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Lippmann and Westafer Receive Inaugural Morris Public Health Scholarships
OMS-II Carisa Lippmann and OMS-III Lauren Westafer were the inaugural recipients of two new annual public health scholarships bestowed to NSU-COM students thanks to the generosity of Marie Morris―the widow of Morton Morris, D.O., J.D., FAOAO, who served as executive dean for professional affairs at the NSU Health Professions Division prior to his death in May 2008.
Westafer received the Judy Morris, M.D., Scholarship in Public Health, which is accompanied by a $500 cash award. To be eligible for the scholarship, nominees must be NSU-COM students or have already achieved their D.O. degree, showcase high academic achievement, be currently enrolled in the college’s Master of Public Health Program, and demonstrate financial need. The Judy Morris, M.D., Scholarship in Public Health is being funded through a $25,000 endowment.
Lippmann was awarded the Morton Morris, D.O., J.D., Scholarship in Public Health, which also is accompanied by a $1,000 cash allocation. Eligibility criteria are similar to the aforementioned scholarship. The Morton Morris, D.O., J.D., Scholarship in Public Health is being funded through a $36,484 endowment.
Silvagni Selected as Fulbright Senior Specialist Scholar
Anthony J. Silvagni, D.O., Pharm.D., M.Sc., FACOFP dist., professor and NSU-COM dean, was selected to serve as a Fulbright senior specialist scholar. The Fulbright Specialists Program, created in 2000 to complement the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program, promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at universities abroad. The program is designed to award grants to qualified U.S. faculty and professionals, in select disciplines, to engage in short-term collaborative two- to six-week projects at higher education institutions in over 100 countries worldwide. International travel costs and an honorarium are funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, while participating host universities cover grantee in-country expenses or provide in-kind services.
Dr. Silvagni is the third NSU-COM administrator to be accorded this honor. In 2009, Leonard Levy, D.P.M., M.P.H., professor and associate dean of education, planning, research, and Naushira Pandya, M.D., CMD, professor and chair of the Department of Geriatrics, were chosen for this honor. Drs. Levy and Pandya traveled to Slovakia to serve as Fulbright senior specialist scholars at Comenius University Faculty of Medicine in Bratislava, which is where Dr. Silvagni will be doing his Fulbright work later this year.
Young Wins AOA Presidential Memorial Leadership Award
In July, OMS-III Emily Young, M.A.T., received one of the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) most prestigious student awards when she was named the recipient of the AOA Presidential Memorial Leadership Award. The honor, which is accompanied by a $5,000 cash award, honors and recognizes an osteopathic medical student who is committed to the principles of osteopathic medicine and who has made great strides toward becoming one of the top leaders within the osteopathic profession.
In addition to serving as an NSU-COM predoctoral research fellow, Young has amassed an impressive extracurricular resume that includes creating a 35-page Preparing for the Boards packet and presenting it to over 200 first- and second-year medical students to help them prepare for their exam studies. She also formed and led a coalition of student leaders to partner with the March of Dimes and bring three educational events to NSU and served as the NSU Medical Students for Choice chapter student coordinator, increasing membership by over 300 percent from the previous year. She also designed a new medical records system for the Lutheran Services of Florida’s Lippman Youth Shelter and trained each of the 20 staff members to use the system.
Young will officially receive her award in late October during the AOA’s 116th Osteopathic Medical Conference and Exposition, which will take place in Orlando, Florida.
LaCorte Inducted into Omega Beta Iota
OMS-IV Lindsay LaCorte was inducted into Omega Beta Iota (WBI), the national osteopathic political action honor society, during the organization’s annual induction ceremony held in conjunction with the AOA’s D.O. Day on the Hill event in Washington, D.C., in April.
Omega Beta Iota was founded in 2007 to emphasize the importance of the work osteopathic medical students and physicians do for the U.S. political system. Its goal is to provide a level of prestigious distinction as a reward for the political initiative and involvement of osteopathic medical students and professionals. Osteopathic physicians, medical students, and supporters have been politically active since the profession’s inception. "As present and future osteopathic physicians, we benefit from their accomplishments, and must make a conscious effort to appreciate the dedication of time and effort made by early osteopathic physicians by remaining politically active," LaCorte explained. "Our political battles as members of the osteopathic profession remain unfinished. We are currently engaged in important struggles for improved health care for all Americans, proper physician reimbursements, and international recognition of the osteopathic profession."
Colton Earns Accreditation in Public Relations
On April 18, Scott Colton, APR, director of medical communications, earned his public relations accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America following a rigorous one-year educational process. Established in 1964, the Accreditation Program is the profession’s only national postgraduate certification program. It measures a public relations practitioner’s fundamental knowledge of communications theory and its application; establishes advanced capabilities in research, strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation; and demonstrates a commitment to professional excellence and ethical conduct. The skills acquired through the process are applicable to any industry or practice area. Currently, more than 5,000 professionals from the agency, corporate, association, and education fields hold the APR designation.
Boesler Wins NSU Professor of the Year STUEY
David Boesler, D.O., associate professor and chair of the Department of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, received the coveted Professor of the Year Award at the 12th Annual NSU Student Life Achievement (STUEY) Awards ceremony, which was held April 12 at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on campus. The STUEY Awards, which were established in 1999, serve as a celebration of NSU’s best in leadership, inclusion, scholarship, service, integrity, commitment, and involvement. Dr. Boesler, who enjoys interacting with and imparting his wisdom to NSU-COM students, was nominated by the college’s Student Government Association.
Amarnani, Westafer Receive Dr. Matthew Terry Scholarships
OMS-I Sharien Amarnani and OMS-II Lauren Westafer were the recipients of the Dr. Matthew A. Terry Scholarship Endowment. The academic accolade, which is accompanied by a $500 cash award, was established in 1999 to honor first- and second-year medical students who epitomize virtues such as scholastic excellence, service to the school, empathy, and congeniality. The Dr. Matthew A. Terry Scholarship Endowment, which was the brainchild of the Department of Family Medicine, serves as a fitting tribute to NSU-COM students who embody the true spirit of an osteopathic practitioner.
Dribin, Todd Earn Golden Apple Awards
Lori Dribin, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and assistant dean for student affairs in the College of Medical Sciences, and H. Murray Todd, M.D., clinical professor of neurology, were the recipients of this year’s Golden Apple Awards for their outstanding teaching skills. Dr. Dribin received her award from the class of 2014, while Dr. Todd was honored by the class of 2013.
Klein, Railsback, Win Dr. Bradley I. Silverman Scholarship
OMS-II Joshua Klein and OMS-III Jaclyn Railsback were named the recipients of the Sixth Annual Dr. I. Bradley Silverman Memorial Scholarship, which was established in 2006 to honor outstanding NSU-COM students who participate in cancer-related community service and showcase compassion, commitment, and other laudable traits exemplified by Dr. Silverman. In addition to earning well-deserved recognition, Klein and Railsback each received $1,500 cash awards. Dr. Silverman, who passed away in 1999, was a member of NSU-COM’s charter graduating class in 1985. During his career, he became passionately involved in the breast cancer field and went on to become chief of surgery and then chief of staff elect at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center.
McClymont Garners David Spector Memorial Award
OMS-II Aldene McClymont was the recipient of the David Spector Memorial Award, which is presented annually to a first- or second-year osteopathic medical student who has participated in research pertaining to the prevention or treatment of substance abuse. The award, which is accompanied by a $500 cash prize, was established in the summer of 2005 in honor of David Spector—an undergraduate psychology student in the NSU Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences who died from an oxycontin overdose in December 2004. Thanks to the benevolence of David’s father, Howard, who decided to find a positive outlet for his grief by establishing an endowment fund at NSU-COM, future generations of students now have an opportunity to conduct further research in this field.
Hardworking Foursome Honored with Burnell Research Awards
Four NSU-COM students―OMS-III and predoctoral research fellow Jaclynn Moskow and first-year students Sharien Amarnani, Louis Michaelos, and Eric Pitts, were named the winners of the Dr. Kenneth Burnell Student Research Awards, which are presented to NSU-COM students who conduct outstanding research in either clinical medicine or biomedical science. Each student received a $500 cash award as well as elective research credit on their transcripts.
Moskow was honored for her research project entitled “The Relationship Between Motor Function, Endocrine Function, Inflammation, Mood, and Cognition in the Geriatric Population,” while the triumvirate of Amarnani, Michaelos, and Pitts were recognized for their project entitled “Local Tissue Water Variations Among Different Races Measured via Tissue Dielectric Constant.” Raymond Ownby, M.D., Ph.D., M.Ed., M.B.A., chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, served as the research faculty adviser to Moskow; Harvey Mayrowitz, Ph.D., professor of physiology in the College of Medical Sciences, served as the research faculty adviser to Amarnani, Michaelos, and Pitts.