Karen T. Snider, D.O.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Effective March 1, Karen T. Snider, D.O., became chair of the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Department at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM). She has served as acting chair since November 2008.

Dr. Snider has served the University as associate professor of the OMM department and as director of the undergraduate OMM fellows program since 2005. Since 2002 she has served as a compliance officer with the Gutensohn Osteopathic Medical Associates.

As chair, Dr. Snider will manage administrative issues of the OMM academic and clinical departments and oversee the OMM academic curriculum. In addition, she will serve on the student promotions board and academic council. She continues to see patients and supervise students and residents in the OMM clinic and hospital OMM consult service.

Dr. Snider is board certified in osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine and holds a Missouri medical license. She has been involved in extensive research and currently sits on several committees including KCOM’s Interdisciplinary Research Committee and National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) Item Writing and Product Committees.

“We have long recognized Dr. Snider’s skills as a teacher, mentor, researcher, and as a servant through the hundreds of hours she gives to her college at the local and national level,” said KCOM Dean Philip Slocum, D.O. “After a long and exhaustive search, we are confident we have the leader who can help improve our curriculum, research, and service.”

In honor of Dr. Snider’s appointment as chair, ATSU will hold a congratulatory reception with the University community March 25.

“I look forward to serving ATSU in this position,” Dr. Snider said.

Stuart selected out of more than 200 COMLEX item writers

Melissa K. Stuart, Ph.D.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) Microbiology/Immunology Associate Professor Melissa K. Stuart, Ph.D., was recently selected as 2009 Item Writer of the Year for COMLEX-USA Level 1 by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. (NBOME).

NBOME is a not-for-profit corporation that serves public and state licensing agencies by administering examinations testing the medical knowledge of those who seek to serve the public as osteopathic physicians. The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensure Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) examination sequence is currently accepted for licensure in all 50 U.S. states and is used as an accreditation requirement for all schools and colleges of osteopathic medicine by the Commission on Accreditation of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine of the American Osteopathic Association.

COMLEX certified item writers write new questions, or items, for the three levels of the comprehensive exam. NBOME uses hundreds of item writers who submit new items for review and revision. Actual items used on the exams are the product of multiple revision steps.

Dr. Stuart was selected out of more than 200 item writers who contributed to COMLEX-USA Level 1 in 2009. According to NBOME, Dr. Stuart’s items are a model for the type and format needed to produce a valid, high-quality examination that assesses competencies for osteopathic medicine and related health professions.

“I am surprised and pleased to be recognized by the NBOME for my item-writing efforts,” said Dr. Stuart. “I feel that submitting questions for Part 1 COMLEX-USA is both a privilege and a professional obligation. By becoming involved in test development, my colleagues and I can play a role in ensuring that osteopathic medical students seeking licensure have a sound knowledge base in the basic sciences.”

As Item Writer of the Year for Level 1, Dr. Stuart will receive a personalized plaque, recognition by the NBOME board of directors at its annual meeting in December, and recognition in NBOME’s quarterly newsletter, The Osteopathic Examiner.

“Dr. Stuart’s achievement honors KCOM and ATSU,” said KCOM Dean Philip Slocum, D.O. “It demonstrates the quality of our program and faculty. The COMLEX-USA exams are licensure examinations that assure the public of the competence of graduating physicians. KCOM faculty have a long tradition of helping establish the standards that physicians must meet nation-wide.”

Dr. Stuart recently completed NBOME’s item-writing training course, achieving the status of “Certified NBOME Item-Writer,” during which she was required to submit 10 original items over the course of 12 months. She joins three other microbiology/immunology faculty members who also recently achieved “Certified NBOME Item-Writer” distinction: Neil J. Sargentini, Ph.D., chair and associate professor; Neal Chamberlain, Ph.D., associate professor; and Vineet K. Singh, Ph.D., associate professor.

“I am pleased that all of the faculty in my department have reached this goal of certification,” said Dr. Sargentini.

Three microbiology/immunology faculty not only submit exam questions to NBOME, but also serve as current or past members of the Level 1 Review Committees. Dr. Stuart has served on the Level 1 Item Review Committee since 2004, and Drs. Sargentini and Chamberlain are both past members of the committee.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The 2010 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges includes 22 A.T. Still University (ATSU) students who have been recognized as national outstanding campus leaders. Fourteen of ATSU’s Who’s Who students attend its Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCOM) Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program, two attend KCOM’s Master of Biomedical Sciences (M.S.) program, and six are students of ATSU’s School of Health Management (SHM).

These students join an elite group of students from more than 2,000 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign nations.

Students with outstanding academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities, and potential for continued success have been recognized in the annual directory since its first publication in 1934.

The KCOM D.O. students are Jessica E. Alm, Jared Chase, Brandon Flammer, Alan Heincker, Lyndsay C. Hoemberg, Katherine Johnson, Meggan Johnson, Sarah Moran, Cory Nelson, Curtis Neilsen, Brian Parks, Erick Schuermann, Mark T. Shima, and Courtney Winterer.

The KCOM biomed students are Jeffrey R. Gaffney and Tyler J. Smith.

The SHM students are Gail L. Bullard, David Dunham, Jerome Horn, Diane Oldfather, Kareem Rizk, and John Sumo.

ATSU will recognize these students at its 2010 Senior Awards Banquet in May.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Three faculty members at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) have been promoted from assistant professor to associate professor.

“A college or university is only as good as its faculty and staff,” said KCOM Dean Phil Slocum, D.O. “When faculty peers recognize a faculty member’s promotion, it is a very big deal. Each of these faculty members has contributed to advancing KCOM and ATSU’s mission. They are each appreciated for their achievements.”

Larry Ciesemier, D.O.

Larry Ciesemier, D.O., a 1997 graduate of KCOM, was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in the Internal Medicine department. Dr. Ciesemier operates Kirksville Allergy and Asthma LLC, an allergy and asthma immunology private practice, and will graduate from the Missouri Sheriff Training Academy on December 3 when he will then serve as a reserve deputy officer with Adair County and the Kirksville Police Department.

“I am proud and honored to receive this promotion. As course director and chair of the department of internal medicine, I have and am striving to create a vibrant atmosphere of excellence for both students and faculty,” Dr. Ciesemier said.

Patricia Sexton, D.H.Ed., M.S.

Patricia Sexton, D.H.Ed., M.S., was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of Family Medicine, Community Medicine, Preventative Medicine. Dr. Sexton is also director of research at ATSU’s School of Health Management (SHM), teaching classes at both SHM and KCOM. Dr. Sexton has been a faculty member at ATSU for 21 years.

“I feel fortunate to work in the osteopathic profession, with the best and brightest students and committed colleagues. I will work to continue making relevant contributions to KCOM and to medical education nationally,” Dr. Sexton said.

Kelly Halma, D.O.

Kelly Halma, D.O., was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine department. Dr. Halma has been with the University since 2005.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by the leadership and faculty for my work at ATSU-KCOM,” Dr. Halma said. “Training future physicians is a tremendous responsibility and one I take very seriously, as does everyone at ATSU. I am proud to be part of this important mission and part of this organization.”

President Magruder and new board member Ron Winkler

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The A.T. Still University (ATSU) Board of Trustees met October 17 in Kirksville, Mo., during Founder’s Day weekend for its quarterly meeting and elected its newest member, Ronald Winkler of Kirksville. Winkler is president of Winkler Communication Services, a telephone and fiber cable installation and repair company that has served northeast Missouri since 1991. Winkler will serve a three-year term. The board now has 17 members.

The board also made a number of other personnel changes, including saying goodbye to former chair Peter Detweiler, CEO of Alliant Bank in Kirksville, whose term expired, and re-electing members Cynthia Byler, D.O., of St. Louis, Mo.; Carl Bynum, D.O., M.P.H., of Warson Woods, Mo.; Manuel Bedoya, D.M.D., of Tucson, Ariz.; Clyde Evans, Ph.D., of Needham, Mass.; and John Robinson, of Phoenix, Ariz.

New officers were also appointed: Dr. Bynum as chair; Kenneth Jones, D.O., of Clinton, Mo., as vice chair; Dr. Byler as secretary; Robert Uhl, of Phoenix, Ariz., as finance committee chair; and Dr. Evans as chair of the education/research committee.

The next board meeting is scheduled for February 2010 in Mesa, Ariz.