During September, which is the American Medical Association's Women in Medicine month, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) recognizes our women physicians who serve as faculty members and role models for our students across all three of our campuses in Philadelphia, Suwanee and Moultrie. PCOM has selected a representative “Woman in Medicine” to feature in a web story, however we honor and celebrate all of our physicians and student doctors and their commitment to advancing equity and creating change.
LeeAnn Tanaka, DO '14, received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from PCOM in 2014 and completed her residency in Family Medicine at Christiana
Care Health System in Delaware in 2017. Dr. Tanaka has practiced family medicine with a focus on women's health, reproductive health, and gender affirming care in the primary care setting for several years.
It's been very rewarding working with students. I talk to them about being a woman in medicine and how that can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding experience. I didn't take advantage of mentorship as a student but did as a resident and it made all the difference in being able to navigate residency - especially after I had my child in my second year.
While considering applying to medical school I worked on childhood nutrition and obesity research. I recognized how impactful people's connection with their physician could be with regards to their life long health. I felt most drawn to preventative medicine, with the goal of educating people to help them try to avoid or improve chronic conditions.
I try to offer support and advice to students based on my own personal experience navigating medical school, residency, and beyond. I also try to help ensure all students I work with understand how the way we evaluate and manage patients is often complicated by the historical context of lack of research in marginalized communities including women, nonbinary folks and BIPOC.
Find mentors who you connect with and can support your journey! Often having a mentor from a similar background, whether your gender, race, locale or experiences can help you navigate a complex training. Your mentor doesn't have to look just like you though! They can just be someone with whom you connect and who is willing to help you throughout the process. It's a long training and having people in your corner who can help you traverse the experience, or to whom you can go for support in particularly difficult periods, can really make a world of difference.
For the past 125 years, 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.
Liandra Larsen
Public Relations Manager
Email: liandrala@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6325 | Cell:
267-964-0199
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