A Note from Dean Cavalieri
Our new academic year kicked off to a very different but still very exciting start, especially for our Class of 2024. I can only begin to express my pride and gratitude for everyone at RowanSOM for your willingness to pitch in and constantly adjust to the changes the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown our way over the past six months. Your commitment and dedication speak more than words can describe of why RowanSOM is such a great institution and how we truly are a family.
Stay strong and be safe,
Thomas A. Cavalieri, DO, MACOI, FACP
Dean
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Orientation Week Activities for the Class of 2024
 SOM's Class of 2024 experienced an orientation unlike any other as they arrived on campus July 13. This year's weeklong experience was modified to be a mix of in-person sessions, online presentations and live WebEx lectures due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of enhanced procedures were put in place for all in-person sessions, including assigning students to groups to maintain a maximum of 54 first-year students on campus at any one time, as well as implementing a face mask requirement. While on campus, the students were fit tested for PPE, as well as shown how to sanitize their issued N95 face masks.
Another change to the academic calendar is the decision to delay the White Coat Ceremony, which was originally scheduled for August 16. The decision was made based on the State's continued restrictions for large indoor gatherings, as well as the limitations needed to conduct the ceremony, including guest attendance and white coat presentation.
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Department of Psychiatry Appoints Rachel Shmuts, DO '09 to New Role
 The Department of Psychiatry has appointed Dr. Rachel Shmuts as the department's first Vice Chair for Education.
Dr. Shmuts has been instrumental in the redevelopment of the second-year Brain and Behavior course curriculum, and her leadership has led to rising student scores on Psychiatry COMAT exams. Recently promoted to Associate Professor, Dr. Shmuts also serves as the department's Residency Director.
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Student Doctor Shikha Patel Selected for AACOM OHPI Program
 Congratulations are extended to Student Doctor Shikha Patel, who was recently selected to participate
in the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine's (AACOM) 2021 Osteopathic Health Policy Intern (OHPI) Program. Applicants are selected based on several criteria, including a brief position paper on a particular area of health care or higher education policy interest, as well as letters of recommendation.
The OHPI program gives osteopathic medical students the opportunity to spend eight weeks in Washington, DC at AACOM's Office of Government Relations, where they develop knowledge of federal health care and higher education policy, as well as public policy formulation. However, due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's internships will be conducted virtually through online learning, for which students will receive appropriate academic credit.
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Generous Gift to CARES Helps Provide Mental Health Treatment for Those Impacted by COVID-19
For many, the emotional trauma of COVID-19 will last longer than the pandemic itself. Centene, a leading multi-national health care enterprise, made a gift of $95,700 to the CARES Institute to support Dr. Esther Deblinger's efforts to coordinate virtual training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), in regions across the United States where
the COVID-19 virus has impacted the health and/or economic well-being of children and their families. CARES Institute provides help for children and families who have experienced abuse, neglect and/or other traumas.
TF-CBT is designed to help children, adolescents and their caregivers overcome the often devastating effects of traumatic experiences.
Research has documented that this treatment model effectively helps children and adolescents (ages three to 18) overcome post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, as well as other behavioral and emotional difficulties. The model also helps caregivers more effectively cope and optimally respond to their children's emotional needs.
Centene's gift will allow numerous clinicians across the country to receive this much needed training, which will in turn ensure that hundreds, if not thousands, of families will reap the mental health benefits of receiving effective treatment services. We are grateful for the generosity of Centene and the ability to help so many during this time.
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RowanSOM Hosts Special Webinar Series
On July 8, the RowanSOM Alumni Association debuted a special webinar series to discuss important health issues in our communities. In each webinar, alumni will share their expertise on various topics, followed by a question-and-answer session.
This month's webinar, "Surviving COVID-19: A Physician's Perspective," featured survivor stories from Drs. Troy Randle '03 and David Bollard '86, both of whom contracted and recovered from coronavirus. Also, Dr. Ashgan Elshinawy '99 shared her perspective regarding the challenges presented when treating patients with the virus. The panel also discussed the impact COVID-19 has had on health care providers in their regions, and the implications for health care moving forward.
The next webinar, on August 19, will be "Every Pixel Tells a Story, Don't It? Staying Human in a Digital World," featuring Drs. Daniel J. Waters '82 and Linda Boyd '84.
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Scholarship Spotlight: Pandemic Assistance Award Established by SOM Staff Member and Husband
 In May 2020, SOM donors Michael and Naomi Mastrocola established the Pandemic Assistance Award, a scholarship benefiting five recent RowanSOM graduates who have the greatest financial need and are continuing their medical education in the RowanSOM residency program. The recipients of the Pandemic Assistance Award are Elisha Danzig (Internal Medicine), Monica Diep (Emergency Medicine), Lemuel Figueroa (Family Medicine), Fareed Hamidullah (Surgery), and Zamran Masih (Emergency Medicine).
Michael and Naomi were inspired to give because of the challenging circumstances and unique financial burdens facing these new residents from their student debt and the unstable economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are so fortunate to have donors like Michael and Naomi, a member of the RowanSOM Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement staff, who through their generosity have helped these new physicians during their residency here at Rowan, and have created significant, lasting change in the lives of our next generation of osteopathic physicians. We are truly grateful for their leadership and support!
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SOM University Advancement Invites You to Share Your Thoughts About Medical Education
As we approach a new academic year faced with significant challenges and uncertainties due to the COVID-19 crisis, we are reaching out to alumni and friends to ask a simple question:
"Why Is Medical Education Important?"
We hope to share many of your responses over the coming months. Below is our next submission:
"Medical education at Rowan SOM is important since it provides an exemplary education by exceptional faculty dedicated to each student's success."
Megan Reilly, DO '97,
RowanSOM Alumni Board Member
To participate in this project, please send your thoughts in 20 words more or less to Nora Casper, Development Coordinator, at
[email protected]
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Vote for Rowan's Top Docs!
Each year SJ Magazine profiles "Top Docs" from the area, and voting is underway for the September 2020 issue.
As members of the South Jersey medical community, we are both health care workers and educated consumers. Many members of the community look to this poll for referrals, and we encourage you to share your thoughts by casting your vote online.
The voting parameters are easy...just ask yourself "If you were sick, who would you go to?"
There's still time to make your votes count! Polls close at 5 pm on July 31.
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