SWAG��Ƶ

Faith Baxter is the first person in the VCOM-Carolinas Class of 2027 to be published, but her appearance in the national SOMA Research publication, The Future DO, is not your typical research project.

On Saturday, May 18, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Blacksburg, Virginia, held its annual Military Promotion Ceremony honoring the military graduates of the Class of 2024. Surrounded by classmates, friends, family, faculty, staff and administration, 12 graduates were promoted to the military ranks at which they will begin serving the United States Army, Navy and Air Force.

Anyone who has been to medical school knows how challenging it can be, both intellectually and physically. So, when Casey Harvey reached the beginning of Block 4 of her first year at VCOM-Virginia—in April 2023—and started feeling a little run down, it was easy to brush the symptoms off as being related to the stress of her academic program. But the symptoms got progressively worse and by the middle of Block 4, she realized she needed to do something.��

Matthew Farinella, a first-year student at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)-Auburn, exemplifies dedication, service and leadership. Matthew’s path to medical school has been marked by significant achievements and contributions, both in academia and in military service.

On May 11, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)-Auburn celebrated the graduation of 146 new physicians. This remarkable cohort stands as a testament to VCOM-Auburn’s commitment to medical excellence and community service.

On Sunday, May 19, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Blacksburg, Virginia, will celebrate the graduation of its Class of 2024, consisting of 176 new physicians.����

On May 10, 2024, VCOM-Louisiana will once again make history when it graduates the state’s first class of osteopathic physicians. The 139 graduates comprising the campus’s inaugural Class of 2024 will represent the first step toward resolving the physician shortage in Louisiana and the Delta region.

VCOM-Virginia is home to some pretty amazing faculty, which makes it difficult to choose just one each year for Researcher of the Year. This year’s recipient, Harsha Bhagtani, MD, is the discipline chair for pediatrics and is devoted to making sure her students have ample opportunities to engage in research with her.

Both Amar Mukhtar, DO, and Sonul Gulati, DO, are first-generation medical students whose families hail from different parts of the globe: Dr. Mukhtar’s family is from Sudan, and Dr. Gulati’s family is from India. VCOM’s commitment to international outreach was a key part of their experience as students, and now they are paying that commitment forward through their MedDreams Foundation.��

All types of healthcare professionals are in short supply—including doctors, nurses, technicians and home health aides. The reasons for the shortages vary and are often interrelated. They include burnout, changing demographics, difficulty in recruiting and retaining adequate medical personnel, and the rigors of the medical profession.

Giles County students visit VCOM’s Simulation and Technology Center in Blacksburg through SWVA AHEC’s high school pipeline program.��Recognizing those trends and a need to respond, the Virginia General Assembly established the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA).

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Taylor Rudolph, DO, a graduate of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) - Carolinas, is not your average physician. With a passion for serving her country and a love for aviation, she has taken her medical career to new heights – quite literally. As a flight surgeon in the United States Navy, Dr. Rudolph plays a crucial role in ensuring the health and safety of aircrew and maintainers, including those involved in high-stakes operations like the Super Bowl flyover.

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)-Carolinas is proud to announce a significant stride forward in medical education and community health, thanks to a generous grant from the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare. The grant, totaling over $400,000, marks a pivotal moment for our institution, allowing us to expand our outreach and provide innovative training opportunities for future physicians.

Each year in March, future physicians across the globe experience Match Day, a milestone when they learn where and in what specialties they will continue their training in residencies. SWAG��Ƶstudents did particularly well on Match Day, as they always do.

Low back pain (LBP) is a condition that affects millions of people each year. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and the condition for which the greatest number of people may benefit from rehabilitation.��

Amidst the resounding success of VCOM-Carolinas’ Research Recognition Day, held on campus February 9, emerged a student researcher who, according to the SROY Selection Committee “exemplifies a dedication to osteopathic research, leadership in osteopathic research, professional development, and the embodiment of osteopathic philosophy”: Max Muir.

Kristin Lynch Grimes, DO, VCOM-Virginia 2013, is a woman of faith who knew from the age of seven that she wanted to be a physician.

In fact, one of her defining childhood memories is of her previously healthy grandmother being admitted to a hospital on a Friday afternoon and dying just two days later. “I remember observing what was going on and listening to my mom and her siblings talking, but the voice of my family wasn’t being heard by the medical professionals,” she recalls.

VCOM-Louisiana’s second-annual Via Research Recognition Day is in the books, and in the words of Pawel Michalak, PhD, associate dean for Biomedical Affairs and Research, “The event was a resounding success.”

When there’s not a doctor in the house, having med student neighbors is the next best thing.

For two VCOM-Carolinas second-year medical students, being a good neighbor meant applying their training during an at-home emergency and possibly saving a life.

William G. Anderson is an icon in the osteopathic profession. He was the first Black president of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), a member of the AOA Board of Trustees and a member of VCOM’s founding Board of Directors. He is also an icon of the Civil Rights Movement. He worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., and was the personal physician to Rosa Parks. He and his wife wrote a book about their experiences fighting for civil rights in Albany, Georgia, the proceeds of which go back to the American Osteopathic Foundation to provide scholarships for Black students who want to pursue education in osteopathic medicine.

Each spring, the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) honors the region’s very best public relations work with its Summit Awards. On Feb. 8, the spring 2023 issue of the SWAG��ƵView magazine won a silver award in the chapter’s publications category.