ATHENS, Ohio -- On Saturday, Sept. 14, Ohio State Senator M. Douglas White, president pro tempore of the Ohio Senate, will deliver the keynote address at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine's 27th annual Convocation Ceremony. The ceremony -- which takes place at 11 a.m. in Nelson Commons on Ohio University's Athens campus -- welcomes OU-COM's incoming class of medical students.
The Class of 2006, composed of 110 students, has a record 62 percent female enrollment, which is among the highest recent percentages for medical schools. Last year, at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., 64.1 percent of its incoming class was female.
"The applicant pool for the fall of 2002 presented a very strong wealth of female candidates for admission to OU-COM," said John Schriner, director of admissions. "I am most pleased to see the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine set a new institutional record for the most women in an entering class!"
The Sept. 14 Convocation also includes the school's White Coat Ceremony, during which the members of the Class of 2006 receive their white coats. The White Coat Ceremony had in past years been held at the beginning of the third year of medical school and marked the transition to the clinical phase of medical education. Because of recent revisions to the school's curriculum, which include earlier clinical contact, OU-COM officials note, it is now quite appropriate for incoming first-year students to be coated.
"This change is recognition of the fact that our two curricular tracks now place greater emphasis on early clinical contact," said Chip Rogers, director of external affairs and coordinator of the Convocation ceremony. The white coats donned during the ceremony are provided by the Ohio Osteopathic Foundation. OU-COM Dean Jack Brose, D.O., will serve as master of ceremonies at the Convocation.
"The Convocation also affords our college the opportunity to award the Phillips Medal of Public Service, the college's highest honor, to individuals who have made great contributions to health care, education and public service," said Brose.
Keynote speaker White is one of three recipients of the Phillips Medal. In addition to White, this year's recipients of the Phillips Medal are Alan Geiger, Ph.D., assistant to the president, Ohio University, and Eugene Oliveri, D.O., past president of the American Osteopathic Association.
Among past Phillips Medal recipients are former Ohio Gov. James Rhodes; former U.S. Sen. John Glenn; former Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, J.D.; Ohio First Lady Hope Taft; and William Anderson, D.O., surgeon, civil rights leader and past president of the American Osteopathic Association.
White has been a member of the Ohio General Assembly for 10 years, serving in both houses, and serving as Senate president pro tempore since last year. White has chaired several senate committees and received numerous awards for outstanding public service, including the "Watchdog of the Treasury" award, the Ernest L. Talbert Award for outstanding advocacy and service and the 2001 Appalachia Ohio Public Service Award for commitment and dedication to the people of Ohio's 29 county Appalachian Region.
Geiger has served Ohio University in academic and administrative capacities since 1967, overseeing more than $350 million in capital improvements to the university as campus planner from 1976 to 1994. Geiger was prominently involved with the establishment of OU-COM after the "college bill" was enacted in 1975.
Oliveri has had a distinguished as an osteopathic physician and leader. In addition to serving as president of the AOA, he was president of American College of Osteopathic Internists and the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Walter Patenge Medal of Public and Humanitarian Service from Michigan State University and the J.O. Watson Distinguished Lecturer from Ohio Osteopathic Association.
The Phillips Medal is named for Jody Galbreath Phillips and her late husband, J. Wallace, both longtime friends of Ohio University. It has been awarded to outstanding men and women since OU-COM's inception in 1976.
Also participating in the ceremony with Brose will be Ohio University President Robert Glidden, Ph.D.; Peter Bell, D.O., president of the Ohio Osteopathic Association; and William Emlich Jr., D.O. ('86), board member of the OU-COM Society of Alumni and Friends.
Students will give tours of OU-COM from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 14. The tours leave from the lobby of Grosvenor Hall on the university's West Green.
For more information on the Convocation, contact Chip Rogers, director of external affairs, at (740) 593-2174.
