PCOM Georgia’s Joy Zarandy Named 2026 Emerging Leader by the American Osteopathic Foundation

November 13, 2026

At one point in her life, Joy Zarandy, DO ‘13, FAAFP, DABFM, imagined becoming an art teacher. Today, she teaches future Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students the “art” of medicine at PCOM Georgia as the assistant dean of clinical education and an associate professor of family medicine, and encourages her students to follow the paths that make them happy, whatever direction that may be.

This month, Zarandy was named the 2026 Emerging Leader for the state of Georgia by the American Osteopathic Foundation. She is among 21 osteopathic physicians and surgeons nationwide honored for advancing the osteopathic profession in their states.

“I’m very proud to receive this honor and happy to represent PCOM with this award,” she said.

Every year, the American Osteopathic Foundation recognizes Emerging Leaders by state, highlighting physicians’ contributions to osteopathic medicine and the communities they serve, and publishes the honorees in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals edition.

For Zarandy, her work includes reaching students of all ages in and outside of the classroom. She speaks with high school students throughout Gwinnett County about healthcare career pathways, participates in continuing medical education events, and supports a variety of student organizations such as the American Women’s Association (AMWA), Sigma Sigma Phi Honors fraternity for Osteopathic Medicine, and the Family Medicine Club on campus. She also gives a popular lecture to pre-health college students about understanding the differences and similarities between DO and MD training, and has contributed to research in women’s health and public health publications.

When she was growing up in Gwinnett County, Zarandy thought medical school meant only one destination. Then a friend introduced her to osteopathic medicine and PCOM Georgia.

“I started researching what a DO is and realized this is what a doctor should be: someone devoted to caring for a patient as a human, not as their diagnosis or symptom,” she said.

She matriculated in PCOM Georgia’s DO program in 2009. During her first year, she met her future husband, Erik, then a second-year DO student and Anatomy teaching assistant. Erik Zarandy, DO ’12, is now an assistant professor of family medicine at PCOM Georgia.

“We like to joke that the day we met in the Anatomy lab, there was love in the air, amidst the formaldehyde fumes,” she said.

Jokes aside, Erik helped her through the ups and downs of medical school, and they’ve been inseparable since. Over the years, their personal goals and professional paths would continue to align beyond medical school, residency training in South Carolina, returning to the greater Atlanta area to practice outpatient primary care, and finally joining their alma mater as full-time clinical faculty.

Zarandy hopes her journey will inspire future physicians to pursue meaningful careers and remain open to the opportunities that shape their paths.

“I like to remind my students to keep chasing what makes them happy.”

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