Pennsylvania is the proud home to two of only 28 osteopathic colleges in the nation, with alumni comprising over two-thirds of the POMA membership.
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
LECOM Holds White Coat Ceremonies
On February 11, 2012, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (LECOM) first-year osteopathic medical students marked the transition from classroom study to clinical education during a White Coat Ceremony held at the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania. Over 250 osteopathic medical students pledged to uphold professionalism and competence in the presence of their families, professors and peers.
The white coats, provided by the POMA, represent each student’s entrance into the osteopathic profession. They are also symbols of the trust between doctor and patient, of compassion, and of the purity of the medical profession’s purpose.
Special guest speaker was 1998 LECOM alumnus Rohit K. Agrawal, D.O. Dr. Agrawal is medical director of clinical client relations for Highmark, Inc., in Pittsburgh, and a member of the Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
On January 28, 2012, 194 first-year osteopathic medical students at LECOM Bradenton (Fla.) held their White Coat Ceremony at the Harvest Center in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. American Osteopathic Association President Martin S. Levine, D.O., spoke to the students. Robert J. George, D.O., associate dean of academic affairs at LECOM Bradenton, led the osteopathic medical students in the Osteopathic Oath of Commitment.
The White Coat Ceremony is designed to establish a psychological contract for beginning medical students that stresses the importance of caring for patients, as well as curing patients. The ceremony was initiated by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a public, not-for-profit charity dedicated to fostering humanism in medicine.
On Friday, January 27, 2012, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine will observe Founder’s Day by awarding the O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal to Kenneth J. Veit, D.O., and the Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medal to Robert Timothy Bryan (PCOM ’12).
A 1976 graduate of PCOM, Dr. Veit is provost, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. A fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Dr. Veit has been affiliated with PCOM for 30 years and has served as dean for 20.
The O.J. Snyder Memorial Medal is the college’s highest award, presented to reward and recognize leadership to the osteopathic profession and to the college.
A fourth-year student at PCOM, Mr. Bryan has held leadership roles at the college and nationally. As president of the Student Government Association, he helped rewrite its constitution and bylaws to reflect PCOM’s expansion into new academic programs. At the national level, he worked with the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents to implement a plan to improve COMLEX Performance Evaluation feedback to ensure more consistent scoring.
The Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medical is presented to a student for outstanding achievement and service to the college, the community and the osteopathic profession.
Other Osteopathic Colleges
- Arizona
- California
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- Georgia
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
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- Texas
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- Washington
- West Virginia