University of New England

[Editor’s note: The COMmunicator will have a slightly different look this fall. Feedback solicited in a survey of current students and staff identified certain changes in content and format that will help keep the newsletter a valuable part of the entire UNECOM community. Look for implementation of these changes starting in the next few months!]

UNECOM News and Events

UNECOM Welcomes Interim Dean, Continues Search for Dean of College
The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed Jacqueline Cawley, D.O., UNECOM ’89, as the new interim dean and vice president of health sciences starting June 4th, 2007. Dr. Cawley was named interim dean by UNE President Danielle Ripich after a lengthy dean search failed to produce a consensus candidate. She follows Boyd Buser, D.O., as interim dean.

Dr. Cawley currently serves as vice president of population health at Martin's Point Health Care in Portland, and in 2006 she was the first woman, and the first osteopathic physician, to be named medical chief and president of the staff at Maine Medical Center. Dr. Cawley served as associate clinical faculty, assistant professor of family medicine, course director of physician skills and physical diagnosis, and as director of the Division of Clinical Skills during her tenure at UNECOM. She has also served as a faculty member at the University of Vermont Medical School and the Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency program.

Dr. Cawley is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, and she did post-graduate training at Kennedy Memorial Hospital. She served as continuing medical education program chair for the Maine Osteopathic Association for three years, was a member of the board of directors of the MOA from 1994 to 1998, and in 1996 was recognized by the MOA as the Young General Practitioner of the Year.

The University has decided to acquire the services of an outside consultation firm, EFL Associates, to coordinate the UNECOM dean search process. Jane Carreiro, D.O., chair of the OMM department at UNECOM for the past nine years, is chairing the new search committee. She is joined by James Vaughn, Ph.D., UNECOM curriculum director, Rita Brown, coordinator of clinical clerkships, Ed Friedman, D.O., member of the UNE Board of Trustees, and Lacey McIntosh, MSII, president of the COM Student Government. The committee hopes to begin interviews by late summer, and the new dean of UNECOM could start as soon as January 2008.

 

Change in Venue for University Health Care
Several providers from our Biddeford Health Center/Petts Center on the UC will be moving to our Saco Clinic located at 655 Main Street, Saco, as of July 1, 2007. The staff and providers at University Health Care are working to ensure a smooth transition for patients over the next few weeks. The decision was made in order to consolidate the family practice providers, residents and staff in the one location, and new exam rooms and office space have been created in the Saco site to house them.

Remaining at the Biddeford Health Care Center will be the physical therapy providers as well as student medical services.

The following University Health Care providers have moved as of July 1:

Audrey Okun-Langlais, D.O.
Reuben Bell, D.O.
Craig Wallingford, D.O.
Karen Benezra, D.O.
Cecily Cannon, D.O.
Melissa Williams, D.O.
Mary Yee, D.O.
Dana Koch, MSW, LCSW

And on September 1st the following provider will be moved to Sac

Stephen Goldbas, D.O.

If you should have any questions or concerns during this transition, please feel free to call either office at 283-1407 or 282-1516. 

Sincerely,

Anne Gionest
Site Supervisor
University Health Care Saco

 

113 New D.O.s
UNECOM held its 26th Commencement on Saturday, June 2, 2007, at Merrill Auditorium in downtown Portland, Maine. Scattered showers helped hustle arriving crowds inside, where they found plenty of fine seats in the plush auditorium. 113 students of the Class of 2007 walked in the ceremony, completing a long and arduous educational journey that began 20 years or more ago in kindergartens across the country.

Eugene Oliveri, D.O., M.S., Professor of Medicine/ Special Assistant to the Dean, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, gave the Commencement address. Dr. Oliveri encouraged students to live their lives with a “punctilio of honor the most sensitive,” quoting a famous line from the early 20th century Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardoza. Oliveri stressed the importance of living upright lives that encourage the trust of patients and peers alike.

Friends, family members, faculty and staff, and the various luminaries and sub-luminaries requisite at any graduation cheered the new doctors as they were presented to UNE President Danielle Ripich and then recited the Osteopathic Oath read by UNECOM Alumni Association President Charlotte Paolini, D.O., ’89. Students blew kisses and waved programs as they spotted loved ones in the crowd who had played significant roles in their development as people and physicians.

Also, in a noteworthy addition, the first graduating class from the Master’s of Public Health program received their diplomas from program director, Becky Whittemore, and Associate Dean of Community Programs, Holly Korda, Ph.D.

As the ceremony ended and a reception began, the weather broke and warm sun dried the pavement of Myrtle Street to allow congratulatory hugs and family photos outside. And through the milling crowd, under the smiling sun, strode 113 new D.O.s.

 

Orientation 2007
Just a month away, the 2007-2008 Academic Year begins on August 8. In the meantime, the RSAS Office and the Orientation Committee student co-chairs and leaders are working hard to ensure a warm welcome and smooth introduction to medical school for the UNECOM Class of 2011.

Orientation proper begins on Monday, August 6, and continues through Tuesday evening, August 7. Optional pre-Orientation events include a rafting trip on the Kennebec River from August 2-3, and a Welcome BBQ on Saturday, August 4. The rafting trip is hosted by Northern Outdoors at The Forks, Maine, and its 76 seats are already filled with MSI and MSII students.

During Orientation, incoming students meet their Orientation student leaders, rotate through informational sessions hosted by various UNECOM and UNE departments, get a crash course in professional behavior and medical school survival tips, and develop new friendships through various games and activities.

More specific Orientation information is sent out to incoming students via surface and email, and updates are posted to the Class of 2011 myUNE page. Students are encouraged to check their myUNE email accounts and class page regularly to receive the most up-to-date schedules and documents. Any questions regarding Orientation should be referred to the RSAS Office at comsa@une.edu or 207-602-2329.

 

Planning to attend the AOA Conference in San Diego in the fall? Buy your plane tickets NOW!
If you’re a UNECOM student and you plan to attend the AOA Conference September 30-October 4, you’d do well to purchase your plane tickets soon. Not only are prices cheaper the further ahead you make your reservations, but the RSAS Office anticipates supplementing students who travel to the AOA Conference and who also fill out an Educational Enhancement Fund (EEF) request form. Since the amount of EEF funding for students will depend in part on how many students apply, we’d like to have numbers solidified as early as possible – that way both the RSAS Office and students may plan their budgets better.

Students who turn in their EEF form one month or more before the conference will be given priority consideration.

The Educational Enhancement Fund was developed to defray costs associated particularly with conference travel and attendance. Students who plan to attend the AOA Conference should notify Steve Smith in the RSAS Office via email (please, no phone calls) at ssmith12@une.edu. You may either download an EEF form from the shared files section of your class page, or Steve can email you an EEF form to complete. All normal EEF regulations apply.

Thanks, and have a great summer!

 

AOA President John A. Strosnider, D.O., Passes Away:
John A. Strosnider, D.O., 1947-2007
It is with tremendous sadness that we must convey the news that AOA President John A. Strosnider, D.O., passed away on, June 21, 2007. He will be remembered by all as a passionate, strong-minded, supportive and caring AOA leader. And [he will be remembered as] one who made a mark on the future of osteopathic medicine by being so involved with and caring so much for our osteopathic medical students.

Dr. Strosnider was dedicated to the proposition that osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) educated in a rural environment would remain in that environment, providing essential, quality health care to those in need. Dr. Strosnider will be remembered for his strong convictions for bringing the profession “back to the basics” and for helping move the AOA from a good organization to a great one.

A Memorial Service in President Strosnider’s honor will be held on Saturday, July 7 at 2 p.m. in the Booth Auditorium at Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine.

The Strosnider Family requests that in lieu of flowers a donation be made in President Strosnider’s honor to the AOA Greatness Fund. These donations can be made by check (payable to American Osteopathic Association, 142 East Ontario St., Chicago, IL 60611, with John A. Strosnider, D.O., in the memo section) or through DO-Online.

- AOA Press Release

 

 

American Osteopathic Association Installs Peter B. Ajluni, D.O., as 111th President
The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) installed Peter B. Ajluni, D.O., a board certified osteopathic orthopedic surgeon from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., as the 2007-2008 president on June 22, 2007. Dr. Ajluni succeeds John A. Strosnider, D.O., of Pikeville, Ky., who passed away of pancreatic cancer on June 21. 

“In my over 35 years as an osteopathic physician, I have seen this profession experience immense success and have witnessed the AOA grow into a nationally recognized medical association,” Dr. Ajluni said. “I am very proud to serve as president of this organization and continue the work of Dr. Strosnider.”

Dr. Ajluni, an avid hiker and jogger who has participated in a number of marathons and triathlons, chose “D.O.s: Fit for Life” as his presidential theme. This theme conveys the importance of osteopathic physicians serving as role models for their patients when it comes to health and fitness. In addition, President Ajluni will extend that focus to make the AOA a healthier and more fit organization for its members and the U.S. a better health care system for patients.

Dr. Ajluni is currently on leave from his position as a senior orthopedic surgeon at Mount Clemens (Mich.) Regional Medical Center (part of the McLaren Health Care System) where he also served as former chief of staff. He continues to serve as vice chair of the board of trustees at Mount Clemens. He also held staff privileges at Henry Ford Bi-County Community Hospital in Warren, Mich., and St. John North Shores Hospital in Harrison Township, Mich.

Dr. Ajluni served as AOA president-elect for the 2006-2007 term. He began his career on the AOA Board of Trustees in 1998 and was a member of the AOA’s Executive Committee from 2000-2005. In addition, he served as chair of the AOA Departments of Business Affairs, Educational Affairs, Professional Affairs and Governmental Affairs.

Aside from his involvement on the national level, Dr. Ajluni has also been an active member of state and local osteopathic medical organizations. He served as president of both the Michigan Osteopathic Association and the Michigan Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

After earning his degree in 1969 from the Chicago College of Osteopathy, now known as Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in Downers Grove, Ill., Dr. Ajluni completed an internship and residency at Mount Clemens General Hospital. 

Dr. Ajluni resides in Bloomfield Hills with his wife, Judy. They have three children, Noelle (Kurt) Cassel, Mark and Matthew, and three grandchildren.

- AOA Press Release 

 

Events Like Rabbits
There are close to 200 class days in the academic calendar at UNECOM. During 2006-2007, medical students planned an event on nearly every one of them. 

With an on-campus population of approximately 250 students, UNECOM currently boasts over 30 clubs and organizations. Over the last academic year, those clubs and organizations hosted nearly 200 separate lectures, fundraisers, or events. That averages out to almost one event per academic day, and close to one event per student. What in the world are UNECOM students up to?

Theme Weeks

To start, there were 10 theme weeks sprinkled throughout the year, ranging from the Medical Students for Choice (MSFC) “Reproductive Health Week” in September, to the “International Health Week” in November, to the New England Research Club’s (NERC) Second Annual UNECOM Research Symposium in January.

Each theme week usually has three or four relevant lectures or activities, often at lunchtime, so students can drop by for a bite to eat and catch up on the topic of the hour. Theme weeks take a lot of planning and coordinating with clinicians to lock in speaking times and arrange schedules, but students love the opportunity to learn.

The Annual and the Abnormal

There are annual events like Sigma Sigma Phi’s “Post Gross Toast” after the end of Gross Anatomy; the Undergraduate American Academy of Osteopathy’s (UAAO) auction; the Student Government Association’s “SnowBall” and “Spring Fling” semi-formals; the Sports Medicine Club’s “Chili Bowl” flag football game between the first and second-year classes; and the Pediatric Club’s “Med School for Kids Day.”

There are also first-time events that will probably become traditions: the American Medical Students’ Association’s (AMSA) “Mr. UNECOM” pageant; Sigma Sigma Phi’s “Biddeford Free Clinic Turkey Trot 5K”; and AMSA’s “Run for Global Health 5K/ultra-marathon.”

Then there are the truly unique events: the Emergency Medicine Club’s dodgeball tournament; the Student Osteopathic Medical Association’s trip to the “BodyWorld” exhibit in Boston; and second-year student Joe Keen’s slideshow of his ascent of Denali, hosted by the Wilderness Medicine Club.

Philanthropy

UNECOM students love to give back to the community, or to those in need. An ongoing can drive by clubs garnered boxes of food for the Stone Soup Food Pantry; the Student Government Association’s “Mustache Competition” in January raised over $1,200 for a local domestic violence shelter; and Sigma Sigma Phi and the Medicine and Aging Club hosted several ice cream socials and luaus for nursing home residents.

Lectures

If you can name it, someone probably spoke about it during the past year at UNECOM. Lecture topics included: Tropical medicine, TABOR, being a flight surgeon, Plan B, NIH, rotations/residencies, the Maine Migrant Health Program, functional medicine, naturopathy, internal medicine, Critical Care Model presentation, reproductive choice, and a “Dr. Mom” talk. 

Fundraisers

Medical students need money; everyone knows that. Students come up with ingenious ways to make it at UNECOM. Club fundraisers this year included a textbook raffle, thermos sale, LL Bean fleece sale, a cookbook, handmade silk scarves, an art auction, stuffed microbes (yes, giant stuffed microbes), sweatshirts, a pen/stylus sale, an OMM table sale, and T-shirts.

Workshops

Then there are the workshops. There were bellydancing classes, cranial workshops, yoga classes, and Board Review sessions. There was a Concussions/cervical injury workshop, an Airway workshop, a Knee workshop, a Phlebotomy workshop, EKG reviews, OMM Case presentations, a suture workshop, and others.

Events

Finally, there was any number of miscellaneous fun events during the year: a rock-climbing night, a spelling bee fundraiser, an MSII appreciation night, an MSI BBQ, a short-film fest, pizza parties, and more. 

The stereotype of self-focused, stressed medical students who only have time to study simply doesn’t hold any water at UNECOM. The number and variety of activities in just one academic year help to show the caliber and level of involvement of our students. 

- Steve Smith, RSAS

 

Update from the Graduate Public Health Education office
The Master's of Public Health is an online program that you can take as you continue with your routine work and/or while attending classes. Currently, seventy working professionals or College of Osteopathic Medicine students are enrolled in the program. This spring,  the first class of four graduated from the program, with twelve students planning to receive their degree next year. The program's goal is to prepare the student for a practice that includes Public Health. Most students are completing the program in three years, taking one course per term or five courses per year.

Or perhaps you don’t want to obtain a master's degree, but are interested in public health. The certificate in public health may be the program for you. We offer an 18-credit (6 course) certificate program that students are completing over a one-year period.

For more information, contact the program director, Becky Whittemore, at 602-2112 or mailtbwhittemore@une.edu .

 

Student News

Dan Sheps, MSII, at Tuckerman's Ravine. Photo courtesy Dan Sheps.

UNECOM student Elizabeth Kunkel awarded international medical fellowship
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine student Elizabeth Kunkel, MSIII, was one of 31 medical students chosen to receive a 2007 MAP International Medical Fellowship to serve six to eight weeks at a hospital in a foreign country. The Fellowships are made possible by an endowment from the Dewitt Wallace foundation and Reader's Digest magazine.

Awarded annually by MAP International, the program provides residents, interns and senior medical students from North America the opportunity to serve at remote clinics and hospitals in developing countries by providing funds to cover the cost of their airfare. Through the program, recipients take part in the daily responsibilities of a hospital or clinic and receive first-hand knowledge of health problems in a segment of the world that has the least access to adequate medical care.

Students are selected on the basis of an excellent academic standing, personal development, motivation, cultural adaptability, world concern, desire for voluntary service and a sincere interest in medical missions in developing countries. Since the program began in 1971, more than 1,800 students have served in 68 countries around the world.

- University Relations

 

Geffe Earns Second Place in A. Hollis Wolf Competition at Convocation
Kevin Geffe, former OMM Fellow and recent graduate, UNECOM ’07, placed second in the A. Hollis Wolf Case Presentation at the AAO Convocation in Colorado Springs this past March. Geffe’s engaging presentation entitled “The Four will Open the Door”, and his clear clinical competency helped him to rise above nine other presentations. Hala Sabry of NYCOM won the competition with her presentation on Atrial Fibrillation.

The A. Hollis Wolf competition is an annual event that allows only one competitor per osteopathic school. Students must present a clinical case where they diagnosed pathology and then treated that pathology using osteopathic principles.

Geffe’s presentation was based on a patient he encountered during his fellowship year at the UNE Health Center: “It was not so much about the pathology of [the patient’s] disease,” Geffe says, “but more importantly, how the four osteopathic tenets should be utilized in every patient encounter. Unfortunately, some students look at the tenets as memorization points rather than actual utilities applied in osteopathic care.”

Geffe decided to participate in the competition with the encouragement of Jane Carreiro, D.O., chair of the UNECOM OMM department. With his second-place finish, Geffe won a percussion hammer. He promptly donated the hammer to the OMM department for the purpose of educating the students and residents at UNECOM.

 

Samanta Wins The New Physician Photo Contest

Suchismita Samanta, MSIII, recently won first place for photography in the 13th Annual Creative Arts Contest held by The New Physician magazine. The magazine published her winning photograph in their July-August, 2007 issue, on page 23.

Samanta's winning photograph shows worshippers bathing in hot springs in a small village outside of Calcutta, India where she was traveling. Samanta's parents were born in India and her grandfather was a rural doctor there. She has traveled to India many times to work in free clinics and visit family, and she hopes to someday return to India as a physician.

To see Samanta's winning photograph, visit http://www.amsa.org/tnp/arts/2007CreativeArts.pdf#zoom=120target=_blank.

 

 

Convocation Reflections
It happens every year and it’s an event not to be missed. It’s the largest student-attended ostoepathic medical conference of the year: The joint conference of the Undergraduate American Academy of Osteopathy and the American Academy of Osteopathy. This year, it was at the Broodmoor in Colorado Springs. With annual lectures by UNECOM’s own Dr. Frank Willard, a gala president’s dinner, outstanding workshops, the A. Hollis Wolfe student case presentation competition, a chance to network with other osteopathic physicians and students from around the country, and D.O. apparel sold by every D.O. school on the map - you have just got to see it to believe it! Save that student loan money, the next Convocation happens at the Houston Intercontinental hotel in Texas from March 26-30, 2008.

This year, Kevin Geffe, former student fellow (UNECOM class of 2007) , won 2nd place for his presentation at the A. Hollis Wolfe competition. Kevin secured a spot in a surgery residency and we wish him the best! The A. Hollis Wolfe student case presentation allows one student per school to present a case using osteopathic manipulative medicine and to compete for prizes. Kevin described a patient with adult torticollis who was not physically active and negotiated a two hour work day commute. Kevin applied the principles of osteopathic medicine and looked at the patient as a whole, addressing the somatic dysfunction in his lumbar and pelvic areas in addition to the pain that the patient experienced in his neck, which was his presenting symptom. He allowed the patient to participate in the treatment, and advised ergonomic changes to his work posture coupled with stress reduction. At a two month follow up, the patient was experiencing pain relief for a period of seven weeks.

Convocation typically falls during the COM spring break, and it allows for students to interact with their faculty and mentors in a high-energy environment where everyone is excited about osteopathic medicine. At this year’s conference, UNECOM Interim Dean of Clinical Affairs Ken Johnson, the outgoing president of the AAO, was flanked by several UNECOM faculty and alumni who are active in the community of osteopathic medicine. UNECOM really has a great presence at Convocation and it’s a great way to have a sense of pride in our small but prestigious medical school here on the coast of Maine. Dr. Jane Carreiro, Dr. Ken Johnson, and Dr. Boyd Buser are heavily involved with the World Health Organization and their recommendations for basic training in Osteopathy through the Osteopathic International Alliance. They participated in a conference on the topic this past academic year at the Hotel Schlangenbader Hof in Schlangenbad, Germany.

I can’t say more - with many competing demands on a medical student’s limited vacation time - attending a medical conference may be the last thing that you think of when you hear the words “Spring Break.” However, I haven’t regretted my decision to go to Convocation.  When I see my classmates make it their mission to go every year, I know that the annual Convocation is nothing but a wise investment in a dynamic medical education.

- Dan Sheps, MSII

 

 

Medical Students’ “Run for Global Health” Raises Over $3,000 for Native Docs
It was Dante’s inferno. Over thirty miles into the 44-mile ultra-marathon that he and fellow first-year medical student Gary Simmons were trekking from Kennebunk to Portland, Dante Leven was feeling the burn. That’s when race co-organizer Andy Ray, MSI, dug deep into his bag of tricks and pulled out the only thing that could inspire his exhausted classmates to run for their lives: A male speedo.

Ray darted out from a scheduled water stop wearing nothing but a speedo and jogged along with the two ultra-marathoners, creating an immediate surge of adrenalin that could best be compared with the ‘flight or fight’ response. “I’m only surprised that after 33 miles I wasn’t punched for the jokes I played on the runners,” Ray quips.

Leven and Simmons reached their goal, and the following morning an associated 5K race in Kennebunk drew over 60 runners to the same cause. By the end of the weekend, over $3,000 was raised by medical students to support indigenous doctors in the poorest countries on earth. The funds are enough to help support 4 and ½ doctors for seven years.  

The journey of 44-miles started with one guest lecturer. Ray Rickman, founder of Adopt a Doctor, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, spoke to medical students at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) last fall. During his talk, Rickman explained that in countries like Liberia, Malawi, Mali, and Sierra Leone, many patients must walk over 44 miles to receive medical help. Leven and Ray, both runners, were struck by this dismal information.

But it got worse. According to Rickman’s website, “Every day, 35,000 children under age five die in the world’s poorest countries, mainly from three diseases: pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles.” To exacerbate the crisis, native doctors are leaving their impoverished countries because they cannot afford to stay. Adopt a Doctor’s goal is to support indigenous doctors so that they can remain in their countries where the needs are greatest. “Adopting” a doctor costs about $100 a year, for seven years.

“As a member of different international health groups,” Leven says, “and having provided medical services in Haiti and rural Mexico, a central nerve was struck.” Leven and Ray decided to organize a fundraiser for Adopt a Doctor, and after some thought, came up with the idea for a dual 5K/Ultra-marathon: a “Run for Global Health.”

“We wanted to symbolically represent the 44-mile walk that some patients need to make,” Leven says, “and we also wanted the community involved, so that’s where the 5K came in.”

The race logistics were daunting, as was the training involved for the ultra-marathon, but both men thrived on the challenge, and were inspired by the cause. “Whether it be through studies or activities, we all need our release,” says Ray, “a certain drive to keep us moving forward. Working and planning projects is what helps me spend the hours each day in front of books. In the grand scheme of things, the action is small, but it is what keeps me in the present knowing that in some way, perhaps, the efforts I make right now are helping those I don’t even know about.”

Simmons, Leven’s co-laborer in the 44-miles from Kennebunk to Portland, enjoyed the challenge. “I really love long-distance running,” he says, “I had a lot of fun training for it with Dante all winter long. We got into excellent shape and really challenged ourselves mentally and physically.”

He notes that Adopt a Doctor has a great raison d’etre, since it costs as much to send one American doctor to another country for a short medical missions trip as it does to help support multiple indigenous doctors for several years. “It’s a great charity that has a dual effect; keeping physicians here, and keeping other physicians in their own country, treating their own people. That has more effect than when we [American docs] go over there for a week or two to help out.”

In the 5K race, held on May 6th at Parson’s Field in Kennebunk, medical students and community members rubbed shoulders as they shivered in the morning chill. Craig North, a UNE cross-country runner, won the event in 18:34. On his heels was Brett Matthews, MSI, a former Scarborough High standout and college pole-vaulter, in 18:59; and Ethan Abbott, another first-year medical student, finished in third place with 19:06. The first female finisher was Anneke Muller, who blazed through in 21:21.

Ray was pleased with the high level of community support for the races. “To see so many people stopping by to wish the runners well, or to run themselves, showed solidarity and more community support than most of us realize is present. I know that we are all part of a good thing here at UNECOM. I want to thank the Biddeford, Saco, and Kennebunk communities, family, and friends for being part of something that has meant a great deal to me.”

The money raised in southern Maine will have an impact across the world. “In a small way,” says Ray, “everyone who participated in these events wanted to see change, too. Adopt a Doctor is effecting a positive change – one that every participant can be proud of.”

-Steve Smith, RSAS

 

Fosmire Featured in Front-Page Sun Journal Article
Steve Fosmire, MSII, was featured on the front page of the June 8th Lewiston Sun Journal, which covered his stint as a resident in the Maine Veterans Home in the little town of Paris. Fosmire was admitted for two weeks in a unique immersion program developed by Dr. Marilyn Gugliucci, Director of Geriatric Education and Research at UNECOM. The goal of the program is to have medical students learn first-hand what living in an assisted living situation feels like, thereby gaining newfound respect and sympathy for geriatric residents. Watch for an interview with Fosmire in the August COMmunicator.

 

Wood finishes second at Sugarloaf Marathon
Luke Wood, MSIV, found his rhythm and cruised to a solid second place finish at the Sugarloaf Marathon in Kingfield, Maine, on May 20. Wood’s time of 2:33:55.8 was nine minutes behind winner Judson Cake of Bar Harbor, and nearly 17 minutes ahead of third-place Eric Rudolph of Sullivan. A budding marathoner, Wood has completed several in the past year, including the Boston and New York City marathons.

Wood bested his previous personal-record time in the marathon by two minutes. The Bangor Daily News quoted the Wisconsin native as saying, “This is the kind of environment I grew up in. It was just a natural place to go out and have a good time running. Running is so much about getting in a rhythm, and it was pretty easy to find that rhythm today.” He is currently performing rotations at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

 

SOLO Course at UNECOM
Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) began in the 1970’s before there was an organized emergency response system in New Hampshire. Known for hiking and skiing, New Hampshire saw its fair share of backcountry injuries. Dr. Frank Hubbell, SOLO’s founder; was especially moved by a young boy who received a severe arm injury. In Frank’s opinion, it could have been treated better.

Frank had the foresight to address the problem of providing emergency care in the backcountry, during the “Golden Hour,” without all the tools and equipment found on a modern ambulance. He established SOLO schools that taught a variety of courses for first responders in the wilderness, culminating with “Wilderness EMT,” a six-week course taught on site at SOLO’s school in Conway, New Hampshire. Every year, SOLO instructors travel all over the country to teach courses to professionals and university students who work as camp counselors and backcountry guides. 

Frank Hubbell, with his wife Lee Frizzell, taught the first SOLO course in his parent’s living room. SOLO now has a full campus - with housing for students - in New Hampshire. Some SOLO students have left to start their own schools for wilderness first aid. In addition to starting SOLO, Frank went on to further his medical education by getting a PA degree, and then earned his D.O. from UNECOM.

This spring, the UNECOM Wilderness Medicine club was able to bring SOLO to campus to teach a specially tailored two-day course in Backcountry Medicine. At the end of the course, students took and passed the exam for Wilderness First Responder (typically an eight-day course that costs in excess of $500.)

UNECOM students learned how to splint injuries in the backcountry, provide traction in line, and extract victims from the wilderness using a litter and spineboard. UNECOM students, in turn, taught a suture workshop for the SOLO instructors, led by second-year medical students Josh Mularella and Chad Bouchard.

If you are interested in learning more about wilderness medicine, visit the SOLO website or get a copy of Frank’s book, Medicine for the Backcountry, co-authored with Buck Tilton.

-Dan Sheps, MSII

 

Sheye Alabi, MSIII, displays his research on subcortical cerebrovascular disease and treatment response  in late-life depression. Photo courtesy Sheye Alabi.

 

Faculty News

Power Lifting Challenge Raises Over $4,000.00 for UNE Annual Fund
Soft-spoken but direct, UNECOM Pharmacology professor Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., knows that it takes more than words to meet a goal; sometimes it takes a challenge and a ton of work. Literally. Bilsky won the first UNE Power-Lifting Challenge this spring with lifts of 405 lbs each in the squat and deadlift, and 275 lbs in the bench press. In the process, he raised over $4,000 for the UNE Annual Fund.

The power-lifting event/fundraiser was the combined brainchild of Lance Reardon, a BodyWISE fitness specialist at the Campus Center, and Bilsky. Reardon started a power-lifting club for students last fall, and a dozen young men and one woman joined the team.

Sophomore Brian McNeaney, an Applied Exercise Science major, joined the power lifting team as a way to increase his strength. “I’ve always been involved in weight training,” he says, “because I played football through high school.” The Challenge was his first power-lifting competition. “I thought the meet was great,” he says. “Since none of the guys had ever done a competition like this before, it was nice to get a taste of what it’s like without it being a hardcore meet.”

Dr. Bilsky is not an official member of the power lifting team, but he has a wealth of lifting experience from his days as a skier at RPI. “I started lifting as an undergrad to increase leg strength,” Bilsky explains, “then started getting serious at the University of Arizona in grad school, and really ramped it up in the last two years here.”

While undergrad participants donated their fundraising monies to a local basketball coach whose house had burned, Bilsky earmarked his for the UNE Annual Fund. “The Annual Fund supports the development of new projects and scholarships for students,” he says, “and for faculty and staff to be a part of that is great. The students love to see that their staff is so dedicated.”

What made him think of combining power lifting with fundraising for the Annual Fund? Bilsky believes that if you are part of a good thing, you should return the favor. “If you believe in something,” he asks, “do you give back to it? We’ve had some great accomplishments so far in all of the colleges at UNE, and we are preparing to take off to the next level. There are some exciting opportunities around the corner.”   

Though he did the heavy lifting, Dr. Bilsky emphasizes the “we” component of the fundraiser, since there were over 125 faculty and staff who contributed to his effort. As chair of the faculty assembly, Bilsky was excited by the strong showing. “Faculty and staff were extremely supportive,” he says, “everybody I asked said ‘yes.’ I was only limited by the number of people I had time to talk with.”

He believes that the high level of support he received is a positive reflection on the UNE community and the type of people that the university attracts.

- Steve Smith, RSAS

 

Medical researcher Jane Carreiro awarded $100,000 grant to study osteopathic manipulation on pediatric ear infections
Jane Carreiro, D.O. '88, associate professor and chair of the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Department at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Karen Steele, D.O., of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, have been awarded a $100,000 grant to study the effect of osteopathic manipulation in treating children with acute middle ear infections. The research is being funded by the American Academy of Osteopathy.

Previous Study
The new research is a progression from a study Carreiro co-authored in 2003 on using osteopathic manipulative treatment as an adjunct in the treatment of recurrent ear infections in very young children.

That study showed a significant decrease in ear infections, antibiotic use and surgery in children receiving osteopathic manipulation compared with those receiving standard care. That study was done in conjunction with the UNE University Health Care pediatric site, UHC Kids, in Portland, Maine, and the University of Oklahoma. That study looked at recurrent infection. 

New Research
This new study will look at the effect of osteopathic manipulation in treating children with acute infections. When the child has fluid in his ears he is more likely to get an infection. 

It has been shown that even after the child finishes the antibiotics the fluid stays in the ear for an average of three weeks. During this time the child is susceptible to another infection. Additionally, often children will have fluid in their ears because of a virus and subsequently get a bacterial infection.  

"If we can get the fluid to drain more quickly we will decrease many of the risks associated with it," Carreiro says. "Small analyses I have been doing in my clinical practice for the past year suggests that osteopathic manipulation influences fluid drainage in some cases almost immediately. So we are going to measure this perceived change and compare it with children who are receiving standard medical care only. Once again we are doing the study in association with UHC Kids and working with the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. The yearlong study is a multi-centered single blinded, controlled clinical trial.

Jane Carreiro
Carreiro has been on the faculty at UNECOM since 1993 and has chaired the Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine for almost 10 years. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. She has written one book on the Osteopathic Approach to Pediatrics, which has been translated into four languages and is used as the standard text in many osteopathic pediatric courses. She is working on a second pediatrics book. She lives in Kennebunkport, Maine.

- University Relations

  

UNE hosts naming ceremony for Pickus Center for Biomedical Research
The University of New England hosted a naming ceremony for the Pickus Center for Biomedical Research June 1, 2007.

The center is named in recognition of Owen Pickus, D.O. and trustee of UNE, and his wife Geraldine Ollila-Pickus '88, D.O. '93, whose $1 million challenge grant got the campaign started and made the prospect of this important facility a reality. The ceremony unveiled a rendering of the new facility.

Pickus Center for Biomedical Research
The new state-of-the-art biomedical research facility, part of UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM), will eventually house ten or more teams conducting important biomedical research. The facility will allow UNECOM's faculty to dedicate themselves to educating physicians and advancing the practice of medicine, while giving students greater opportunities to experience research as part of their medical studies. It will be located across the street from the Harold Alfond Center for the Health Sciences, which houses UNECOM classes and labs, and Stella Maris Hall.

Owen Pickus, D.O.
Dr. Pickus is currently a professor of medicine at UNECOM and is secretary and treasurer of UNE's board of trustees. In addition, he is a member in the departments of internal medicine at Maine Medical Center, Mercy Hospital and Southern Maine Medical Center. Dr. Pickus graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology.

Dr. Pickus was chairman of the committee to advise the Department of Human Services on HIV and has been a leader in the treatment of HIV and hepatitis in the state of Maine. He was the host of "Healthline" on WGAN radio and "Ask the Doctor" on WGME TV. In the 1980's, the Portland Press Herald named him Physician of the Decade.

For more information on the biomedical research building campaign, visit www.une.edu/giving/com.asp or contact Erin A. Peck, associate director of development, at (207) 221-4598.

- University Relations

 

Psychology/pharmacology Professor Glenn Stevenson receives $212,000 NIH grant for pain research
University of New England psychology/pharmacology Professor Glenn W. Stevenson, Ph.D., was recently awarded a three-year, $212,000 federal research grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for research that could help in the development of safer and more effective treatments of chronic pain.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIAMS supports basic and clinical studies related to the rheumatic diseases and to diseases and disorders of connective tissue, bone, and skin.

Stevenson's Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) grant will provide support for several undergraduate students in his laboratory to explore new preclinical strategies for assessing chronic pain and the effectiveness of analgesic candidates in rodents. It is predicted that development of these models will help in the development of safer and more effective treatments for chronic pain in human and veterinary populations.

The AREA program at NIH primarily supports faculty at undergraduate institutions that are developing biomedical and behavioral meritorious research platforms, with the goals of strengthening the institution's research environment and exposing undergraduates to biomedical research.

Stevenson, who joined the UNE faculty in 2005, is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, where he teaches in the area of psychobiology, and research assistant professor of pharmacology in the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine's Department of Pharmacology, where he collaborates in research with Professor Edward Bilsky, Ph.D.

- University Relations

Alfond Center of Health Sciences east colonnade. Photo by Steve Smith, RSAS

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Please send comments, suggestions, submissions, or warm chocolate chip cookies to Steve Smith at ssmith12@une.edu