inside soma · somap, as it was called at the time, was an impressive 40 pages long, most of which...
TRANSCRIPT
they wanted their voices to be
heard!
Thus students from each of the 6
colleges came together to form
the first national organization
dedicated to the representa-
tion of all Osteopathic
medical students in order
to offer a unified voice on
all issues pertinent to the
current healthcare atmos-
phere. As Jay M. Wolkov,
of the KCOS class of 1973
stated: “While those who
have gone before us were
reluctant to voice their
( Story continued on p. 3)
The year 2010 marks the 40th
anniversary of SOMA‟s existence
as an organization. To com-
memorate the founding of our
SOMA Family those 40 years ago,
let‟s take a look back at how we
got our start!
In 1970, there were but 6
colleges of Osteopathic medi-
cine in existence: the Chicago
College of Osteopathic Medi-
cine; the College of Osteo-
pathic Medicine and Surgery
(now DMU-COM), The Kan-
sas City College of Osteopa-
thy and Surgery (now
KCUMB); Kirksville College of
Osteopathic Medicine, Michi-
gan College of Osteopathic
Medicine and Philadelphia
College of Osteopathic Medi-
cine. In the midst of the politi-
cal turmoil of the time, young
Americans in all walks of life
were being inspired to take a
stand and become more proac-
tive and involved in shaping the
future of this nation. So was the
atmosphere among the Osteo-
pathic medical students of the
time. They felt passionately that
they had much to share with the
greater medical community and
An exciting new format was im-
plemented at the Student Osteo-
pathic Medical Association Fall
Convention in New Orleans this
past October. The SOMA lead-
ership was proud to offer a vari-
ety of break-out workshops for
all registered participants on both
days of the gathering. The assort-
ment of sessions touched upon
many topics relevant to osteo-
pathic medical students, including
advocacy, education, and re-
search. Invited speakers, SOMA
chapter leaders, and SOMA Na-
tional Board members presented
the material in a variety of inter-
active settings. Here is a recap of
the workshops:
Graduate Leverage: Debt
Advisory: Presenters offered an
overview of the debt advisory
services and tips for students on
debt management in the years
following graduation
Preventive Health Initia-
tives: Lauren Brankle, OMS III
lead an Interactive session which
stimulated idea exchange con-
cerning student-led SOMA pre-
ventive health initiatives in school
communities
Going Green Campaign:
WVSOM Green Committee lead
a presentation and idea exchange
about making green initiatives on
osteopathic campuses
Counsel of Interns and
Resident Q&A Session: Free-
form question and answer ses-
sion about the process of transi-
tioning from student to intern/
resident,, including boards, clerk-
(Story continued on p. 2)
The Origins of SOMA
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
OP&P 2
Presidential
Message
4
Unity Project 5
Foundation
Update
6
Medically
Underserved
7
Disease of
the Day
7
New Convention Format a Success!
Inside SOMA J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0 C E L E B R A T I N G 4 0 Y E A R S
We are what we
repeatedly do.
Excellence,
therefore,
is not an act
but a habit.
-Aristotle
Keith L. Hansen,
Inaugural SOMA President
P A G E 2
Continued: New Convention Format
Are you down with OPP? In the early years of SOMA,
there was widespread concern
being expressed by the students
over the quality of their educa-
tion, particularly in the field of
Osteopathic Principles and Prac-
tices. As Dr. Magen expressed
in the first edition of the SOMA
Newsletter “Currently, our
greatest problem curriculum-
wise lies with manipulative ther-
apy and principles. This is an
area that is filled with emotion.
At times, there is difficulty sepa-
rating fanaticism and religion
from clinical medicine, science
and therapy. Our instructors, all
part-time, unpaid, and volun-
tary, are excellent clinicians
and marvelous technicians.
Unfortunately, none has ever
taught previously. Most are
years away from their school
days. We have given them the
hardest and most difficult area
in which to play. The trauma
to these well-motivated indi-
viduals is greater than it is to
our tough, sophisticated, cyni-
cal students…the primary
source of trouble lies with a
profession that considers itself
expert in the area, but has
proven to have drawn a blank
in its attempt to teach.”
Forty years later, SOMA would
like to check in with our mem-
bers and see how far we as a
profession have come in our
educational approaches, particu-
larly in the area of Osteopathic
Principles and Practices. Please
provide us with your feedback
by completing the online survey
at the following link:
SOMA OP&P Survey .
Also feel free to email additional
comments to Crystal Lenz at
search being done at our own
institutions
Fetal Heart Rate Moni-
toring and Tocometers:
Courtney Steller, OMS IV with
Dr. Teresa Hubka, D.O., and
Dr. Robert Debbs, D.O. facili-
tated this session in which
participants learned specifics
about reading and understand-
ing fetal heart tone monitors
and tocometers
The addition of workshops
was a great success and a
notable improvement on the
overall structure of our bi-
annual conventions. SOMA
leadership looks forward to
hosting similar workshops in
ships and interviews.
OMT Workshop: Dr. Le-
vine focused on OMT from a
sports medicine perspective
Political Debate on Health
Care Reform: Matt Weigand,
OMS IV hosted an interactive
exchange on differing perspec-
tives on health care reform with
the help of AMSA and COSGP
representatives
Developing and Executing
a Research Project: Joe Prin-
sen, DO-PhD candidate pre-
sented an introduction to the
process of implementing re-
search and provided a forum for
sharing information about re-
the Spring in Washington, DC.
We hope to see you all there!
If you have any ideas about fu-
ture workshops or have any
questions or comments, please
feel free to contact Lauren Bran-
kle at
-By Owen Speer, OMS-IV
Preventive Health Initiatives
Workshop Lead by Lauren
Brankle, OMS-III
I N S I D E S O M A
“Education must be
flexible, it must be
responsive to social
change, it must be
questioning and it
must contain within
itself the dynamism to
affect those around
it.”
-Myron Magen, DO
Right: Inaugural SOMA House of Delegates meeting at the Drake Hotel, Chicago. March of 1970.
Left: Saturday afternoon lunch-eon at the Drake Hotel, Inaugural SOMA conven-
tion, 1970
Representatives of one of the newest
SOMA chapters at PNWU
Continued: The Origins of SOMA
P A G E 3 C E L E B R A T I N G 4 0 Y E A R S
opinions, I feel that the time has come not
only for us to criticize but also for us to be
constructive and help improve our educa-
tion. Therefore by improving our education
we can improve our profession, for only by
traveling a road can one truly report it‟s
condition.”
Keith Hansen served as the first SOMA
President in 1970. At the opening of the
inaugural SOMA convention that Spring in
Chicago, Hansen stated SOMA‟s role to be
simply “Communication among, and repre-
sentative of Osteopathic medical students”.
Hansen went on to describe how SOMA has
“brought about a unity, while maintaining an
autonomy.”
From the beginning, SOMA has been a melt-
ing pot of student ideas and enthusiasm; a
place for open communication about con-
cerns with current practices and ideas for
improvement of our profession and the
healthcare system at large. As Allan H. Mor-
ton of KCOS class of 1973 said of the first
SOMA convention, “Each of us experienced
a sense of responsibility not only to other
Osteopathic medical students, but to the
Osteopathic profession and also to the im-
provement of health care delivery to the
public. It was with this sense of responsibil-
ity and a growing sense of enthusiasm that
the convention proceeded.”
In it‟s first year of existence, SOMA was able
to persuade the AOA to approve Military
and select AMA residency programs for joint
accreditation in order to expand opportuni-
ties for all Osteopathic students. In fact,
SOMA was striving to evoke change on all
fronts! As Myron Magen, D.O. and Dean of
MCOM stated: “Look about you and see the
lack of strong self-expression in the profes-
sion relative to the social changes that are
taking place about us. You will look in vain if
you look for strong AOA policy statements
relative to the poor, the disadvantaged, the
dispossessed, the black, abortion, Medicare,
national health insurance, and so forth. It is
apparent that our present policy appears to
be one of “don‟t rock the boat and maybe no
one will notice that we are here”.”
But rocking the boat is precisely what the
early members of SOMA had set out to do!
They were not only ready to see change in the
profession, they were ready to lead that
change! However, as SOMA VP Keith Hind-
man pointed out in 1970 as he called on his
colleagues to become involved, “SOMA is not
a student rebellion . We are an integral part
of the Osteopathic profession cooperating
fully with the other members of the profess-
ion to obtain our mutual goals. To this end,
we as students contribute our unique assets
which are so essential to our profession at
this point. These assets: energy, enthusiasm
imagination and influence….So what are YOU
doing? What are YOUR ideas? Will YOU
help?”
In the early days of the SOMA newsletter, it
was used as a truly open forum for students
and physicians to share their ideas with the
larger community and respond to one an-
other‟s concerns. The very first issue of
SOMAP, as it was called at the time, was an
impressive 40 pages long, most of which was
filled with letters to the editor. From Osteo-
pathic students across the nation as well as
practicing DO‟s and leaders in the AOA, eve-
ryone‟s voice was heard in SOMAP. This
newsletter was an open forum in the truest
sense of the word.
With the progression of technology, such
forums can now take place in real-time
through conference calls, webcasts and online
chat rooms, as well as the most important fo-
rum which is still at the core of our organiza-
tion, our national conventions.
The inaugural SOMA convention took place in
Chicago at the Drake Hotel. It was called to
order on Friday, March 27th and there were
175 people in attendance, representing the 6
schools open at that time. J. Scott Heathering-
ton, D.O., President of the AOA addressed the
HOD and expressed his enthusiasm for this
unified student voice to be expressed through
SOMA, and he declared SOMA the “official
voice of the students in the Osteopathic medi-
cal schools.”
Friday night was resolution night, guided by the
5 committees that had been established to
guide SOMA‟s progress in the following areas:
1. Education and Grant, headed by Ronald
Blonder, CCOM 2. State and National Affairs,
headed by Doug Larson, COMS 3. Interna-
tional Affairs, headed by Olen D. Amerson,
KCCOS 4. Public Relations and Community
Service Projects, headed by Sam Strauss, PCOM
5. Publications, headed by Wayne Bizer,
CCOM,
Saturday, after updates from each committee,
there were symposiums on “Human Health
Rights” and “Environmental Pollution”.
As noted in the other front-page article, SOMA
is currently revamping our national conventions
to broaden the scope and make them more
interactive. This new format was a big hit in
New Orleans and we are looking forward to
the 2010 Spring convention in conjunction with
DO Day on Capitol Hill from April 29th
through May 2nd. We have many more inter-
active workshops planned and will also be ap-
pointing a new National Board for 2010-2011!
We hope that you will join us and consider
running for a National Board position (see web-
site for details: www.StudentDO.com). We
also welcome your feedback and suggestions
with regard to convention format or any other
aspect of YOUR Student Osteopathic Medical
Association! Please email such input to
-by Crystal Lenz, OMS-III
“Dynamic changes must
occur to maintain the viability of our
profession, and we must work to-
gether for the continued health of the
patient”
-R. Alan Miller, PCOM
P A G E 4
“Passion and
compassion are
the keys to
your
extracurricular
experiences”
Message from the President: Get Involved! It becomes the mantra of
every 2nd year chapter leader
to all incoming 1st years,
“Getting involved is important.
It will help you more than you
know in the long run.” While
these 2nd years have good
reason to say this, every year
1st years resist the urge to get
involved. Some eventually come around and find a niche
to volunteer, lead, work or
organize. Still countless others
fall through the cracks and
wind up in 4th year trying to fill
out their ERAS application and
trying to morph some lone
volunteer day into 2 years
worth of volunteering to
„impress‟ program directors
nationwide.
This unfortunate trend can
hurt some highly qualified
students heading into competi-
tive specialties or applying at
competitive institutions. The
majority of students heading
into primary care and less
competitive specialties may
have no problems getting the
residency spot they desire.
However, the lack of leader-
ship and volunteer experience
may prove detrimental later in
residency.
As a fourth year heading into
Internal Medicine, I‟m about
half way through the interview
cycle at both allopathic and
osteopathic residencies. The
resounding theme I hear from
several of my interviewers is
how impressed they are with
my volunteer experience. It
often spawns questions that
carry much of the interview
and lead to great stories about
past conventions, fellow physi-
cians we mutually know, or
political advocacy in Washing-ton. The main reason I got
started with SOMA was not to
fill a resume. If that were the
case, I would have burned out
awhile ago and quit. I did it
because I wanted to learn
more about healthcare advo-
cacy and to further my interest
in leadership and community
service.
In doing so, I learned more
about giving back to my local
community as well as the im-
portance of being involved in
the administrative side of our
profession (something I think
our predecessors have been absent from). I have also met
numerous contacts in the os-
teopathic world and have got-
ten to speak in front of nu-
merous osteopathic mentors
at the AOA convention. The
experience has been incredible
and instilled in me the confi-
dence to put my best foot
forward with my patients and
with my interviews. My edu-
cation has been strengthened
by my commitment outside
the classroom. I now have a
more knowledge of the busi-
ness world of medicine that I
never learned in the class-
room.
I have even encountered class-
mates of mine on rotations
that have expressed to me
their own frustration with a
lack of their own volunteer/
extracurricular experience as
they were filling out their
ERAS forms. The main point I
express to my classmates is
that the type of activity is
moot as long as you were
passionate about the experi-
ence and you followed
through with it over time (i.e.
not a one-time deal). I‟ve had
friends work as EMT‟s part-
time, do basic science re-
search, volunteer to teach
Sunday school, tutor under-
graduate students, organize
mission trips, etc. All are
great examples; some require intense participation for 1-2
years, and others may only be
a 1-hour/week commitment
for 4 years.
Some specialty programs may
require more specialized re-
search or volunteering within
their field but overall, passion
and compassion are the keys
to your extracurricular experi-
ences. These directors want
to know that they have resi-
dents who are willing to give
back and that have an outgoing
personality. I have not once
been asked to recall my favor-
ite class or my best grade on a test, but I have been asked to
share why I give back to
SOMA and what I love about
internal medicine.
To sum things up, getting in-
volved will pay dividends both
in the immediate search for
the right residency and the
long-term goal of being a com-
passionate physician. Any type
of experience within the com-
munity is good experience.
Once boards are passed, per-
sonality goes a long way to
impress residency programs.
Listen to your 2nd counter-
parts; they are not trying to
trick you so you do poorly on
your exams. If nothing else,
get involved because it makes
you feel good and relieves the
stress of the classroom. You
will not regret it. You will
regret reaching 4th year and
not having any extracurricular
experience to talk about. -By A.J. Stefani, OMS-IV
Current SOMA President
A.J. Stefani, OMS-IV
I N S I D E S O M A
SOMA leaders
Matt Reynolds & Nathan Hale
with “SOMA Sam”
SOMA Unity Project 2009 I recently organized and attended
the SOMA Unity Project in Kissim-
mee, Florida. The project’s mission
was to form unity within the osteo-
pathic profession while providing
service to the Give Kids the World
Foundation. This foundation works
in collaboration with the Make a
Wish Foundation. Over sixty D.O.
students from nearly every osteo-
pathic school volunteered their time
and energy to create a stress free
vacation for terminally ill children
and their families. This vacation
provides the family with a brief
escape from the harsh reality of
their existing situation.
Each day we would report to the
Give Kids the World volunteer of-
fice where they would assign us our
responsibilities. These responsibili-
ties would vary from gardening to
carousel conductor. Each of the
volunteers performed a variety of
tasks each day.
Here is a brief description of one of
my experiences which depicts what
a unique and rewarding service
opportunity we had. One evening, I
conducted the carousel. I watched a
sweet five year old Brigit ride the
carousel for three hours. I joked
with her parents that she was going
to set a new world record. Her
parents were obviously tired of the
carousel but didn’t have the heart
to end her fun. It was a very mov-
ing site to see the little girl’s excite-
ment as she waved to her parents
each time the carousel went
around. As I watched her, I realized
what this vacation meant to her,
and I was thankful that our simple
service was contributing to her joy.
I learned from this project that
there exist many opportunities to
make a difference. I was impressed
by the osteopathic community’s
readiness to volunteer and give
back to the community. I feel hon-
ored to have been a part of this
project and thank the American
Osteopathic Foundation for making
it all possible.
-By Nathan Hale, OMS-IV
P A G E 5
P A G E 6
2009 SOMA Foundation Reception:
A Masquerade Ball Pink, green, black, silver, gold, blue, yellow, and any other color you could imagine made
their grand appearances with SOMA at this year‟s SOMA Foundation Reception. With
the theme of “A Masquerade Ball,” SOMA Foundation members came dressed to im-
press! There were almost 100 SOMA members in attendance with special guests Dr.
Daniel Deavers and his family, Dean William Strample from Michigan State University,
Dr. Karen Nichols, president-elect of the AOA, several scholarship winners, and many
more. Overall the event was a huge success. Members enjoyed some tasty New Or-
leans snacks while mingling and showing off their debonair masquerade masks, many of
which were provided by the generous donations from Linda Adams, the outgoing presi-
dent of the AAOA.
Dr. Daniel Deavers received this year‟s honor of the Northup Educator of the Year and
was able to bless the crowd with a heartfelt and inspiring speech. Nominated by his own
students at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, this award is the
highest honor SOMA can offer to educators nationwide. Everyone enjoyed the opportu-
nity to hear from such an inspirational teacher and mentor.
The following scholarship winners were recognized and granted awards during the reception:
Student Doctor Network Community & Preventative Medicine Scholarship:
Tamar Nazerian (WU-COMP)
Ed & Melissa Loniewski Medically Underserved Scholarship (fall winner): Catherine Clark
(WV-SOM)
Humanism in Medicine Scholarship:
Brett London (Touro-CA)
SOMA New Member Scholarships:
Stephen Eickermann (KCUMB)
Rung chi Li (Touro-CA)
Sierra Coartney (VCOM)
Dustin Paul (LECOM-Erie)
Hallie Pobanz (LECOM-Bradenton)
The night was capped with a surprise appearance from John Crosby, Executive Director of the AOA, and his wife, both
dressed as glow-in-the-dark skeletons. Overall, the event was a
glamorous, entertaining, and memorable event. New friendships
were made and old ones were renewed. SOMA members showed
off their elegance, paid respect to some wonderful mentors and
scholarship winners, and had a blast in the process. We look forward to next year‟s event and hope
you can join us in the celebration of the SOMA Foundation.
The New Orleans Convention featured a silent auction hosted by the SOMA Foundation. The auction
hosted items donated by various COMs and some local businesses. Grand prizes included a massage
table, a signed AC/DC record and an original photograph of
A.T. Still from 1893. The Foundation was able to raise almost
$2500 from the silent auction, which will help the foundation
continue to fund scholarships, grants and volunteer projects
throughout the country.
For more information about the events that the SOMA Founda-
tion promotes, please visit www.SOMAFoundation.org and con-
sider making a donation to our Foundation. Your single founda-
tion can benefit osteopathic students across the country, and
we appreciate any generosity you
may be able to offer.
-By Courtney Stellar, OMS-IV I N S I D E S O M A
Foundation Silent
Auction raised
almost $2 ,500!!
P A G E 7 C E L E B R A T I N G 4 0 Y E A R S
From the beginning, SOMA members have had a passion for human rights and equality in healthcare. One of the 2 symposia at the inau-
gural convention in the Spring of 1970 was focused on just that. Lead by Dr. Quentin Young, past chairman of the Medical Committee
for Human Rights and editor of Health Rights News, this symposia included discussions of the irresponsible spending of healthcare dollars
in the U.S., the “oppressive pyramid” structure of the U.S. healthcare system, and the underserved populations in the U.S. from the in-
ner city “ghettos” to Appalachia, to the Native American Indian reservations. Young called upon the students to continue to fight for
equality in healthcare, stating that the way this nation would finally meet the healthcare needs of the underserved communities would be
“...with students, many, many students, I would not suggest overall or even a majority but an important minority, the ones that are going
to change the world, turning their back on the country-club rewards that medicine has to offer...returning to the original purpose of
their education and profession: to serve the people.”
Additionally, an article in the first edition of SOMAP, written by Mike Brown, CCOM ‟71, continued this focus on the underserved
communities by exploring the Black Panther Clinic in Chicago, called „The Peoples‟ Medical Care Center‟ and dedicated in honor of sur-
geon “Jake” Winters, a member of the Black Panther Party who lost his life to police bullets in the Winter of 1969. This clinic was lo-
cated in the West side ghetto of Chicago, part of the “medical wasteland” that characterized the inner cities of America. The center
was “bright, warmly decorated and well-equipped”, with over 150 nurses, technicians, physicians and health science students volunteer-
ing every evening and all day on Sundays to provide care to this neglected population.
One key thing that this clinic showed the country was that an effective healthcare system must be tailored to the community it aims to
serve. The same structure does not work for every setting. The National Government and Health Department had made previous
attempts to provide care to this particular West Chicago community, but had failed due to their “top down” approach. As Brown
stated in his 1970 article, “People do not understand their health and how to maintain it. But there has never been any pride by the
community in their own health unit before. Here they are decisive in the policy making, surely fundamental to success in adequate
health in the future for medically void areas.”
To this day, SOMA strives to reach out to the underserved communities across the country and abroad through programs such as our
annual Unity project, participation in the Better World Books campaign and monetary donations to various populations in need due to
natural disaster or tragedy. As we work to expand our impact at home and abroad, SOMA needs your help to reach out to those in
need! If you have ideas or suggestions or simply wish to get more involved, please contact our International health program director at
[email protected] or our Public Health director at [email protected].
SOMA’s History With the Medically Underserved
Disease of the Day: NEUROFIBROMATOSIS
Most common disease of neurocutaneous syndromes (Phakomatoses)
Autosomal Dominant inheritance; 1/2 of new cases due to spontaneous mutations
Type I (NF1) = Von Recklinghausen disease, affects cells of neural crest origin
Type II (NF2) = Bilateral Acoustic Neurofibromatosis
DX:
NF2: Family Hx of NF2 + Unilateral 8th nerve mass OR Family Hx + 2 of the following:
-Neurofibroma -Meningioma -Glioma -Schwannoma
-Juvenile posterior subcapsular lenticular opacity **Bilateral vestibular schwannomas = pathognomonic
NF1: 2+ of the following:
-6+ Café-au-lait (light brown) macules 5+ mm in prepubertal or 15+ mm in adults -2+ neurofibromata or 1 plexiform neurofibroma -Axillary or inguinal freckling
-2+ Lisch nodules -Optic glioma by MRI -1st degree relative with NF1
-Characteristic osseous lesions: sphenoid dysplasia, long bone cortical thinning, ribbon ribs
or angular scoliosis
Clinical: sensorineural hearing loss, disturbed balance / altered gait, vertigo +/- nausea/vomiting, tinnitus, facial weakness / sensory impair-ment
TX: ¹Anticonvulsants for seizure control ²Medications for ADHD
-Annual neurologic exams, ophthalmologic exams, hearing exams
-Hearing augmentation and Speech therapy as needed
-Surgery as indicated for scoliosis, plexiform neurofibromata or malignancy -Brainstem auditory implants in select populations
From your National SOMA Officer team, Thanks for a great year in 2009!
We’re looking forward to growing success in 2010!
Interested in becoming a National SOMA officer? Visit our website for information
on available positions and email your CV & Letter of Intent to Crystal Lenz & Nick Perkins at:
[email protected] and [email protected]
Deadline for applications = Friday, April 9th 2010
SAVE THE DATES!! Thursday, April 29th 2010: DO Day on Capitol Hill
Friday-Saturday (evening), April 30th-May 1st: Spring SOMA Convention