PCOM Georgia

This week, PCOM Georgia welcomed a brand new class of students into our Physician Assistant Studies (MS/PA) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs. At Orientation, students toured campus, met members of College leadership in addition to other faculty and community members, participated in icebreakers to get to know their classmates, and more! Next week, they'll jump right into their curriculum, and we are so excited to see their academic journey begin. Welcome to the PCOM family, new students!

Join us for the Virtual Family Medicine CME Seminar (Hershey Family Weekend) taking place June 24-June 27, 2021, and receive up to 20 AOA Category 1-A credits. ...Please note this year there is the option to attend the live webinars or watch the pre-recorded videos during a limited time period to receive AOA Category 1-A credits. Seminar topics include infection-associated skin rashes, diabetes, the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatric sleep, and much more. View the program schedule and register at https://conted.pcom.edu/public-catalog/, and be sure to select course tag "AOA 1-A CME."

Just last week, on May 27, 2021, our PCOM Georgia Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) class of 2021 graduated and we could not be more #PCOMProud! During the ceremony, PCOM President and CEO Jay S. Feldstein, DO '81, addressed the graduates: You wereand will continue to beon the front lines: treating and caring for patients in the holistic manner that is part of your osteopathic heritage. You will call out social injustice when you see itbecause you witnessed it, because you lived itand you will advocate for your patients because they will need you like never before. Read more about PCOM Georgia's Doctoral Programs Commencement: https://bit.ly/3fJOKWH

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) Americans. The College is proud to celebrate Pride Month, recognizing our exceptional LGBTQIA+ community members and all they contribute to the PCOM family. Learn more about PCOM's LGBTQIA Councils and other resources, including our Safe Space programming and Transgender Medicine and Health Discussion Series on our website: https://bit.ly/2TH63z5 PCOM community members are encouraged to visit their emails for more educational opportunities.

Our PCOM Alumni Job Board has a fresh look and new positions! This resource features openings at organizations across the country, including jobs posted by PCOM... alumni-owned enterprises. Institutional Advancement has partnered with several leading healthcare organizations and staffing organizations to share job opportunities with alumni from all programs. Check it out today alumni.pcom.edu/jobboard. See more

Today, June 1st, PCOM President and CEO Jay S. Feldstein, DO '81, is pleased to officially welcome students back to campus. We are excited to be able to see our community members on campus once again!

As we head into the holiday season, many people find themselves struggling to align with the COVID-19 precautions against traveling and seeing people from outside your immediate household precautions that many cities and states have also put in place. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends refraining from traveling to see loved ones, but some may choose to defy these recommendations and take the risk. Recently, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's Erik Polan, DO ‘07, assistant professor of internal medicine, shared the steps people should take to mitigate their risk of spreading the virus when they return home: https://bit.ly/3oUMXQn

We are incredibly #PCOMproud to share that Morgan Fuller (DO ’21), fourth-year osteopathic medicine student and an ensign in the US Navy, has been chosen as PCOM Georgia's Student DO of the Year! I'm honored to be nominated for this award. I could not have accomplished my goals and all the service projects over the last few years without my fellow student leaders, classmates, and mentors, said Student Doctor Fuller, who serves as the chair of the Class of 2021, and is known in the osteopathic medicine program for her service and involvement. Please join us in congratulating Student Doctor Fuller, and be sure to read more about her commitment to the principles of leadership, service, and dedication at https://bit.ly/3gM44AP.

ICYMI: PCOM Georgia is premiering our 2020 White Coat ceremony right here on Facebook! Join us on Tuesday, December 29 at 12 noon, for an online event marking this academic milestone for our first-year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students, our first-year Physician Assistant Studies students, and our second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students. #PCOMWhiteCoat Or, join us on our YouTube Channel instead. Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/341F3MU

What is one small thing you can do to help stop the spread of COVID-19? Make sure you are assessing your wellness, your potential level of exposure, and monitoring your symptoms every day (even when you’re not coming to campus) by using the #CampusClear app, which is mandatory for all students, faculty, and staff. Not only will the app determine whether it is safe to be around others, but it will assist the College in planning for a return to on-campus learning. Together, let’s protect the PCOM community. Download the free #CampusClear app from the App Store or from Google Play, and enable notifications for your daily reminders to self-screen for symptoms of COVID-19.

#WhyIWearAMask: "I wear a mask, because I believe it's the right thing to do to slow the spread of COVID-19, and protect my family, my colleagues and my community," Lisa D'Addieco, Director of Housing.

Celebrate as PCOM Georgia premieres our 2020 White Coat ceremony here on Facebook! Join us on our page on Tuesday, December 29 at 12 noon, for an online event marking this academic milestone for our first-year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students, our first year Physician Assistant Studies students, and our second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy Students. #PCOMWhiteCoat Or, join us on our YouTube Channel instead! You can subscribe here: https://bit.ly/341F3MU

Our shared humanity and the need to care for one another guides us in all that we do it’s what makes us PCOM. It’s what sustains us through a time of crisis, what empowers us, what lends us the ability to heal. Learn how, together, we are stronger than ever, in PCOM’s 2020 President’s Report:

"As a pharmacist, there are numerous fields for you to work in; that means it is important early on in your pharmacy school career to gain clarity in what avenue(s) to pursue. Adaptability comes after clarity because once you figure out the places where you want to go, you start planning how to get there," advises recent PCOM School of Pharmacy graduate Lawrence Uwaeke, PharmD '20, for a recent feature in PharmDigest, created by the Pharmacy Student Council. As the former Council President, Dr. Uwaeke joins current council members in offering perspectives and insight on their academic journey in the Fall 2020 issue: https://bit.ly/2IAIS4m

We are #PCOMProud to share that fourth-year medical student Varun Yarabala (DO '21) was recently named one of Georgia Trend's 2020 "40 Under 40" for his work with Vent-Life developing a low-cost ventilator to use during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3mj9rce

At PCOM, we are continuously focused on expanding our diversity and inclusion efforts, said Marcine Pickron-Davis, PhD, chief diversity and community relations officer. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we must be intentional about working towards racial equality. The PCOM community remains committed to making these positive changes and we are honored to be recognized for our ongoing efforts. We are honored to have received the 2020 Health Professions Higher Educ...ation Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion PCOM will be featured, along with 45 other recipients, in the December 2020 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the sixth year PCOM has been named as a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/39OSWSl See more

"Physical Therapists are not personal trainers and we do not only give exercises to our patients," stresses third-year physical therapy student Annette Nowicki (DPT '21), with the hopes of educating others for National Physical Therapy Month. "Physical Therapists can work with a variety of populations in multiple settings with the same goal in mind- to improve all of our patients' function and quality of life through the power of movement. We can work with patients who have u...rinary incontinence, strokes, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, orthopedic surgeries, sports injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputations, vestibular impairments, wounds, cardiopulmonary insufficiencies, Cerebral Palsy, and so much more. Settings range from acute care, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, burn centers, home health, and inpatient hospitals. We not only focus on their movement, but we focus on quality and control. Physical Therapists are movement specialists and we are an essential part of a patient's plan of care." #ChoosePT [Photos from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic]

The severity of our patients has gone up significantlywith the fear of sickness, isolation at home, getting laid off or furloughed, adapting to virtual healthcare visits with providers. Read more from Jeremy A. Dubin, DO ’02, FASAM, medical director, Front Range Clinic, Fort Collins, Colorado, and assistant clinical professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado: https://bit.ly/39UILfd #PCOMheroes

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Did you know that PCOM maintains external scholarship information within an extensive, searchable database on our website? We're committed to making sure students are familiar with the resources available to them, and many medical societies, cultural associations, nonprofit organizations, private companies, and other community groups throughout the country offer scholarship awards for medical and graduate students. Visit https://bit.ly/3lnKj4con on our website to browse numerous scholarship opportunities for students seeking doctoral, professional and graduate degrees.

With limited on-campus learning and adherence to social distancing guidelines, PCOM Georgia physical therapy students had to think outside the box when it came to demonstrating the techniques and interventions they’ve been learning in class. Prior to the pandemic, students would act out various scenarios with classmates in a lab setting using wheelchairs, crutches, exercise equipment and other supplies in front of an attentive group of faculty members and fellow students. As National Physical Therapy Month comes to a close, learn more about how students have creatively improvised to show their skills: https://bit.ly/31ZmLep #ChoosePT

As PCOM Georgia medical students continue to learn virtually, the delivery method of teaching has become more innovative. Second-year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students must employ their deductive reasoning skills to diagnose a "patient" presented in the campus' Simulation Center. Using tele-simulation, entailing various camera angles and a virtual meeting platform, three physician faculty members present case scenarios to students who use a rotating team leader, a scribe, and the chat room to narrow the field of possibilities. Learn more about the creative ways students are experiencing clinical skills training: https://bit.ly/3osKKLR

As healthcare professionals, we have a duty to address the roots of racism and inequity that so greatly and negatively impact the health and well-being of underprivileged communities--to help heal and mend the wounds of neglect. Over the past few months, the College has taken important first steps to address these monumental challenges, launching the collaborative Commission on Racial Justice: Transforming Campus Culture to examine ways in which we can advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our policies and practices on our campuses. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2HLXYTU

"It was very hard to see people come in critically ill. I’ve never seen anything like this in the 12 years I’ve been in emergency medicine. I’ve never seen anything like this where it is so novel and so widespread." Read more from Nicholas C. Avitabile, DO ’08, assistant professor of emergency medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York: https://bit.ly/3lrmQ1i #PCOMheroes

#WhyIWearAMask: "Non-maleficence = DO NO HARM. This is why I wear a mask. Our trusted scientific community has proven that the Coronavirus is spread through expiratory droplets. As a healthcare provider, our oath, our vow and our promise is to do no harm. The best way we can protect others from harm in this pandemic is to wear a mask. It is our professional duty and our civic duty - we really have no choice in the matter if we desire to promote safety and wellness," Teresa Pierce, PT, DPT, assistant professor of physical therapy.

PCOM School of Pharmacy Dean and Chief Academic Officer Shawn Spencer, PhD, RPh, recently spoke with Georgia CEO about our graduates in the workforce and the important role pharmacists play in improving patient care, "Pharmacists' local accessibility provides patients and family members with a trusted healthcare provider which helps ease the burden on family physicians and local clinics." Learn more:

We are #PCOMProud to share that Kenneth Veit, DO '76, MBA, provost, senior vice president of academic affairs and dean at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). It is an honor to represent PCOM on the ACGME Board of Directors. I look forward to working with my colleagues to offer recommendations to help ensure our medical education institutions continue to be the best in the world," said Dr. Viet. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2HEfk5t

Today on PCOM Georgia's Instagram Story, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student Melody Yazdani (DPT '22) shares, "With physical therapy, we really focus on things that people usually take for granted... as physical therapists are movement specialists, we help bring people back to their original quality of life." Follow along as she takes you through a day in the life of a second-year DPT student, and shares why she was inspired to #ChoosePT: instagram.com/pcomgeorgia

December 1st is internationally recognized as #WorldAIDSDay. Today, we honor those who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, and commemorate the lives that have been taken. There are nearly 1.2 million people in the United States living with HIV, and many individuals who have loved ones that have been affected. The PCOM LGBTQIA+ Council, the Office of Diversity and Community Relations, and the National AIDS Memorial have worked to virtually share panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt which is typically displayed each year in the front lobby of the Old Peachtree Building. View the entire PCOM Georgia display and other quilt panels at https://bit.ly/37nos7k from now until March 31st.

Due to inclement weather, PCOM Georgia will delay opening until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2020.

"I wish people knew more about the role of physical therapy in preventative management of various conditions," Jocilyn Yarnell (DPT' 21) told us, in honor of National Physical Therapy Month, "Diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, cancer, aunts immune disorders and many many more physical therapists use specifically prescribed exercise, in conjunction with traditional medical management, to help slow down and improve the symptoms of all of these conditions." Interested in a career that addresses a wide scope of preventative care? #ChoosePT. Learn more about PCOM Georgia's Doctor of Physical Therapy Program: https://bit.ly/2VAzvDi [Image was taken last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic]

Forensic investigators use a number of clues to determine time of death, but what are they looking for? Learn more in this Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Halloween Mystery from Gregory McDonald, DO '89, dean, school of health sciences; chair and director, forensic medicine and pathology. Learn more about our Info on the Go research infographic series: https://bit.ly/2J2cq8B

As we celebrate National Physical Therapy Month, get an inside look at a day in the life of first-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student Marie Priest (DPT '23) as she takes over our Instagram Story for the day! Follow along: instagram.com/pcomgeorgia #ChoosePT