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!