MESA, Ariz. – Tamara Valovich McLeod, Ph.D., ATC, associate professor, athletic training at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS), now holds the title of the inaugural John P. Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine. The endowed chair is a five-year appointment with an opportunity to renew.

“Dr. McLeod has earned a national reputation as an expert in sports medicine, especially in the areas of pediatrics and sports-related concussion,” said John Parsons, Ph.D., AT/L, athletic training program director. “This position is a fitting public recognition of her work, and relatedly, of the academic quality of the Athletic Training program at ATSU-ASHS.”

“I am honored to be named the inaugural John P Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine,” Dr. McLeod said. “Dr. Wood was an esteemed orthopedic surgeon and worked hard to promote the osteopathic medical profession. I hope to use this title and the associated funds to further our research and community outreach in athletic training and sports medicine, specifically related to pediatric sports medicine concerns and sport-related concussion.”

The endowed chair was created through funds established by John P. Wood, D.O., with gifts made by Dr. Wood during his lifetime and subsequently through his son, Mr. John P. Wood. John P. Wood, D.O., FAOAO, FACOS, was a 1927 graduate of A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM). Dr. Wood’s contributions to the osteopathic medical profession were numerous, and he was very active in orthopedics and sports medicine throughout his distinguished career as an orthopedic surgeon.

Funds from the John P. Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine will support sports medicine education and research, while funding for orthopedic surgery will be used by ATSU-KCOM.

Vineet Singh, Ph.D.

Vineet Singh, Ph.D., associate professor in microbiology/immunology at A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for $308,874.

Dr. Singh’s research focuses on controlling staph infections by studying the significance of an aggressive bacterial pathogen, called staphylococcus aureus, that causes a variety of diseases ranging from skin infections to complicated life-threatening diseases such as lung, heart valve, and central nervous system infections. Approximately one-third of the United States population is colonized with this bacterium. In addition, up to 90 percent of healthcare professionals are carriers, which means they are frequently in contact with patients who are at much greater risk of developing serious staphylococcal diseases.

These infections are difficult to treat as recent clinical strains are resistant to almost all known antibiotics. The goal of Dr. Singh’s research is to understand how this bacterium is able to cause disease in humans and has become resistant to all known antibiotics, and to suggest new therapeutic strategies for the control of staphylococcal infections.

In the last few years, Dr. Singh has identified several genes that he suspects are critical for this bacterium to survive antibiotic treatment. His plan is to delete those genes from the resistant bacterium and test if the gene deletion makes the bacterium susceptible to antibiotics and/or incapable to cause disease. Such genes can then be targeted in a clinical situation to control staph infections.

Says Dr. Singh on receiving his first NIH grant: “I feel extremely excited both personally and professionally after receiving this funding. The funding will enable me to test my research ideas, write research papers, attend professional meetings, and further develop my research career.”

NIH, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency and the largest source of funding for medical research in the world.

The Atlas House

The Atlas House has suffered major fire damage; firefighters fought the blaze from 6:30 p.m. on May 31 until 2:30 a.m. on June 1. The building is located at 218 S. Osteopathy in Kirksville.

The Atlas Club, a Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine fraternity, has owned the house since 1953. The mansion was built in 1912 by Charles Still, D.O., son of Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, founder of osteopathic medicine and of the original school.

Although the shell of the building is still standing, the Atlas House appears to be damaged beyond repair. The news media, including Kirksville’s local television station, KTVO, are reporting that the fire was intentionally set. There were no injuries as a result of the fire.

A.T. Still University does not own nor has ever owned the structure; however, because the Atlas House has had a close connection with many alumni, it is a sad event for ATSU and KCOM.

Read more about the blaze at www.heartlandconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=464445. The station posts updates on this site when new information is received.

Student doctor earns prestigious Dean’s Letter of Commendation

KCOM Dean Philip Slocum, D.O.; John Thruman Jr., OMS II; and ATSU President Jack Magruder

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) Dean Philip Slcoum, D.O., formally recognized the service of second-year student doctor John Thurman Jr. with a Dean’s Letter of Commendation. This is an infrequent recognition honoring the rare student who displays all of the positive virtues sought by the University. Only three letters have been extended since 2004. Thurman was honored during a surprise ceremony on May 28 on ATSU’s Missouri campus.

“This letter is presented to John in recognition of his leadership, courage, strength of character, perseverance, honesty, integrity, and compassion,” said Dr. Slocum. “In the 118-year history of KCOM, few people have been better ambassadors. John Thurman will be a success in whatever field he chooses to serve humanity.”

Thurman grew up in Midland, Texas, and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point Academy from 1996-2000. He served seven years in the U.S. Army, including tours in Kuwait and Baghdad, Iraq, for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As president of the Class of 2012, Thurman has initiated a ceremony recognizing Fellows who contribute to a medical student’s education; organized a 9.11 memorial service; lent tremendous support to fellow classmates and residents of Kirksville, who suffered loss in the 2009 tornado; led a fundraiser for Haiti in the wake of that country’s January earthquake; initiated Operation Osteopathic Service, a bi-annual community-wide service project, partnering with the city to clean up downtown; and developed a peer disciplinary program, setting expectations for younger students to behave more professionally.

Thurman is the recipient of many honors at ATSU. He is the first KCOM student nominee for a Still Spirit Award, a recognition program by the University that honors outstanding community leaders. He also was recently named Student D.O. of the Year and now represents ATSU with the opportunity to be named national D.O. of the year, who is to be announced later this year. In 2009 he was recognized by the University with an Above and Beyond Humanitarian Award for his leadership following Kirksville’s tornado.

Humble, caring, and supportive of classmates, the college, and the community, Thurman believes in living a life of service to others. “Life isn’t all about you,” he said. “It’s about your contributions and helping others.”

Thurman will spend the next two years completing clinical rotations at Via Christi Health System in Wichita, Kan.

MESA, Ariz. – In an era of healthcare reform legislation addressing healthcare coverage for all, healthcare economics, physician shortages and the concept of wellness, A.T. Still University (ATSU) already has been leading the way in closing the gap on the shortage of primary care physicians and providing care to the underserved, uninsured, and underinsured. In both its curriculum for medical school students and health program for employees, ATSU focuses on individuals taking personal responsibility for their health and wellness.

• ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) is grounded in the roots of osteopathic medicine, which focuses on wellness, prevention, and the integration of body, mind, and spirit. Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O., was the father of osteopathic medicine and founder of the first college of osteopathic medicine, now ATSU’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM).
• As a reflection of osteopathic philosophy, the ATSU-SOMA and ATSU-KCOM curriculum emphasizes preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care.
• ATSU partners with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to address those living in the nation’s underserved communities. ATSU-SOMA students — in their second year of medical school — continue their basic science and clinical curriculum studies while interacting with patients in Community Health Centers throughout the United States.
• ATSU is training future healthcare leaders while addressing the physician deficit and helping mitigate the primary care workforce shortages.
• The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) reports that enrollment at the nation’s colleges of osteopathic medicine has grown by 58 percent since 2002.
• According to AACOM, approximately 23 percent of medical students are enrolled in osteopathic medical schools.
• According to the American Medical Association’s 2010 Physician Characteristics and Distribution, there are approximately 954,000 M.D. physicians in the U.S. There are an additional 62,918 osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) in practice.
• According to the National Center for Analysis of Healthcare Data at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, in 2008 there were 240,022 physicians in the primary care specialties of general practice, internal medicine, family practice and pediatrics; 10 percent of those physicians are D.O.s.
• ATSU believes that healthcare reform includes advocating personal responsibility for being healthy and is already implementing wellness incentives for employees to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors.
• ATSU offers employees a chance to take personal responsibility for their health while also receiving a discount on their health insurance premium through its Still Healthy program. Still Healthy not only comprises a reduction in monthly premiums, but employees also are eligible for an annual reimbursement for participating in the program.
• All employees agree to attend four educational health programs, complete an online health assessment, and agree to be a non-smoker or participate in a smoking cessation program. In addition, all participants agree to a wellness exam paid 100 percent by ATSU.

“People are starting to understand, and research is starting to support, the wisdom of the osteopathic approach to medicine,” said SOMA Dean Douglas Wood, D.O., Ph.D. “Our commitment to whole person healthcare translates naturally into primary care medicine, which is exactly what is so desperately needed in our country right now.”