The COMmunicator
The Newsletter of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine

OCTOBER 2005

      
Photo by Robert Gionnfrido, '05

October... Sleepy days lower their lids against the slanting sun.  Each tired ray carries the poignant dignity of an old silk wedding dress. Chill evening air tugs at your lungs and your legs, reminding you of the jacket you wish you had brought, but have not. The moon rests a little longer on the trees at night, reluctant to swim the dark channel of sky.  Trembling, luminous, it hovers on the leaves before striking out, leaving its golden mantle on the trees.    

Welcome to the COMmunicator, UNECOM's chief source of news, events, and lots of gooey information that will make your teeth stick together. This is a site designed primarily for current students and perusing alumni, so the more stuff you submit, the better. 

TOP STORY

A UNECOM Tradition: The Ninth Annual White Coat Ceremony

UNECOM’s ninth annual White Coat Ceremony was held at 7pm on Thursday, October 6, at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. A reception  followed in the Casco Bay Exhibition Hall.

Event highlights included presentation of the white coats by members of the second-year class; remarks by Philip Slocum, D.O., dean of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine at A.T. Still University of Health Sciences; brief remarks by second-year medical student Romeo Lucas, president of the Student Osteopathic Medicine Association (SOMA); and a reading of the Osteopathic Oath by Charlotte Paolini, D.O. (UNECOM ‘89), president of the UNECOM Alumni Board.

The White Coat Ceremony was an idea conceived by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to create a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy in medicine. The first White Coat Ceremony took place in 1993 at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Since then, more than 100 other medical schools in the U.S. and abroad have initiated a similar ceremony.

2005 Fall CME/COM Alumni Reunion Weekend

The annual COM Reunion weekend is taking place on the UC during the weekend of October 7 - 9, 2005. Held in conjunction with the UNECOM White Coat Ceremony, the weekend is co-sponsored by the COM Alumni Association, the New England Osteopathic Association, the Northeast Osteopathic Medical Education Network (NEOMEN) and the COM CME Office. The three day event will offer 16 hours of education, the annual COM Founders' Celebration Reception and Dinner on Friday evening, Alumni Class Reunion activities (Classes of '85, '90, '95 and '00) Saturday afternoon, a lobster feast on the Alfond lawn, UC on Saturday evening, and the Dean's Brunch on Sunday.  For more information, contact Marolyn Bissonnette in the CME Office, ext. 2589, or email: mbissonnette@une.edu.  

Seminar on End of Life Issues

The Continuing Medical Education Office is offering a seminar on End of Life Issues in Room 106 of the Alfond Center, UC on Saturday October 8th, from 8:45 am - 12:45 pm. The seminar will feature lectures by UNE faculty, including "The Terry Schiavo Case: an Exemplar for the Future?" (Ron Morrison, Ph.D.), "Spiritual and Ethical Issues Surrounding End of Life," (Reuben Bell, D.O., M.S., M.Div.), "EPEC Training: What Physicians Need to Know to Help Patients and Families Navigate End of Life Challenges," (Bruce Bates, D.O.), "The Five Wishes: the New Living Will," (Charlotte Paolini, D.O., UNE MatureCare), ending with a panel discussion/Q&A.  The seminar is part of the Fall CME/COM Alumni Reunion Weekend, but is also being offered as a stand-alone event and is open to the UNE Community and general public.  General registration is $45.00, but UNE Faculty/Staff can attend for $25.00, and students are free.  Please pre-register with the CME Office at 602-2589 or email: mbissonnette@une.edu

Core Connections Presents:

Dr. Rita Charon, "Narrative Medicine: Telling of Illness, Listening to Patients, Bearing Witness to Suffering"
Monday, October 17, noon, Campus Center Multi-Purpose Rooms

Dr. Charon, Professor of Internal Medicine, is the founder of the narrative medicine program at Columbia University. Dr. Charon will discuss the role of narrative medicine where students record their interactions with patients in two forms: scientific medical charts and writing about their interactions with patients in “ordinary language.” Dr. Charon will explore the patient-doctor relationship and how narrative medicine can be of benefit to both. For more information, see her website: http://www.narrativemedicine.org.

Elizabeth A. De Wolfe, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of American Studies
Chair, Department of History
Co-Director, Women's Studies Program
207-602-2322
edewolfe@une.edu

November 8, 2005 Bond Referendum               

Have you been thinking about what kind of difference you can make this election year? Although there are no federal elections, a bond initiative that will directly affect UNECOM deserves our attention. In a nutshell, the bond package is a referendum that will appropriate funding for the development of biomedical research in the State of Maine. It is designed to help the state develop a more vital economy via job creation. Previous biomedical research funding from the state has expanded UNECOM’s research activities and the next round of money could support the construction of the school’s much anticipated biomedical research building

Governor Baldacci’s August visit to UNE’s Alfond Center highlighted the importance of student body support.  Civic leaders joined the governor on campus to publicly support the $20 million bond ballot initiative.

Attendees of the recent press conference included undergraduate students, medical students, and many faculty members. UNE leaders were commended by the governor for their efforts to publicize and support the ballot initiative. He added that the best way the student body can demonstrate its support is by showing up at the polls on November 8, 2005 to vote on this issue.

The biomedical bond referendum is an opportunity to have your voice heard.  The date is November 8, 2005.  Register to vote now!  Prepare to make a difference.

By David Fish, MS II

A Clear and Present Danger                                       

You fear them. According to insurance statistics, you’re about as likely to die from their effects as from an automobile accident. And they are exponentially more dangerous than having your night clothes burst into flame ( http://danger.mongabay.com/injury_odds.htm- cf. car occupant, falls, and ignition or melting of nightwear, respectively). Do not let the crisp fall air and cobalt skies deceive you: there is a clear and present danger lurking in the trees and on the dappled walks of UNECOM. You sense the tension from the skittish students with their nervous laughter and jangled nerves. Despite their collegiate demeanor and defiant grins there is a fear behind the façade. You see it in their vacuous eyes. They call it the “2,000-yard stare,” aptly named for the apparent inability to focus meaningfully on anything nearby. Combat has the same effect. And from September to November, UNECOM is under siege.

It comes from the sky. Sometimes there is the telltale sound of an approaching shell. You hear it crashing through the branches in a crazed fall pattern still uncharted by British scientists. The erratic trajectory makes for desperate evasive measures. I have seen a tight-knit group of promenading students burst into a dozen directions to escape a single falling missile. Even so, one may yet have been hit: I saw him press his hands tight against the wound. Some students have adopted an almost cavalier approach. They say you don’t hear the one that gets you, so they walk with something close to fatalism beneath a hostile canopy. A falling shell may elicit a slight head-bob and cringe of the shoulders, nothing more. But they are much afraid.

It lurks upon the ground.  Spent shell casings roll underfoot like a treacherous carpet of marbles. While evading a falling missile, one may well tread upon another. Twisted ankles; broken legs; even a broken pelvis or a shattered skull are not beyond the realm of possibility when sent careening through the air by this rolling menace. The odds are grim; the stakes are high. To be struck on the head or sent spinning across the asphalt seems possible, even likely. Who will rid us of this daily menace?

Yes, acorns abound during these brisk fall days. And while they are not quite the menace I propose, one must still be especially careful not to trip on the little buggers. Make sure that you keep a keen eye on your path, especially as you traverse the walk in front of Alfond or make the hike over to Decary. President Zachary Taylor died after drinking milk and eating unwashed cherries on a steamy Independence Day (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/zt12.html). A stupefied Attila the Hun died either from a nosebleed or esophageal varices that ruptured (http://.ancienthistory.about.com/cs/attilathehun/a/attilathehun.htm) Please do not be the medical student who dies from being bonked on the head by an acorn. 

By Steve Smith, RSAS  

Excused Absence Protocol for Cold Season (And every other season)

It happens once a week. The phone call comes in: “ ‘ullo? Is dis de RSAS office? I need an excoosed absence. I ‘ave a cood and missed class.” The pathetic, sniffling voice is punctuated with a few well-choreographed coughs and peppered with sneezes. Cold season has begun, and our heart-strings are tugged with the minor key of student distress. We feel badly for you, we really do. And we want you to get better. But a couple of coughs and a runny nose aren’t usually adequate to warrant an excused absence from medical school. So here is the proper protocol for obtaining an excused absence:

Anticipated Absences:

1.)    You need to be in good academic standing. This butters us up. Failing classes or egregious misbehavior may grant you a dismissal rather than an excused absence. So use absences judiciously.

2.)    Submit an email to COMSA@une.edu that includes the date of your proposed absence, the reason for it, and the class to be missed. Requests should be in no later than three (3) business days prior to the proposed absence.

3.)    You will be informed, via your campus email, whether or not your absence will be excused. If excused, the appropriate offices will be notified.

4.)    If missing an exam is involved, you must include a request to make up the exam. The make-up exam must be taken within three days of the originally scheduled exam OR immediately upon returning to classes. YOU are responsible for contacting faculty to arrange the make-up.

Unanticipated Absences:

1.)    Call (x2329) or e-mail the Student Affairs Office the day of your absence and let us know that you will be absent, plus inform us of the circumstances. We do care that something has gone awry in your life, and we’d like to help. This way, we can pass along the information to the appropriate instructor(s). If no one is available, leave a message on voice mail.

2.)    Follow up by submitting an email to COMSA@une.edu stating the date of your absence and the reason for it. DO NOT email Dean Kelley, as this is not the proper avenue. She does not sit down and wade through hundreds of emails for the sheer joy of it. Notification must be turned in NO LATER than one business day following your return to classes. If the absence was due to illness, you must also turn in a written statement from the attending physician verifying that you were too ill to be in class (This is where coughs and sniffles alone don’t cut it. We want a paper trail.)

3.)    You will be informed via your campus e-mail if you have been excused.

4.)    If missing an exam is involved, include a request to take a make-up. As above, it is your responsibility to contact faculty to arrange the make-up exam.

Fundraising and Campus Event Registration Protocol

Anyone who has read Lord of the Flies realizes that anarchy is bad. The tale of British boys who descend into mayhem on a deserted island during World War II is enough to make anyone say, “No, thank you, officer. I am grateful for this speeding ticket!” Take away rules and people die. That is why we at UNECOM have forms and protocols. It is important for clubs and organizations to follow these protocols as they think about organizing campus events or fundraisers – it makes life easier for us, and we also don’t want people to die. 

Fundraisers

We have approval forms available in the RSAS office. They are pretty much self-explanatory, and are an attractive rose color. Forms must be filled out and submitted no later than 3 weeks prior to the event. We are not opposed to you folks making money; the key is to make sure that all of your fundraisers are ethical and within University regulations. There is to be no selling of illegal substances, University property, or firstborn children. Any UNECOM logos must be submitted for approval. Provide a logo on your first submission. Otherwise we’ll pester you until you give us a design.

Campus Event Registration Form

This is a longer form (two sides, instead of one), but we’re sure you’re up to it. It is a hotter pink color, which makes it a much sought-after collector’s item. There are six steps to gaining approval for your event, and you need to fill out the relevant sections. This would include putting your club name and your own name down. We have had several forms come to us in anonymous fashion. You may recognize your own handwriting; your mother may even recognize your handwriting, but we don’t. Please expedite the process and fill in each section. The forms must be submitted no later than 3 weeks prior to the event. 

TRAVEL THE WORLD. . . DURING YOUR LUNCH BREAK

The Spotlight Series features areas throughout the world where people from the UNE community have lived, traveled, and studied. Take a break from your schedule to visit different parts of the globe!

Tuesday, October 4 at NOON
Spotlight on Ireland
Presented by Professor Susan McHugh
St. Francis Room, UC

Thursday, October 13 at NOON
Spotlight on Libya, Egypt and South Africa
Presented by Professor Ali Ahmida
St. Francis Room, UC

Tuesday, October 18 at NOON
Spotlight on China
Presented by Kari Wagner
St. Francis Room, UC

Wednesday, November 2 at NOON
Spotlight on Argentina
Presented by Professor Ariel Yablon
St. Francis Room, UC

Wednesday, November 9 at NOON
Spotlight on the Philippines
Presented by Michelle Greer
CHP Lecture Hall, WCC

Thursday, December 8 at NOON
Spotlight on Brazil and Micronesia
Presented by Dean Paul Burlin
St. Francis Room, UC

FMI: Contact Multicultural Services at x2461 or Office for Study Abroad at x2451.

LUNCH WILL BE SERVED AT EACH EVENT.

Art Gallery at UNE

The UNE art gallery presents "Extreme Nature - Images from the World’s Edge," a retrospective of  National Geographic Photographer Bill Curtsinger's outstanding marine photography, from blue sharks to Adelie penguins, starting October 5 through November 27, 2005.

An opening reception with the artist will be held on Wednesday, October 5, 2005 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the gallery.
In addition two lectures with the artist will take place as follows:

- "The Art of Marine Biology," a slide lecture will take place at 113 Alfond, UC, Thursday, October 20 2005, from 5:00 -6:30 p.m.  Part naturalist, part biologist and professional photographer Bill Curtsinger will explore the territory where his art and science converge.

- Conversation with the Artist, will take place at the Art Gallery, WCC on Thursday, November 17, 2005 from 5:00-6:30 p.m.  Bill will talk about his 33-plus-year career photographing wild creatures in wild places for National Geographic and his latest book Extreme Nature-Images from the World’s Edge.

All events are free and open to the public.
For more details about this show and related programs, call (207) 221-4499, or visit www.une.edu/artgallery

Van Certification Classes

Chuck Morin, our Fleet Manager, will be hosting classes for Van Certification. If you are interested in taking a class, please make a selection from the list below and contact Carrie Bernier in facilities at extension 2368 for sign up.  Please note that van certification is required in order to be authorized to reserve or use any UNE Fleet Van.

University Campus  

Dates:

September 12th    10:30 am to 12:00 pm   St. Francis Room
September 13th    4:00 pm to 5:30 pm       St. Francis Room
October 18th        3:00 pm to 4:30 pm       St. Francis Room
October 20th        9:00 am to 10:30 am     St. Francis Room
November 9th       9:00 am to 10:30 am     St. Francis Room
December 8th       3:00 pm to 4:30 pm       St. Francis Room

Westbrook College Campus

Dates:

September 19th:   3:00 pm to 4:30 pm     Blewett 006
October 3rd:         3:00 pm to 4:30 pm     Blewett 006
Additional Classes as needed  

Photo by Sarah Bannister, MS II

New Dining Services Website 

Dining Services at UNE has a new website, www.unedining.com. On this site students, faculty and staff can find information for both the UC and WCC including up to date menus, meal plan information, hours of operation, calendars of events and links to nutritional resources as well as an area for feedback to us. Additionally, our catering guide will be uploaded to the site shortly. As always, your comments and feedback are encouraged and welcome.

Dan Roy
General Manger, UC

Jeff Carter
General Manger, WCC 

   Current Students

This is your section. Here you will find recent scholarship offers, fellowship and research grant information, and conference news.  In addition, do you have a poem you'd like others to see? An announcement? A short story or a blog that your classmates would find amusing? If it's high quality and within the pale of decency, chances are good it will appear here next month. But only if you submit.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Offers Fellowships/Research Grants

The HHMI Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students Program (Medical Fellows Program) enables medical and dental students from U.S. schools to spend a year conducting basic, translational, or applied biomedical research at any school or nonprofit research institution in the United States, except at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. For the 2006-2007 program year, fellows will receive a stipend of $25,000, a fellow’s allowance of $5,500 that may be used for health care and other expenses and a $5,500 research allowance. The application deadline is January 11, 2006.

The HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program (Cloister Program) enables medical and dental students to spend 9 to 12 months conducting basic, translational, or applied biomedical research in one of the many laboratories on the NIH campus, and student selection of preceptor and research project after arrival in Bethesda. For the 2006-2007 program year, scholars will receive annual compensation of $25,000, health insurance and numerous other benefits. The application deadline is January 10, 2006.

Posters with attached business reply postcards can be found on Alfond bulletin boards. Program information can also be found on HHMI’s website at www.hhmi.org/grants/office/graduate.

Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships

Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships are designed to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Eligibility requirements: Must be a U.S. citizen or national. Must be planning a career in teaching and research at the college or university level.

Stipends, allowances, and application deadline dates:

Predoctoral - $19,000 to the fellow, institutional allowance of $3,000 for three years.
Application deadline: November 17, 2005

Dissertation - $21,000 for one year.
Application deadline: December 1, 2005

Postdoctoral - $40,000 for one year, $1,500 employing institution allowance, to be matched by employing institution.
Application deadline: December 15, 2005.

All awardees have expenses paid to attend one Conference of Ford Fellows. For more information, check out the website at http://national-academies.org/fellowships

American Medical Association Foundation Research Programs

The 2006 Seed Grant Research Program for medical students, residents, and fellows aims to help young physician scientists conduct small research projects. Grants ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 will be awarded in six categories: arthritis/rheumatism, cardiovascular/pulmonary diseases, HIV/AIDS, leukemia, neoplastic diseases, and neurological disorders.

Applications are due no later than December 15, 2005. Applications are available at www.amafoundation.org, and questions may be emailed to seedgrants@ama-assn.org.

The AMA Foundation has also been a major sponsor of the National and Regional Student Research Forums. The forums offer young investigators the opportunity to present their work, receive meaningful feedback, and participate in scholarly discussions with their peers and established scientists. Regional forums are held prior to the National Student Research Forum. Students must submit a research abstract directly to the forum in their region. 

Since y’all attend UNECOM, that would be the eastern region, which would make the deadline January 6, 2006. More information can be obtained by visiting www.amafoundation.org.

2006-07 Sarnoff Fellowship Program

The Sarnoff Fellowship Program is designed to give medical students the opportunity to spend a year conducting intensive work in a biomedical research laboratory located within the United States. Medical students enrolled in any accredited medical school within the United States may apply for a Fellowship award.

Benefits Fellows receive include: a yearly stipend of $25,000; an allowance of up to $2,000 for moving expenses; an allowance of up to $2,000 for travel costs associated with selecting a laboratory; funds to attend the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Stanley J. Sarnoff Society of Fellows, the Annual American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, the annual Clinical Investigator Student Trainee Forum at the National Institutes of Health, and additional funds to enable the Fellow to present a paper at two national conferences based on Fellowship work; funds to help cover the cost of health insurance.

The application is due January 9, 2006. More information, as well as applications, may be found at www.SarnoffEndowment.org.

American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

An informational program for medical students – Understanding PM&R: A Medical Student’s Guide to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2005 at the Marriott Downtown Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during AAPM&R’s 2005 Annual Assembly. Brochures have been posted outside the RSAS office and in Alfond. For more info, check out www.aapmr.org

Essay Contest

American Association for the History of Medicine
Osler Medal Essay Contest, 2006

The William Osler Medal is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on a medical historical topic written by a student enrolled in a school of medicine or osteopathy in the United States or Canada. First awarded in 1942, the medal commemorates Sir William Osler, who stimulated an interest in the humanities among medical students. The writer of the winning essay will be invited to attend the 2006 AAHM meeting, 4-7 May, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Travel expenses will be provided.

All current medical students who are in good standing are eligible. Essays may pertain to the historical development of a contemporary medical problem, or to a topic within the health sciences related to a discrete period of the past, and should demonstrate either original research or an unusual appreciation and understanding of the problems discussed. The essay (maximum 9,000 words, including endnotes) must be entirely the work of one contestant.

Complete contest information may be viewed on the AAHM website (www.histmed.org/Awards).

Entries must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than 15 January 2006.

Community News

News and Events

A Few Good Apples (and Cider and Donuts, Too!)

Are you looking for a way to decompress after a long week of studies and exams? Do you want to participate in authentic Maine culture? Do you like donuts and cider? Thompson's Orchards and Cider Mill in New Gloucester has all of the above and more! Thompson's makes their own cake-donuts and fresh Maine cider, available at their store or after you pick your very own bushel of delicious apples. Thompson's also has jams and jellies, orchard pies, crafts, and harvester baskets. Take a group of friends and head up to New Gloucester for a beautiful fall experience. Thompson's can be found at 276 Gloucester Hill Road, New Gloucester, Maine 04260, or call at 207-926-4738.

(Feel free to submit any community activities which you think others might enjoy.)       

SGA and C&O Info

Announcements

NOWPA Pin Sale

In support of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, NOWPA (National Osteopathic Women Physicians Association) is selling Breast Cancer Fund pins. This is the cheapest pin sale and you can buy 1 pin for $6 or 2 pins for $10..so buy yours with a friend! They are also great presents for friends and family. There will be a sign up sheet going around class with a sample of the pin attached. The pin is pink, has UNECOM on it and will look great on your whitecoat. This is a great way to show your support for Breast Cancer Research and UNECOM. Thanks! - Kristina Laskovski, MS I

SGA and C&O Meeting Schedule

The SGA meetings are every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.
The C&O meeting is every 3rd Wednesday of each month.
For individual C&O meetings, see below (see also officers with questions regarding schedule):

(If there are discrepancies in this schedule, please email Steve at comsa@une.edu to resolve the time.)

UNECOM CLUB AND ORGANIZATION PRESIDENTS
ACADEMIC YEAR 2005-2006  

MEAT and POTATOES
(All the basic ingredients to make your tummy warm on a cold winter's night)

This is all the information which we already gave you but which is now crumpled up in a wad beneath your car's front seat.  We told you you'd need it...

Copyright © UNECOM Office of Recruitment Student and Alumni Services. All rights reserved.
11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, ME 04005.  (207) 602-2329

Please send comments, suggestions, submissions, or warm chocolate chip cookies to Steve at comsa@une.edu