April 2010 Student Association e-Newsletter
Greetings from the 2010-2011 SAACOFP National Executive Board
Welcome to a new and exciting year with SAACOFP! The newly
elected 2010-2011 SAACOFP National Executive Board,
consisting of Rebecca Lewis, President; Amanda Fischer, Vice
President; Staci Benson, Secretary; and Hilary Haack,
Parliamentarian, are excited about the upcoming year. At the
ACOFP convention, we heard about all of the wonderful things that
the chapters did last year, met the newly-elected chapter officers,
and had our first executive board meeting of the year. Each of
these events has made us truly confident that this year will be one
of the greatest that SAACOFP has seen!
Some of the things that we plan to accomplish this year include:
Developing a new GOLD point system to objectively determine
winners of annual chapter awards; implementation of a national
SAACOFP service project and a multitude of fantastic contributions
from each of you! We are so proud of everything that the chapters
have done over the past years and we are confident that this trend
towards success will continue.
(Left to right) 2010-2011 SAACOFP
National Student Executive Board:
President Rebecca Lewis, RVUCOM; Vice
President Amanda Fischer, GA-PCOM ;
Secretary Anastasia Benson, AZCOM,
Parliamentarian Hilary Haack, PCOM
The local chapters of the SAACOFP, meaning each of you, are what define the organization. You
represent the association in your schools and communities and do so very well. We are looking forward to
working with every single one of you this year. If you have questions or concerns at any time, please do
not hesitate to contact us. Keep up the great work and have an incredible year!
Sincerely,
Rebecca, Amanda, Staci and Hilary
Board Update
By Danielle Lynn Barnett, OMSIII
Welcome to the 2010 “Spring Conference” edition of our SAACOFP newsletter. Allow me
to introduce myself to those of you who I didn’t have an opportunity to meet in Las Vegas.
My name is Danielle Barnett; I am a third year medical student at A.T. Still University
School of Osteopathic Medicine Arizona. I have served as the ACOFP Student Chapter
President, National Student Executive Board Parliamentarian and as the 2009-2010
President. I will be serving you this coming year as the Student Academic Member on the
ACOFP Board of Governors. It is my job to represent the student ACOFP membership
and make sure your opinions, ideas, concerns, etc are heard at the highest level in
ACOFP. I will be using this section of the monthly newsletter to update you and reach out to you for your
opinions, ideas, and concerns. If you ever have a question, please don’t hesitate to contact me at
dbarnett@atsu.edu.
Highlights of Student Elections and Awards at the 47th Annual ACOFP
Convention
Following are highlights of the various student events and activities held during the ACOFP convention in
Las Vegas.
2010-2011 National Student Executive Board Election
The Student Association of the ACOFP's chapter delegates elected a new slate of national student
officers for the 2010-2011 year. The incoming national student board members are:




President, Rebecca Lewis, OMSII, RVUCOM
Vice President Amanda Fischer, OMSIII, PCOM-GA
Secretary Anastasia Benson, OMSIII, AZCOM
Parliamentarian, Hilary Haack, OMSI, PCOM
Burt N. Routman, DO, FACOFP dist., will serve as national advisor to the student board.
ACOFP Student Chapter Awards
The President’s Award and a $2,000 check were presented to the ACOFP student chapter of Pikeville
College School of Osteopathic Medicine, Tiffany Thompson, chapter president, in recognition of overall
achievements and outstanding contributions to the spirit and mission of the Student Association of the
ACOFP.
The A.T. Still Award and a $1,000 check were presented to the ACOFP Student Chapter of Michigan
State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Hope Vermaire, chapter president, for integrating
Osteopathic Principles & Practice into family medicine in the tradition of Osteopathic Medicine Founder
A.T. Still.
The Communication Award and a $1,000 check were presented to the ACOFP Student Chapter of
TOURO University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine, Corey Lum, president, in recognition of
outstanding communication initiatives, including an electronic newsletter.
The Humanitarian Award and a $1,000 check were presented to the ACOFP Student Chapter of Des
Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Chelsey Field, President, in recognition of
outstanding humanitarian work in their community.
The Peer Award was presented to the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Student Chapter, Nora Graves, President, based on a vote by her fellow chapter officers following chapter
reports on Friday morning, March 19 during the convention.
Congratulations to all the award-winning ACOFP student chapters and good luck to all of the 28 ACOFP
Student Chapters throughout the coming year.
Student Educational Program Highlights

The 2010 Residency Program Fair on Thursday evening, March 18th showcased more than 70
Residency Programs. Nearly 200 students visited with the program directors and coordinators,
taking away goodies galore as well as useful information. The ACOFP and a number of
Residency Programs donated exciting, high tech raffle gifts for the students: such as DVD


players, digital cameras and a Notebook Pro!! To find an ACOFP Preceptor, visit
http://www.acofp.org/preceptordirectory/
On Saturday morning, Dr. Kenneth E. Nelson, DO, FAAO, FACOFP, author of "Somatic
Dysfunction in Osteopathic Family Medicine" a member of the ACOFP Osteopathic Principles
and Practice Committee as well as a professor at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine,
spoke to more than 100 medical students about the practical application of OMT for low back pain
and its corresponding somatic dysfunctions. The session finished with an in-depth discussion and
hands-on training on how to interpret diagnostic procedures to efficiently treat those patients with
OMT in a primary care setting.
Students at the convention attended an afternoon workshop about political advocacy. LeAnn Fox,
the AOA Director of Washington Advocacy and Communications led the session, speaking about
how to write letters to state and national legislative representatives in order to make them aware
of DO causes and to take them into consideration when voting. Charles Cascio, the Coordinator
of Political Affairs and the Osteopathic Political Action Committee, talked about the importance of
making your views known plus tips on how to build relationships with representatives and their
staff. Both speakers also stressed the importance of participation at DO Day on Capitol Hill and
year round at meetings with state legislatures. Useful links for students are www.capwiz.com/aoaaoia for the Advocacy tools and www.osteopathicpac.org for the Osteopathic Political Action
Committee (OPAC).
Resident and Student Poster Presentation Winners
Following are the student and resident winners of the 2010 Richard J. Krejsa, DO FACOFP dist .Poster
Presentations:


Original Research Category – Student
o 1st Place Winner: Lisa M. Martorano, BS, OMS, UVB-Induced Free Zinc Release from
Commercial Zinc Oxide Sunscreens and Resulting Cytotoxicity in Human Epidermal
Keratinocytes, neonatal (HEKn)
o 2nd Place Winner: Brett Alan Ozanich, B.S., OMS IV, Change in Utilization and
Knowledge of CAM Over Nine Years in Osteopathic Medical Students
o 3rd Place Winner: Cheryl Dinglas, BA, The Role of Education in Maternal Mortality in
Eastern Ghana
Case Report Category – Student
o 1st Placer Winner: Sheron D. Abraham, BS, OMS-III, Recurrent Kawasaki Disease
Auxiliary to the ACOFP Corner
You Are The Future Of American Healthcare
By Chris Largent, President of the AACOFP
We all know that primary care physicians are becoming more difficult to find throughout the nation
especially in rural areas. As family physicians retire many are not being replaced which is creating a void
in healthcare. Now that the landmark healthcare bill has been signed into law, millions more will now be
seeking family physicians, putting added strain on a system already facing physician shortages.
Over the next decade, it’s predicted that there will be a shortfall of roughly 40,000 primary care doctors
because students are turning towards specialties rather than family medicine.
The mission of the Auxiliary to the ACOFP is to encourage students to go into family medicine. The nation
needs you and we need more family doctors. You are the future of the nation’s healthcare. You will be the
ones that will be taking care of me and my children as we get older. The Auxiliary is here for you! Let us
know how we can help you!
If your spouse or significant other is not a member of the Auxiliary please join! If you are already a
member we would like to thank you for your continued support. Every dollar that is received through your
annual dues and donations does matter. Scholarships are awarded to outstanding osteopathic medical
students annually. To learn more about the Auxiliary to the ACOFP:
http://www.acofp.org/resources/auxiliary.aspx
Information Zone
Events
AOA/ACOFP 115th Annual Convention
October 24-28, 2010
San Francisco, California
ACOFP 48th Annual Convention
March 16-20, 2011
Marriott Rivercenter Hotel
San Antonio, Texas
We greatly appreciate comments and suggestions on ways to improve the e-Newsletter. Please send all
comments/suggestions to Tobi Kelmer
Check out SAACOFP on Facebook or Myspace!