 2021 James P. Tierney, DO ’64, Palm City, FL, October 19, 2021 Robert A. Sunseri, DO ’78, McDonald, PA, August 12, 2018

THEODORE PAUL MAUER, DO ’62, FAOCOO–HNS, Philadelphia, PA, March 14, 2022

For over four decades, Dr. Mauer served PCOM as chairman of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Oro-Facial Plastic Surgery and as an attending physician/ consultant, medical director, chairman of the professional staff, chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee, and chairman of the Executive Committee of the (now closed) Hospital of PCOM. The longtime program director of the College’s ENT residency training program, he trained over 50 residents now in practice across the nation. He retired from the College in October 2018.

Dr. Mauer was on staff in the otolaryngology and allergy departments at Main Line Health – Lankenau Medical Center for many years.

He held executive posts in the Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery (president), the Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology (vice president) and the Philadelphia Laryngological Society (president). He served as a member of many professional societies and associations.

In recognition of his dedicated clinical service, Dr. Mauer was honored with numerous community, professional and teaching awards, including the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

DIGEST 2022

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

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 4170 City Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19131

Rephotography is the act of repeat photography of the same location, with a time lag between the images.

The art form provides a “then and now” view. Pictured here is a photo of The Osteopathic Medical Center of Philadelphia (circa 1980) set against today’s Rowland Hall.

To see more rephotographed and other visual stories leading up to the College’s 125th anniversary, follow PCOM on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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