Inaugural Transition Course Readies New Residents

This month, nearly 200 graduating fourth-year medical students participated in the inaugural Transition to Residency course at Rowan-Virtua SOM. This 2-week program, a mixture of virtual/in-person sessions and hands-on experiences, was designed to ready these soon-to-be physicians for the common challenges that they will face as they continue their training in their respective residency programs. Among the real-life scenarios, the course gave students the opportunity to:

• respond to mock on-call pages.  
• participate in managing simulated
medical emergencies.
• test their point-of-care ultrasound skills.
• practice specialty-specific procedures such
as placing a central line, performing ultrasound-
guided joint injections, and suturing. 
 
Students also valued the opportunity to work with our standardized patients in practicing advanced communication skills for delivering difficult news and with health care teams to practice communication strategies for effective patient care hand-offs. The entire experience provided students numerous opportunities to develop their professional identity and build confidence in their ability to meet residency expectations. Overwhelmingly, medical students rated the course favorably and shared that they felt better prepared to start their internships because of the course.
 
The success of the Transition to Residency course is a testament to the hard work of the Simulation Center team and the many people who took part in preparing for and teaching during the program. These more than 80 individuals include Rowan-Virtua SOM faculty and staff, health professionals from neighboring hospital systems, faculty and resident physicians from several residency programs, and volunteers from the community. Their collective commitment to educating the next class of graduating osteopathic physicians is both acknowledged and sincerely valued. Please join us in thanking them for their tireless efforts to support our students. 
Dr. Millicent King Channell installed as AAO President

Congratulations to Dr. Millicent King Channell, the Associate Dean for Curriculum at Rowan-Virtua SOM, who was formally installed as President of the American Academy of Osteopathy (AAO), on March 18 during the AAO 2023 annual Convocation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 

The AAO is the nation’s larger medical society devoted to fostering neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine.
New Institute for Brain and Behavioral Sciences website debuts

This month, the Institute for Brain and Behavioral Sciences debuted with the launch of its new website. A collaborative inter-campus enterprise focused on research, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and clinical management of neurologic and psychiatric disorders, the Institute brings together research faculty from SOM, Rowan-Virtua Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University's College of Science & Mathematics, the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, and the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. The mission of the Institute is to facilitate the development and enhancement of research, education and faculty development relevant to the improvement of human performance as well as prevention, treatment and cure of neurologic and psychiatric diseases and brain trauma.
DO Day on the Hill

The annual DO Day on the Hill offers osteopathic physicians and medical students the opportunity to meet face-to-face with their elected Congressional and Senate representatives or their staff to discuss issues that matter most to osteopathic professionals, students and their patients. This year, SOM was well represented by a large group of medical students, Dean Richard Jermyn, Vice Provost Thomas Cavalieri, and Dr. Ira Monka, an SOM alumnus and President-Elect of the American Osteopathic Association. 
ACOFP Physician of the Year

SOM faculty continue to garner local, regional, and national accolades and awards for their leadership and service to their profession, students, and patients. Among the awards and honors announced at the 60th Annual Convention and Scientific Seminars by the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), the ACOFP Foundation, and the Auxiliary to the ACOFP, none was more prestigious than the selection of Dr. Joshua Coren, the Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, for the Osteopathic Family Physician of the Year Award. 

Founded in 1950, the ACOFP is a community of more than 20,000 current and future family physicians that champions osteopathic principles and supports its members by providing resources such as education, networking and advocacy, while putting patients first.
Community Grand Rounds Features Dr. Anthony Cannon

Dr. Anthony Cannon, a clinical endocrinologist with Cooper Care Alliance, was the featured guest lecturer for the March Community Grand Rounds, “Doctor, Do You Care Enough About Me?” Dr. Cannon also hosted a roundtable discussion with students and one of his patients after the program to answer questions from the lecture and share advice with students.
 
Dr. Cannon previously served as a board member of the National American Diabetes Association, in addition to participating as a principal investigator in clinical trials and publications in the field of diabetes. His advocacy for diabetes in at-risk communities has led him to speak before the Congressional Black Caucus and secure a multi-million dollar grant as the past president of the American Diabetes Association Eastern Pennsylvania/Delaware Summer Camp Freedom.
 
The Community Grand Rounds lecture series is sponsored by the Rowan-Virtua SOM Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the Office of the Dean and the Office of Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement.
 
SOM Scholarship Luncheon Celebrates Record Number of Scholarships

The SOM annual scholarship luncheon held on March 12 at Lucien's was a special event acknowledging the record number of scholarships provided this year. This year’s growth in the number of scholarships is a testament to the generosity and support of our alumni, faculty, staff, and SOM supporters whose dedication to helping medical students achieve their dreams plays a crucial role during the students’ journey to becoming a physician.
 
Scholarships for medical education make a tremendous impact. Thanks to our donors’ continued support of endowed and annual scholarships, University Advancement proudly reported that in the 2022-2023 academic year, they awarded $525,806 in scholarship support to 117 deserving students.
 
The luncheon provided an opportunity for donors to meet their scholarship recipients and celebrate the impact of these scholarships on the lives of our students. University Advancement looks forward to continuing this tradition and providing even more opportunities for deserving students in the future.
Your Wellness Reminder

Joanna Petrides, MBS, Psy.D. from the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychology and chair of the Rowan-Virtua SOM Wellness Committee, shares this month’s tip for improving wellbeing.

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” 

When finding yourself facing a challenge, keep in mind to focus on the things you can control. We often don’t have control over a situation. How we respond to it is totally up to us. So how will you adjust your sail to meet the current wind conditions?

Be sure to check back next month for another wellness reminder.