1. science
2. medicine

Michigan State University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
FUTURE DOcs
explore future POSSIBILITIES
Fall 2014
Volume 42, No. 3
COMM U N I Q U É
COMMUNIQUÉ
Volume 42, Issue 3
Copyright 2014
Michigan State University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Published three times per year
by the Office of
Public Relations
East Fee Hall
965 Fee Road, Room A306
East Lansing, MI 48824
To contact Public Relations:
517-353-0616
www.com.msu.edu
MANAGING EDITOR
Laura Probyn
EDITOR
Pat Grauer
DESIGN
Annmarie Y. Cook
PHOTOGRAPHY
Annmarie Y. Cook
Jennifer Miller
Laura Probyn
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Stephen M. Swetech, D.O.
Kristopher Thomas Nicholoff
EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE
Beth Courey
Katie Donnelly
Brittany Harrison
House of Delegates:
The times they are a-changin’
During the American Osteopathic Association House of
Delegates gathering this past July in Chicago, two historic
events took place. In one, the delegates voted to consider
unification of the graduate medical education process with
ACGME. In the second, they approved a resolution to
support same-sex marriage.
On the surface, these items might appear to be two very
disparate resolutions. In my view, they are connected and represent an exciting time in
our profession’s history. I believe that they demonstrate a leadership thought change
from ideals held by baby boomers to those espoused by members of Generation X and
the millennials—children of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Leaders are emerging from among the crop of young physicians who grew up with
technology, globalization and fast-paced social and economic changes that affected
all aspects of our lives and work. They represent the future of the profession.
I saw this House of Delegates session as a sentinel moment in osteopathic medicine.
The thought process of the profession as a whole is moving ahead with the next
generation. It doesn’t mean that the previous generation (of which I’m a member) is
bad or needs to be replaced; it just means that like any healthy entity, osteopathic
medicine is evolving and changing to meet modern needs. While the new leaders have
a vision for the future, the old guard sees the end of the world that they once knew
and view through a nostalgic lens. The coming generations don’t share a rosy view of
the past and are eager to put their mark on the world. This is healthy and positive.
The discussion of unification of the graduate medical education process will be a
sea change for M.D.s and D.O.s. alike. It will mean a lot of things to a lot of people
– both positive and negative – and one of the biggest positives that I see is that the
unification discussion will help improve public awareness of the profession. It will
be more powerful than any advertising campaign.
Our students are excited about the chance to vie for a greater number of fellowships.
While it is true that more opportunities will be open to them, they’ll also face stiff
competition from their M.D. counterparts for these slots, as well as the residency
slots that have previously been open to only D.O. candidates. Program directors will
gravitate toward selecting the best candidates that are available from a much larger
pool. I believe that competition is healthy, and I encourage our students to look at it
in the same way – even though this advice is coming from a member of the old guard.
It’s time for these young, energetic leaders to look toward what kind of future they
envision for our profession and work in a positive and proactive way with our M.D.
counterparts so that we’ll all benefit.
William D. Strampel, D.O., Dean
STUDENTS
Joyce deJong (MSUCOM Class of 1988) helps the Lansing Future DOcs learn
about the anatomy of the human body during the summer program.
FUTURE DOcs
explore future POSSIBILITIES
by Laura Probyn
Everyone has to start somewhere. There’s
no profession where that statement is not
true, and for osteopathic physicians, one
possible starting point is the MSU College of
Osteopathic Medicine’s Future DOcs program.
This program has been in place for
three years in southeast Michigan, where
administrators at high schools in Macomb and
Wayne counties have worked with MSUCOM
faculty, staff and students at the Macomb
University Center and Detroit Medical Center
sites to introduce participants to people and
careers in medicine.
Future DOcs has now expanded to midMichigan in a summer pilot program for ninth
through 11th graders at Sexton, Eastern and
Everett high schools. Though the Lansing
program takes a similar format as the Macomb
and Detroit programs, it is tailored to make use
of local resources, people and facilities.
“Each of the Future DOcs programs is
unique to meet participants’ individual
needs—just like the osteopathic philosophy,”
says Katherine Ruger, admissions director for
MSUCOM.
The Lansing Future DOcs initiative is
being offered in partnership with Sparrow
Health System. High school students who are
interested in health-related careers can learn
about what it takes to get to medical school,
what the life of a medical school student is like
and what kinds of careers are open to doctors
of osteopathic medicine.
The seven-week program was held on
expanded to include 15 students from each of
the three high schools. Ruger and her team
are incorporating Future DOcs into a broader
plan to develop a graduated set of activities to
introduce high schoolers to the osteopathic
profession.
“We’re excited about the support and
growth we are seeing,” said Floyd Hardin III,
MSUCOM manager of outreach and inclusion.
“We’re being very intentional about our
objectives and our work to build and establish
an outcome-based program.”
Future DOcs is the starting point.
Students who begin there can move into the
OsteoCHAMPS program, a two-week precollege experience that gives participants the
chance to eat, sleep and study in dormitories,
attend classes on the MSU campus and
complete projects related to their studies in
anatomy, physiology, chemistry and medical
research.
Later, as MSU undergraduates, they can
apply to the Osteopathic Medical Scholars
Program that provides further insights into the
profession and more exposure to students, the
curriculum and medical careers.
“The idea is to pull from our three
communities where the college is represented
and create pipeline programs to make students
feel a sense of belonging, to experience the
realities of pursuing medical school and to be
mentored by someone who can help them along
the way,” Ruger said. “Future DOcs is the initial
stage of that because we generally start them as
freshmen in high school. From there, we’re just
helping to provide additional resources.”
Hodge sees the importance of Future DOcs
beyond the classroom and even beyond the
medical profession.
“We had 16 great students and I look
forward to them being at the MSU College
of Osteopathic Medicine someday, but this
program isn’t just about helping kids learn
about what it takes to be a physician,” Hodge,
an MSUCOM alumnus, notes. “It’s about
growing leaders. Our schools need help
growing leaders. I expect to see leaders for the
respective high schools and leaders for this
community.”
Saturday mornings and alternated between
MSU and Sparrow. About five students
from each of the three high schools were
selected. These participants were mentored
by MSUCOM students; they met and worked
with faculty members and doctors in the
Sparrow system. The students also took part
in classroom activities and learned to build
study skills and exam strategies. They took
part in an osteopathic manipulative medicine
demonstration and learned basic CPR skills.
“I know MSU can cover test-taking and
didactic experiences. I want to deliver an
integrated experience in the emergency
department, but I don’t want to give them just
emergency medicine — we want to give them
an experience where they can interact with
pathologists. If they could watch an autopsy
or see one on video I think
it would be exciting,” says
Timothy Hodge, Sparrow
executive medical director
of emergency services and
a member of the Sparrow
Health System Board of
Directors. “I also asked my
radiology and cardiology
colleagues to spend time
with the students so they
could learn things like what
a stress test is and what
happens during a cardiac
catheterization.”
After this summer’s
experience the Lansing
An MSUCOM student works with one of the potential Future DOcs
Future DOcs program will be
participants during an introductory session in Fee Hall.
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 1
STUDENTS
Falls has worked with 36 entering classes . . . the latest includes Katie Artz, Michael Bain, Tucker Billups, (Falls), Evan Bartone and Tamara Aqui.
TAKING THE LONG VIEW:
MSUCOM students across the DECADES
by Pat Grauer
The MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine
was only ten years old when Bill Falls joined
its faculty to teach gross anatomy and conduct
research. Now, after working closely with
osteopathic students for 35 years, he has a
unique perspective on how they have changed
and how their challenges have changed.
He began as assistant professor of anatomy
in 1979, teaching and coordinating, by
himself, the gross anatomy course. Due to his
ability to integrate basic science and clinical
knowledge, he was asked to take on additional
teaching assignments through coordination
and design of the new three-semester
neuromusculoskeletal systems biology course,
and instruction in the gastrointestinal and
reproductive systems biology courses.
In 1990, he stepped down from coordinating
gross anatomy and took over the coordination
of neuroanatomy, while maintaining his duties
in the above systems biology courses.
In 1997, Falls assumed leadership
responsibilities for the Office of Student
Services after Assistant Dean Kay White
retired. With this move to administration,
he never stopped teaching, and still instructs
the head and neck section of the current
gross anatomy course and participates in the
neuromusculoskeletal systems biology course.
He came to the college with a Ph.D. in
anatomy, with a specialty in neuroanatomy,
but rapidly realized that he had to learn
2 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
what was particularly important to teach to
osteopathic students. Working with faculty
members and other D.O.s with expertise in
osteopathic principles and practice and in
osteopathic manipulative medicine, he worked
to tailor gross anatomy and neuroanatomy
to integrate, reinforce and complement what
was being taught in OMM and clinical skills
courses.
What has Falls learned about teaching and
interacting with MSUCOM students in the
last 35 years?
 Students need to be held to a higher
standard academically, personally and
professionally. What they do inside and
outside the classroom/clinic reflects not
only on them, but on the college and the
profession. The world they are entering is
competitive and they must be prepared
 Students should trust and respect the
faculty and we, the faculty, must show
them trust and respect. The students are
our “colleagues in training.” Students value
personal interactions with faculty and we
must provide them the opportunities for
such interactions and serve as professional
role models. How we communicate with
students is key to their learning and
professional development
 We must provide the students the medical
knowledge, skills and opportunities to be
successful. As teachers we must never forget
the level of training that the students have
achieved and we must be sure that they are
grounded in the basics before asking them
to understand information at a higher level.
Providing students feedback as to where
they made mistakes is key to successful
learning
 One constant is that our students care
for each other and want to see their peers
succeed academically, personally and
professionally. They teach each other,
whether it is in the laboratory or in study
groups. Students should take it upon
themselves to function as a team now, as
they also will in their clinical training and
professional lives
 Many students do not know how to react
to failure. Medical school and the practice
of medicine are hard and we must prepare
them for setbacks. Not all students can be
successful in medical school, and we must
let them know early on that they are not
failures, but that there are other rewarding
job opportunities
 The biggest change among a number of
current students is maturity. Though they
are as bright as ever, they would rather
rely on technology and their people skills
need work. Our challenge is to integrate
technology and the ability to interact
with patients/people to produce the most
knowledgeable, caring and empathetic
STUDENTS
osteopathic physicians
 As in society in general, the number of
students who seek counseling service is
increasing. This is a trend that must be
addressed
 The debt burden on today’s students – about
$200,000 at graduation – is astronomical.
It’s a stressor on the students and has
implications for their specialty selections.
What changes have been made in the
Office of Student Services to address some
of these issues? Falls said, “ Our outstanding
staff encourages personal interactions with
students and the use of academic, career
guidance and personal counseling resources
to help them. Our staff must be realistic with
the students as to whether or not they can be
successful in medical school and professional
life.”
These resources are limited, he says, “but
much better than at many other medical
schools. Students live a protected life during
their first two years of medical school; they
must understand that in their clinical training
they are going to have to be proactive and
nothing is going to be given to them.”
What’s his wish list for Student Services?
He names personal counseling for third- and
fourth-year students; cultivating students
as knowledgeable, caring and empathetic
professionals; teaching them to become selfactualized persons, with their own thinking;
continuing to develop them as team players
who can help each other make decisions.
“I’ve enjoyed all 35 years,” Falls says. “Great
physicians have come out of this college. I
enjoy all my relationships with alumni. The
most rewarding thing of all is to see the
transformation.”
FROM MEXICO TO MICHIGAN:
Learning to appreciate CULTURES
by Jose Zamora-Sifuentes
“On the banks of the Red Cedar, there’s
a school that’s known to all . . .” even to
high school seniors in Mexico City. How
I ended up at MSU is another story, but I
have to admit that I was skeptical at first.
While getting ready to head to the United
States, I kept hearing that college would be
an experience that would change my life. I
kept hearing that college allows you to grow
up and figure out who you are as a person.
What I did not hear about was this ‘Spartan
pride’ I was about to become affiliated with. I
eventually found my Spartan pride, but more
important was the pride I found in myself.
I grew up in Mexico City, one of the
largest cities in the world, a place where
the streets are crowded with people. In the
weeks leading up to my departure for MSU, I
started getting nervous. What if my English
wasn’t good enough? What if I didn’t make
friends? I did not know a single thing about
the state of Michigan, let alone this East
Lansing place. All I knew were some random
facts I had gotten on Google. Michigan’s
state bird: robin. Michigan’s largest lake:
Lake Superior. Michigan’s largest university:
MSU. While I’m sure other students were
intimidated by the large enrollment at MSU,
I was comforted by it. Going to MSU would
be just like Mexico City – big and crowded.
This college transition thing was going to be a
piece of cake. Plus, I figured I could handle the
snow. Needless to say, the winter of 2009 will
forever be the coldest winter of my life.
Imagine my surprise as we passed farmland
on my ride from the airport to campus.
“We’re getting close to East Lansing,” I
thought, “where are the skyscrapers? Isn’t
this supposed to be the largest university in
Michigan?” I knew MSU was originally an
agricultural college, but I also knew it was
huge. I did not expect to see farmland right
outside of it, much less grass and open spaces
within it. When I arrived in
front of Holmes Hall, the home
of Lyman Briggs College, my
nervousness started creeping
back. I was about to meet
my roommate and surely
embarrass myself with my
accent. But everyone I met
was unbelievably kind. This
place was going to be all right.
Having survived my first day as
a Spartan, I felt accomplished.
I had already learned a lot; for
instance, it is not a U.S. custom
to kiss a girl on the cheek
upon first meeting her. I also
learned the famous “Go Green,
Jose Zamora-Sifuentes is president of the Class of 2017.
Go White!” cheer. I was slowly
becoming a Spartan.
perfectly. I had just gotten out of my physical
I came to MSU as a pre-medical student,
chemistry class when I received my acceptance
ready to learn about biology, biochemistry
letter by email. I was ecstatic. I didn’t know
and physiology. I loved the things I was
what to do. I was accepted into medical school
learning about, but the topics were difficult
as an international student! Part of me wanted
at times, especially when there were still
to call my family and share this moment with
English words I had never encountered being
them. Another part of me just wanted to
used regularly. I now look back and wonder
celebrate with some Dairy Store ice cream. I
how words like “iron” or “avocado” gave me
had done it. I had accomplished my dream of
so much trouble. It was at these times that I
going to medical school.
felt lucky to be part of Lyman Briggs, a college
Coming to MSU was a slow transition. I
that encouraged a sense of community within
bought green and white apparel. I watched
its walls and inspired students to give back
football games. I took classes. I embraced the
to that community. I had never been driven to
crazy Michigan weather. I volunteered. I took
give back before, but now I could not think of
exams — too many of them. I explored the
anything better to do. I started volunteering
city and started to call East Lansing home.
at the Refugee Development Center, teaching
I completely abolished my nervousness and
English of all things. To this day, extending
started believing in myself. I became a Spartan.
a helping hand to people who needed it is
Now at MSUCOM and still in East Lansing,
one of my most cherished experiences. In my
I am happy to be able to walk the roads that I
mind, volunteering pushed me further into my
pursuit of a medical career than any class could once was scared to walk my freshman year. I
may not always live in East Lansing, but I look
have.
forward to new roads to walk and many more
During my senior year of undergrad, I was
years in “the mitten.”
accepted into MSUCOM. I remember the day
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 3
STUDENTS
CLASS OF 2018
Student SPOTLIGHT
Because mere numbers don’t give us the full picture, we’re telling the story of the
new Class of 2018 through the lives of students representing each of our three sites.
by Pat Grauer
Detroit:
Do what you love most
MOSTAFA ASSI
Assi’s daughter Leila was the impetus
to follow his passion.
EAST LANSING:
Mostafa Assi marks his sixteenth year as the time he became a man. Born in Dearborn,
Michigan, his family had moved to Lebanon when he was in fifth grade.
“We lived there a few years, which gave me the opportunity to learn a different culture, society,
language, country, and systems,” he said. “I learned to appreciate things many don’t have — like
electricity and water – and got to know a lot of relatives there as well.”
When they returned to the U.S., Assi’s family was in the throes of many challenges – both
medical and financial. As the only one who was fully healthy, he, at 16, had “to pick up the pieces,”
a task that lasted eight years. In helping to get medical treatment for family members he noted
“I took my brother to a doctor, and when he emerged, his face was full of hope. That was hope
for me too. This doctor had done something no one else could do, and I’ll always be extremely
grateful.
“However, I had to put my passions aside,” he said, “and find something for which I could
train quickly and make a decent amount of money doing it.” He completed a bachelor’s degree in
finance at the University of Michigan – Dearborn, and worked as a financial adviser for a major
investment bank.
After a year he realized, “the focus of most of the employees there was something that didn’t
align with my motives: profit maximization for the company and the client. From my end, money
had become secondary. With the birth of my daughter, I began to focus on her and on myself. I
wanted to do something I was passionate about.”
Remembering the example of the doctors he’d encountered, Assi said, “I wanted to be just like
them, giving back. That’s when my mission began.”
He did post-baccalaureate work at Wayne State University for two years, and MSUCOM
was the only medical school to which he applied. “It was osteopathic medicine’s consideration
of body, mind and spirit,” he said. “A lot of people around me were OK in body and extremely
intelligent, but spirit and hope and faith were broken and deficient.
“Though a lot of students in my community are low-income, they still have opportunities to get
a world-class education with the help of the federal government,” he said. “My advice? Do what
you love the most. Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Try to be the best human you can be, and do it at
any cost.”
No man is an island
TYMON HORN
Tymon Horn’s heritage is remarkable: his family members have been denizens of Mackinac Island for at least a century and a half. His history
includes forebears who were members of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians; Ordinance Sergeant William Marshall, who in the late 1870s served as
an unofficial executive officer for a string of commanders at Fort Mackinac; and Edward Horn, who came to the Straits in 1915 as lighthouse keeper
for the old federal Life Saving Service. More recently, his family has operated two of the most popular gathering places on the Island, Ty’s Restaurant
and Horn’s Gaslight Bar and Restaurant.
Horn grew up from the first day of kindergarten to high school graduation with the same four kids in his class; two more were added along the
way. School sports teams – soccer, basketball and golf – were coed and included a variety of ages to gain a critical mass.
“In the winter we had to snowmobile to school,” he said. “For away games, we would snowmobile to the airport, fly across the Straits, play the
game, sleep on our opponents’ gym floor, fly back the next morning and snowmobile home.”
Horn knows the value of sweat equity. He began working for his family at age 12, and at 14 started at a bicycle repair shop for about 50 hours a
week.
“I loved it,” Horn said, “I think working is a great extracurricular activity. It teaches us a lot of life’s lessons.”
When the tourists go home, the population on the Island shrinks to less than 500 people, and the isolation readily teaches the importance of good
human relationships.
“There’s always a greeting from everyone,” he said, “even on the busiest day. The pace is slower, people go with the flow, and there’s always
4 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
STUDENTS
time to be cordial and helpful.” When he left the Island, it was an
adjustment for him when strangers were surprised when he offered
to help, and people he knew wouldn’t acknowledge him in passing.
Horn became aware of his interest in medicine while doing his
undergraduate work at Albion College in kinesiology.
“With my upbringing, Albion was the perfect size for me,” he said.
“Professors would call us, invite us to dinner, help us do research. It
was very personable.”
He was attracted to orthopedics or sports medicine, but also
interested in sports psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and
exercise. In osteopathic medicine, he found the opportunity to meld
these interests in a holistic approach.
He feels comfortable at MSUCOM, and is interested in emergency
medicine, sports medicine, community integrated medicine and
wilderness medicine.
The son of one of the Island’s few nurses, Horn recently was
visited by his past. “I didn’t think I knew what I wanted in high
school, but at the end of our senior year we wrote a letter to our
future selves. I just got mine back. It noted then my interest in
medical school, orthopedics or sports medicine.”
He loves biking, hunting, fishing, “being a social kind of guy,” and
“food diversity.” What’s that?
“I was raised on venison, potatoes and beans. I now have access
to a world of taste – Thai, Indian and so forth – and I’m trying every
kind of food I can.”
Macomb:
Horn’s family members have been denizens of
Mackinac Island for at least 150 years.
Shaping the future by conquering the present
STEPHANIE JERGER
Overcoming the most significant challenge of her life has shaped
Stephanie Jerger’s body, attitudes, interests, commitment to others and
professional choices.
The year before she was to enter high school, she endured a
traumatic head injury sufficient to require open-head surgery. She
fractured her occipital bone and suffered a hyponatremia-induced
coma.
A young woman who was active in sports and loved being with her
friends, Jerger was suddenly out of commission. Once she returned
to school, she could only do half-days for a year. She had severe
restrictions on her activities and couldn’t try anything athletic, either
on teams or for recreation.
Her reaction to the catastrophe has developed her more than
As an undergraduate, Jerger presented her research at state
and national meetings of the Society for Neuroscience.
athletics ever could.
“This was a huge life lesson,” Jerger says, “and it made me more
motivated than anything to become the person I was before. It was
discouraging; everything changed in a negative way. But I don’t give
up, and it would not prevent me from doing what I wanted to before it
happened.
“It took a couple of years for me to get back where I had started,”
she said. “The frustrating part was that as I was trying to get back to
normal, others were very protective.”
With her inability to take part in many of her interests during her
healing, she looked for something to keep herself occupied. It turned
out to be her injury itself.
“My interest in medicine in general grew as I saw specialists and
neurosurgeons as an outpatient,” she says. “I was fascinated researching
my accident and the science behind it. I was captivated by my body’s
ability to withstand what happened. I found my physicians’ values
aligned with mine, and it became a segue into my passion for medicine.”
By the time Jerger was ready to graduate from Lee Honors College
at Western Michigan University with a degree in biomedical sciences
and chemistry, she had already made a mark in the neurosciences.
Working in a research lab, she was able to present at two Society
for Neuroscience conferences – the Michigan chapter in Detroit,
and the national meeting in San Diego. Her topic was glial cell linederived neurotrophic factor and how it changes with aging in skeletal
muscle. She also was named the 2013 Distinguished Preprofessional in
Biological Sciences, received an annual award for the highest academic
performance in General Physics II, and garnered two awards from the
university to fund her research.
She also learned the power of service and of listening, volunteering
as a tutor for both young children and biology students, in the ER, in
community schools, and in the streets of Kalamazoo. In the year before
she began medical school, she worked as a scribe for a pulmonologist in
the ICU at Beaumont Health System.
“I’m very happy here,” Jerger said of her admission to MSUCOM. “I’ve
already seen some of the benefits of clinical correlations with anatomy.
It has paid dividends and will continue to pay dividends.”
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 5
STUDENTS
DISCOVERING THEIR CALLING
REINVENTING their future
Every MSUCOM student follows his or her own path to becoming a physician,
but these individuals chose unique routes.
by Laura Probyn
An eclectic career path leads to medical school
MELISSA DUIMSTRA
Growing up in Grand Rapids, Melissa Duimstra had a long list of
aspirations. She wanted to be a doctor and a veterinarian and an artist
and a horse trainer. Through the years she’s done many of those things
– and more – and after taking a circuitous route to medical school, she’s
now on the path to becoming a doctor as a member of the MSUCOM
Class of 2018.
Melissa Duimstra is shown in front of one of her abstract paintings.
Duimstra’s love for animals led her to working with a veterinarian
during high school. It was an experience that helped her realize that a
veterinary career might not be for her.
At the same time, her maternal grandfather, a furniture designer and
painter, was also fostering her interest in science and art.
“He had a studio in his house and he was always encouraging us to
paint and explore. I also credit him with encouraging my curiosity about
how things work in the world and science because he was good at that
too. He had an inquisitive and curious mind.”
Winning a national art award and a scholarship to art school as a
high school senior bolstered her confidence in her creative ability. “It
encouraged me to think that I could be an artist,” she says.
Duimstra put her artistic aspirations on hold while completing a
bachelor’s degree in psychology at Western Michigan University and
spending some time working in a residential facility. She then plunged
head first into the career of an artist, and though not starving, she did
take on many jobs to make ends meet. She was a vocalist in a band for 20
years, worked as a certified horseshoer, taught art to students of all ages
and even did consulting work for educational systems.
6 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
“Even when I was young and naïve, the thought was in the back of my
mind – what would I do if something happened to me?” she says.
When her first child was born with the assistance of a midwife, the
experience made such a big impact on her that Duimstra became a doula.
“I loved listening to people and finding out what they wanted from
their experience, processing that with them. My philosophy was to
support what the mother wanted,” she notes. “It was a wonderful way
to empower women.”
As she spent her time working in many jobs – including a stint as a
zebra trainer and a simulated patient at the MSU College of Human
Medicine – Duimstra and her family did not carry health insurance and
accessing health care was challenging. Many times friends would come
to her and ask for her assistance in finding ways to get the care they
needed.
“Through the years I would encounter people having medical issues,”
she says. “I saw them struggle with how do you take care of yourself?
How do you balance a career you love with the practical side of getting
access to health care?”
About six years ago Duimstra’s life came to a crossroads. The
economic downturn hit her family very hard and she knew she’d need to
make some very difficult choices regarding her future, her career and her
family.
“The older I got, the more important it was to me to do what I felt
passionate about,” she says. “I wanted to do something hands-on and I
loved being a doula, but I wanted more.”
She explored the possibility of pursuing training to become a
physician’s assistant or a nurse practitioner, but neither option seemed
like the perfect fit. She’d been volunteering as a medical assistant at
Catherine’s Health Center, a free health clinic in Grand Rapids, and fell
in love with the atmosphere and the family element of a family practice
clinic.
Duimstra went to Grand Valley State University to complete her
upper-level science prerequisites. She also began considering medical
school options.
“I’d always gone to osteopathic doctors,” she noted. “One day my
doctor looked at me and said, ‘You’re totally an osteopath at heart.’ I also
have D.O. friends who said the same thing. ‘Why aren’t you applying to
MSUCOM?’ They were right!”
Duimstra is planning a career as a primary care physician. “I
volunteered at Catherine’s for a couple of years, and then worked there
for a year. I loved it — the doctors, the patients, everything. I enjoyed
how you really got to build relationships with people. That was an
important experience — it confirmed that I’m in the right place.”
She’s also ready to share advice with other nontraditional students
who may be a few years — and a few careers — removed from their
undergraduate degrees.
“You can do it. It’s not easy, but you can do it. Life is a circle – you
never know exactly where it will take you, but often what you loved as a
child will come back around,“ she said.
STUDENTS
He saw a sign that changed his life
KEVIN SONG
Many people hope to see signs that will point them in new directions.
One sign on a Manhattan street changed Kevin Song’s life with two
words: “Free Lunch.”
Song, who holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, had been in
engineering for 18 years and was working for AT&T Bell Labs in New
Jersey when his wife saw an advertisement for a free meal for anyone
who would listen to a presentation on the benefits of earning an
acupuncture license. They took advantage of the opportunity and Song
and his wife, Jasmine, signed up for the evening/weekend program
leading to a master’s degree in acupuncture.
“We kept our jobs and went to the acupuncture school at night,” he
says. “It opened our eyes to the health care industry and how that skill
can change a patient’s life. It was all about seeing the patient as a whole
person.”
The Songs opened a small acupuncture clinic that expanded and
later came to include the New Jersey branch of Jaseng Motion Style
Acupuncture Treatment—a nontraditional acupuncture method that
was developed by Dr. Joon-shik Shin, chairman and founder of Jaseng
Hospital of Oriental Medicine in Seoul. MSUCOM collaborates with
Jaseng Hospital and hosts its students on the East Lansing campus each
year.
Song was looking for a way to expand his work and service to others
and set himself on a course to attend medical school. He returned to
college to take prerequisite science classes and prepare for the MCAT
and application to a medical school.
“MSUCOM was my school of choice,” he says. “I’ve been preparing to
apply for almost five years.”
Science courses and the MCAT were not his only obstacles. His
wife was not happy with the idea that he would leave his New Jersey
home for four years to attend medical school and spend more years in
residency. Convincing her took several years and one small ally.
“When my oldest daughter, Priscilla, was 10 years old, she had to do
a school paper about her role model,” he explains. “I was expecting her
to pick Justin Bieber or Selena Gomez. All of a sudden, she said her role
model was me. I found out she saw me studying through the night and
working all day at the clinic. She saw me as capable and determined and
that inspired her.”
This revelation humbled Song and helped change his wife’s thinking.
She’s not only taken on the responsibility of running the family and
Jaseng center, she also uses his exam schedule to time conversations
about problems that she’s experiencing in both places.
“Running a clinic is difficult and she’s taking care of things. She
knows my exam schedule and doesn’t tell me about problems until after
my exams are finished,” he says.
Song believes his age and life stage are a benefit to him as a medical
student. “In every instance, being older puts me into a better position
to be a medical student. Needing less sleep as I get older means there’s
more time to study. I don’t have to impress a girlfriend or wonder whom
I’m going to marry.”
The distance from his family – he and his wife have two daughters
and a son – is a challenge, but he believes that he can be a good father,
even from a distance.
“You can’t be physically there with your children, but that doesn’t
mean you are not doing fatherly duties,” he points out. “You have to be
influential and show them how to live a good life. I want to be a role
model to them and when they grow up for them to be like me. I can’t
be there all the time, but I can show them I love them and talk to them
and help them with their problems. Even though they’re young, they
Kevin Song (right) poses with his family.
understand I can be there whenever they need me.”
Song plans to use his knowledge of both Eastern and Western
medicine – and culture – to bring people together and improve
understanding among practitioners of both schools of thought.
“This is not like trying something totally new,” he explains. I’m
expanding my career. MSUCOM bridges Eastern and Western
medicine. I’m going to be an ambassador representing both worlds
because I can speak the language of both branches of medicine.”
While Song’s career path is not out of the ordinary in the U.S. —
many members of the baby boom generation are exploring second
careers – he’s considered much more of a novelty in his home country.
“In Korea, when you turn 55 you become a senior citizen,” he says.
“People at that age are thinking about retiring and taking care of
grandchildren. I don’t understand why you’d retire. If you have strength
to stand up, why would you retire?”
His story was featured in the Korean media and on the Facebook
pages that garnered numerous comments, questions and fans. He heard
from people of all ages who were inspired by his story.
“Lots emailed me and said it changed their lives — they had given up
on their dreams and then changed their minds to go ahead with their
original plans,” he notes. “People are easily discouraged and don’t have
the courage to pursue their plans – they too easily give up.”
Song has many ideas for his life after medical school. He’d love to do
the elective rotations in Korea, take medical mission trips and operate
a whole-body medical clinic combining both Eastern and Western
philosophies. His highest priority is to put his new education to use in
service to others.
At Stanford University, where he completed his master’s degree, the
motto was “To Learn, To Serve.” This motto also fits Kevin Song’s plans
for the future.
“If you learn without serving, that’s useless. Being a doctor is not just
for your own benefit, it’s to help others. I want to go on mission trips,
attend Christian gatherings and use my knowledge and skills to serve
others physically, mentally, and spiritually. Being a medical student is
essentially a challenge, and life without a challenge is meaningless.”
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 7
STUDENTS
SERVING TO LIVE
Living to SERVE
These students do more than spend a little time volunteering – they have made giving back the hallmark of who they are.
by Laura Probyn
Hey, Detroit: She’s got your back
VICTORIA COHEN-BRADFORD
Victoria Cohen-Bradford’s philosophy about community service boils
down to one simple sentence: “How can I help?”
The third-year MSUCOM student is just setting out on clinical
rotations at McLaren Macomb, but she sees a future in medicine and
service that’s as clear as her past in inner-city Detroit.
Motor City born and raised, Cohen-Bradford attended Detroit Public
Schools from elementary through high school. She earned a Wade
McCree Incentive Scholarship that she used to complete a bachelor’s
degree at the University of Michigan. Through it all, community service
was part of her life.
“I was very active in high school,” she says. “I was also active
mentoring elementary and high school students, helping them prepare
for ACT all throughout my undergrad years.”
After graduating from college she added the American Cancer Society
to the list of organizations she supported with her time.
“After I got my undergrad degree I was active in Relay for Life,” she
says. “That was important to me. I have a family history of cancer and
therefore I wanted to be involved with an organization that’s dedicated
to people living with cancer as well as survivors and caregivers.”
It was also after earning her bachelor’s degree that Cohen-Bradford
began thinking about pursuing a master’s degree in public health.
Though her future plans were not yet solidified, she did know that they
included Detroit.
“I was taking some pre-med classes and a professor talked to us about
osteopathic medicine,” she said. “I learned about treating the person as
a whole and the systems approach to health. It all made sense. I’d been
Victoria Cohen-Bradford (left) attended the SNMA’s 50th annual
medical education conference in Washington DC in April. She’s
shown above with third-year MSUCOM student Erica Betts (center)
and second-year student Zakiya Polk.
8 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
thinking about getting my M.P.H. and I thought that would be a plus to
practice in the inner city, which is something that I definitely want to
do.”
She also met Rafael Marinez, MSUCOM assistant to the dean for
multicultural advancement, who introduced her to the Bridge Program,
which enables participants to pursue the M.P.H. prior to starting
their first year of medical school. That brought everything together for
Cohen-Bradford.
“I definitely wanted my M.P.H. and the osteopathic philosophy is
something I believe in and want to bring to all the patients I care for.”
MSUCOM’s emphasis on community service was also important
to Cohen-Bradford, who served as the vice president of the Student
National Medical Association while she was at the MSUCOM Detroit
Medical Center site.
“I try and stay in contact with the person who took my role as
SNMA’s VP at the DMC, Zakiya Polk,” she says. “I also look at how I can
be involved as I go on. Staying in contact with the first- and second-year
students will give me a way to stay active. I’m also reaching out to those
who have stayed involved with Relay for Life.”
Cohen-Bradford has advice for new or future medical students who
want to remain contributors through community service: prioritize, plan
and be patient.
“Make sure you know what events are going on and what you have
time for,” she notes. “You don’t want to fall behind on academics. For
some rotations you won’t have a lot of time, for others you’ll have more
time. It’s about keeping your passion in mind for community service and
being realistic. You’ll have time for community service, but you have to
be patient. Planning is a big thing you want to do.”
While community service is a definite part of Cohen-Bradford’s
future, her professional future is still being formed. She has interests in
internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology, but a rotation in surgery
has fostered an interest there, too.
“I like being in the OR and seeing the procedures and how they are
implemented — even though I’ve only had one rotation there — I see
myself doing some form of inner city medicine,” she says. “I definitely
understand that going through rotations I may see other needs that
I’d like to fill. I know I want to do something patient-related and very
hands-on.”
There’s no question that the inner city she’s chosen to share her skills
is her hometown.
“My whole family is from Detroit. You see what’s going on there
and you think, ‘I want to play a role in helping eradicate some of those
problems and making life better for the people living in Detroit.’ It’s
always been my goal — how do I get my education and use it to support
our city? I was reassured of how important it is to take care of the people
in your hometown after hearing Dr. William Anderson speak about
returning to his hometown in Georgia after completing his residency. He
made a promise to himself and followed through. That definitely stuck
with me.”
Cohen-Bradford doesn’t believe that Detroit’s rebirth is a distant
dream that is years away.
“It’s already in motion. I don’t know what my role will be, but I want
to play a part someday.”
STUDENTS
As a youngster, Sawdon started walking a path of compasssion thats already taken her to the neediest people of Egypt and Zambia (shown here).
by Pat Grauer
Following a thread of compassion
CHRISTY SAWDON
Christy Sawdon’s grandmother sewed more than 3,000 quilts for the
needy, and that example changed the course of her life at a young age. It
was her earliest memory of growing up and participating in a culture of
voluntarism that she’s committed to continue, and which has led her to
Egypt and Zambia.
“It’s how I was raised,” she said. “It’s an intrinsic motivation, a
spiritual motivation. Knowing that I was fortunate enough to be born
into what I have, once I’ve seen a need, I have to go to help.”
She grew up close to MSU, in Williamston, and attended Olivet
Nazarene University south of Chicago, graduating in 2013 with a degree
in biology. By the summer after her freshman year, she was traveling to
Cairo to help a physician whose practice was moving among the more
than 200,000 people living in “trash cities.” It was her first time out of
the USA.
“A lot of these people were homeless because of persecution,” she
said. “My role was to work with the (14-year-old) translator and to take
histories and blood pressures before the doctor saw the patients – nearly
50 each day. At night we did social outreach. I also lived and worked
with the Bedouins in the Sahara Desert to build wells and homes.”
“It really worked out,” she said. “I’m comfortable in new situations, I’d
done my research, and I love working with people different than myself.”
In 2011, she spent the entire summer in Zambia, doing HIV and AIDS
education among the people and training local health care workers
under the auspices of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. Working
from home bases in Lusaka and Choma, they traveled to schools and
churches, spending a day or two at each. They provided basic medical
home care, taught school lessons and spoke in churches.
“The Zambians were highly receptive of HIV education,” Sawdon
noted. “We always got extensive participation in Q and A. There are a
lot of misconceptions and myths.”
After Zambia, she knew that medicine was her future. She contacted
Keith Nelson, a 1988 MSUCOM alumnus and her middle school soccer
coach, shadowed his practice and learned about the osteopathic
philosophy. It was a fit.
“Ideally, I’d like to work part- to full-time internationally,” she
said. “My heart is set on Africa – any country where I could help.
My specialty? Maybe internal medicine or infectious disease or
immunology.”
The thread of Sawdon’s culture of voluntarism has run through
all of her life. In high school, she tutored math, worked blood drives,
conducted a Sunday School drama ministry, stuffed backpacks for the
Lansing City Rescue Mission and was an instructor at soccer camp.
During summers she was a lifeguard and counselor at Camp Barakel and
Cran-Hill Ranch, Christian camps.
At college, she committed herself to building a relationship with a
person with developmental disabilities in the Best Buddies program,
ran the Chicago Marathon for Team World Vision, was a peer mentor
to freshman women, educated students and faculty about bone marrow
donation and served as part of a team to package dehydrated meals for
families in need globally.
After college, she took a year off and worked with elderly persons in
an assisted living home in Williamston. She also began work at McLaren
Greater Lansing as an endoscopy volunteer, which she continues to the
present.
For fun, Sawdon enjoys reading, the outdoors and backpacking and
considers herself “a bit of a runner.” She’s traveled to 47 states, hiked
the Grand Canyon, and studied tropical ecology in Ecuador and the
Galapagos Islands. From her grandmother’s knee to far-flung points on
the planet, she’s continuing the thread of voluntarism.
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 9
STUDENTS
CONVOCATION 2014
New class begins its JOURNEY
by Laura Probyn
Dean Strampel:
“This is a time to celebrate.”
CLASS OF 2018 CLASS PROFILE
Number of applications: 5,046
Number enrolled: 313
Female/male ratio: 131/182
Age distribution: 19-52; average 23
MCAT: average 28
GPA: average 3.59
Michigan/non-Michigan residency: 261/52
The members of the MSU College of
Osteopathic Medicine’s Class of 2018
marched across the Wharton Center stage
and into their medical school careers
on June 20 during the college’s 44th
convocation ceremony.
Dean Strampel welcomed the class, their
families, friends and the guest speakers.
Judith Morris, president and CEO of
Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario, and
Spencer Dickson, dean of the Lambton
College School of Health Sciences, also
provided their welcomes — especially to
those class members from Canada.
Also on the podium were Michigan
Osteopathic Association President-Elect
Robert Piccinini and the MSUCOM
Student Government Association
President Nathan Hamilton (Class of
2017).
Hamilton encouraged the class to
remember the dean’s presentation to them
on the first day of orientation and told
them, “You get what you give, and this
could not be truer than in medical school.”
Associate Dean and Director of Student
Services William Falls introduced the
New osteopathic physicians: Drs. Raechel Percy, Meagan Smith,
Kristie Haberichter, Heather Payter and Amy O’Neill
10 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
new medical students as they crossed the
Wharton stage and donned their new white
coats with assistance from administrative
marshals.
Falls also introduced the members of the
Osteopathic Medical Scholars Program who
were in attendance. The OMSP is for MSU
undergraduate students who are interested
in exploring careers in osteopathic
medicine.
Strampel wrapped up the ceremony by
noting the change that is visible in the class
members after they slip on their white coats
and told them that he would probably not
shake hands with many of them for about
1,350 days — at which time they will also
accept their diplomas as medical school
graduates.
He concluded the event by inviting the
new students to turn and applaud those
who were behind them — literally and
figuratively — as they thanked the parents,
significant others, siblings and friends who
had helped them along their journey.
“All of you are at the top of the class right
now. This is a time to celebrate.”
STUDENTS
MSUCOM STUDENTS
in action
Students leap for lupus
Detroit riverboat hosts fall cruise
MSUCOM students, alumni, faculty and staff from all three sites
came together on Sept. 13 for the Student Government Association’s
Fall Mixer on the Detroit Princess riverboat. More than 200 people
dressed to the nines for an elegant Detroit River cruise that gave them
a chance to relax and enjoy a beautiful late summer evening. The cruise
was organized by the Student Government Association executive
board with the help of events directors Salomi Rami (Macomb), Monica
Barnes (East Lansing) and Tabitha Wydryck (DMC).
Peru elective takes students into
service in South America
The MSUCOM Peru elective included 32 students (24 second-years
and six fourth-years) among the 68 participants who provided care to
underserved rural and urban audiences.
Specialties represented included family medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN,
ENT, ER, IM, OMT, podiatry and dermatology. The three-week trip was
guided by Gary Willyerd, D.O., associate dean for the MSUCOM Detroit
Medical Center site and Joe Gorz, D.O., an MSUCOM alumnus and
family medicine resident at McLaren Oakland in Pontiac.
Plunging from an airplane is generally not an activity associated
with medical school, but a group of students from the MSU colleges of
osteopathic medicine and human medicine did just that recently to raise
funds for the Leap for Lupus Foundation.
Members of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association and the
American Medical Student Association participated in the fourth annual
“leap” at Skydive Tecumseh.
Nearly 1.5 million Americans suffer from systemic lupus
erythematosus (commonly called lupus), a chronic autoimmune disorder
that can affect any of the body’s organs. Its symptoms can come and
go and may mimic other diseases. There’s no single test to definitively
diagnose lupus and many people may suffer from it for years before they
are diagnosed.
Fee, fi, fo, Follies!
It certainly fit the classical definition of “follies”: a “theatrical revue,
typically with glamorous performers.” A rainbow of slinky dresses was
set off by a sea of black coats and white shirts. It was, without a doubt,
the most elegant Fee Follies ever.
On April 11, hundreds of students, faculty and staff made their way
to the Kellogg Center for a gourmet meal, great company, and original
entertainment, barbs and all. Video programs, sketches, stand-up
comedy, songs, and even a Skype greeting from Mexico highlighted the
evening. Planning and hosting the event were students from the Class
of 2016.
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 11
EDUCATION
Lifestyle medicine programs
help future physicians understand the challenges of change
by Laura Probyn
Change is difficult. Anyone who’s ever tried to lose a
few pounds, quit smoking or start exercising can attest to
that. But how can a physician who’s never battled a weight
problem advise a patient on the steps to take to move that
dial on the scale?
This is a topic that Kari Hortos, associate dean for the
MSUCOM Macomb University Center site, believes is an
important aspect of primary care physician education. She
took the opportunity to use a GlaxoSmithKline grant to
develop a health promotion practicum to help physicians in
training better learn about nutrition and healthy lifestyles
so that they can provide better advice and better understand
the struggles their patients face.
After offering and examining two years of data from the
practicum, she received support from MSUCOM to offer a
pilot pre-clerkship lifestyle medicine fellowship program for
four members of the Class of 2017 at Macomb.
“One of the constant complaints from physicians is, ‘We
don’t get enough nutrition information.’ They do get it, but
they don’t know what to do with it,” she said. “The physician
competencies required to help people make lifestyle changes
are really coaching skills, which are very different from
delivering expert advice.”
Hortos built the practicum and fellowship in collaboration
with Weight Watchers of Michigan. The practicum took
place earlier this year with 19 students at the Macomb site
and three assistant professors of osteopathic manipulative
medicine: Lori Dillard, Adam Feinstein and Teri Hammer.
She measured the participants’ subjective awareness levels
before and after the practicum and presented the results at
the AACOM annual conference in April. Her findings have
shown that participating students changed their feelings
about the value of nutrition counseling after taking part
in the eight-week practicum, that they gained nutrition
knowledge and diet-planning skills and improved their selfefficacy around both diet and exercise.
Hortos, an internist who completed a Harvard-affiliated
clinical fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in
nutrition, is connecting the practicum and fellowship to
Prochaska’s research on change. The stages range from precontemplation—when a person does not feel the need to
change—to contemplation, preparation, action, and finally,
maintenance.
Instead of looking at the data from the angle that the
vast majority of people who need to institute a healthrelated change in their lives will not do it, Hortos wants the
students to look at the opportunity to connect with those
who are prepared to take action and adopt a coaching rather
than expert mindset.
The students are not typical Weight Watchers clients,
as some start the program at a healthy body weight. Hortos
got special dispensation for them to take part in the session
focusing on improving their health behaviors as a result of
their participation. She hopes all participants will be able
to apply what they learned in their own lives as well as in
practice.
The pilot fellowship is now underway with support from
Sarah McCaskey, a registered dietician and instructor at
Macomb. The four participating students are Jared Davis,
12 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
Betty Johnson, Salomi Rami and Justin Stewart.
They are attending a 12-week Weight Watchers program to learn about nutrition.
In September they also took part in functional movement sessions and learned about
coaching from Dayna Elfont, an MSUCOM alumna, primary practice doctor and a
health and wellness coach.
Functional movement was developed for members of the armed forces and higherlevel athletes to help them learn how to move to prevent injury. It’s been adapted for
use with anyone who wants to perform daily activities and exercises without getting
hurt. Hortos hopes the students can incorporate aspects of functional movement into
their osteopathic manipulative medicine practice later.
In 2015, the fellows will take part in the third practicum, leading a Weight
Watchers session and completing a capstone project. She also wants them to
understand how, as physicians, they can serve as coaches to their patients.
“Coaching requires using a completely different part of your brain,” Hortos says.
“You, as the physician, are not the boss, you’re the partner. You are encouraging and
fostering possibilities. The patients have to do the hard work to get healthier.”
At a little more than a month into the health promotion pre-clerkship fellowship,
participant Betty Johnson was already surprised by what she was learning from the
Weight Watchers members.
“I am impressed at the general air of positivity that comes from the participants,”
she said. “I would not have expected so much enthusiasm for healthier eating.
There is also a tremendous sense of community and support among the members.
The greatest learning opportunity for me, however, has come from observing and
interacting with others in the program.”
Rami sees the value that the fellowship will bring to her later in her career.
“This fellowship is giving me skills in diet, nutrition, exercise and stress
management,” she said. “I believe that it will give me the tools to relate on a personal
level with my patients in the future, merely because I practice what I preach.”
Thanks to his experience, Stewart knows that he’ll be an empathetic physician/
coach who can relate what others are going through. “I intend to use this experience
so I can say to my patients, sincerely, ‘Yes, I know change can be hard; I’ve done it,
and so now I can help you.’”
Because Hortos sees expanded health promotion programs as being very
compatible with the osteopathic philosophy of viewing each patient holistically,
she believes there’s a logical fit for future activities in the college with an option for
students and residents to get certification in lifestyle medicine competencies.
“Ultimately, I’d like MSUCOM to be a leader that demonstrates in a consistent,
meaningful way, the tenet to find health is the doctor’s objective,” she said. “I’d like us
to be able to say, ‘Here’s where we’re consistently doing this.’”
Kari Hortos, center, works with (left to right) Sarah McCaskey and
students Betty Johnson, Salomi Rami and Justin Stewart.
RESEARCH
Roger Haut (left) and Todd Fenton discuss new
findings related to skull fractures in children.
Haut and Fenton:
Piecing together the mysteries of skull fractures
by Pat Grauer
The specter of people falsely imprisoned for child abuse haunts Roger
Haut, a University Distinguished Professor in mechanical engineering
and radiology at MSUCOM and his colleague Todd Fenton, associate
professor of anthropology. For six years, they have been investigating
ways to distinguish accidental from intentional skull damage, especially
in children under two years of age. They are building a national database
of skull fracture patterns – analogous to fingerprint and DNA databases
– that can be used by medical examiners, prosecutors and defendants in
cases where abuse is suspected.
The partnership – which also includes Anil Jain, a University
Distinguished Professor in computer science and engineering – was
fortuitous. Haut has been studying human biomechanics for decades, and
Fenton is one of only three board-certified forensic anthropologists in
Michigan. Between them, they had the breadth and connections to take a
practical problem, address it scientifically and provide the data to change
policies and procedures on the ground.
“I work closely with medical examiners and law enforcement,”
Fenton said, “and I’m often called to identify human remains and to
evaluate skeletal trauma. Roger has the skills to assess how things break
biomechanically – to provide the scientific data necessary to create the
database.”
Under grants from the National Institute of Justice, they have
subjected skulls to known forces from known implements and surfaces
at known velocities, and then recorded the pattern of the fractures that
occurred. They have used piglet skulls (all subjects in the study died
naturally prior to the research) because they have been shown to match
closely the mechanical properties of the bones in young children’s skulls.
Two unexpected results have emerged from their studies. First, they
have found that the common assumption that each blow to the head
causes one and only one fracture has proven false. Second they have
discovered that, counterintuitively, the fractures don’t always travel
away from the impact site. Sometimes they travel toward it.
“What happens,” Haut says, “is that with a strong enough impact,
the entire skull deforms. With this out-bending, you may not even get
a fracture at the impact site. If you hit the skull at a parietal bone, the
fractures typically occur along the periphery of the skull sutures. It’s a bit
like smashing a cookie: the outside edges crack first.”
What this means in the world of prosecutors and defendants is
significant. If a victim exhibited, say, three skull fractures, the old
presumption was that they were caused by three impacts. Three impacts
were considered a strong indication of abuse. The research shatters that
assumption.
Stressing the importance of working closely with medical examiners,
Fenton has sent his graduate students to 15 of their offices across the
country; the medical examiners have provided case data on 300 infantchild cranial fractures. The team is using machine learning (pattern
recognition) software, initially developed on the piglet database, to
develop a computerized method of associating specific fracture patterns
with the medical-forensic histories in each of these cases.
The ultimate goal is creating a science of statistical fracture signatures.
As medical examiners increasingly share their information and images in
a common database, and the algorithm developed by Haut and Fenton
is applied, it’s anticipated that the fracture signatures will become more
and more refined.
The forensics community needs more basic science, more
understanding of basic force applications,” Haut said. “There are
initiatives in forensics to team up with engineers and pattern recognition
specialists. It’s extremely challenging to figure out what happened to an
individual, but these partnerships are proving very fruitful.”
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 13
ALUMNI
Steven Karageanes, physician-artist:
Lights, camera, STAT!
by Pat Grauer
When the twin towers in New York fell in 2001, Steven Karageanes immediately drove from Michigan to join
medical volunteers providing care to survivors and rescue workers.
That level of passion, impulse and courage characterizes much that the 1995 MSUCOM alumnus does, and has
earned him recognition at a national level in two careers: as a sports medicine physician and as a professional
screenwriter, director and actor. The intersection of these interests has created a new initiative to care for artists
– persons with finely trained bodies who must perform precisely on demand, even if injured – as athletes.
The physician
Karageanes, now medical director of sports medicine at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in
Livonia, completed a term in 2013 as the national president of the American Osteopathic
Academy of Sports Medicine. He also serves as clinical assistant professor at MSUCOM
and the regional assistant dean for the Kansas City University of Medicine and
Biosciences. He boasts numerous publications, including as editor-in-chief of the book
Principles of Manual Sports Medicine and producer of the “Osteopathic Clinical Joint Exam”
videos.
He’s a strong advocate for the health of artists – like dancers, musicians, performers,
cheerleaders – and says, “Performing arts medicine is where sports medicine was 25 years
ago.” In July, he was named the first special consultant to the board of the International
Association of Dance Medicine and Science. Working with the American College of
Sports Medicine to develop the coalition Athletes and the Arts, he urges physicians to
give artists the level of care they would elite athletes.
“For example,” he says, “One study found that 84 percent of musicians in professional
companies have missed work because of injuries. They don’t want to see doctors, whose
response is usually to tell them to take six weeks off. Who would dismiss an athlete that
way? If it were an injured football player, he’d get everything he needed. Football players
also have second-string backups who fill in until the player is recovered. Oboists or ballet
corps dancers don’t. It’s just a measure of how our society perceives the importance of
different activities.”
Karageanes is working on setting up a network of providers for dancers so they can see
receptive and knowledgeable physicians when they’re on the road. “A dancer has to hit
the mark every time or she’d be fired,” he explains. “If you’re injured, you’re done. But it’s
difficult for them to take care of themselves, especially when traveling.”
Steven Karageanes:
The doctor is in.
The artist
On the set directing Come Together.
14 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
Karageanes’ IMDb (Internet Movie Database) listing
shows that the spectrum of his work covers many
roles, primarily as producer, writer and director. But he
also has credits for editing, acting, composing, sound,
cinematography, visual effects, animation and production
management.
He’s snagged numerous awards, most notably a
$100,000 prize in the Action on Film Award’s “Writer’s
100K Challenge.” Five other awards from Action on Film
were for best sports documentary, best documentary
short, best actor in a short, best horror feature script, and
best title sequence, and an honorable mention for best
short film from the Accolade Competition.
He has nine films and a children’s TV series to his
credit, and three in the works. Needlestick, a hospital-based
thriller, will be completed this fall under an incentive
ALUMNI/STAFF
of nearly $72,000 from the Michigan Film Office. The film’s cast
includes Lance Henriksen (Aliens, The Terminator, Millennium) and
Harry Lennix (The Matrix sequels, Man of Steel, The Black List). Make
it Big (the award-winning script from Action on Film) is in preproduction, and Empath was just announced.
“I’ve had flirtations with this all my life,” Karageanes said. “I wrote
my first play in third grade. During medical school, I started standup comedy. As a resident in Chicago, I was a featured extra acting
with George Clooney in ER.
“But in 2004, I had accomplished all my sports medicine goals I
had by age 33. I was despondent and sought help. I discovered that
I had ADHD, and the clouds parted with treatment. I needed to find
out if the performing arts part of me was real, and to go full-bore into
it. That opened everything to me. I enrolled at Second City,” he said.
“At my first class there, the instructor told me that ‘your focus was
Karageanes received the Action on Film
exemplary.” He grins at the irony. He trained with them for more than
$100,000 Writer’s Challenge Award.
three years, weekly at least, and while there, wrote the script for his first
film, American Piety, which was shown at festivals at Cannes, Monaco,
Los Angeles and New York.
Along the way, he learned networking skills. At a film festival honoring novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard, Karageanes ran a
screenplay competition for which Elmore chose the winner. Karageanes also made the tribute film dedicated to Elmore, who publicly
said of the work, “That was amazing!” The tribute was also part of Elmore’s funeral last year. Showing his works at festivals and rubbing
elbows with the LA elite have helped Karageanes meet people with whom he can collaborate.
Working full-time, Karageanes divides his free time between his wife and two children and his art. All four are creative. His wife,
Cynthia, is a fairyhouse crafter and runs her own business; son Miller, 14, works in cinematology and photography, and daughter Bella,
11, is into dance, music, making YouTube videos and is executive administrator for a Minecraft server.
“It’s all about stories,” he said. “Part of what attracts me to sports medicine is the narrative. I still love my job as a doctor. I’m going to
march forward, take the journey, see what happens. Anything more structured than that is almost impossible.”
Staff Matters
D’Ann Zona
by Pat Grauer
D’Ann Zona mixes a real affection for the MSUCOM-Macomb faculty,
staff and students with an Iron Woman approach to exercise and good
health habits – a combination that makes her a formidable member of
the college community.
Working as the front desk secretary at the Macomb site for the past
18 months, she provides administrative assistance, handling student/
faculty payroll, answering phones, supporting faculty with travel
arrangements and reimbursements, scheduling visiting clinical faculty,
and helping student services run smoothly.
“I really like all the people who come through the door, and I’m
usually the first person they see,” she says. “Everyone has a story. They
cope with stress in their personal lives or struggle to balance studies and
family life, and we try to help. Macomb is a great site with a vibe that’s
supportive and upbeat.”
Zona also appreciates the fact that the college recognizes her
knowledge and skill as a trainer and her personal interest in health and
well-being. “For example, Dr. (Kari) Hortos (associate dean at Macomb)
manages the Health Promotion Practicum (HP2) pilot study (see page 12),
which includes instruction about Functional Movement Systems (FMS)
and because of my interest she includes me,” she says. “Dr. Hortos will
also include me in different health topics such as specialty spotlight on
nutrition or other programs that she believes will benefit me.”
Zona admits that a perk of the job is allowing MSUCOM students
to practice osteopathic manipulative medicine on her to alleviate her
aches, pains and sore muscles. In addition to her role as secretary,
she has been teaching spinning, kickboxing, core, strength and total
conditioning at Life Time Fitness for more than 10 years. In her
free time, Zona enjoys standup paddleboarding (SUP) with friends,
paddleboard yoga and outdoor boot camps. What’s that? Imagine
running through the park, racing up and down more than 200 stairs,
doing push-ups, tire flips and sprinting back to the stairs for 10 more
rounds.
Zona and her husband of 20 years have an 18-year-old daughter and
a 13-year-old son. “My kids started daycare at Life Time and pretty
much grew up in that gym,” she says. “I was there a lot working out,
and they approached me to teach group fitness classes. I studied,
earned my group fitness certification, auditioned and got the job.”
She’s also looking forward to the essential study of yoga certification
this fall.
“My desk is
located right
across from the
elevator and I
gently try to
encourage people
to take the stairs
instead,” she
says. “It’s never
been about
looking good in
a swimsuit, but
trying to keep the
body functioning
at a high level
with fewer aches
and pains.”
Getting physical: Iron Woman Zona
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 15
DEVELOPMENT/MOA
Joseph Pysh:
Honoring the past by ensuring the future
by Pat Grauer
Jayne Ward, David Kaufman, and Joe Pysh — all from the Department
of Neurology and Ophthalmology — were among those recently
celebrating a successful residency recruitment season. Ward’s friend
Jimi Young at the end of the evening had a question. “Joe Pysh is
committed to education and excited about the residents and clerkships
and students. Have you ever done something to honor him?”
The query resonated for Ward, a 1996 MSUCOM alumna and an
associate professor in the department, because Pysh had not only been
a faculty colleague, but one of her instructors. It also was attractive to
Kaufman, chairperson, who had seen Pysh’s work and can-do attitude
close-up for years. As a result, the two decided to create the Joseph Pysh,
D.O./Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship in his honor, and solicited support
from faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the department. They presented
it to him this spring as a surprise.
“Joe was always the first person to step up, the first to help in any
endeavor,” said Ward. “He’s a professor emeritus right now, but it’s
typical of him that he still works nine months a year teaching OST 571
[Neuromusculoskeletal System] and works with residents.”
Pysh, who retired in 2008, is a neurologist and neuroanatomist who
maintained active research, teaching and clinical practices as a professor.
He joined MSUCOM in 1986 as an associate professor of internal
medicine, after 20 years of service on the faculty in the then Department
of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Northwestern University’s medical and
dental schools in Chicago..
His research interests include environmental influences on brain
development, cellular mechanisms in synaptic transmission, stroke,
Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, and epilepsy. He is the
author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, educational videos
and invited presentations, and held a number of National Institutes of
Health research grants.
But it was Pysh’s commitment to his trainees that was most
memorable; he spent a substantial amount of time educating master’s
and doctoral students and providing clinical education for interns,
residents and fellows.
MOA
MICHIGAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION
Protect your profession
with political activism
by Kristopher Thomas Nicholoff
CEO and executive director, Michigan Osteopathic Association
In this year of unprecedented legislative threats and an election just
days away, there is nothing more essential to us than your political
activism. We must help elect pro-physician candidates who will make
educated decisions on issues that may affect the way you practice
medicine.
This is why the Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) exists –
to protect, promote and advocate for the osteopathic community. The
MOA does this in many ways, but, arguably, the most important is our
work at the Michigan State Capitol.
16 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
“Joseph Pysh represents people who
are utterly loyal to their profession and
college,” said Kaufman. “He has served
MSUCOM and its students, never
wavering in his devotion to teaching
young doctors. He also provides
outstanding neurological care to his
patients. Best of all, he inspires the
people around him to do things the
right way.”
The Pysh scholarships will be
awarded to third-year MSUCOM
students with a demonstrated interest
in neurology and who have performed
well in their required third-year
Joseph Pysh
neurology clerkship.
“Because we are very lucky to have
Joe Pysh among us, we have an interest in honoring him and all that
he stands for by developing this scholarship in his name. We believe
students now and deep into the future should be very aware of the
qualities he represents,” Kaufman said.
To donate to the Joseph Pysh, D.O./Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship,
please either
 Contact MSUCOM’s Office of Development at 517-355-8355
and provide a credit card number
 Send a check made out to “Michigan State University” to
Christopher Surian, 965 Fee Road, Room A310, East Lansing,
MI 48824 or
 Go online to make your gift at http://www.givingto.msu.edu/
give.cfm
Ask that your gift be credited to account AS2620. Thank you!
The Michigan Osteopathic Political Action Committee (MOPAC)
fights to elect and re-elect pro-physician candidates through direct
contributions, voter education and targeted political activism. MOPAC
allows osteopathic medical students and D.O.s in Michigan to combine
resources to help elect candidates for state office who demonstrate
a positive concern for those issues important to the osteopathic
profession. MOPAC is not affiliated with any political party and is
organized and operated on a non-partisan, independent basis.
MOPAC is the sole political action committee representing
osteopathic medical students and physicians in Michigan and is
governed by osteopathic medical students and physicians. The political
activities are funded by the voluntary contributions of MOA members,
which make it possible to have significant impact in elections.
We know your time and resources are limited. However, your
political activism is essential to help elect candidates that represent
you and your osteopathic profession. Please make a difference today
by visiting http://mi-osteopathic.org/JoinMOPAC and contribute as
much or as often as you can. You can’t afford not to. Remember, we can
only protect our profession with your support.
CME
Office of Continuing Medical Education
2014-2015 CME PROGRAMS
EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION AS
A COMPLEMENT TO MANUAL
MEDICINE
October 17 - 20, 2014
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 26.5 credits of Category 1-A
SYMPOSIUM FOR PRIMARY
CARE MEDICINE
Co-Sponsored by MSUCOM and
Botsford Hospital
November 7 - 8, 2014
Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel
• 17 credits of Category 1-A
• Contact Botsford Hospital at
248-417-8222 or
www.botsford.org
ADVANCED MUSCLE ENERGY
WITH CLINICAL CORRELATIONS
November 7 - 11, 2014
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 34 credits of Category 1-A
PRINCIPLES OF MANUAL
MEDICINE
December 5 - 8, 2014
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 28 credits of Category 1-A
CRANIOSACRAL TECHNIQUES:
PART I
January 23 - 27, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 35 credits of Category 1-A
PEDIATRIC UPDATE
February 21, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 8 credits of Category 1-A
CARDIOLOGY UPDATE
March 21, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 8 credits of Category 1-A
EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION AS
A COMPLEMENT TO MANUAL
MEDICINE
March 6 - 9, 2015
Nova Southeastern University
Tampa, Florida
• 26.5 credits of Category 1-A
MUSCLE ENERGY: PART I
April 17 - 21, 2015
MSUCOM, East Lansing
East Lansing, Michigan
• 34 credits of Category 1-A
SPORTS MEDICINE
May 1, 2015
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
East Lansing, Michigan
• 7 credits of Category 1-A
MSUCOM CLINICAL SYMPOSIUM
June 26 - 28, 2015
Park Place Hotel
Traverse City, Michigan
• 15 credits of Category 1-A
PRINCIPLES OF MANUAL
MEDICINE
July 11- 12, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
• 14 credits of Category 1-A
*Must have approval for course.
Online course required to take
hands-on portion. Please contact
office for further details.
WWW.COM.MSU.EDU/CME
INDIRECT, FUNCTIONAL
APPROACH TO MANUAL
MEDICINE
September 18 - 20, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 22.5 credits of Category 1-A
CRANIOSACRAL TECHNIQUES:
PART II
October 9 - 13, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 35 credits of Category 1-A
DIRECT ACTION THRUST:
MOBILIZATION WITH IMPULSE
October 23 - 26, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 27 credits of Category 1-A
MANUAL MEDICINE RELATED
TO SPORTS & OCCUPATIONAL
INJURIES TO THE EXTREMITIES
November 7 - 8, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 15 credits of Category 1-A
OMM FOR THE PREGNANT &
NEWBORN PATIENT
November 13, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 8 credits of Category 1-A
PRINCIPLES OF MANUAL
MEDICINE
December 4 - 7, 2015
MSUCOM, East Fee Hall
East Lansing, Michigan
• 28 credits of Category 1-A
ALSO AVAILABLE: CME ONLINE
• Up to 56 1-B Credits
517-353-9714
800-437-0001
CME@COM.MSU.EDU
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 17
ALUMNI
Patricia M. LoRusso, D.O.:
MSU Distinguished Alumnus, humble exemplar
by Pat Grauer
With 5,096 graduates, MSUCOM represents less than one percent
of Michigan State University’s 530,000 alumni. Yet the college has
produced two of the six MSU Distinguished Alumni Award winners in the
last two years – Mark E. Fleming (’99) in 2013 and Patricia M. LoRusso
(’81) in September.
LoRusso, nominated by the college, was honored at ceremonies
at the Kellogg Center for her compassionate patient care, outstanding
cancer research and her teaching skill. Her citation (below) from the
event clearly demonstrates why she was chosen.
Before Dr. LoRusso became an exemplar and internationally
respected expert and advocate of translational therapeutics, she
studied at the University of Detroit, receiving her B.Sc. in 1977,
followed by her D.O. from Michigan State University in 1981.
Following graduation, Dr. LoRusso completed her internship and
residency in internal medicine at Riverside Osteopathic Hospital
in Trenton, Michigan, and a fellowship in hematology and
oncology at Wayne State University.
Dr. LoRusso, widely regarded as a leading expert on developing
new cancer drugs through clinical trials, joined Yale Cancer
Center in August as a professor of medicine and associate director
of innovative medicine. Prior to her Yale appointment, she
served in numerous leadership roles at Wayne State University’s
Barbara Karmanos Cancer Institute, most recently as director of
the Phase I clinical trials Program and of the Eisenberg Center
for Experimental Therapeutics. She is the author of 202 peerreviewed publications, eight books and chapters, 237 published
abstracts, and has received 30 major grants, many of them over a
million dollars and 11 of them currently active.
Patricia LoRusso and Scott Westerman,
executive director of the MSU Alumni Association
Dr. LoRusso has served as co-chair of the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program
Investigational Drug Steering Committee and has served on the
scientific committee of the American Association for Cancer
Research, the education and scientific committees of the American
Society of Clinical Oncology, and as a member of several NCI
and other peer-reviewed grant committees. She has a long and
impressive list of honors in both research and teaching, including
the Karmanos Cancer Institute Faculty Award for Clinical
Excellence and the Wayne State University teaching Award.
Dr. LoRusso’s passion for cancer research provides hope and
longevity to patients locally, nationally and internationally.
18 COMMUNIQUÉ FALL 2014
M S U C O M
A L U M N I
N E T W O R K
Osteopathic Open
Silverfest Tailgate
Silverfest Reception
SILVERFEST ALUMNI WEEKEND BIGGEST EVER!
As MSUCOM’s cadre of alumni grows, so do our celebrations for them! On Sept. 19-20, more than 1,000 people participated
in our annual Silverfest events: 136 golfers at the Osteopathic Open, 150 at the reception, 90 for the “Fall Kaleidoscope”
continuing medical education course and more than 700 at the tailgate, most of whom attended the MSU vs. Eastern Michigan
football game. Osteopathic Open funds support scholarships, student loans, educational improvements and the MSUCOM
Alumni Association. Sponsors for events included McLaren Greater Lansing; Kheder Davis & Associates, Inc.; Michigan
Osteopathic Association and the MSU Federal Credit Union.
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 19
ALUMNI
GET CAUGHT IN OUR WEB!
COM.MSU.EDU/ALUMNI
Hidden under an innocent button labeled “Alumni,” just under the banner at the
college website, is a treasure trove of memories, news, upcoming events and photos of
interest to MSUCOM alumni.
You can
 See what happened at Silverfest and the Osteopathic Open – across the last 16 years!
 Discover what your class clown or bookworm is now doing
 Honor those classmates you’ve lost
 Learn about the work of your MSUCOM Alumni Association
 Find CME courses from your alma mater
 Check out the MSUCOM merchandise
 Put upcoming events on your calendar, get college news and more!
There is also a lot of alumni news on the MSUCOM Facebook: www.facebook.com/
MSUCOM and Twitter: twitter.com/MSU_Osteopathic
Join us!
Where are you?
Please keep us informed of recent
moves or changes in your practice.
It is important for college reports,
grant writing, etc., that we have
up-to-date information on
our alumni. Changes to your
information can be made on the
MSUCOM website under the alumni
section or by calling
877-853-3448.
MSUCOM Alumni Office
965 Fee Road, Room A310
email: kim.camp@hc.msu.edu
www.com.msu.edu/alumni
Upcoming Events
Oct. 15-19
ACOI Annual Convention
Baltimore
Reception on Oct. 17
Oct. 25-29
OMED: AOA’s Osteopathic
Medical Conference
and Exposition
Seattle
Reception on Oct. 27
Jan. 22-25
MAOFP Update
Bellaire, MI
Reception on Jan. 24
March 7-14
Healthy Lifestyle and
Preventive Care
Los Cabos, Mexico
NEW ADDITION TO MSUCOM ALUMNI BOARD
Kelly Kozlowski, Class of 2006, an emergency medicine
physician in Dearborn, Michigan.
“I graduated from MSUCOM in 2006 with some of the brightest,
most caring doctors I have ever met. My class was chock-full of
people of integrity and spirit to help others, and I treasure my time
spent on campus as a Spartan. We received such compassionate
support from the school both personally and academically. It is
because of this experience that I am honored to serve on the Alumni
Association Board of Directors. I am proud of my osteopathic
training and know that I bring tidbits of MSUCOM with me as I
serve my patients during each of my emergency medicine shifts.”
SERVING THE STUDENTS, SERVING OUR FUTURE
We’ve all
learned about the
patient-centered
medical home
for our practices,
but I’d like to ask
you to consider
MSUCOM as our
student-centered
medical home.
Osteopathic
students are
the future of our profession, and we as
physicians should get involved and care
for these students to keep them in the
fold.
How? There are many kinds of
opportunities. Get involved. Like Uncle
Sam, MSUCOM wants you!
Ū Volunteer. Teach our preclinical
students, located in East Lansing,
Detroit, or Clinton Township. Become
a preceptor and invite osteopathic
students to work in your office. Work
20 COMMUNIQUÉ
FALL 2013
20 COMMUNIQUÉ
FALL 2014
with third- and fourth-year students
in one of our base hospitals or other
clinical settings to help them apply
their skills
Ū Give. MSUCOM students are
graduating from medical school with
astronomical debt – many of them
shouldering more than $200,000 in
loans. Last year the college was able
to give out 87 scholarships, loans and
awards totaling more than $2.5 million.
That’s impressive, but it means only
about 14 percent of our students are
receiving scholarship assistance, and
many of those are getting less than
$5,000 each. Start an endowment or
contribute to an existing fund!
Ū Recruit. Osteopathic physicians
can understand what makes a great
colleague better than anyone else. When
you see those attributes in a person,
urge them to consider the profession,
and to contact the MSUCOM Office of
Admissions for individual counsel.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that I
was in the same boat as today’s students.
MSUCOM gave me the tools to be
successful professionally, socially and
financially. Now that I’m the proud parent
of a recent MSUCOM graduate and a
current second-year osteopathic student,
I can honestly say that it is offering the
same benefits to current students.
There’s an old saying: “If you’re
planning for a year, plant rice. If you’re
planning for a decade, plant trees. If
you’re planning for a lifetime, educate the
people.” We want our profession to live
for centuries, and educating physicians
at the #1 D.O. school – MSUCOM – will
ensure that.
My request of you is continue the
three-millennium epoch of the Spartan
legend of discipline, hard work, and, most
important, education.
Stephen M. Swetech, D.O., Class of 1986
MSUCOM Alumni Association President
2014 C ALENDAR
OCTOBER
OF
E VENTS
15-19
American College of Osteopathic Internists Annual Convention and Scientific Sessions — Baltimore.
acoi.org, susan@acoi.org
17-20
CME: Exercise Prescription as a Complement to Manual Medicine – MSUCOM, Fee Hall, East Lansing. 26.5
Category 1-A credits. Chairperson Mark Bookhout, P.T. com.msu.edu/cme, 517-353-9714 or
cme@com.msu.edu
25-29
OMED 2014, the AOA convention – Seattle, WA. Alumni reception the 27th at Gordon Biersch Brewery.
kim.camp@hc.msu.edu
NOVEMBER
1
See the Sites – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., MSUCOM at Macomb University Center, Clinton Township, and
1 to 4 p.m. Detroit Medical Center. Contact jessica.bilodeau@hc.msu.edu
7-8
CME: Symposium for Primary Care Medicine, cosponsored with Botsford Hospital – Sheraton Detroit
Novi Hotel. 17 Category 1-A credits; specialty credit for internal medicine and family practice. 248-417-8222
7-11
CME: Advanced Muscle Energy with Clinical Correlations – East Lansing. 34 Category 1-A credits. Chairperson
Carl Steele, D.O. com.msu.edu/cme, 517-353-9714 or cme@com.msu.edu
21
MSUCOM Open House – 1-4 p.m., East Fee Hall, MSU, East Lansing. jessica.bilodeau@hc.msu.edu
DECEMBER
5-8
CME: Principles of Manual Medicine – MSUCOM, Fee Hall, East Lansing. 28 Category 1-A credits. Chairperson
Lisa DeStefano, D.O. www.com.msu.edu/cme, 517-353-9714 or cme@com.msu.edu
22-25: MAOFP Winter Update for Family Physicians. Bellaire. Alumni reception Jan. 24, 7-9 p.m.
kim.camp@hc.msu.edu
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
23-27
CME: Craniosacral Techniques: Part I – East Lansing. 35 Category I-A credits. Chairperson
Barbara Briner, D.O. www.com.msu.edu/cme, 517-353-9714 or cme@com.msu.edu
31
Michigan Osteopathic College Foundation Ball – 6 p.m., The Henry, Autograph Collection, Dearborn.
colleen.kniffen@hc.msu.edu
21
CME: Pediatric Update 2015 – MSUCOM, East Fee Hall, East Lansing. 8 Category 1-A credits.
www.com.msu.edu/cme, 517-353-9714 or cme@com.msu.edu
6-9
CME: Exercise Prescription as a Complement to Manual Medicine – Tampa, FL. 26.5 Category I-A credits.
Chairperson is Mark Bookhout, P.T. www.com.msu.edu/cme, 517-353-9714 or cme@com.msu.edu
7-14
Healthy Lifestyle and Preventive Care: Future Directions CME. Riu Palace, Los Cabos, Mexico.
kim.camp@hc.msu.edu
21
Cardiology Update – East Lansing. 8 Category I-A credits. www.com.msu.edu/cme, 517-353-9714 or
cme@com.msu.edu
FALL 2014 COMMUNIQUÉ 21
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
East Lansing, MI
Permit No. 21
COLLEGE OF
OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Office of Public Relations
East Fee Hall
965 Fee Road, Room A306
East Lansing, MI 48824
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
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send an electronic version to
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Please check the appropriate box and return
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Future DOcs
changing lives
and the D.O.
profession
MSUCOM
students stories worth
telling
PAGE 1
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WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MSUCOM
2012 Osteopathic Open
Lights, camera,
STAT!
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