SOMA students at the HealthSource of Ohio campus in Milford, Ohio.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The inaugural class at A.T. Still University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (SOMA), who are scheduled to graduate in 2011, set out in September to community health center campuses (CHCs) across the country that will become their homes for the next three years of their medical education. The School’s ground-breaking contextual learning model places medical students in clinical settings in their second year and, by all accounts, the new model is showing strong signs of success.

“Overall, everything is going quite satisfactorily,” said SOMA Dean Douglas Wood, D.O., Ph.D., regarding the students’ first few months off-campus. He further indicated that feedback from the CHCs, learning facilitators, and students is very positive. Initial feedback also indicates that SOMA students have arrived at the clinics well-prepared for the new clinical setting. “Physicians at the clinical sites are consistently amazed at the amount of knowledge that our students have,” said Dr. Wood. “Because of how our curriculum is set up, we expect nothing less.”

Provost Craig M. Phelps, D.O., FAOASM, ’84, visited sites in Brooklyn, New York, and Beaufort, S.C., to see firsthand how students are progressing. “It is humbling to see how well our students are embraced by the faculty, staff, administration, and most importantly, patients, at their community health center campuses,” said Dr. Phelps. “It is a testament to how well the educational model is working.”

SOMA leadership is not taking their initial success lightly, or for granted. Dr. Wood was quick to point out that SOMA has a strong system in place to monitor progress. Along with phones, email, podcasts, video, and other electronic communication, it is SOMA’s priority to send one of the School’s five deans to each clinical site twice a year to monitor and report progress. Between September and January, eight formal site visits had been completed. The other three sites have received informal visits and are slated for a formal evaluation in the near future. “It is important to have a new set of eyes at each location on a regular basis,” said Dr. Wood.

SOMA student Vanessa DeSousa, OMS II, confirmed that she felt well-prepared when she first started in her clinic in Porterville, Calif. “All of the [first year] OSCEs and medical skills practice, as well as OPP lab, have really helped me to interact with patients appropriately,” she said.

For students at the CHCs, roughly 60 to 70 percent of their time is still spent in didactic education. Each of the 11 campuses has a learning facilitator and a classroom for ongoing instruction. The remaining 30 to 40 percent of their time is spent in the clinic setting, seeing patients who often present the very health issues and illnesses that they are learning about in class.

“When I can put a patient face to the name of a disorder, disease, syndrome, etc…, it stays with me,” said DeSousa. “In addition, having a seasoned physician to talk to about each patient really helps me learn the important clinical and basic science concepts.

“I have had several experiences already where a patient presents with exactly what we are talking about in our basic sciences,” she continued. “It makes sense to learn in the context in which we will be practicing. Physicians have commented that we know a lot already, and that we are very lucky to have early clinical exposure.”

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (Oct. 14, 2008 ) – A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) and the Kirksville Osteopathic Alumni Association (KOAA) will honor several individuals at their annual meeting which will be held in conjunction with the American Osteopathic Association Convention in Las Vegas on October 27.

Each year, the KOAA recognizes outstanding alumni and friends with various awards. “The individuals honored ensure the continued reputation of excellence at our University,” said the KOAA Board of Directors. “At the same time, these individuals set a high standard for the aspiration and goals of KCOM. We are proud to honor their leadership, service, and commitment.”

The Alumnus of the Year Award, established in 1982, recognizes graduates who have made outstanding contributions to the College and the osteopathic profession. Robert Kromer, D.O., ’52, of Longboat Key, Fla., is the 2008 Alumnus of the Year.

The Living Tribute Award was established in 1969 and honors outstanding faculty and administration. ATSU’s Arizona Campus Provost Craig M. Phelps, D.O., FAOASM, ’84, of Scottsdale, Ariz., is the 2008 Living Tribute Award recipient.

The Distinguished Service Award, established in 1991, recognizes alumni and friends who have provided outstanding service and/or financial support to ATSU-KCOM. The 2008 honorees are Lex C. Towns, Ph.D., of Yakima, Wash., and Roland P. Sharp, D.O., ’43, of Marlinton, W. Va.

The Honorary KOAA Membership was established in 1948 to recognize individuals who rendered meritorious service to osteopathic education. The 2008 honorees are Doug Wood, D.O., Ph.D., of Mesa, Ariz.; Brian Degenhardt, D.O., of Ridgway, Colo.; Fanchon “Fancy” Funk, Ed.D., of Tallahassee, Fla.; and Robert Basham of Kirksville, Mo.

MESA, Ariz. (Aug. 5, 2008 ) –A.T. Still University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (SOMA) celebrated the enrollment of its second class at its White Coat Ceremony held in the Mesa Arts Center on Friday, August 1. The ceremony symbolizes an incoming student’s commitment to the obligations of their new profession and their responsibility to future patients. The event also represents new beginnings for SOMA as its inaugural class prepares to continue their education at partnering community campuses.

Students and faculty members campus-wide gathered at the event to celebrate the present and future of SOMA’s program. Keynote speaker Jack Dillenberg, D.D.S, M.P.H., dean of Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH), spoke on the significance of the ceremony and how physicians can better serve the community.

“I believe that the White Coat Ceremony is extremely important, especially when conducted at the beginning of the student’s journey in medical school. Students need to know that their values of integrity, honesty, and compassion are essential in their education as physicians. Their patients will come to trust and respect them as they demonstrate these important qualities. This trust will enable the ‘new’ physicians to better serve their patients, the patient’s family, and ultimately the community at large,” said Dr. Dillenberg.

SOMA, known for its cutting edge technology and self-directed learning, prepares its students to become more efficient as physicians by offering them hands-on learning in small group settings, a firsthand look at local healthcare systems, and an opportunity to be part of community health practices.

“This could be one of the most innovative medical schools in the country for two main reasons: our curricular model and sending students out [to other campuses]”, said Douglas Wood, D.O., Ph.D., dean of SOMA. “Medical students learn best when they are in the context they are learning. They learn what they can use right away.”

For three of their four educational years students will work closely with community health care centers where they will continue to spend time learning in classroom settings. SOMA offers students the opportunity to attend one of the 11 partnering community campuses or consortiums with locations ranging from Sunset Family Health Center in New York to Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health, based in Hawaii. Each location has its own character and varying techniques but all reach out to underserved communities. The campuses were selected based on their quality, size, and reputation for leadership. Other important factors in the decision were location and demographics of the area.

“Students need to understand how local healthcare systems operate and become advocates for learning inside of them. If they’re not culturally adept, they won’t be as effective as physicians,” said Gary Cloud, Ph.D., director of advancement with SOMA.

The program’s inaugural class consisted of 107 students from 23 different states along with countries including Mexico and Africa. Of them, their average age was 27; 62 were male and 45 were female. Current registration indicates the incoming class’s average age is 26 and is comprised of 103 students, 52 males and 51 females.

After competing their first year at ATSU, students receive a four- to five-week break followed by the continuation of their education across the nation in September.

“Our goal is to see at least 25 percent of them work more than a year at their campus [after completion of program] – that would be very, very good,” said Dr. Wood of the students. “This is something that other folks haven’t done before. The opportunity is here and not at other schools.”

A total of 59 need-based scholarships were granted to select incoming students. Of them, four students received $10,000; 14 received $2,000; and 41 received $1,000.

Students will serve America’s most vulnerable populations

MESA, Ariz. (Sept. 18, 2006 ) – The American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation has awarded provisional accreditation to A.T. Still University’s new college of osteopathic medicine in Mesa, Ariz. This represents the highest accreditation possible at this phase of development. The school’s unique curriculum will emphasize delivering whole person, compassionate care and cutting-edge science and technology. In addition, students will spend three of their four years in community health centers located in underserved communities.

The inaugural class of 100 students will enter the school in July 2007. The new medical school will operate in a 100,000-square-foot building on the 50-acre campus of A.T. Still University in Mesa, which is the anchor of the Arizona Health & Technology Park, a 132-acre, half-billion dollar education, healthcare, and technology park owned by the University and Vanguard Health Systems. The master plan for the new park includes hospitals, long-term and acute care facilities, student and senior housing, professional offices, a YMCA, and product development research facilities.

“By starting a school without old presumptions, we have an opportunity to use new medical research findings and technologies, as well as the latest cognitive principles,” says James J. McGovern, Ph.D., president of A.T. Still University.

“In the U.S., our current medical system is perceived as expensive, impersonal, and inefficient,” McGovern explains. “To solve these problems, we need to challenge the status quo, beginning with the way doctors are trained. We need to educate our new doctors to treat the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and to practice cost-effectively with integrity, compassion, and the latest technology. We also need to encourage them to be lifelong learners because the basis of knowledge is increasing every year.”

The newly named dean of the medical school, Douglas L. Wood, D.O., Ph.D., is the former president of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. He explains that the learning environment at the yet unnamed medical school will highlight a humanistic approach to education and healthcare. “Small study groups and problem solving will receive greater emphasis than lectures. Students will be educated in community health centers with wonderfully high ratios of physicians to students.”

Meeting a Growing Need

The new medical school will help meet a growing need for more physicians. Studies have estimated there will be a national shortage of as many as 200,000 physicians by 2020. This is due to several factors such as the growing number of people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, the need for older people to see doctors more often, and the increasing number of physicians, especially women, taking early retirement.

The new school’s geographic location is also significant. Arizona has one of the fastest growing populations in the country and ranks near last in terms of medical school slots per capita. No one knows this better than Craig M. Phelps, D.O., FAOASM, who serves as provost of A. T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences and Arizona School of Dentistry, as well as primary care team physician to college and professional teams including the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.

According to Dr. Phelps, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) helped provide the impetus for this new college. “Working with the Centers, we realized the critical shortage of doctors in underserved urban and rural areas. This will become even more critical as the physician shortage increases. The new medical school will partner with NACHC by utilizing Community Health Center sites across the nation as rotation destinations for medical students.” Dr. Phelps believes many of A.T. Still University’s students will return to communities of need and play a leading role in helping underserved individuals and neighborhoods.

“Medicine needs to reintroduce the concept of compassion,” says Phelps. “We have new knowledge and new technology, but unless today’s medical students understand the importance of compassion and the physician-patient relationship, America’s healthcare system will never meet patients’ real needs.”

MESA, Ariz. (Apr. 21, 2006 ) – National and local leaders in the fields of business, technology, and medical education have began convening for a series of quarterly meetings for discussion and vital input into the proposed medical school to be opened by A.T. Still University in Fall 2007 in Mesa, Arizona.  Three “Blue-Ribbon” Committees in business, medical education and technology have been appointed with influential leaders on a national and local level.  The first of these meetings was held March 24 by the Business Blue Ribbon Committee. On May 18-19 national experts in various segments of medical education will convene for the Medical Education Blue Ribbon Committee meeting in Scottsdale.   

A.T. Still University, founder of the nation’s first osteopathic medical school in 1892, is developing a medical school of the future that will implement an innovative educational model never used before in a U.S. medical school. An estimated 100 physicians will graduate from the school beginning in 2011. ATSU has selected a nationally recognized leader in the field of medical education, Dr. Douglas Wood, as the Dean of the proposed medical school.

Dr. Wood previously served as president of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) for 10 years and has led the educational efforts of the osteopathic medical profession during that period. He has received numerous grants to study medical education, including the $7.6 million Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century grant from 1997 to 2002. Dr. Wood was also dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University.

“We are delighted to have someone of Dr. Wood’s stature leading the new school,” said Craig Phelps, D.O., FAOASM, provost of ATSU-Mesa. “With his strong leadership and our experts on the Blue-Ribbon Panel Committee we will design an efficient medical school of the future that produces physicians that will treat the patient as a whole person, not just their symptoms.”

Many prominent Arizona business leaders are represented on the Business Blue-Ribbon Committee, including: Raymond A. Lamb, CEO of 1st National Bank of Arizona; Kent McClelland, President of Shamrock Foods; Reginald Ballantyne, III, Senior Corporate Officer for Abrazo Health Care, and Robert Uhl, Vice Chair of Bar-S Foods.

A.T. Still University has already demonstrated success with innovative technology and an advanced academic curriculum influenced by a Blue-Ribbon Committee when developing Arizona’s only dental school, the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, opened in 2003.  The first class will graduate May 19, 2007.

For more information about the Blue Ribbon Committees or the proposed medical school, contact Rodric Bradford, director of public relations for the Arizona School of Health Sciences at 480.219.6015 or rbradford@atsu.edu.