PCOM Celebrates HEED Award

Lenore Pearlstein, Publisher of INSIGHT into Diversity magazine, was on campus December 14 to present the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity or HEED award to Georgia Campus - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM). The award was presented in Philadelphia earlier this fall. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is the first osteopathic medical school to receive this prestigious honor and one of 92 institutions of higher education to receive the award this year.

Dr. Lisa McBride, Chief Diversity Officer; Dr. Brian Matayoshi, chairman of the Diversity Council; and Dr. Paula Gregory, Assistant Dean, accepted the award on behalf of the campus. A celebration including food, fellowship and music by DJ and first-year biomedical sciences student Josiah Fielteau followed the awards presentation.

Second-year pharmacy student Kineta Naidu spoke during the ceremony, recalling the words of former President Jimmy Carter who said, "We become not a melting pot, but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams. She said, "We are all working towards the same goal here at PCOM, and that is to become the best healthcare professionals we can be.

Namrata Patel, a second-year biomedical sciences student, said, "The Diversity Lecture Series events and Champions of Healthcare have made a huge impact on me personally. As a second year graduate student, I have had the opportunity to interact with two former Surgeon Generals of different backgrounds and upbringings that have made a huge difference in the lives of others. These types of interactions have only made me realize that nothing is impossible. No color of skin, culture background, or sexual identity are going to stop me or any one of my peers from achieving their dreams."

Congratulations, PCOM, and Dr. Lisa McBride who received a Diversity Visionary Award from INSIGHT into Diversity earlier this year.