Surgeons and soon-to-be-surgeons of all specialties descended on Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) recently for a weekend filled with hands-on activities and lectures designed to further knowledge and foster collaborative care, and highlight osteopathic physicians as leaders in the field of surgery.
On Friday, January 12, more than 300 PCOM neurosurgery residents, medical students and support staff filled Ginsburg Auditorium for the 5th Annual PCOM Neurosurgery Symposium. The event highlights PCOM’s Neurosurgery Residency Program, a collaboration of five hospital sites with approximately 20 faculty members working to provide excellent neurosurgical training to PCOM residents.
Now in its 37th year, the residency program has trained scores of skilled neurosurgeons who practice all over the country. Many returned for this year’s symposium to discuss cases and treatments they use in their own clinical practices.
“This program is unique to PCOM and osteopathic medicine in particular,” explained Denah Appelt, PhD, professor, neuroscience, physiology and pharmacology, and co-chair of the annual event. “We’re proud of the high caliber of neurosurgeons who come out of our residency program.”
On Saturday, January 13, the PCOM Wisely Surgical Association held its annual Philadelphia Surgery Symposium. More than 150 medical students from schools including Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine, Drexel University and the Perelman School of Medicine, learned skills and techniques related to trauma care, and practiced common surgical procedures in the Anatomy Laboratory and the Michael and Wendy Salzburg Clinical Learning & Assessment Center.
More than 120 students also received training and certification in “Stop the Bleed” from Marcin Jankowski, DO ’05, medical director of trauma and surgical critical care at Hahnemann University Hospital. “Stop the Bleed” is a nationwide campaign intended to encourage bystanders to become trained to help in a bleeding emergency before professional medical personnel arrive.
Several PCOM alumni lectured at the event on topics including innovations and advances in surgery, the importance of leadership, teamwork and mentorship, and research advances. Danielle Estrada (DO ’20), president of the Wisely Surgical Association, said that having so many leading DO surgeons at the event helps illustrate to medical students—DOs and MDs alike—how osteopathic physicians are leading strongly in the field of surgery.
“In addition to learning clinical skills, we wanted to make the focus of this year's conference on innovation and leadership, particularly in osteopathic medicine,” said Ms. Estrada. “Our goal was to provide conference attendees with confidence in osteopathic surgical training. Bringing both MD and DO students together is an excellent way to highlight that leadership among a broader community.”
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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