Students Celebrate Health Care Fields
October 13, 2015
The second week in October marked two causes for celebration for many of PCOM’s students:
Primary Care Week and Physician Assistant Week.
Several student groups held an array of events on campus for these nationwide observances,
to raise awareness and pride in their respective fields.
Primary Care Week kicked off on Monday, October 5, with an EKG skills lab sponsored
by the PCOM chapters of Primary Care Progress (PCP) and the Student Association of
the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (SAACOFP). Peter Bidey, DO ’08
(third photo), instructor, family medicine, demonstrated to students how to use an
EKG machine and read the results.
On Tuesday, the Internal Medicine Club sponsored a talk on collaboration between primary
care doctors and specialists with Erik Polan, DO ’07, instructor, general internal
medicine, and the SAACOFP sponsored a talk on loan repayment options for students
interested in primary care careers. Charmaine Chan, DO '05, instructor, family medicine,
shared her experiences in the National Health Service Corps—a national program that
helps with tuition repayment in exchange for primary care service in underserved areas.
On Wednesday, the SAACOFP sponsored a talk with Carol Henwood, DO, former president
of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, about the ACGME merger,
and what that means for DO students.
Thursday, the SAACOFP , PCP and the Autism Awareness Club sponsored a talk with psychologist
Kathleen Davis, PsyD, (second photo) about recognizing and treating autism in a primary
care setting. That evening, the SAACOFP also sponsored a panel with family doctors
who discussed their experiences in various fields, such as women’s health, health
insurance and military medicine.
Primary Care Week wrapped on Friday, October 8, with a panel discussion sponsored
by PCP that featured Erik Langenau, DO (fourth photo), chief academic technology officer
and associate professor, family medicine, who discussed his most interesting cases.
In addition to those activities, the Physician Assistant Studies class of 2017 sponsored
several activities for PA Week, including a bake sale on Tuesday, October 6 to raise
funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia, Northern Delaware and Susquehanna
Valley; and an ice cream social on Wednesday, October 7, for PA and DO students to
meet and discuss their respective fields of medicine. PA students also participated
in the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s annual Walk for Wishes at the Philadelphia Zoo on
Sunday, October 11.
About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Founded 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 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, and graduate degrees in
applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic
medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, non profit leadership
and population health management, organizational development and leadership, physician
assistant studies, school psychology, and public health management and administration.
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.
For more information, contact:
Daniel McCunney
Associate Director, News and Media Relations
Email: danielmc1@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6304 | Cell:
267-449-1360