Ohio University College of Medicine Celebrates Silver Anniversary
Note: For more information, please contact Kevin M. Sanders, writer/editor, at (740) 593-0896.
ATHENS, Ohio (September 7, 2000) -- Over the next year, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-COM) celebrates its Silver Anniversary, marking a quarter century of training physicians, expanding knowledge through research and providing health-care services to Southeastern Ohio.
The yearlong celebration, which has the theme, "Preserving Tradition, Providing Distinction," will be a part of ongoing events, beginning on Sept. 9 with the 25th Convocation, which awards the Phillips Medal of Public Service and welcomes first-year students. The Convocation will be followed by the annual National Osteopathic Medicine Week in October, which features community programs and promotes awareness of osteopathic medicine. A special 25th anniversary logo will be showcased in different forms, such as banners, posters and pins, around Athens.
Other events during the year include: the Ohio Osteopathic Association Convention in June 2001; Emeriti, a get-together for retired OU-COM family practitioners, also in June; and the White Coat Ceremony in August 2001, which transitions students from the classroom segment of their medical education into the clinical one. The celebration will come full circle with the Fall 2001 Convocation.
"The 25th anniversary is a great opportunity for the members of the college to reflect on its positive achievements, which have impacted the people of Southeastern Ohio, the state of Ohio and the nation," said Jim Artis, Ph.D., director of admissions for OU-COM and chairman of the 25th Anniversary Committee.
This positive impact on the region includes Community Service Programs, which collaborates with other agencies, community members and individuals to improve health in Southeastern Ohio through prevention, education, early detection and improved access to health services.
The medical school's Mobile Health Unit serves thousands of children and adults annually in a 21-county area of Southeastern Ohio, delivering immunizations, breast and cervical cancer screenings, lice screenings and a "well child" program to rural populations.
The Childhood Immunization Program is the most recognized program. Also, the University Osteopathic Medical Center (UOMC) provides the region's residents with comprehensive health-care services. UOMC is staffed by more than 60 physicians practicing 13 medical specialties. More than 100,000 patient visits are made annually at UOMC offices.
The clinic locations include two in Athens, two in Nelsonville and one in Coolville. In addition, UOMC physicians staff the Urgent Care Service and Emergency Department at O'Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens.
More than 1,600 doctors of osteopathic medicine have graduated from OU-COM. The total number of those who are practicing is 1,114, and 65 percent of those are in Ohio. Forty-three percent of those practicing are in family practice, 10 percent are in internal medicine and 3 percent are in pediatrics - a total of 56 percent practicing in primary care disciplines. The faculty, staff and students of the college deserve accolades for reaching this milestone, said Ohio University President Robert Glidden, Ph.D.,
"The College of Osteopathic Medicine is one of Ohio University's newest colleges, but in its short 25-year history, it has become one of our finest. It is widely recognized as a leader in primary care education on the state and national levels," he said.
A few highlights in OU-COM history:
- July 1975: The "College Bill" is passed by the Ohio General Assembly to alleviate the state's growing shortage of family physicians and to train doctors to practice in medically underserved areas of Ohio.
- September 1976: Grosvenor Hall is dedicated as the first osteopathic medical school building. The first class arrives on campus.
- October 1980: A renovated Irvine Hall is dedicated as a basic science facility.
- October 1988: West Entrance, a new facility between Parks and Grosvenor halls, is dedicated.
- July 1995: Centers of Osteopathic Regional Education (CORE) system, now called Centers of Osteopathic Research & Education, is officially established. It integrates all osteopathic clerkships, internships and residency programs in Ohio.
- 1998: A study by the American Medical Students Association Foundation, an independent organization of more than 30,000 medical students, rates OU-COM number one among the nation's 143 medical schools in the percent of graduates in family practice residencies.
All who care about good health should be proud of the accomplishments of OU-COM in its short history, said Dean Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O.
"The osteopathic profession's special place in medicine today - be it through promoting primary care, emphasizing prevention, or understanding all of the factors that influence a patient's health - continues to be strengthened by the work of this medical school," said Ross-Lee.
"Many have had a hand in this Ohio success story: from the Ohio Osteopathic Association and the legislators who brought the vision and fight to establish OU-COM, to the 1,646 graduates who apply their skills and compassion to patient care every day, to the faculty and staff who provide the innovation and dedication necessary in educating Ohio's next generation of osteopathic practitioners and researchers," she said.
For more information about the OU-COM anniversary, contact Artis at (740) 593-2147.
