University of New England

UNECOM AMSA hosts largest regional conference in the nation

BIDDEFORD, Maine - The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine hosted this year's largest regional conference of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Nov. 9-11, 2007 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

Medical students at the AMSA Regional Conference in Portland participate in a casting workshop on Nov. 10th.

The occasion was only the second time in AMAS's history that a regional conference has been hosted by an osteopathic medical school.

AMSA (American Medical Student Association) is the largest organization of medical students in the country and includes osteopathic (D.O.), allopathic (M.D.), and pre-medical students.

The Region 1, 2, 3 conference included medical students from schools as far south as Virginia, west to Pennsylvania, and north to Maine, totaling twenty-five schools in all. Regional conferences, held annually throughout the country, offer an opportunity for AMSA members to meet, listen to speakers, share ideas, learn more about important issues in the health care field, and have a great time.

With over 288 students registered for the conference at final count and an operating budget in excess of $16,000, the UNECOM-hosted AMSA Region 1, 2, 3 Conference was a huge success, and - to date - is the largest AMSA regional conference of the year.

This year’s Region 1, 2, 3 Conference, entitled “People Treating People,” began on the afternoon of Friday, November 9. The first keynote address was given by Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., FACOFP. Dr. Ross-Lee is currently the vice president for health sciences and medical affairs at the New York Institute of Technology. Breakout sessions and keynote speakers ran through Sunday morning.

Also, nearly 70 pre-medical students from up and down the Eastern Seaboard took charter buses to the Biddeford campus of UNECOM to hear a presentation by the Recruitment, Student, and Alumni Services (RSAS) Office about the admissions process, student life, and what sets osteopathic physicians apart. Pre-med students were given tours of the Alfond Center of Health Sciences by current UNECOM students, before racing back up to Portland to re-join the conference in time for lunch.

A critical aspect of the conference’s development was the level of student involvement. One of UNECOM’s own OMM/Anatomy Fellows, fourth-year student Kendra Emery, conducted an interactive workshop on osteopathic treatment of ankle injuries, with numerous UNECOM students acting as teaching assistants for the class.

The conference was completely student-run and offered a unique opportunity for osteopathic students to interact with their future allopathic colleagues. Conference organizers offered special thanks to all the volunteers, speakers, faculty and staff members, and administrators (UNECOM deans contributed financially) who supported the effort and made such an incredible event possible.

Nearly 40 UNECOM students were involved in the conference as planners and volunteers. The Conference coordinators were: Andy Ray, MSII, Patrick Hohl, MSII, Rob Levine, MSII, Jeremy Force, MSII, and Amanda Staples, MSII.

UNECOM AMSA officers and National AMSA officers participate in a thank-you ceremony at the end of the Regional Conference at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland on November 11th.

(Press release posted Nov. 27, 2007)