The GA-PCOM Admissions and Institutional Advancement teams were in attendance to support Danielle
Ward (third from left) as she assumed the position of SNMA National President.
Third-year DO student Danielle Ward took the reins of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) last week as she was installed as the national president at the organization’s annual conference. Ward made history as she is the first osteopathic medical student to assume this position since the SNMA’s founding in 1964.
With a mission to not only nurture and support the academic enrichment of its medical student members, but also to serve communities in a very real and proactive way, the SNMA is a student-governed organization with more than 7,000 medical and pre-medical student, resident and physician members. Its chapters are based at allopathic and osteopathic medical schools across the nation, and have an underlying goal of increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent and socially conscious physicians.
Ward’s involvement with the SNMA spans over a decade as she first became involved with the organization as a pre-medical student. During her medical school career, she has served the organization as Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) chapter president and as the 2015-2016 national osteopathic schools committee co-chair.
Danielle Ward (left) poses with Barbara Ross Lee, DO, a physician and the first African-American
woman to become a medical school dean.
The Annual Medical Education Conference entitled "Lighting the Way: Creating Health Equity through Education, Advocacy and Service" was held in Atlanta April 12-16 and highlighted the importance of community engagement and clinical excellence in solving today’s health disparities.
“I am extremely appreciative of all the support and encouragement I have received from both our Georgia and Philadelphia PCOM SNMA chapters," Ward said. "Having student and administrative members from both campuses attend the annual conference and cheer for me during my inauguration was the best thing ever.”
A member of the GA-PCOM DO class of 2018, Ward pens a blog titled "Aspiring Minority Doctor," in which she describes her journey through medical school as an African-American single mom to an active 10-year-old daughter. She is a 2009 graduate of Louisiana State University with a B.S. degree in biochemistry and a 2013 graduate of the University of Saint Joseph where she earned an M.S. degree in biochemistry.
Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education with a storied 125-year history dedicated to the healthcare professions. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
Jamesia Harrison, MS
Assistant Director, News and Media Relations
Email: jamesiaha@pcom.edu
Office: 678-225-7532 | Cell: 470-572-7558
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