Despite the cloudy weather, a festive atmosphere greeted the more than 2,000 attendees of the eighth annual Paint Gwinnett Pink 5K Walk/Run for Breast Cancer and Family Fun Event held Saturday, October 14 at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville.
This year, the PCOM Georgia team made up of students, faculty and staff and led by Kim Lucier, director of campus operations, had a record 90 participants, a huge increase from the 14 community members who formed the first PCOM Georgia team six years ago. Participants included both walk/run participants and booth volunteers, especially about 30 students from the School of Pharmacy.
The college sponsored three activities for event attendees.
The Mobile Medical Unit or Simbulance with high-tech mannequins attracted adults and
children to the activities area. Volunteers staffed a take-home stethoscope decorating
activity led by KanJuette Lambright, which was “wildly popular,” according to Lucier.
With the support of the President's Community Wellness Initiative, blood pressure screenings and diabetes education was provided by student volunteers under the supervision of School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Irandokht N. Khaki, PharmD, MS.
Event attendees of all ages also had the opportunity to participate in a hands-on activity known as “Bones: The Hidden Treasure of the Body.” Like archeologists, participants dug through sand for hand and foot bones, while learning about their skeletal makeup. Colleen Heer, with the Office of the Chief Campus Officer, supervised this activity.
The icing on the cake was that first year DO student Monique Olocha (DO '27) was the
women's division winner of the 5K race coming in at 22:03, just shy of the first place
men's winner by seven seconds.
This year, the event surpassed its goal of raising $1.6 million for the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute patients in Gwinnett County. Proceeds will fund access to cutting-edge imaging technology for earlier diagnosis and patient assistance.
Lucier said, “As Gwinnett's medical school, our students, faculty and staff were once again thrilled to partner with individuals and community organizations to bring this event over the finish line.”
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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