Emma Sevick’s email signature practically needs scaffolding to support all her titles.
The first-year PCOM Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine student is lead teaching assistant in the Anatomy Lab, president of the Health Career Collaborative, and vice president of the Infectious Disease Club and Anatomy Club. She coordinates surgical education and public relations for the Wisely Surgical Association and serves as a student ambassador for the Office of Admissions.
That she does all this in medical school is remarkable. That she does all this in the aftermath of enormous tragedy is something else altogether.
In February 2025, Sevick’s mother and best friend, Ann, died from a brain bleed shortly after being declared in remission from acute myeloid leukemia.
“It was a crazy, unimaginable thing. I never imagined losing my mom so young and so suddenly,” she said. “I love supporting other students who need it because in medical school you truly need so much support. This happening showed me how much of a city and a safety net I have around me. After she passed, I didn’t have to worry about a dang thing.”
Sevick’s mom passed during winter finals. Her friends sprang to action, contacting administrators and professors to explain what happened.
“I just turned my phone off, and I knew everything was handled because of everyone I have around me here,” she said.
Sevick grew up an only child in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Medical hardships defined her youth. Born without the groove that holds the patella bone in the knee, Sevick’s knees dislocated over 35 times. When her bones matured at age 13, she underwent complete knee reconstructions.
The path to surgery involved twice-weekly physical therapy appointments for years, as well as the terror of finding a surgeon. As even a slight touch could potentially dislocate her knee, Sevick developed a fear of doctors. Her family met with eight surgeons until they found Todd A. Michener, who approached her with a delicate empathy.
“If it wasn’t for him, I may have had an inherent fear of doctors and surgeons, where now I want to become one and treat kids who were just like me,” said Sevick, who has interned in Michener’s practice and wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. “It was a life-changing procedure with a life-changing surgeon.”
Sevick pursued her undergraduate degree at West Chester University. The COVID pandemic disrupted her classes and stole lab time, so she took a gap year working as a medical assistant as she figured out her goal of becoming a doctor.
She enrolled in PCOM’s Biomedical Sciences program to prepare for medical school. She quickly built a community on campus, which is partly why med school doesn’t feel overwhelming; she’s had three years to adjust.
Her mother was diagnosed with leukemia via routine bloodwork in August 2024, just as Sevick was finishing DO Orientation. Ann endured six rounds of chemotherapy over the next five months. For weeks, Sevick would finish class and spend the night with her mom in the hospital. They’d watch reality TV as Sevick studied.
“It was an honor to be there to support her,” she said.
At the end of January 2025, Ann was declared in remission. The chemo had worked. She didn’t need a bone-marrow transplant. These were tremendous outcomes. “She looked at me and said, ‘It’s that easy? It shouldn’t be that easy.’”
This was Ann’s second time beating cancer, having also survived breast cancer in 2019. In mid-February, after her last round of chemo, she received a routine infusion of platelets and red blood cells. The next morning, Sevick and her mother had coffee over FaceTime. Ann complained of a headache, wondering if she might have the flu. She would take a nap. “Feel better,” Sevick said. “Call me when you wake up.”
Sevick texted a few more times that day to no reply. That night, Sevick’s aunt frantically called, saying Ann was found unconscious with a bloody nose. The headache was an intracranial brain bleed. Doctors declared her brain dead in the emergency room. After being taken off life support, she passed peacefully at age 53.
The week before, Sevick and her mother had booked a trip to Disney, their favorite destination, to celebrate overcoming cancer.
When Ann was first receiving treatment, she would joke that, if she were to die from the disease, her daughter couldn’t drop out of med school.
Now, as Sevick pushes through days of self-doubt, or the times she wishes she could call her mom to complain about a test, she looks down at the For Mom shoelace tag on her left sneaker.
“Everything I do is for her because I want to make her proud,” she said. “That is really what gets me through the day. It allows me to stay cheery and motivated because I know that everything I do now is also for her, and that makes me want to be an even better version of myself.”
Julie Huss, DC, assistant director of the Anatomy Lab, said “Emma is one of the most cheerful, intelligent, and hardworking individuals I’ve had the privilege of working with,” adding that her “resilience and dedication in the face of an incredibly heartbreaking situation were nothing short of remarkable. She truly stands out as a bright light in our program.”
Sevick said friends have joked that she and her mom should be on sMothered, the TV show about extreme mother-daughter bonds. During undergrad, Sevick spent a semester abroad in London. Ann flew there four times.
“I can’t go that long without seeing you,” Ann said. “Perfect,” Sevick replied. “Me either.”
These days, Sevick and her father, Steve, are leaning on each other. They’re calling and visiting more frequently and going to concerts together this summer.
A few weeks ago, Sevick woke up before dawn to prep for a pharmacology final. Over FaceTime and a cup of tea, her dad helped her review flashcards. She didn’t want to be alone.
“Everything I’ve gone through this year—all the hardships not only of med school but also losing my mom—it’s going to mold me into a much better person, student and physician one day,” she said.
Established in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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Email: brandonla@pcom.edu
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