Digest #2 2012

2 0 1 2 No2

Three alumni talk about their careersand their support for the College

EDITORJENNIFER SCHAFFER LEONE, MA

CREATIVE DIRECTORWENDY W. ROMANO

GRAPHIC DESIGNER ABIGAIL HARMON

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSMARYANN FABIANJANICE FISHERMADELINE LAWJENNIFER SCHAFFER LEONE, MACOLLEEN PELCPAMELA RUOFF, MSLAUREN SALTZBURG (DO ’15)ALEXANDER SPRUCKCAROL L. WEISLNANCY WESTDAVID MCKAY WILSON

PHOTOGRAPHERSA VISUAL IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHYBRUCE FAIRFIELDJEFF REEDERED WHEELER

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Digest, the magazine for alumni and friends ofPhiladelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Vol.73, No. 2, USPS, 413-060), is published three timesa year by the Departments of Marketing andCommunications and Alumni Relations andDevelopment. Periodical postage is paid at UpperDarby, PA, and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:DigestAlumni Relations and DevelopmentPhiladelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine4180 City AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19131-1695

Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the College or the editors.

mESSaGE from ThE prESIDEnT

Dear Alumni and Friends:

It has been said that those who havebeen blessed have the opportunity, theresponsibility, the privilege of givingback. Annually, and to mark specialoccasions, alumni and friends ofPhiladelphia College of OsteopathicMedicine make transformativeinvestments that help to ensure theCollege’s continued excellence andsupport its Mission. The cover article ofthis issue of Digest Magazine profilesthree of these College benefactors. J.Steven Blake, DO ’89, MSc, FACOI,has pledged $1 million to endow anannual full-tuition scholarship. DanaFerrara Planer, DO ’98, is a member ofthe Blue Ribbon Society—those whohave consistently donated to PCOM forat least the past five years. Bernyce M.Peplowski, DO ’80, has bequeathed partof her estate to the College. On behalf of PCOM, I thank each of thesephilanthropists who are leading by

example. And I thank all those whose sustained generosity helps us to maintainour benchmark of distinction.

The article “Transitioning into Retirement” profiles two beloved facultymembers, Rosemary B. Mennuti, EdD, NCSP, professor and director of SchoolPsychology programs, and John P. Simelaro, DO ’71, FCCP, FACOI, professorand chairman emeritus, Department of Internal Medicine, and past chairman,Division of Pulmonary Medicine, as they begin to move into new stages of theirprofessional careers and lives. Both have given so much to our College not only interms of longevity of service, but also in scholarly depth, outstanding teachingand ever present collegiality.

“Remembering Nicholas C. Pedano, DO ’61, FACOS” celebrates the life of arevered surgeon and leader who served our College and osteopathic education forfour decades. Dr. Pedano passed away on July 13, 2012, at the age of 77.

Finally, the article “Dramatic Rise in Prescription Drug Abuse” reveals afrightening trend in forensic medicine from the perspective of two facultymembers, Gregory McDonald, DO ’89, professor and vice chairman, departmentof pathology, microbiology, immunology and forensic medicine, and Frederick J.Goldstein, PhD, FCP, professor of clinical pharmacology, department ofneuroscience, physiology and pharmacology. The informative piece offers insightsinto how healthcare professionals can help to reverse the trend of patient misuse.

I thank you for your continued interest in and support of PCOM.

With warmest regards,

Matthew Schure, PhDPresident and Chief Executive Officer

“I thank all thosewhose sustainedgenerosity helps usto maintain ourbenchmark ofdistinction.”

DIGEST

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 1

CONTENTS

on the cover

Departments

2 Updates

10 Development News

26 Class Notes

32 My Turn EssayJ. Steven Blake, DO ’89, MSc, FACOI, a member of thePCOM Board of Trustees and a Philadelphia gastro-enterologist, philanthropist and entrepreneur, likes to leadby example. In March 2012, he pledged $1 million toestablish The J. Steven Blake, DO ’89 Scholars Society atthe College. Dr. Blake’s pledge, which will be fulfilledwithin ten years, is the largest single scholarship assur-ance for PCOM to date.

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11

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24

Features

11 Giving Back and Paying It Forward

Three alumni talk about their careers and their support for the College

18 Transitioning into Retirement

22 Trends in Forensic Medicine: Dramatic Rise in Prescription Drug Use

24 Remembering Nicholas C. Pedano, DO ’61, FACOS

Three alumni talk about their careers andtheir support for the College

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P h i l a D e l P h i a C o l l e g e o f o s t e o P a t h i C M e D i C i n e2

upDates – commencement 2012

Commencement, Georgia Campus – PCOMSeventy doctoral degrees in osteo-

pathic medicine and 13 master’s degreesin biomedical sciences were conferredon May 20 in the Grand Ballroom ofthe Gwinnett Center in Duluth. TheClass of 2012 is the fourth graduatingclass of DOs and the fifth graduatingclass of master’s degree students at thebranch campus. C. Charles Stokes, Jr., president and

chief executive officer of the NationalFoundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, delivered the com-mencement address.

DO Commencement, PCOMPhiladelphia College of Osteopathic

Medicine celebrated its 121stCommencement on June 3 at theKimmel Center for the PerformingArts, Philadelphia. Two hundred andforty-six doctoral degrees in osteo-pathic medicine were conferred.Stephen C. Shannon, DO, MPH,

president and chief executive officer ofthe American Association of Collegesof Osteopathic Medicine, delivered

the commencement address. The College proudly bestowed the title of professoremeritus upon James E. McHugh, DO, FACOI, MBA, FACP, and Frederick G.Meoli, DO, FACOS, during the ceremony.

Graduate Programs Commencement, PCOMPhiladelphia College of Osteopathic

Medicine marked its 13th GraduatePrograms Commencement on July 27 atthe Academy of Music, Philadelphia.There were 225 candidates for graduatedegrees in programs in clinical psychology (doctor of psychology, 27 candidates; respecialization, 1 candi-date); school psychology (doctor of psychology, 21 candidates; master ofscience, 18 candidates; educational

specialist, 21 candidates); counseling and clinical health psychology (master of science, 28 candidates); organizational development and leadership (master of science, 11 candidates); forensic medicine (master of science, 16 candidates); biomedical sciences (master of science, 34 candidates); and physician assistant studies (master of science, 48 candidates). James J. Murray, co-founder of the Ronald McDonald House and president of

Jim Murray, Ltd., delivered the commencement address.

Part of a Legacy

Some PCOM families aremulti-generational. Others arecomposed of multiple members ofthe same generation. The Class of2012 includes both.Ratnesh N. Mehra, DO ’12,

proudly follows in the footsteps ofhis father, Rajesh N. Mehra, DO’79. “My father never forced meinto medicine,” he says, “but I wasnaturally surrounded by myfather’s practice from an early age.”The young graduate, who is

pursuing a residency in neurologi-cal surgery at Michigan StateUniversity, cites his father’s unwa-vering support of his scientificcuriosity and decision to attendmedical school. Dr. Rajesh N. Mehra has been a

solo practitioner his entire career.His family practice in Chantilly,Virginia, has held steady againstthe wave of hospital acquisitions.Son Ratnesh N. Mehra recognizesthat his subspecialty and trends inhealth care will not afford him sucha choice. Regardless, he embraceshis father’s philosophy: “The partof his practice that I admire themost is the knowledge that being aphysician does not entitle one tocorporate, fiscal or academic success and stability. In order toreach these goals, one must use hismind, stay current on the topics ofmedicine and truly understand thebusiness of medicine.”

Dr. Rajesh N. Mehra hoods his son dur-ing the DO Commencement, PCOM.

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 3

upDates – commencement 2012

Wedding Bells andDiplomas

As a tradition, during the lastfew moments of each DOCommencement, the successes ofthe graduates are lauded, and thesupport they received from par-ents, wives, husbands, childrenand others throughout their jour-ney is acknowledged. It is not a secret—to those who

have experienced it—that balancingmarriage and/or parenting andmedical school work is complicated.Yet during the course of medicalschool, 50 members of the DOClass of 2012 (inclusive of bothcampuses) were married. And 21children were born to medicalschool parents.The last couple to wed—a mere

month before Commencement—was Brian Seeley, DO ’12, andRouenne Abasolo Seeley, DO ’12.“We met during our first week atPCOM,” says Dr. Abasolo Seeley.“Our shared pursuits brought ustogether. We have experiencedmany triumphs and tribulationsthroughout our relationship so far;we look forward to our futuretogether.” The Seeleys, who partici-pated in the American OsteopathicAssociation Intern/ResidentRegistration Program Couples’Match, are family and internalmedicine residents at theUniversity of Medicine andDentistry of New Jersey – Schoolof Osteopathic Medicine.

Here for a ReasonBy all accounts, Richard Davis, Jr., DO ’12, should not have been at graduation.

During his second year of medical school, Dr. Davis suffered a near-fatal ventriculararrhythmia while exercising on a treadmill. As fate would have it, a pediatrician wasrunning on a treadmill behind him. The pediatrician immediately began CPR andinitiated a defibrillator shock in an attempt to restore regular rhythm to Dr. Davis’heart while emergency personnel were in route. Dr. Davis was without a heart rate forover ten minutes. It was not until the ambulance neared the hospital that he regaineda sustainable rhythm. Dr. Davis remained in the ICU in a coma for three days.Fortunately, the first-time patient did not suffer any major complications. A

cardioverter defibrillator was implanted in Dr. Davis’ heart as a precaution, and hewas permitted to return to PCOM. He did so with even greater motivation to learnand succeed as a physician. “I would not be here today if it were not for the physi-cians who used their medical training and passion to save my life,” he says.Dr. Davis is pursuing an internship/residency program in emergency medicine at

Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pennsylvania—where, he says, he will be “on thefront line of the healthcare profession, eager to save lives just as mine was saved.”When Sheranda C. Gunn, DO ’12 (GA–PCOM), found the adjustment to med-

ical school to be a difficult one, she diagnosed herself as “a stereotypically depressedinsomniac student.” By mid-semester, the stellar student—in desperation—soughtmedical help. Test results revealed her hemoglobin and hematocrit volumes were attransfusion-requiring levels. Soon cancer, bleeding disorders, serious and life-threaten-ing complications—those that should be studied rather than applied—became realconsiderations. “I remember taking an exam about bleeding disorders and the nextday going to the hospital to be treated for them,” Dr. Gunn says.Although Dr. Gunn attempted to maintain full-time status at GA–PCOM while

undergoing numerous tests and experimental medications, she eventually filed for atemporary leave of absence. She underwent several surgeries, including a hysterectomy.Today, with her diploma in hand, Dr. Gunn is healthier and happier. “I have energy;

I sleep. I can remember things. It is amazing how much better the outlook is whenyour body is able to thrive,” she notes. “I never intended to be a patient during med-ical school. But the experience has helped to shape the way I will practice medicine.Perhaps the greatest lessons I have learned came to me from my own hospital bed.”Dr. Gunn is pursuing an internship/residency program in internal medicine at

Danville Regional Medical Center, Danville, Virginia.When Erica Madge, MS/Psy ’12, was born with spinal muscular atrophy type II,

her parents were told that their little girl would not live past three years of age.Regardless, they pledged to help their daughter live up to her fullest potential—to encourage her to grow and to embrace every opportunity.Wheelchair bound, Ms. Madge was enrolled in normal classes at school and

excelled from an early age. She underwent a full spinal fusion shortly following herseventh birthday to help combat the scoliosis caused by the autosomal disease. Byhigh school, the honors student obtained a service dog, Sequoia, who helped her gainand maintain physical independence. Ms. Madge’s intellectual independence expanded as she attended Edinboro

University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude. At PCOM, she attained a3.9 GPA in her studies, and recently completed a 700-hour internship at EaglevilleHospital, Eagleville, Pennsylvania.“My own disease and subsequent disabilities have taught me many things—among

them, patience. I have to plan how to go about physical tasks. But this patience has ledto a sense of empathy that I will be able to employ with my own clinical patients.”

The Seeleys were married on May 5,2012, in Cape May, New Jersey.

FHM Photography

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upDates – honors anD awarDs

Schweitzer Fellow

Roland M. Dimaya (DO ’15)has been selected as a 2012–2013Greater Philadelphia SchweitzerFellow. He will join 249 other U.S.Schweitzer Fellows carrying outservice projects that address thesocial determinants of health inunderserved communities.Through a project called “The

Art of Looking,” Mr. Dimaya willwork with intellectually and physi-cally disabled individuals toempower their voices and tostrengthen their interpersonal abili-ties through art. Drawing on hisbackground as a gallery teacher atYale University Art Gallery, Mr.Dimaya has developed activities toengage participants in art literacythrough “mobile art galleries” andvisits to local art institutions. Inaddition, he will train other stu-dents to serve as gallery teachers.“During patient interviews and

clinical case presentations to col-leagues, I realized that the didacticskills I used as a gallery teachertranslated aptly into the art ofdiagnosis and patient care,” saysMr. Dimaya. “It is my hope that‘The Art of Looking’ will not onlyengage all participants in the richculture of Philadelphia, but devel-op interpersonal skills and buildsocial determinants of health andhealthcare practice.”

Kaitlin Kobaitri, DO ’122012 Mason W. Pressly Memorial Medal Recipient, Georgia Campus – PCOM

In a rural clinic deep in the heart of Belize, an ailing patient was about to undergoa painful procedure. In this third world country, no pain relief medication was avail-able. The medical staff instructed the patient to “take a deep breath and clench yourteeth,” recalls Dr. Kobaitri, who witnessed the exchange while on a medical missiontrip she organized for GA–PCOM students. “It was really hard to see the patient insuch pain and not be able to help,” she says.Helping people is what Dr. Kobaitri loves most in life. It’s the reason she pursued a

career in medicine and the reason she organized initiatives to improve the lives ofpeople in the local and international community as well as her fellow students duringher years at GA–PCOM. While serving as the Student Osteopathic Medical Association International

Committee chair, she recruited and organized a medical mission team of 11 GA–PCOM students and raised donations of money and medication for the trip toBelize. Patients who came to their clinics in the countryside often suffered with musculoskeletal pain from doing manual labor all day. “We were able to help many of these patients by integrating osteopathic medicine techniques, like manipulation,”says Dr. Kobaitri. Back on campus as president of the Pediatrics Club, Dr. Kobaitri dramatically

expanded the scope of the club’s community outreach activities. Club members nowregularly volunteer at the Atlanta Children’s Shelter, helping to care for homeless children and helping their parents acquire the skills to find jobs and housing. Dr. Kobaitri also expanded the club’s “Fit for Life” outreach program to local

elementary schools. Under her leadership, the program grew from a few club volun-teers teaching a physical fitness activity to one classroom of 25 kids to a daylongevent for the whole elementary school involving virtually the entire Pediatrics Club. At Camp Boggy Creek, a Hole in the Wall Gang camp in Orlando, Florida,

children with chronic diseases benefited from Dr. Kobaitri’s energy and enthusiasmwhen she led a group of club members on a weeklong volunteer mission trip there. Back in Georgia, she personally visited pediatricians in the Atlanta area to establish

valuable shadowing opportunities for Pediatrics Club mem-bers, a first for GA–PCOM. As she begins her residency in pediatrics at

Miami Children’s Hospital, Dr. Kobaitritakes pride in having laid the foundationfor initiatives that have helped somany people. “My hope is that GA–PCOM Pediatrics Club activities will continue to growand thrive,” she says, “and that GA–PCOM students will continue to help people in the local community and beyond.”

P h i l a D e l P h i a C o l l e g e o f o s t e o P a t h i C M e D i C i n e

Mr. Dimaya uses his experience as agallery teacher to empower intellectuallyand physically disabled individuals.

Dr. Kobaitri

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 5

upDates – honors anD awarDs

Maryland SchoolPsychologist Association Award

Bradley Petry, EdS, PsyD ’12, a practicing school psychologist inthe Baltimore City Public Schools,is the recipient of the 2012 Maryland School PsychologistAssociation’s (MSPA) OutstandingPractice Award. Dr. Petry was chosen from nominees across thestate and celebrated for hisdemonstration of the qualitiesassociated with outstanding psy-chological services to students,parents and the community. He has subsequently been nomi-

nated by MSPA for the NationalSchool Psychologist of the YearAward, to be decided upon by theNational Association of SchoolPsychologists. The national awardis announced and presented inSeattle, Washington, in early 2013.In his acceptance speech, Dr.

Petry acknowledged the faculty ofand his cohort members in theschool psychology doctoral programat PCOM. “There was a time whenI saw school psychology as just acareer,” he said. “My life has beenchanged; my perspective is nowthat of a practitioner who believesthat school psychology transcendsthe day-to-day, that being an advo-cate for the overall well-being ofchildren is a life’s work.”

Benjamin Schellhase, DO ’12 2012 Simmy Ginsburg Humanitarian Award Recipient

Dr. Schellhase sat in a barebones elementary school classroom in inner-cityBaltimore, Maryland, helping a fifth grader with his homework. With their two headsbent over basic algebra equations, Dr. Schellhase patiently offered explanations andencouragement. The boy grumbled and sighed frequently in frustration. Then suddenly,his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “Now I get it!” and rushed to complete the equations.Moments like that have inspired Dr. Schellhase to volunteer as a tutor during his

years at PCOM, as well as his undergraduate days at Johns Hopkins University. Inaddition to helping elementary school students, he has tutored adults working towardtheir General Educational Development (GED) diploma and taught English as aSecond Language in underserved areas of Philadelphia and Baltimore. “To me, the most rewarding volunteer work is helping people with educational pur-

suits,” he reflects. “Many more doors will open to an adult who has earned a GEDdiploma or learned to speak English more fluently. And the world will offer more oppor-tunities to young students who don’t get discouraged and give up on their education.”Dr. Schellhase sees himself as a link in a chain of many people who volunteer their

time to help individuals develop the skills they need to succeed in life. “As one indi-vidual, you can’t expect to change a person’s world overnight, but you’re a link in thechain that helps them keep moving forward toward their goals,” he says.Indeed, Dr. Schellhase has served as a critical link for many in a multitude of ways. In

addition to tutoring and teaching, he has served on medical mission trips to Haiti andMexico and organized community health fairs held in underserved areas of Philadelphia.“Just the way you live your life can be serving others,” emphasizes Dr. Schellhase,

who is starting a residency in general internal medicine at Drexel University Collegeof Medicine. “It doesn’t have to involve a specific community service event. It’s howyou approach people in daily life and how you use the time you have with them tohave a positive effect on their lives. As medical professionals, we have the chance todo that every time we meet with a patient.”“Ben embodies my mother’s intent about life,” says psychologist Susan Apollon,

daughter of Harry Ginsburg, DO ’42, and his wife, Simmy, for whom the award isnamed. “He finds individuals who need assistance and uses the gifts he knows he’sblessed with to help them. Ben will go out into the world and teach people what theyneed to sustain themselves in life, help them to know who they really are and enablethem to reclaim their power as individuals.”For more information about the Ginsburg family, please see Digest #2, 2009.

Dr. Petry with Pam Cool, president-elect, Baltimore City SchoolPsychologist Association.

Dr. Schellhase with Dr. Apollon (left) and her daughter, Rebecca, representatives of theGinsburg family.


upDates

6

Putting Research Front and Center

C. Woodworth Parker, MS/Biomed ’12 (DO ’16), explains his research findings to colleagues.

After spending countless hours in thelab focused on molecular aspects,PCOM researchers had their day in thesun at the Second Annual Research Day.Students, faculty and staff on both cam-puses displayed their research postersand discussed their work with scientistsfrom labs across campus as well as withvisiting scientists.“I know that my colleagues are doing

research, but we don’t often have thechance to find out about their work,” saysC. Woodworth Parker, MS/Biomed ’12(DO ’16). “Research Day gives us theopportunity to learn what others aredoing and enter into dynamic conversa-tion and connection.” Mr. Parker was oneof two students who received the AnnualResearch Day Student Poster Award. The other award-winning student,

Mary F. Keith, Biomed MS ’12, showedher poster at GA–PCOM. She recognizedthe day as the impetus to showcase herresearch. “If it weren’t for Research Day, Imight not have taken the time to presentmy research in a public forum,” she says. And that was, in part, the goal of the

day, according to Marina D’Angelo, PhD,

professor, anatomy, and chair, researchcommittee, who organized the event.“We’re hoping to generate more postersfrom more programs. This year we hadparticipation from faculty, students andstaff from the biomed, pharmacy, psy-chology and DO programs and hadalmost twice the amount of participationas we had last year. Research is clearlybeing done on both campuses; we wantto make it more visible.”The day began with a presentation by

Mark Hamrick, PhD, senior vice presi-dent for research, Medical College ofGeorgia Health Sciences University,which was videocast to the Philadelphiacampus. His presentation focused on thecurrent and future state of biomedicalresearch. After his presentation he spenttime viewing posters and talking toresearchers on the GA–PCOM campus.The event “builds bridges both within

PCOM and in the community,” saysHarold Komiskey, PhD, professor, neu-roscience, physiology and pharmacology,GA–PCOM. “It starts conversations andwidens people’s views of the researchbeing done on campus.”

New AdmissionsArticulationAgreementsAnnounced

Strategic partnerships broadentraining opportunities and facili-tate quality choices. Recently,PCOM has instituted agreementswith Adelphi University, LongIsland, New York, and Penn StateUniversity – Brandywine (post- baccalaureate program). Theseagreements will allow Adelphi andPenn State students who meet thespecified criteria to smoothly transition from undergraduatestudies to medical school. In addition, the College has

instituted a new joint degree program that will provide DO students at GA–PCOM with anopportunity to pursue the masterof business administration degreein healthcare management atBrenau University, Gainesville,Georgia. This degree combinationwill augment the traditional med-ical curriculum.“PCOM is proud of its

affiliation agreements with many of the undergraduate colleges anduniversities in the state of Penn-sylvania and throughout theregion,” says Deborah A.Benvenger, chief admissions offi-cer. “Affiliations allow undergrad-uate institutions to target qualifiedstudents within the recruitmentprocess who have expressed aninterest in our programs.”

The PCOM Admissions Office

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 7

upDates

Trustee John P. Kearney and his wife,Lois, hosted their fourth annual receptionfor PCOM at the Glenmaura NationalGolf Club, Moosic, Pennsylvania, onApril 24. The event, a celebration of theCollege and its legacy in NortheasternPennsylvania, brought together localphysicians; PCOM alumni, students andadministrators; and students and pre-medical advisors from area colleges anduniversities. In 2001, the Kearneys created the John

D. Kearney Scholarship in memory oftheir son, a second-year student at PCOMwho died in 1999 while trying to rescue afriend on a hiking trail in Arizona.Speaking at the reception, Mr.

Kearney explained that he and his familywanted to make a statement with thescholarship. “We were looking for a wayto immortalize J.D.’s life and freezetime,” he explains. “J.D. is now part ofthe history of PCOM. Every class fromhere to eternity will hear his name.” Mr. Kearney encouraged the physi-

cians and PCOM alumni at the recep-tion to consider making a gift to theCollege to help ensure that future med-ical students will have the support theyneed to make their dreams of becomingphysicians a reality.

Attending the reception were two individuals who were touched by theKearneys’ generosity: Gregg Severs, DO’04, who was the first PCOM student toreceive the Kearney scholarship, andJerry Slovin, DO ’12, a two-timeKearney scholarship recipient.“I was truly honored to be the first

recipient of the John D. KearneyScholarship in 2002,” says Dr. Severs.“To a medical student being swallowedby debt, it was a welcomed gift, but thescholarship became so much more thanthat. John and Lois took the most tragicevent of their lives and turned it into away to continue J.D.’s legacy. I hope toembody the type of person J.D. was inboth my personal and professional life.”Dr. Slovin received the John D.

Kearney Memorial Scholarship as a senior at Wilkes University, and wasawarded the John D. KearneyScholarship as a second-year medical student at PCOM. “These scholarshipsgo beyond their monetary value,” heexplains. “The Kearneys care about education and other people, and it givesme hope to see a family who wants tohelp with no expectation of anything inreturn. I’m very grateful; theirs is a giftof spirit.”

Commitment to PCOM Helps Make Dreams Come True

Left to right: Dr. Slovin, Mr. Kearney and Dr. Severs

High Schoolers TourMedical SchoolCampuses

Top high school students—members of the National YouthLeadership Forum on Medicine(NYLF/MED)—got a taste ofmedical school as they touredPCOM and GA–PCOM in June.NYLF/MED is a selective educa-tional summer program compris-ing juniors and seniors who havealready expressed an interest in themedical profession.College faculty and student

ambassadors discussed the widevariety of career options availablein the field of medicine and thehealth sciences. And interactiveexperiences kept students engaged;for example, in the ClinicalLearning Lab, standardizedpatients taught students how tolook for signs of domestic abuseand drug addiction, while high-fidelity patient simulators mani-fested a range of vital signs, clinicalsigns and symptoms.

Darrel Ceballos (DO ’15, GA–PCOM)shows NYLF/MED students where thesciatic nerve is located on a cadaver.


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New Residency Program Opens in Georgia

The first class of resident physicians at Houston Healthcare’s new family medicineresidency program, including PCOM’s Jovan Adams (DO ’09), was welcomed recentlywith an evening reception at the hospital’s Wellston Center in Warner Robins,Georgia. Celebrating with the class were Senator Cecil Staton (District 18,Republican), hospital administrators, physician faculty, community leaders andPCOM representatives.“It was an exciting evening to be able to commemorate the completion of a long-

anticipated family medicine residency at Houston Healthcare,” says H. WilliamCraver, DO ’87, dean and chief executive officer, GA–PCOM. “It was great to markthe occasion with many of those whose leadership effort was so integral in the initia-tion of the first completely new residency program in Georgia in 16 years.”The initial class includes six first-year and three second-year residents. The three-year

program will eventually expand to include 18 residents. Cary Martin, Houston Healthcare CEO, believes the program will have lasting

benefits for enhancing health care in Georgia: “Studies show that a majority of resi-dent physicians typically set up their own practices within 50 miles of where they didtheir medical training.”

Houston Healthcare welcomed its first class of residentphysicians in July. Inset photo: H. William Craver, DO '87,dean and chief academic officer, GA–PCOM, and Matthew Schure, PhD, president and chiefexecutive officer, PCOM, welcome Dr. Adams.

GA–PCOM Names Six OMM FellowsSix osteopathic medical students have been accepted into

GA–PCOM’s OMM fellowship program. They are ConnieBorgerding (DO ’13), Hobie Fuerstman (DO ’15), BritneyHuneycutt (DO ’14), Joy Jones (DO ’14), Kristie Olds (DO ’13) and Cindy Wang (DO ’15).As OMM fellows, they will attend GA–PCOM for an

additional 12 months over a three-year period, serving in thecampus’ OMM department.

Ms. Borgerding supervises the OMM technique of a first-year student.

New Hire at SullivanCounty MedicalCenter

The post of assistant professor,department of family medicine,working at Sullivan CountyMedical Center, is a homecomingof sorts for Ernest R. Gelb, DO ’78. Dr. Gelb, whose careerhas included rural practice, rotated through the Laporte areaHealthcare Center as a senior medical student in 1977.Prior to his position at PCOM,

Dr. Gelb was a member of theInterMountain Medical Group,Greater Wyoming Valley, Penn-sylvania, and a staff member ofWilkes-Barre General Hospital,Pennsylvania. A fellow of the American College

of Osteopathic Family Physicians,Dr. Gelb is board-certified in fami-ly practice. He holds a bachelor’sdegree from King’s College and adoctor of osteopathic medicinedegree from PCOM. He complet-ed his postdoctoral training atBotsford General Hospital inFarmington Hills, Michigan.

Dr. Gelb

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upDates

Considering Cultural Diversity and Mental Health

Presenter Nikki Johnson-Huston, JD, MBA, LLM, shared her story of triumph over poverty and diversity.

Does race, religion, sex or sexual iden-tity influence the care people receivefrom their mental health provider? Thiswas the question addressed at PCOM’sThird Annual Cultural DiversityConference. Mental health experts from through-

out the Delaware Valley explored theimportance of cultural awareness in thefield of mental health. “This year’s themehighlights the cultural significance sur-rounding the interplay between themind and body and how the disconnectbetween the two may lead to maladap-tive behaviors,” explains conferencecoordinator Yuma Tomes, PhD, associateprofessor and director, MS in SchoolPsychology, PCOM.Co-sponsored by the psychology

department and Culturally AwarePsychology Students (CAPS), the confer-ence drew over 200 participants to cam-pus. Dr. Tomes notes that culturaldiversity needs to be addressed, in part,because of the homogenous nature ofthose providing care. “We probably see

about 85 percent of psychologists andabout 90 percent of psychiatrists who areof European American descent,” says Dr. Tomes. “We have not done a greatenough job of recruiting people of colorand other minorities into the field.” While mental health professionals

treat individuals who are dissimilar tothemselves, “this conference helped themto see their clients as people first, and seetheir disorder second. It opened the doorfor professionals to consider the multiplediversities that go beyond black andwhite issues including sexual orientation,socioeconomic status and veteran issues,”explains Dr. Tomes. The conference also“allowed for collegial conversationbetween seasoned professionals and thosenew to the field.”Among the conference highlights was

a presentation by Nikki Johnson-Huston, JD, MBA, LLM. Born intopoverty, she was homeless at age 9 andfailed out of college by age 18. By thetime she turned 30 she had graduatedfrom law school and had two additional

advanced degrees. Currently a successfultax attorney, Ms. Johnson-Huston talkedabout how the social service systemhelped her succeed and how the samesystem failed her late brother.The conference was lauded by Robert

DiTomasso, PhD, professor and chair,psychology, for addressing “critical, cut-ting edge topics that help to shape pro-fessional practice in the community.” Healso noted the success of the collabora-tion between all of the College’s psychol-ogy programs and CAPS to “express theirsocial justice and diversity mission.”

“This year’s theme highlights the culturalsignificance surroundingthe interplay between themind and body and howthe disconnect betweenthe two may lead to maladaptive behaviors.”

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2


DeveLopment news

Lancaster HealthcareCenter Receives Grant forNew Care ModelPCOM Healthcare Center – Lancaster

Avenue Division received a $50,000grant from the Independence Blue CrossFoundation to help implement the prin-ciples of a Patient-Centered MedicalHome (PCMH), leading to recognitionby the National Committee for QualityAssurance.A PCMH is a team-based model of

care led by a personal physician whoprovides continuous and coordinated care throughout a patient's lifetime to maxi-mize health outcomes. The PCMH is responsible for providing for all of a patient’shealthcare needs or appropriately arranging care with other qualified professionals.This includes the provision of preventive services, treatment of acute and chronic illness, and assistance with end-of-life issues.The Healthcare Center has adopted a continuous and coordinated healthcare

model and strategy in order to serve an at-risk West Philadelphia community.Lancaster Avenue Division will serve as the model for incorporating the PCMH at allof the PCOM Healthcare Centers. This location is a primary teaching site, and underthe guidance of a fully trained staff, students will learn the concepts and benefits ofthe Medical Home model and how to provide quality, accessible and cost-effectivelong-term treatment for patients.

Walgreens Grants Diversity Scholarship to Pharmacy StudentsFor the third year in a row, Walgreens has contributed $10,000 to a Diversity

Scholarship distributed to five students enrolled in PCOM School of Pharmacy,Georgia Campus. The scholarship is awarded to students who have “made significantefforts toward raising awareness or play an active role in educating others about cul-tural competency and diversity related matters impacting the pharmacy profession.”Recipients for 2012 are Simore Afamefuna (PharmD ’14), Bhumika Dhanani

(PharmD ’14), Caitlin Goodman (PharmD ’14), Saba Hasan (PharmD ’14), andJerry Mathew (PharmD ’14).Annually, Walgreens donates $1 million dollars to accredited pharmacy schools

across the nation to be used toward initiatives dedicated to promoting cultural diversity in pharmacy programs.

2012 PCOM Golf ClassicThis year marked the 20th anniversary of the PCOM Golf Classic, which was held

on September 24 at the Radnor Valley Country Club. Independence Blue Cross servedas the title sponsor for the event, contributing $25,000. James Bonner, DO ’86, aboard director for the PCOM Alumni Assocation, acted as Golf Classic chairman. Proceeds from the Golf Classic support the College’s five Healthcare Centers,

which offer critical health services to underserved and at-risk populations in Northand West Philadelphia, Roxborough, Wynnefield Heights and Laporte, Pennsylvania.

Honor SomeoneSpecialLet someone special know that

you care while contributing toresearch within PCOM’s Center forChronic Disorders of Aging. TheOffice of Alumni Relations &Development has developed two setsof tribute cards, available for purchase, to commemorate specialoccasions and significant events. The cards were designed to sup-

port research programs that havereceived a great deal of attentionfrom volunteers who are personallycommitted to raising awareness andsignificant money for their causes.The cards support research generatedby the Food Allergy ResearchInitiative (FARI) and the Stanley E.Essl, DO ’75 Memorial ResearchFund for NeurodegenerativeDiseases. The Essl Fund, establishedby Dr. Essl’s family, supportsresearch into the causes, origin andtreatment of neurodegenerative dis-eases including Alzheimer’s disease,Lewy body dementia, Lou Gehrig’sdisease, Parkinson’s disease and vas-cular dementia. FARI, founded byLita Indzel Cohen, Esq., a PCOMtrustee, supports research in immunemodulation to decrease the severityof allergic reactions following exposure to peanuts and other foodhyper-sensitivities.Tribute cards make a thoughtful

gesture and are fully tax-deductiblecontributions toward important

research at PCOM.Contact the Officeof Alumni Relations& Development toobtain your supplyof tribute cards.

Lorina Marshall-Blake, president, IndependenceBlue Cross Foundation, signs a check for$50,000 to help PCOM Healthcare Center –Lancaster Avenue Division implement a PCMH.

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 11

Three alumni talk about their careers andtheir support for the Collegeby David McKay Wilson

Philadelphia College ofOsteopathic Medicine has servedas the launching pad for thousandsof successful medical careers.There comes a day when many ofthose graduates reflect back onwhere they’ve come from, anddecide that it’s time to pay it for-ward to help ensure the College’scontinued excellence and supportits Mission.

Digest Magazine recently satdown with three alumni to discusstheir careers and their commit-ment to giving back to the osteo-pathic medical school that setthem on a trajectory for personaland financial success. Each founda very different pathway throughthe thicket of medical practicetoday. Each decided it was time tohelp ensure that those who comeafter them are able to do the same.


2005, he built the Mt. Airy Ambulatory Endoscopy SurgeryCenter, and Mt. Airy Anesthesiology Associates was formedat the facility on Germantown Avenue in 2007.

Running his private practice and the surgical center,which employs 18, taps Dr. Blake’s skills as a businessmanand entrepreneur. “My passion is medicine, but I’ve had alove for business all my life,” he says. “Being an entrepre-neur isn’t for everyone. You have to be willing to work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life, and not focuson rest and downtime. You face obstacles along the way,and you figure out how to go around them, over them andunder them. To be viable and sustainable, you need toalways be looking for opportunities to thrive.”

At the surgical center, Dr. Blake and his staff evaluatepatients through colonoscopy or esophagogastroduo-denoscopy. Colon cancer is of special concern to AfricanAmericans, who are at greater risk to contract the disease.The American College of Gastroenterology recommends acolonoscopy beginning at age 45 for African Americans,compared to age 50 for the general population. Both groupsshould have a colonoscopy every 10 years, with the colonchecked in some manner every five years.

He discusses the disease each Sunday afternoon at 4:00p.m. on his radio show, “Colon Cancer Conversation withDr. Blake & Associates,” heard on WURD, a localPhiladelphia station that appeals to an African-Americanaudience. It’s an opportunity to educate the communityabout colon cancer screening and the importance of early detection.

Several Philadelphia residents have come to hisGermantown Avenue facility for the procedure after listening to the show. Some were diagnosed with colorectalcancer. In others he had found polyps, precursors to colo-rectal cancer that were removed during the procedure.

“Colorectal cancer starts as a benign polyp and can develop into colon cancer over time,” Dr. Blake says. “It’s aunique progression, and no one should ever die from it.The mission is to educate people because if you are an educated patient, you are better equipped to make the rightdecisions for yourself.”

An entrepreneur like Dr. Blake knows he has to do morethan just invest in the bricks-and-mortar that built his facil-ity. He needs to continually work on expanding his networkto keep his business moving forward. It’s part of an out-reach effort that includes attending health fairs and visitingsenior centers to introduce himself.

“It’s a way to tell the community that my doors areopen,” says Dr. Blake. “McDonalds lets the communityknow its doors are open. We market to let people keep us atthe forefront of their minds. I have people who depend onme for a paycheck every two weeks, with mortgages and carloans. They depend on me to provide that kind of security.”

J. STEVEN BLAKE, DO ’89, MSc, FACOI

Dr. Blake, a Philadelphia gastroenterologist, philanthro-pist and entrepreneur, likes to lead by example.

He has encouraged high school students to dreambeyond the borders of his hometown in northwestMississippi by sponsoring a 10-day tour of northeast citiessince 2006. He has encouraged PCOM alumni to stay con-nected to their medical school by providing them lifetimemembership in the College’s Alumni Association. Since2006, Dr. Blake has gifted 134 minority (members of theStudent National Medical Association) and non-minoritystudents (student mentees) with these memberships (inclusive of both campuses).

And as a member of PCOM’s Board of Trustees, andchairman of its development committee, he has encouragedother alumni to donate to their alma mater with his pledgeof $1 million, which will endow a full-tuition scholarshipfor an African-American medical student.

“I can’t stop doing enough for this institution,” says Dr. Blake, 54, of Philadelphia, who has served on theBoard of Trustees since 2007. “There are many who areequal to and more successful than I am. If we were to dosomething collectively, we could elevate the College tounprecedented levels.”

Dr. Blake arrived at PCOM in 1985, after earning hisbachelor’s degree in chemistry and zoology at the Universityof Mississippi. After graduating from PCOM in 1989, hecompleted his residency at the College’s former hospital andwent on to do a fellowship there in gastroenterology in 1994.

Serving as a foundation for his philanthropy and socialentrepreneurship is his medical practice at BlakeGastroenterology Associates, LLC, located in Philadelphia’sMt. Airy section. He founded the practice in 1996, and sev-eral years later decided his practice could best grow withinan outpatient surgical facility he could call his own. In

“There are many who areequal to and more successfulthan I am. If we were to dosomething collectively, wecould elevate the College tounprecedented levels.”

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 13

As a philanthropist, Dr. Blake likes to make investmentsthat make good things happen for others, and help create abetter world.

That’s what he has been doing since 2006 with his EastCoast Cultural Enrichment Tour for high-achieving stu-dents from Clarksdale, Mississippi, who attend CoahomaAgricultural High School, where he graduated in 1976. Theschool, a historically black public school, founded in 1924,is located on the campus of Coahoma Community College,where Dr. Blake’s father taught automobile mechanics, andhis mother served as a dietitian.

Dr. Blake recalls that as a child, he dreamed of somedaybecoming a physician in a small town like the one in whichhe was raised in northwest Mississippi. It wasn’t until he vis-ited cities on the eastern seaboard that his dreams about hisplace in the medical world expanded beyond those small-town boundaries.

This spring, Dr. Blake flew 17 students fromMississippi to Boston, where they met him tobegin a 10-day excursion that included visits toNew York, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. InNew York, they visited the Apollo Theater inHarlem, saw the musical The Lion King at theMinskoff Theatre in Times Square, and took a bustour around the city. In Washington, they visitedthe Pentagon and toured the U.S. Capitol build-ing. In Philadelphia, they saw the exhibit featuringthe work of Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and PaulGauguin at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Theytoured PCOM, visiting its research laboratoriesand meeting with basic science professors. Dr.Blake also held a reception for the students at thePyramid Club on the 52nd floor of the BNYMellon Center on Market Street, and at a col-league’s home in suburban Kennett Square, wherethey met professionals from the area.

“I wanted them to get a sense of the cities, and afeel for the suburbs,” Dr. Blake says.

Students must have a grade-point average of at least 3.0 to qualify for the trip. Since the pro-gram began, every student that has participatedhas attended college following graduation fromhigh school.

Dr. Blake says the trip encourages students towork hard, exposes them to the wonders of the artworld, and shows them that success can be foundoutside of athletics, which holds such a strongsway over today’s youth.

“This lets them know that they don’t have toachieve financial success through athletics,” saysDr. Blake. “It can be done using their brains in

other professions. And [the program] can encourageother students in the school. If they want to see whattheir fellow students have seen, they’d better start study-ing. It’s working.”

Dr. Blake’s pledge to PCOM builds on his advocacy forminorities within the osteopathic profession through theNational Osteopathic Medical Association, a Philadelphia-based professional group that he led as president and nowserves as treasurer.

In March, Dr. Blake announced his pledge, which willestablish The J. Steven Blake, DO ’89 Scholars Society.He’ll fulfill his pledge within 10 years, with his first dona-tion of $100,000 per year to be made in January 2013. TheSociety will provide a full-tuition, four-year scholarship toan African-American student. If the endowment grows (theplan), Dr. Blake says the program could expand to others,including students of other races.

Dr. Blake


Dr. Blake, who is divorced and has no children, saysthat the first Blake Scholar will attend PCOM in thefall of 2013, with Dr. Blake providing the scholarshipthrough his personal funds as the endowment grows.

“I have plenty of friends who are funding two orthree of their children in college,” he says. “I have nokids. I feel comfortable stepping out in that direction.”

DANA FERRARA PLANER, DO ’98

Early in her medical career, Dr. Planer consideredpursuing a sub-specialty, such as cardiology or nephro-logy. But after three years of residency at UnionHospital in Union, New Jersey, she’d grown weary ofthe 36-hour shifts. She wanted to get on with her life.

So she became an internist. Eleven years later, she’spleased with her choice, treating adults and geriatricpatients in a private practice in Port Charlotte, Florida.

It’s an older community, so her patients tap into herknowledge of a broad range of diseases—from diabetesand osteoporosis to hypertension and various cancers.“My patients tend to be 75 years old and older,” saysDr. Planer, who is board certified in internal medicine.“I enjoy working with an older community.”

Dr. Planer, who grew up in the suburbs of Bloomfield,New Jersey, moved south to Florida’s west coast in 2001, tobecome an associate at Murdock Family Medicine and avoidthe cold northern winters. By 2004, she’d become a partner,and four years later, the practice was sold to MillenniumPhysician Group, one of southwest Florida’s largest privatelyowned groups.

“People today are really savvy when they are searching fora new physician,” says Dr. Planer, 41, who lives in PuntaGorda, Florida, with her husband Richard, a middle schoolphysical education teacher; twins Madison and Frank, agefive; and daughter Olivia, age two. “Our practice givesthem lots of choices.”

The practice has been at the forefront of electronic med-ical records, with its computerized system online since2003, and prescriptions made electronically for the past several years. The computerized system allows her to call up patient records if she has to address patients’ needs fromhome, and it provides easy access to records for physiciansat the group’s walk-in clinic, which is open from 7:00 a.m.to 7:00 p.m. on weekends.

Dr. Planer learned firsthand the value of electronicrecords when her father, a retired public school musicteacher, came to live with her family in Florida for a monthto recuperate from a recent hospitalization in New Jersey.His records came electronically, and his new doctors inFlorida got up to speed on his condition immediately.

“They could pull up the patient summary, see what hewas treated for, what medication he was on,” says Dr.

Dr. Planer

Paula Kennedy Photography

“I feel a sense of personalresponsibility to the institutionthat has given me so much.The education I received hasgiven me the life I have. You can’t forget where youcame from.”

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 15

Dr. Peplowski

California State Compensation Insurance Fund

employees are out of work and a claim remains open, whatthe claim has cost, and whether narcotics have been pre-scribed for pain.

She notes that a 2008 study by the California WorkersCompensation Institute found that workers who receivedhigh doses of opioid painkillers for workplace injuries, suchas back pain, were off the job three times longer than thosewith similar injuries who were treated with lower doses. Dr. Peplowski was quoted in a June 2012 article in The New York Times which reported that disability pay-ments and medical care were nine times higher when astrong narcotic, such as oxycodone, was prescribed.

In 2011, Dr. Peplowski developed a protocol thatrequires prior approval for physicians to prescribe opioidsfor more than 60 days. The rule was implemented despiteopposition from some members of the Fund’s physicians.

“We want patients to be satisfied and get back to work,”she says. “We also want them off narcotics. The physiciansare coming around. They are getting it. And we’re workingwith physicians to make suggestions on alternatives.”

Those alternatives include cognitive behavioral therapy,which teaches patients coping skills to deal with paininstead of dulling it with a narcotic. “You tell patients that

Planer, who earned her bachelor’s degree at RutgersUniversity. “It was so helpful.”

She has a desktop computer in her office, and there’s adesktop on a stand in the hallway outside her exam room.So far, Dr. Planer has resisted using a computer inside theexam room—an increasingly popular decision by physicianslooking for efficiencies in their practice.

“I’ve considered getting a laptop or a tablet that I couldtake with me from room to room to put down my notes,”she says. “But so far, I’ve liked spending time face-to-face,eye-to-eye, with my patients. The biggest complaintspatients have about electronic records is that their doctor isfocused on the computer screen in the exam room, not onthem.”

Dr. Planer is a member of PCOM’s Blue Ribbon Society,which was established in 2008 to recognize donors at alllevels who have given for at least five consecutive years.Though Dr. Planer is still paying off the loans she took outto attend medical school, she believes it’s important to giveback to the institution that provided her with the opportu-nities to achieve great success.

“I feel a sense of personal responsibility to the institutionthat has given me so much,” she says. “The education Ireceived has given me the life I have. You can’t forget whereyou came from. It’s important for me to give back—atevery stage of my career. I feel strongly about that.”

Bernyce M. Peplowski, DO ’80

As medical director of California’s leading workers com-pensation insurance company, Dr. Peplowski often conferswith physicians of all specialties to talk about the quasi-public agency’s approach to supporting treatment foremployees injured on the job.

During case conferences, Dr. Peplowski says she encour-ages physicians to take a more holistic approach to healing.There are 5,500 physicians who treat workers in theCompensation Insurance Fund of California’s sprawlingstatewide network.

“We are letting our physicians know about other thera-pies besides surgery or a pill,” says Dr. Peplowski, 57, ofCalabasas, California, in the San Fernando Valley about 30miles northwest of Los Angeles. “I tell them: If you need atest, if you need manipulation or acupuncture, please do it.We are very happy to pay for those things. We are all aboutgiving a patient their life back.”

Since joining the Fund in February 2011, Dr. Peplowskisays she has focused on outcomes data—how long injured

you know they have pain, and you encourage them to thinkabout more pleasant things so they aren’t so focused on howmuch it hurts, ” says Dr. Peplowski. “You teach patientsthat everything in life isn’t bad. And you focus on helpingthem get back their connection to the world.”

Dr. Peplowski’s arrival at the State CompensationInsurance Fund caps a career in occupational medicine thatbegan in California, after she completed her residency at theUniversity of Southern California Medical Center in LosAngeles. From 1982 to 1990, she practiced occupationalmedicine at the defense contractor Lockheed AeronauticalSystems, headquartered in Burbank, California.

She had a private practice from 1991 to 1994, and thenworked at Southern California Kaiser Permanente from1994 to 2006, serving as the managed care consortium’sregional chief of occupational medicine. That post led herto the workers compensation arena, where she served asmedical director of Zenith Insurance before moving to theState Fund in 2011.

Dr. Peplowski says her work with the State Fund allows herto better integrate primary care and specialty care, and devel-op systems that bring wellness programs into the workplace.


“My medical training was the biggest thing for me. I thought: wouldn’t it be wonderful to take what I haveamassed, and perpetuate theexperience for those whocome behind me.”

Estate of C. Eugene Wilson, DO ’50 The Pew Charitable TrustsKaren and Herbert Lotman, LLDThe Roosevelt Investment GroupEstate of Mrs. Frederic H. BarthThe Alumni Association of PCOMHarry Ginsburg, DO ’42 +The American Osteopathic FoundationMr. John P. KearneyMurray Zedeck, DO ’62 The William Penn FoundationThe Benjamin and Mary Siddons Measey FoundationEstate of Lydia G. Thorburn, DO ’24 The Lancaster Osteopathic Health FoundationEstate of Anna C. Johnson, DO ’28 Estate of George B. Hylander, DO ’36 Galen S. Young, Sr., DO ’35 +Estate of Robert R. Lewis, DO ’26 Blank Rome LLP, Counselors at LawMichael F. Avallone, Sr., DO ’59 +Estate of Foster C. True, DO ’22 Estates of Frieda Vickers, DO ’39, and Maj. James G. Vickers

The Adolph and Rose Levis FoundationRobert D. Gober, DO ’78 Jay R. Rosan, DO ’71 Estate of Herman R. Kramm, DO ’36 Michael C. Saltzburg, DO ’77 Gene Chaiken, LLDBruce Kornberg, DO ’78 Arnold S. Lincow, DO ’76 M. Kimberly Rupert, PhD, and Sara Somers Rupert, RN ’33 +

Estate of Samuel Getlen, DO ’26 William M. King, DO ’62 +Daniel J. Smith, DO ’73 + and Mrs. Daniel J. SmithThe Philadelphia FoundationThe Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical AssociationJ. Steven Blake, DO ’89 City Avenue Hospital PhysiciansRichard S. Koch, DO ’38 P. Agnes Inc.Morton Terry, DO ’45 + and Geraldine Rafferty Terry, RN ’45

Richard M. Hiestand, DO ’42 +Estate of J. Henry Goldner, Jr., DO ’33 The Arthur Jackson CompanyEstates of Lewis M. Yunginger, DO ’35, and Mrs. Ethel Yunginger

Estate of Daniel V. Friedmann, DO ’46 Estate of Walter R. Cavagnaro, DO ’61 Leonard H. Finkelstein, DO ’59 The Anna and Isidore Roseman FoundationRoy L. Gorin, DO ’72 The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback FoundationWilliam J. Strowhouer, DO ’84

Top 100 Donors

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 17

“It’s coming full circle for me,” says Dr. Peplowski. “I’vebeen working on integrating primary care and specialty carefor much of my career. You make everyone accountable forthe outcomes. You include wellness and prevention so theywon’t need to use narcotics. You treat the whole person, andthe patient will get as well as they can get.”

Dr. Peplowski, who grew up in Pittsburgh, earned herbachelor’s degree at Duquesne University and a master’sdegree in environmental and occupational health atCalifornia State University at Northridge. She says PCOMemerged as her top choice for medical school after aninspiring interview there opened her eyes to the holisticphilosophy that underlies osteopathic medicine.

“I felt like the professors cared about me, their patients,and their patients’ outcomes,” says Dr. Peplowski, who alsoearned a master’s degree in health professions education atWestern University of Health Sciences in Pomona,California. “This was the kind of doctor I wanted to be. I wanted to be like the people who interviewed me. I canremember it like it was yesterday.”

Those years at PCOM provided the foundation for threedecades of medical practice. And now, as she begins to con-sider her eventual retirement in Hawaii, Dr. Peplowski hasincluded PCOM in her estate plans, creating a trustthrough PCOM’s Andrew Taylor Still Legacy Society.

Dr. Peplowski, who is single and has no children, says shedecided to include PCOM in her estate planning followingher mother’s death a year ago.

“I wanted my money to go to a place I really believe in,”she says. “My medical training was the biggest thing for me.I thought: wouldn’t it be wonderful to take what I haveamassed, and perpetuate the experience for those who comebehind me.”

Her gift will include the 5,000-square-foot home with aview of Diamond Head she intends to build on a tiny lotshe just bought in East Honolulu’s Hawaii Loa Ridgeneighborhood.

“The house will appreciate, and the College will get anice sale out of that one,” she says. “I’m really jazzed tobuild there.”

Estate of David Green, DO ’37 Mrs. Marian S. Ware +The United Way of Southeastern PennsylvaniaLambda Omicron Gamma, Caduceus ChapterMarvin L. Rosner, DO ’57 John W. Becher, DO ’70 Nicholas C. Pedano, DO ’61 +Larry I. Gilderman, DO ’72 Dr. and Mrs. Matthew SchureThe OMCP AuxiliaryEstate of Stephen Szalay, DO ’34 Pat C. DiTommaso, DO ’80 Oxford Foundation, Inc.Estate of Mrs. Winifred S. GuestJames F. Conroy, DO ’65 Joseph J. Kuchinski, DO ’86 Estate of David L. WilliamsMr. Thomas J. GravinaGerald E. Dworkin, DO ’81 Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation, Inc.Carol L. Henwood, DO ’83 Scot A. Fisher, DO ’82 Mrs. Helen Haedrich Fritz +Kenneth J. Veit, DO, MBA ’76 Estate of Ms. Florence Gertrude BakerRichard M. Papa, DO ’75 + and Mrs. Rosemary C. Papa

Robert S. Maurer, DO ’62 Ronald A. Pieringer, PhDBernard F. Master, DO ’66 Estate of Mr. Herman E. SchnaebeleThe Aaron Brenner Charitable TrustJoseph Farrell, DO ’78 The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling CompanyMartin S. Neifield, DO ’46 Wayne Arnold, DO ’80 Robert R. Speer, DO ’71 Estate of William A. Rieber, DO ’41 Howard A. Hassman, DO ’83 Estate of Mr. Dalck FeithMs. Nancy C. Loeb and Mr. Jeffrey D. ColmanJoseph A. Dieterle, DO ’70 Estate of Mr. Floyd S. NortonRobert L. Meals, DO ’56 +Bernard J. Bernacki, DO ’81 David Coffey, DO ’84 Frederick R. Melhorn, DO ’56 The Scholler FoundationAlice J. Zal, DO ’89, and H Michael Zal, DO ’66

+ Deceased

Donor information courtesy of the Office of Alumni Relations &Development. Cumulative giving is based on contributions toThe PCOM Foundation, not including special events. It datesback to 1980 when donor records were first computerized, and isaccurate as of June 30, 2012.


“merely the face. The heartbeat of the School Psychologyprograms belongs to my colleagues and students. Ourunique collaboration is what makes our degree programsinvariably sound.”

Dr. Mennuti, who enjoyed a 30-year career in New Jerseypublic schools as a fourth-grade teacher, guidance counselorand school psychologist, came to the helm of the PCOMprograms when she fulfilled requirements for respecializa-tion in clinical psychology under the tutelage of ArthurFreeman, EdD, ABPP, clinical professor and former chair,department of psychology, PCOM, graduating on the lawnoutside of the Levin Administrative Building in 1999. Dr.

Rosemary B. Mennuti, EdD, NCSPIn July, Dr. Mennuti, professor and director of School

Psychology programs, relinquished her full-time administra-tive duties, opting to continue direct services to studentsonly: teaching, managing dissertation work and serving as acore faculty member on a part-time basis. Her action,accepted in non-belief (if at all) by many among thePCOM community, has signaled a shift in the degree programs she developed and implemented in 2003 (PsyDprogram) and 2004 (MS and EdS programs).

For nearly a decade, 64-year-old Dr. Mennuti has beenthe face of School Psychology at PCOM. Yet, she cautions,

Amid an aging American workforce, a maturing professoriate is particularly notable. According todata from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of professors age 65 and older has more thandoubled in the past decade. This statistic signals an impending generational shift in higher educationthrough retirements (and gradual transitions) and rehirings.

As colleges and universities look to the future, they recognize that their older faculty, many ofwhom have had a significant longevity of service, are much more than numbers. They are—at theirquintessence—the faces and reputations of their institutions. Their careers span decades and thou-sands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) of alumni. They provide institutional memory, scholarlydepth and valuable understanding of teaching and collegiality.

What follows are profiles of two beloved Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine facultymembers who are beginning their transitions into retirement.

by Jennifer Schaffer Leone

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 19

Mennuti had served only briefly as clinical faculty atPCOM when Dr. Freeman invited her to develop theCollege’s School Psychology program. “He handed me agolden egg,” she reminisces. “It is not often that one’s professional career comes full circle. I was given the opportunity to teach once again and impact the future ofschool psychology.”

Dr. Mennuti’s design for the program was based upon thestandards set forth by the National Association of SchoolPsychologists (NASP), the Association of State andProvincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) and her own studyof relational theory. “Developing student competencies andproviding a relational environment is a necessity,” sheexplains. This is the culture, creativity and appeal of theprogram, which received approvals from the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education and NASP for all three programsand ASPPB Designation for the PsyD program. It annuallydraws highly credentialed students at the national level.

“From its inception, I sought a model that would be col-laborative and integrative—from the bottom up. Senior andjunior faculty were empowered to move the programs for-ward, to work together, to challenge one another,” says Dr.Mennuti. “We remain a mix of subspecialties, backgroundsand ideas, and we function in tandem with the osteopathicphilosophy. We strive to embody the very collaborativeapproach we teach, and we require it of our students withthe expectation that they will require it of their students.

“I suppose you can say that I have laid a foundation,” shecontinues. “The structure will continue to evolve and flour-ish, and I am excited and open to what is to happen. I hopeto be a part of it all—just in a different role.

“There are points when shifts occur and stages in life begfor new kinds of attention,” Dr. Mennuti says. “My life hasbeen filled with many blessings and some challenges. I haveraised my family, matured with my children and grownwith my career. I have been fortunate to have the opportu-nities I’ve had to interface and integrate a loving and fulfill-ing personal life with a long and exciting professionalcareer. I loved the hours I burned the midnight oil, workedclosely with administration, colleagues and friends trying tofigure out ways to make School Psychology at PCOM hap-pen. I relish the hours of my life spent studying, writing,editing, lecturing and working closely with students andcolleagues. I plan to continue these academic activities; Ijust want to do them at a different pace and have more per-sonal time to play.”

“It is not often that one’s

professional career

comes full circle. I was

given the opportunity to

teach once again and

impact the future of

school psychology.”


Dr. Mennuti acknowledges that retirement is daunting formany and that there is great value in paying attention to andpreparing for significant life changes as one looks at the finalchapters of life. She counts herself among those who are“privileged”: “I am able to look at my transition as an oppor-tunity,” she says. “Until I am ready to move into full retire-ment, I am able to continue on here at the College doingwhat I love the most—mentoring students and advocatingfor children and families. But I want to walk out of PCOMwhen the time is right,” she adds, “not be carried out.

“My only fear, as I commence this stage in my life, is nottruly taking advantage of all that life still offers me. I needto—we all must—live in the moment. Life unfolds in thepresent,” she offers. “Confronting the fragility of lifereminds us of the value of each day. By living in themoment and being in control of my journey as much aspossible, I will continue to embrace life and hopefully con-tinue to touch lives in positive ways.”

John P. Simelaro, DO ’71, FCCP,FACOIA legend to legions of graduates and patients, Dr.

Simelaro, professor and chairman emeritus of theDepartment of Internal Medicine, and past chairman ofthe Division of Pulmonary Medicine, is a scholar and ajokester, a teacher and a compassionate physician whoseeccentricities and unmistakable South Philly ethnolect haveworked their way into the College’s consciousness. At age66, he is in every respect the embodiment of a pioneer fac-ulty member who has long maintained a love for PCOMand its community.

Dr. Simelaro has served the College for more than 40years, establishing the Division of Pulmonary Medicine in1976. And his clinical research on the treatment of asthmaand complicated chest infections has secured significantfunding from the American Lung Association, Glaxo-SmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and Roerig.

As a professor, he has not only lectured on critical caremedicine and management, but has gone into the “trenches”with “the kids,” making primary care doctors out of countless 20-somethings clad in short white coats adornedwith goldtone medals purchased from wholesale party stores(the medals, symbols of Dr. Simelaro’s “Pulmonary Marine Corp”).

“Teaching and fun must be synonymous,” says theChristian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award recipient andten-time Student Council Teaching Award champion, whowas originally recruited to full-time teaching by the latePresident Thomas M. Rowland, Jr. “The trenches [patientcare units] can be emotional places. Students need to beprepared intellectually and perceptively. They need to reject

the notion of being ‘super doctors’—actually, the medicalprofession needs to reject it—so they/we can face the stresses of illness. Medicine is filled with glorious recoveries,but it is also filled with bleak outcomes. Death and dyinggets to all of us. I teach the kids that the capacity to laugh isessential. So much of being a doctor denies the humannessof the doctor and asks us to give and keep giving. Weshould not give so much of ourselves away that patientsbecome burdens and we become empty shells.”

Realism is inherent in all of Dr. Simelaro’s punch lines.“I’m 100 percent for my students and patients. Studentsand patients are my life,” he says. “I have never allowedanything or anyone to interfere with these priorities. Stupidrules get stupid solutions.”

In a similar matter-of-fact manner, he talks about hisown recent health diagnosis: a benign brain tumor, forwhich he underwent successful treatment. “My own bodyhas reminded me that I need hobbies and days off and per-mission to breathe sometimes,” he says. “I have trainedhard, worked hard. It’s my turn [to transition into retire-ment]. I’m doing it my way—as I always do. I’m slowingdown gradually—two weeks on, two weeks off. My wifehas big plans for me.”

When asked what he will miss most when he retires, Dr.Simelaro emphatically quips, “ICU call. I despise it. I loatheit. Hospital personnel page you all night and then you haveto provide patient care and teaching the next day. It can bevery exhausting. Such a lifestyle used to stimulate me whenI was younger, but I guess things change with age.”

He continues, “As doctors, we are privileged to share anintimate part of our patients’ lives that few others will everbe allowed to share. Patient care takes our competencies, ittakes our dedication, it takes our sacrifice. It takes a greatdeal of humility and compassion. We must always be peo-ple doctors, not disease doctors.

“I cannot imagine a more gratifying calling.”

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 21

“As doctors, we

are privileged to

share an intimate

part of our patients’

lives that few

others will ever be

allowed to share.”


draMaTic

in prescripTion

drug abuse

Daily, millions of Americans take opioid analgesics such as oxycodone andfentanyl for moderate to severe pain.When taken as prescribed, they are safeand effective medications. Unfortunately,they are also among the most abused prescription drugs in the United Statesand the most lethal when abused, causinga dramatic increase in overdose deathsnationwide.

Since 1999, overdose death ratesinvolving opioid analgesics have morethan quadrupled in the United States,according to the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention. Opioid painrelievers now cause more overdose deathsthan heroin and cocaine combined. Theyaccount for 75 percent of all overdosedeaths from prescription drugs; nearlyone-third involve methadone, an opioidused to treat heroin addiction. Abuse ofother prescription drugs, including ben-zodiazepines and amphetamines, is alsoon the rise.

Why is abuse on the rise?

In some cases, patients who are pre-scribed oxycodone for pain can’t weanthemselves off it. They may become toler-ant to the drug and need higher andhigher doses, which the physician maynot be comfortable prescribing. Out ofdesperation, the patients may start seek-ing medication through illegal channelson the street and end up overdosing.Oxycodone has also become the illicitdrug of choice for individuals who merelycrave the sense of euphoria it can provide.

“Oxycodone is now in high demandbecause word has gotten out on the streetabout its high potency,” says GregoryMcDonald, DO ’89, professor and vicechairman, department of pathology,microbiology, immunology and forensicmedicine at PCOM and chief deputycoroner for Montgomery County,Pennsylvania. “We are seeing many moreautopsies where oxycodone, either byitself or in combination with other drugs

such as antidepressants or benzodi-azepines, is the primary cause of death.”

Dr. McDonald also notes abuse of fen-tanyl patches, another potent pain treat-ment. “Typically, patients are onlysupposed to use one patch at a time forpain. But at some autopsies, I’m seeingevidence that the individual was usingthree or four patches at a time,” he says.

In some cases, patients looking forrelief from anxiety or depression takecombinations of opioids, benzodi-azepines, central nervous system depres-sants and/or alcohol that provedangerous or lethal.

Lethal drug combinations

The death of actor Heath Ledger in2008 from an overdose of prescriptiondrugs brought to the forefront the dan-gers of combining prescription drugs.Ledger died from taking a combination offive prescription drugs (two opioid anal-gesics; three benzodiazepines) and one

Trends in

Forensic Medicine

RISEby Nancy West

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 23

over-the-counter (OTC) medication (asedating antihistamine often used as asleep aid). However, death can result fromcombining as few as two drugs or fromcombining just one potent drug withalcohol, according to Dr. McDonald.“These combinations have powerful syn-ergistic sedative effects,” he says. “We areseeing more and more cases of peopledying from poly-drug intoxication.”

This problem is underscored by a retro-spective clinical study of the insomniamedication zolpidem (better known asAmbien) used in combination with othermedications or alcohol, published by theAmerican Journal of Therapeutics in July2011. The study reviewed almost 700patient cases involving the co-ingestionof zolpidem with psychotropic drugs,OTC medications (e.g., diphenhy-dramine, an antihistamine) or alcohol.Sixty-seven percent of the patientsrequired emergency department evalua-tion. Almost half of these patients wereadmitted to the intensive care unit.

“This study emphasizes with solidobjective clinical data that when youcombine a safe and effective drug such aszolpidem with other central nervous sys-tem depressants, it results in more serioussequelae,” notes Frederick J. Goldstein,PhD, FCP, professor of clinical pharma-cology, department of neuroscience,physiology and pharmacology, PCOM.“This serves as a signal to all health professionals to increase communicationwith patients about the dangers of combining such drugs unless they havespecific directions from the doctor.”

Serotonin syndrome

Dr. Goldstein mentioned data fromanother recent article which reportedthat many opioids, such as oxycodone,fentanyl and methadone, taken in com-bination with selective serotonin reup-take inhibitors (SSRIs), can causeserotonin syndrome; morphine is notassociated with this interaction. “Patientswho suffer from chronic pain often pres-ent with depression as well. A recentstudy indicated that patients being treat-ed for pain with opioids who then wereprescribed SSRIs for depression present-ed with serotonin syndrome,” he says.“Over-the-counter medications such asSt. John’s wort and dextromethorphan,

an ingredient found in cough syrups, canalso contribute to this syndrome.”

Serotonin syndrome includes changesin mental status such as anxiety, confu-sion and hypomania; alterations in neu-romuscular function such as musclerigidity and tremors; and instability inthe autonomic nervous system includingtachycardia, tachypnea, diaphoresis andhypothermia. Although in most cases thesymptoms of the serotonin syndrome areresolved without serious consequences,severe serotonin toxicity can result inadmission to the intensive care unit.

Drug delivery intensifiesthe problem

How the drug is delivered into thebody is another key abuse factor, notesDr. McDonald. People who are illicitlyusing drugs such as opioids or benzodi-azepines often destroy the time-releasecoating by grinding up the tablets toget a much more rapid “high” oreuphoria from the drug. “They mayswallow or snort the ground medica-tion,” he says. “Sometimes they grind itfinely enough to mix with liquid solu-tion and inject. As a result, they get amuch more potent and potentiallylethal dose of the medication.”

Dr. McDonald also notes “experimen-tal and unique ways” of using the fen-tanyl patch. “I’ve heard of people rollingthe patch and smoking it. They are alsofreezing the patches, then cutting themup and putting them under the tongue,”he explains. “These delivery methodsbreak down the time-release mechanismso you’re getting all the medication atonce. We are seeing increased death dueto this also.”

Amphetamines being prescribed tocontrol attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder (ADHD) are also being groundup to be swallowed, snorted or injected.“These drugs are often abused in collegedorms where students with a prescriptioneither take too much themselves or sellpills to other students who want to stayup all night to study or party,” observesDr. McDonald. “When ground up, thesedrugs are even more potent.” An over-dose can cause high blood pressure,stroke, cardiac arrhythmia and bizarreand/or violent behavior.

Healthcare professionalscan help reverse thetrend

“First, know your patient,” advises Dr.McDonald. “As osteopathic physiciansand healthcare professionals, we need tolook at the whole person as we’ve beentrained to do. Know all the medicationsyour patients are taking, including thoseprescribed by other clinicians. Comm-unicate frequently with your patientsabout the dangers of combining drugsand alcohol.

“When doing an exam, don’t just listento the patient’s heart,” he continues. “Doa complete exam. People inject them-selves with drugs in odd places to avoiddetection, including the breasts and groinarea. Consider the possibility that newpulmonary problems could be associatedwith abuse such as smoking fentanylpatches. Look for sequelae of drug abusesuch as nose bleeds from snorting andtrack marks. You may also see signs ofskin popping—round, well-healed scarsor ulcers on the body resulting from asubcutaneous injection, usually on theleg where it won’t be noticed. Be alert tochanges in the individual’s condition ordemeanor such as poor hygiene, excessivesleepiness or strange behavior.”

Safeguarding prescription medicationsmore effectively is also critical. Pharmacies,physicians’ offices and hospitals need to doa better job of securing these drugs. “Evenwith inventory control in drugstores andhospitals, people can fudge the records,”observes Dr. McDonald. “Diversion ofdrugs from hospitals by medical personnelfor sale or personal use is a fairly big andgrowing problem. An increasing numberof treatment and rehab programs are available to help impaired physicians, nurses and physician assistants confronttheir problems and get the treatment they need.”

Physicians should also advise adultpatients to lock their medicine cabinets,particularly if they have teenagers in thehouse. “Increasingly, kids are raiding theirparents’ medicine cabinet for drugs likeoxycodone,” says Dr. McDonald. “Theydon’t steal it all at once, just one or two ata time so it’s not obvious. Don’t under-estimate how much kids know about thepotency and street value of drugs.”


practitioner and member of the PCOM Board of Trustees.“He always was surrounded by interns, residents and med-ical students.” Her father trained over 75 surgical residentsat PCOM, winning the Lindback Foundation Award forDistinguished Teaching in 1993.

A different work ethic“As a young girl I did not understand why my father

worked so hard, so much and so late,” says Dr. AndreaPedano. Dr. Sesso maintains that “Dr. Pedano had a differ-ent work ethic than most people. When we met outside ofwork hours, he was still working. And he expected you towork that hard too.”

Despite Dr. Pedano’s drive, “I never saw him lose histemper,” says Dr. Sesso, “and he always was even-handedwith the residents in the OR. Much later, when we wereassociates, and I was getting upset about something, hetook me aside and said, ‘See the inside of my lip? It’s purplefrom biting it.’ He was confident but not cocky, very even-tempered—a model for modern surgeons.”

Nicholas C. Pedano, DO ’61, FACOS, “was always on fireabout the possibility that something good was just about tohappen—if only you worked hard enough to make it so,”says his daughter, Andrea D. Pedano, DO ’90. Her prodi-giously hard-working father died on July 13, 2012, at the ageof 77, in Jupiter, Florida. The surgeon served PCOM andosteopathic education in myriad capacities for four decades.

Dr. Pedano completed his internship and residency at theHospital of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine,where he was also an attending surgeon, chief of surgery forover 25 years and president of the medical staff.

Arthur J. Sesso, DO ’81, Galen S. Young, Sr., DO ’35,Chair in Surgery; professor, department of surgery; andprogram director, general surgery residency, is not only Dr.Pedano’s successor but was also his student, resident andassociate, taking over their surgical practice after Dr. Pedanoretired. He characterizes these relationships as “the greatestlearning experiences of my life.”

Dr. Pedano “never differentiated between surgery andacademics,” says Dr. Andrea Pedano, a Philadelphia family

Nicholas C. Pedano, DO ’61, FACOS by Janice FisherNicholas C. Pedano, DO ’61, FACOS

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 25

ment of an older mansion in the Philadelphia suburbs,including taking down the original woodwork, burning offthe paint, sanding it and putting it back up. He had a “fullworkshop with every possible electrical tool,” she says, “andhe had no qualms about cutting lumber with an axe.”

Skill, compassion, charmDr. Pedano demonstrated a remarkable mix of skill and

compassion that endeared him to his colleagues andpatients. Dr. Sesso observes, “Surgeons and family practi-tioners do different things at different tempos and in differ-ent environments. And that can be a divide. But he couldconnect with people on many levels. He made people feelhe was interested in them and knew them. He could dothat with patients and other physicians. He was a verycharming individual.”

Dr. Andrea Pedano says that her father “could connectwith you regardless of race or creed—he was blind to that.And he was there in a pinch if you needed surgery. So pri-mary care physicians loved him, and his patients were justas loyal.”

A man of his wordAs much as Dr. Pedano loved his work, with his custom-

ary foresight he planned for his retirement. “He set his datetwo years ahead of time,” says Dr. Sesso. “He said, ‘This iswhat I want to do and how I want things to go for the nexttwo years.’ That made for a smooth transition. And,” addsDr. Sesso, “I could always pick up the phone and ask,‘Chief, what would you do here?’ He was very reliable—aman of his word.”

“You are your word,” Dr. Andrea Pedano learned from herfather. “Your reputation will depend on it.” She also learnedthat one’s actions should reflect “respect for your family,credit to your faith and benefit to your fellow man.” Besideshis daughter, Dr. Pedano is survived by his wife of 52 years,Mary B.; another daughter, Monica; four sons, Nicholas Jr.,James, Francis and Joseph; and 15 grandchildren.

A loving coach“Dr. Pedano will always be a guiding force in our depart-

ment,” says Dr. Sesso. “He has become a part of every surgeonthis institution has trained, and therefore continues to impactthe lives of thousands of patients all over the country.”

“He could be a tough guy,” acknowledges Dr. AndreaPedano. “But he had a big heart, and was always there whenyou needed him. When I succeeded, he stood back andtook no credit. When I failed, he was by my side. Andthat’s how he was for residents and his family and friends.”

Dr. Sesso says, “He was a tough person to work for. Buthe always backed you up. A surgeon needs people to rely onwhen the chips are down, and that was him. He was acoach who loved his players.”

Dr. Pedano was in private practice in Bala Cynwyd,Pennsylvania, for 36 years. He was an attending surgeonat Philadelphia’s now-closed Metropolitan Hospital and aconsultant in general surgery at Suburban GeneralHospital (now Mercy Suburban Hospital) in Norristown,Pennsylvania. He also was a general surgical consultant tothe National Board of Osteopathic Examiners.

A passionate osteopathic advocateAs chairman of surgery at PCOM, Dr. Pedano expanded

the residency program from two to 16 surgical residents(there are now 40) and secured rotations at nationallyrenowned institutions. Dr. Sesso describes Dr. Pedano as“extremely passionate about our osteopathic heritage andidentity. He felt strongly that we should be able to competein any field. He wanted us to work at the same hospitals asallopathic physicians so we could see if we were as good, orneeded to be better.” Dr. Sesso adds, “He was convincedthat osteopathic training was superior.”

Dr. Pedano was also convinced, before it was widelyaccepted, that gender should be no limit to any career,including medicine. “He was old-fashioned in his values,”says Dr. Andrea Pedano, “but a big proponent of ‘you cando anything you want.’ ”

Dr. Pedano received virtually every accolade PCOM canbestow, including the O. J. Snyder Memorial Medal,PCOM’s highest honor, in 1999. The College named himprofessor emeritus in 2001.

A member of the Alumni Association Board of Trusteesbeginning in 1986, Dr. Pedano served as its president in2007. He was on the PCOM Board of Trustees from 1984to 2009.

In 1994 Dr. Pedano chaired The PCOM Mission capitalcampaign, which raised more than $9 million over fiveyears. Dr. Andrea Pedano says, “He knew if he could get hisclassmates to appreciate that where they were was a directresult of PCOM, it was their duty to give back.”

Dr. Pedano was also active in the broader osteopathiccommunity. He was on the Board of Trustees of thePennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association for morethan 40 years, serving as president in 1990–1991 andreceiving its Distinguished Service Award in 1995. He wasalso a member of the House of Delegates of the AmericanOsteopathic Association.

When he wasn’t working…Dr. Pedano’s drive to serve did not end with his profes-

sional identity. Numerous civic, child welfare and culturalorganizations benefited from his efforts.

In his free time—astonishingly enough, Dr. Pedano didhave some free time—he was an avid boater and fishermanwhose children’s lives were marked by his love of the sea.

And he was a painstaking craftsman even when not inscrubs. Dr. Andrea Pedano describes his complete refurbish-


cLass notes

26

CLASS OF 1965Vincent Lobo, DO, Harrington, DE, wasappointed by Governor Jack Markell to athree-year term on the board of the DelawareInstitute of Medical Education and Research.

CLASS OF 1966Rabbi Merrill J. Mirman, DO, Springfield,PA, was awarded the additional rabbinical ordi-nation/semicha of yadin yadin by the AmericanBoard of Rabbis/Vaad HaRabbonim ofAmerica. Rabbi Mirman can now participate in a rabbinical court of Judaism as a judge.

CLASS OF 1967Joseph A. Ackil, DO, Southborough, MA,retired after a 43-year career in family medicine.Dr. Ackil was one of ten osteopathic physiciansin Maine who signed a note so that Universityof New England – College of OsteopathicMedicine (UNE COM) could open. He spentmany years teaching family medicine clerkshipsfor UNE COM and for Tufts University Schoolof Medicine. Both schools have honored himfor his many contributions.

CLASS OF 1971Patrick J. McAndrew, DO, Pleasant Mount,PA, has joined Wayne Memorial CommunityHealth Center. His practice, McAndrewFamily Medicine in Vandling, will now becalled the McAndrew Family Health Center.

CLASS OF 1973John M. Ferretti, II, DO, Erie, PA, was therecipient of the 2012 Robert A. KistnerAward presented by the American Associationof Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine at theirAnnual Meeting in Washington, DC. Dr.Ferretti was honored for co-founding LakeErie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

W. William Shay, DO, Barto, PA, had hisarticle “Medications and Herbal RemediesMay Not Mix; Take Care to Avoid DangerousInteractions” published in the March 12,2012, issue of The Mercury.

CLASS OF 1974Frank J. Brooks, DO, McMurray, PA, joinedCanonsburg General Hospital and the Centerfor Women’s Health.

Michael J. Feinstein, DO, Coronado, CA,was appointed to the Osteopathic MedicalBoard of California by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr.

CLASS OF 1976David V. Condoluci, DO, Moorestown, NJ,was named chief of medicine at KennedyHealth System.

FreDerick a.grassin, Do ’52Practicing medicinefor 60 years with noplans of stoppingby Colleen Pelc

Most people count downthe days until they turn 65and can officially retire. ButDr. Grassin, whose familypractice is a cornerstone ofhis New Port Richey,Florida, community, isn’tlike most people. The 87-year-old Dr. Grassin has noplans of retiring. None.“I love what I do and I

love my patients. We have agreat relationship. It’s notjust physician and patient,but physician, patient andfriend,” Dr. Grassin says. “I love seeing families start over and how they develop; I am now seeing thirdand fourth generations of some families. Their healthful continuance is mostrewarding to me.”Dr. Grassin reports that he has seen many changes in the field of osteopathic

medicine since he began his career more than six decades ago: “The philosophyis much broader these days, where the field includes the best of both osteopathyand general medicine. When these two come together it creates a very goodschool of medicine and much broader care for patients.”It’s that love for his patients that keeps Dr. Grassin going—working four days

a week, taking only Thursdays as an “off day.”“I believe that if you have a job that you enjoy, you should keep doing it. It’s

good for your health to maintain a routine, to make a contribution to your com-munity,” he says. “In medicine, it is rewarding to care for patients. They hug me,offer thanks, bring cards and small gifts. It is so very rewarding to know thatthey care for me just as I care for them.”Because Dr. Grassin believes so much in doing what you love and loving what

you do, he does offer advice for doctors just entering the profession: “My adviceis to not see too many patients just to make money. See as many as you cancomfortably, and make friends with your patients. You will get a better under-standing of their lives, their health issues—and you will be more content withyour own practice.” Dr. Grassin also notes that he hasn’t been successful in his practice all by him-

self. “We don’t do this alone. I have a good mate in my wife of 40 years, twosuccessful children and five grandchildren. When you work side by side withsomeone in your life, you are more capable and content to do what your profes-sion expects of you,” he adds.

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 27

cLass notes

E-MAIL YOUR NEWS AND PHOTOS TO MADELINE LAW: [email protected]

Ted S. Eisenberg, DO, Philadelphia, PA,was featured in the article “A Question ofCombination – Surgeons DiscussSimultaneous Augmentation MastopexyVersus Staged Approach,” published in theAesthetic Exchange section of CosmeticSurgery Times (April 1, 2012).

CLASS OF 1977Suzanne K. Kelley, DO, Harrisburg, PA, wasinstalled as 2012–2014 president of thePennsylvania Osteopathic Family PhysiciansSociety at the Annual PennsylvaniaOsteopathic Medical Association ClinicalAssembly held on May 4, 2012.

Anthony M. Landis, DO, Duluth, GA, wasthe recipient of the Physician ChampionAward presented by the Gwinnett MedicalCenter Foundation. This award recognizesexceptional physicians who “step out of thewhite coat to contribute and volunteer withthe GMC Foundation and other communityorganizations.”

CLASS OF 1978Samuel J. Garloff, DO, Palmyra, PA, waselected secretary of the Pennsylvania StateBoard of Osteopathic Medicine.

CLASS OF 1979Walter C. Ehrenfeuchter, DO, Suwanee,GA, was elected to serve on the Board ofGovernors of the American Academy ofOsteopathy.

William A. Wewer, DO, Harrisburg, PA, waselected 2012–2013 secretary/treasurer of thePennsylvania Osteopathic MedicalAssociation.

CLASS OF 1980Paul D. Seltzer, DO, West Palm Beach, FL,received the Advocate Award, presented bythe Florida Association of Medical StaffServices in recognition of his continuous sup-port of and commitment to the education ofmedical service professionals.

CLASS OF 1981Neil A. Capretto, DO, Beaver, PA, was fea-tured in “Heroin’s Siren Song: A Force That’sStronger Than Will or Reason,” which waspublished in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette(January 22, 2012). Dr. Capretto serves asmedical director of Gateway RehabilitationCenter in Aliquippa, and is a psychiatric consultant at Heritage Valley Beaver.

Nicholas P. Chiumento, DO, Yatesville, PA,was named Eastern Region Medical Directorof the Year by Golden Living. Dr. Chiumento

was among nine finalists from Golden Living’seastern region nominated for this award.

Michael P. Hahalyak, DO, North Versailles,PA, has joined Highmark Inc.’s IntegratedDelivery System. Dr. Hahalyak became aHighmark physician in May 2012.

Hugh E. Palmer, DO, York, PA, was hon-ored as Central Penn Parent magazine’sPhysician of the Year on March 22, 2012,during a celebration at the SheratonHarrisburg-Hershey Hotel. Dr. Palmer is onthe medical staff at Greensprings FamilyMedicine.

Julia M. Pillsbury, DO, Dover, DE, wasnamed a Childhood ImmunizationChampion by the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention. Dr. Pillsbury worked withinsurance companies to provide childhoodimmunizations.

George L. Weber, DO, Philadelphia, PA, waselected to serve on the board of trustees of thePennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association.

Certificates of MeritJohn W. Becher, DO ’70, Newtown Square, PA, retired as Chairman of EmergencyServices at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. Under his direction, emergency facilitiesand programs were expanded at the new AtlantiCare Regional Center.

John F. Callahan, DO ’67, Dallas, PA, was the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished ServiceAward presented by the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association.

Millicent A. Channell, DO ’01, Philadelphia, PA, was designated as a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Osteopathy during the academy’s convocation held in March 2012.

Carman A. Ciervo, DO ’88, Marlton, NJ, was designated as a Distinguished Fellow of theAmerican College of Osteopathic Family Physicians at its Conclave of Fellows AwardsCeremony held in March 2012.

Dominic F. Glorioso, Jr., DO ’82, Red Lion, PA, was inducted as a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine at their Annual Assembly in March2012.

Robert C. Greer, IV, DO ’77, Lake Park, FL, was the recipient of Florida OsteopathicMedical Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the 109th Annual FOMAConvention on February 25, 2012.

Patrick J. Kerrigan, DO ’84, Wilkes-Barre, PA, was the recipient of the 2012 FamilyPhysician of the Year Award presented by the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Family PhysiciansSociety in May 2012.

Jeffry A. Lindenbaum, DO ’75, Holland, PA, was the recipient of the 2012 FamilyPhysician of the Year Award presented by the American College of Osteopathic FamilyPhysicians in March 2012.

Randy G. Litman, DO ’88, Pikeville, KY, was designated as a Fellow of the AmericanAcademy of Osteopathy during the academy’s convocation held in March 2012.

Matthew P. Mauer, DO ’94, Troy, NY, was inducted as a Fellow of the American College ofOccupational and Environmental Medicine on February 4, 2012.

Peter Zajac, DO ’93, Prestonsburg, KY, was inducted as a Fellow of the American Collegeof Osteopathic Family Physicians during their 49th Annual Convention and ScientificSeminar held in March 2012.

CLASS OF 1982Thomas H. Neill, DO, Pen Argyl, PA, joinedWeissport Medical Services, the newest addi-tion to Behavioral Health Associates.

CLASS OF 1983Carol L. Henwood, DO, Pottstown, PA, wasnamed vice president of the American Collegeof Osteopathic Physicians. Dr. Henwood is afamily care physician at Stowe Family Practiceand a staff physician at Pottstown MemorialMedical Center.

CLASS OF 1984David Coffey, DO, Montgomery, AL, wasunanimously chosen as president-elect of theAmerican Academy of Osteopathy.

John C. Green, DO, Clarion, PA, joined themedical staff in the Surgical Associates officeat Clarion Hospital.

Richard A. Ortoski, DO, Erie, PA, was elected chairman of the Erie County HealthDepartment. Dr. Ortoski is on the medical


cLass notes

28

staff at Fairview Family Medicine. He is theHIV medical director of the NorthwestPennsylvania Rural AIDS Alliance and servesas professor and chair of primary care educa-tion at Lake Erie College of OsteopathicMedicine. Dr. Ortoski received the Society ofOsteopathic Medical Educators’ Innovation inMedical Education Award presented by theAmerican Association of Colleges ofOsteopathic Medicine in March 2012.

Achievement Award presented by OrangeRegional Medical Center. This award is givento physicians who have continually improvedthe level of patient care, whose professionalbody of work has served to elevate their pro-fession and who have earned the respect oftheir peers and the community.

Deanne S. Endy, DO, Hummelstown, PA,was elected vice president of the PennsylvaniaOsteopathic Family Physicians Society.

Donald R. Meade, DO, Gwynedd Valley,PA, was named medical director of the emer-gency department at St. Luke’s Hospital –Miners Campus in Coaldale.

CLASS OF 1987Anthony E. DiMarco, DO, Kennett Square,PA, was elected speaker of the PennsylvaniaOsteopathic Medical Association’s House ofDelegates.

Joan M. Grzybowski, DO, Conshohocken,PA, was re-elected to serve on the board oftrustees of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicMedical Association.

CLASS OF 1988John H. Myers, DO, Franklin, PA, joinedthe medical staff at Magee Women’s SpecialtyServices at UPMC Northwest.

CLASS OF 1993Robert J. Corba, DO, Orefield, PA, joinedthe medical staff at OAA OrthopaedicSpecialists in Allentown and Bethlehem.

Joseph W. Stauffer, DO, Skillman, NJ, wasappointed chief medical officer of Ikaria, Inc.Dr. Stauffer will be responsible for all medical,patient safety, risk management and regulatoryactivities related to Ikaria’s commercializedproduct, Inomax (nitric oxide) for inhalation,as well as future launch products.

CLASS OF 1994Helise B. Bichefsky-Reilly, DO, Malvern, PA,has been appointed medical director ofAreUFit Health Services, Inc., as well as of theNational 6 Week Shape Up Challenge Programsponsored by GetInShapeForFree.net. Dr.Bichefsky-Reilly also serves as medical directorfor Ageless Health, LLC, in West Chester.

Robert S. Dolansky, Jr., DO, Breinigsville,PA, was elected 2012–2013 vice president ofthe Pennsylvania Osteopathic MedicalAssociation.

Matthew P. Mauer, DO, Troy, NY, publishedan invited commentary, “9/11: The ViewAhead,” in the September 3, 2011, issue ofThe Lancet.

CLASS OF 1985Thomas L. Showers, DO, Huntingdon, PA,joined the medical staff at J.C. BlairMemorial Hospital as a hospitalist.

CLASS OF 1986John J. Dermigny, DO, Goshen, NY, wasthe recipient of the 2012 Lifetime

matthewpinto, Do ’00Changing people’slives for the better

by Colleen Pelc

For nearly a decade,Dr. Pinto worked as aprimary care physician,aiding patients in controlling blood pressure, lowering cholesterol levels, and

guiding them in general wellness. But for Dr. Pinto that wasn’t enough. Afterextensive training, he opened The Center for Medical Weight Loss of SouthJersey in July 2010, with a second location in May 2011. “Each day of patient care was rewarding in some way, but when I added

weight loss I experienced a new level of reward,” Dr. Pinto says. “The first timeI saw that glimmer of hope in a patient who lost weight on my program, whopreviously thought he was destined to never lose weight and had given uphope, I realized that I was onto something special.“Once I had my first patient lose over 100 pounds, I realized I was truly chang-

ing people’s lives for the better, more so than I ever did in the past,” he adds.The Center was launched into the media spotlight recently when Tony Luke

Jr., TV personality and co-founder of Tony Luke’s restaurants (read: famousSouth Philly cheesesteaks), lost more than 125 pounds with the help of Dr.Pinto and The Center for Medical Weight Loss.“Tony actually had little success with me the first few weeks on my program

mainly because he could not grasp the idea that despite his intense exercise reg-imen and his healthy food choices, his total calorie consumption was still waytoo high,” Dr. Pinto says. “However, once I finally convinced him to follow myadvice, he lost over 100 pounds.”Dr. Pinto’s not stopping there. He now serves as assistant medical director of

Lourdes Medical Associates, and he will soon open a new facility in Marlton,New Jersey—Vive Center for Medical Weight Loss and Aesthetics—that will begeared toward weight loss, wellness and aesthetics. “I believe this is one of thefirst practices of its type in the area, and my hope is that it becomes the stan-dard for physician-supervised weight loss in the future. I believe this changewill allow me to improve upon my current weight loss practice, offering moreservices to patients,” Dr. Pinto says.“My goal is to bring together experts in nutrition, psychology and physical

fitness to add to the medical expertise I offer to help patients make lifestylechanges that will last a lifetime,” he adds.

Tony Luke Jr. (left) with Dr. Pinto

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 29

cLass notes

CLASS OF 1995Jeffrey J. Dunkelberger, DO, Lewisberry,PA, was elected vice speaker of thePennsylvania Osteopathic MedicalAssociation’s House of Delegates.

Jeffrey A. Heebner, DO, Flourtown, PA, waselected vice chairman of the PennsylvaniaState Board of Osteopathic Medicine.

Pat F. Romano, DO, Garnet Valley, PA,joined Main Line HealthCare at their SummitCrossing practice in Glen Mills.

CLASS OF 1996David B. Burmeister, DO, Philadelphia, PA,has been appointed chairman of the depart-ment of emergency medicine at Lehigh ValleyHealth Network.

CLASS OF 1998Karen E. Agersborg, DO, Blue Bell, PA, wasrecognized by Worldwide Who’s Who for show-ing dedication, leadership and excellence inendocrinology. Dr. Agersborg is a clinicalendocrinologist for Mercy Suburban Hospital.

CLASS OF 1999John T. Kolisnyk, DO, Clarksville, TN,joined the medical staff at MurfreesboroMedical Clinic.

Vietnhan Hoang Nguyen, DO, Fayetteville,NC, was appointed chief of gastroenterology atWomack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg.

Brian W. Ondulick, DO, Wilmington, OH,joined the medical staff at Greene MemorialHospital.

CLASS OF 2000Rachel E. Croteau, DO, Keene, NH, joinedthe medical staff at Jaffrey Family Medicine.

Christopher A. Davis, DO, Springfield, PA,was re-elected to serve on the board oftrustees of the Pennsylvania OsteopathicMedical Association.

CLASS OF 2002Robert E. Davis, Jr., DO, Paxinos, PA,joined the medical staff at CapitalCardiovascular Associates, a service of HolySpirit Health System.

Peter Ojuro, DO, Grand Forks, ND, joinedthe medical staff at Altru Health System.

CLASS OF 2003Richard J. Donlick, DO, Clarion, PA,joined the medical staff at Internal MedicineAssociates.

aaron p. brinen,psyD ’10Helping those with schizophrenialive the life they desire

by Colleen Pelc

From a young age, Dr. Brinen wasattracted to the field of psychology, drawnto interactions between people and interventions that could help not only theoutcome of the present situation, but alsohow a person would react in the future.Through myriad clinical environmentsand experiences, Dr. Brinen realized thathis clients would get better with treat-ments that targeted their thinking, andthat the result would be longer lasting than any rehabilitative intervention.“That was the final push to psychology for me. I remember the first session,

when I sat down as a therapist and introduced myself. It felt like the placewhere I was supposed to be,” says Dr. Brinen.Today, that place is the department of psychiatry at the University of

Pennsylvania, where Dr. Brinen is completing a two-year research fellowship.Under the direction of Aaron T. Beck, MD, he is working as a member of theschizophrenia team to train individual therapists and other practitioners in recov-ery-oriented cognitive therapy for those suffering from the mental disorder.“Recovery-oriented cognitive therapy is based on the extensive research into

the psychology of schizophrenia. Our unit along with other researchers hasidentified thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that promote poor functioning andimpoverished quality of life of individuals with schizophrenia, such as low moti-vation, low socialization, low expectation of pleasure, hallucinations, delusionsand thought disorder,” says Dr. Brinen.“We develop an understanding of the patient’s internal reality and devise a

strategy to help them move toward their goals. We get them back to living thelife they desire. These patients have untapped potential, and this treatment cap-italizes on it,” he says.Dr. Brinen explains that their treatment targets poor functional outcomes

and the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which are not typically impactedby medications. “Until recently, treatments offered to those suffering fromschizophrenia in the United States prioritized medication. Our work givesoptions and aims to destigmatize this disorder and give hope, a feeling of dignity and a plan of action to those suffering,” he adds.Dr. Brinen’s future plans include implementing cognitive therapy in various

settings, developing group therapy for schizophrenia and training therapists incognitive therapy around the world. He will move into a staff position at theUniversity of Pennsylvania next year. “I also look forward to continuing to growmy private practice, because treating individuals is of the utmost importance tome and ultimately makes me a better trainer,” Dr. Brinen says.



cLass notes

30

Anthony C. Falvello, DO, Hazleton, PA,opened his new orthopedic practice, FalvelloOrthopedics, in Hazle Township.

Adam R. Griffith, DO, Erie, PA, is board-certified in emergency medicine and is currentlyworking at the UPMC Hamot Medical Center.

Suzanne Kuttler Kelly, DO, Furlong, PA,was named medical director of PickeringManor in Newtown. Dr. Kelly is a board-certified family physician with NewtownMedical Group in Langhorne.

Nina Maouelainin, DO, Doylestown, PA,was granted medical staff privileges at GrandView Hospital. She is an associate at theIntensivist Group in Sellersville.

CLASS OF 2007Steven R. Bowers, DO, Brigantine, NJ,joined the medical staff at Shore PhysiciansGroup in Northfield and has privileges infamily medicine at Shore Medical Center inSomers Point.

Douglas Troutman, DO, Philadelphia, PA,had the highest score for a senior resident in thecountry on his American Board of Surgery in-service exam. In addition, his paper “DuplexUltrasound Imaging to Detect Limb Stenosis orKinking of Endovascular Device After MidtermFollow-Up” was published in The Journal ofVascular Surgery (February 2012).

CLASS OF 2008Nicholas C. Avitabile, DO, Malverne, NY,was appointed 2012–2013 chief resident ofemergency medicine at St. Barnabas Hospitalin Bronx, New York.

Irene Dmitruk, DO, Chicago, IL, wasappointed 2011–2012 chief resident of emer-gency medicine at Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Amy M. Kelly, DO, Saint Marys, PA, joinedthe medical staff at Elk Regional Health Center.

Graham V. Vigliotta, DO, Norristown, PA,had his article “Preventing Tick-borne Illnesses”published in Berksmont News (April 25, 2012).

Svetlana Zakharchenko, DO, Brooklyn,New York, started an emergency medicineultrasound fellowship at New YorkUniversity/Bellevue School of Medicine.

CLASS OF 2009Malissa M. Barbosa, DO, South Miami, FL,was a contributing author for an inspirationalbook entitled Beautifully and WonderfullyMade (available through amazon.com).

James P. Colvard, DO, Montgomery, AL, wasthe recipient of the 2012 Family MedicineResident of the Year Award presented by theMontgomery County Medical Society.

tYLer rYchLewski,ms/pa-c ’11Making strides in internationalpractice

by Colleen Pelc

Though it has been lessthan a year since Ms.Rychlewski successfully

completed the physician assistant program at PCOM, the San Diego native hasfaced more adversity just to pursue her career than most PAs will face in thecourse of their professional practice.Ms. Rychlewski was always interested in working aboard, so it was easy for

her to fall in love with the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta when she did herelective rotation there as a student in June 2011. After much convincing, shesecured a slot as the first PA student alongside medical students in the plasticsurgery department at Mater Dei Hospital.“From day one I worked hard proving myself to the nursing staff, junior doc-

tors and supervising consultants [physicians]. By the end of my four weeks, thenurses referred to me as the ‘three fourths doctor.’ They were impressed withmy clinical skills, and most importantly, the consultants were very interested inthe PA concept,” Ms. Rychlewski says.After graduating and passing her boards, Ms. Rychlewski moved with her

husband Dave and their French bulldog Bella to Malta in October 2011. Ms.Rychlewski’s first step was to secure the support of a consultant to act as hersupervising physician, and a plastic surgeon she had previously worked withwas willing to take on this role.“My supervising physician is one of the most respected surgeons in Malta,

and having his support spoke volumes. However, I knew his recommendationwould only go so far. I had to convince the hospital why they should hire aPA,” she says.Ms. Rychlewski began some intense research, tracking down the first PAs to

work in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and attending the first meetingof EuroPAC in London, where she met doctors who are heavily involved in grow-ing the PA profession throughout Europe. Ms. Rychlewski’s biggest breakthroughcame when she found a clause within Malta’s Health Care Professions Act thatallows a physician to designate responsibility to providers they deem appropriate.“Armed with a giant research binder, I made my case to the hospital. Within

a few weeks, I was hired,” she says.Ms. Rychlewski is now working as a PA in the plastic surgery unit at Saint

James Hospital in Malta. She is grateful for the opportunity—and also toPCOM. “I am thankful PCOM supported my unprecedented decision to doan international elective rotation in Malta. Without that experience, I wouldnot have been able to prove my clinical value here,” she adds.

CLASS OF 2005U.S. Air Force Major Anthony J. Agbay,DO, Langley AFB, VA, ran the BostonMarathon Military Shadow Run in Bagram,Afghanistan. He finished sixth out of 300starters. Dr. Agbay is a diagnostic radiologistin the U.S. Air Force.

Daniel J. Csaszar, DO, Phoenixville, PA,founded the Csaszar Institute, which is a familymedicine/sport medicine/OMM practice witha focus on combat sports medicine. Dr. Csaszarwas selected to work as a licensed ring/cagesidephysician on both the Pennsylvania and NewJersey Athletic Commissions.

D i g e s t 2 0 1 2 31

cLass notes

31


Frederick Scott Bartlow, DO ’88,Nampa, ID, May 9, 2012.

Roy A. DeBeer, DO ’67, East AtlanticBeach, NY, April 11, 2012.

Joseph L. Hayes, DO ’61, Springfield,PA, April 6, 2012.

Harold E. Holloway, DO ’69, Americus,GA, June 27, 2012.

Hymen Kanoff, DO ’52, HuntingdonValley, PA, July 31, 2012.

Herman P. Kuehn, DO ’57, Platte City,MO, May 25, 2012.

Neil Litten, DO ’64, Boca Raton, FL,September 17, 2011.

Nicholas C. Pedano, DO ’61, Jupiter, FL,July 13, 2012.

William S. Peters, DO ’78, ClarksSummit, PA, June 16, 2012.

Alvin Rosen, DO ’53, North Palm Beach, FL, April 7, 2012.

Arthur Snyder, DO ’44, Aventura, FL,July 11, 2012.

William Vilensky, DO ’67, LongboatKey, FL, July 30, 2012.

Rouenne Abasolo, DO ’12, and Brian Seeley, DO ’12, CapeMay Courthouse, NJ, wed on May 5, 2012, in Cape May, NewJersey. PCOM alumni in attendance were Michael Boja, DO’12; John Brady, DO ’12; Jenna Brown, DO ’11; JaimeConnors, DO ’12; Kate Baranck Drumond, DO ’12; LorettaHallock, DO ’12; Andy Hamarich, DO ’12; BradleyHammond, DO ’12; Gregory Imbarrato, DO ’12; ChelseaMarks, DO ’12; Lauren McCrossan, DO ’12; Joshua Minori,DO ’12; Julie Pierdon, DO ’12; Christine White, DO ’11;and Jason White, DO ’12.

Mark L. Denzine, MS/PA-C ’04, DO ’12, and Meredith A.Denzine, MS/PA-C ’04, Wynnewood, PA, are the proud par-ents of Harrison Walker, born on May 17, 2012.

Amber R. Elway, DO ’05, Allison Park, PA, and her husband,Daniel, are the proud parents of Nathan Ryan, born onNovember 4, 2011.

Adam R. Griffith, DO ’05, Erie, PA, and his wife, Amy, are theproud parents of Wesley Charles, born on February 27, 2011.

Glenn Klucka (DO ’13) and Elizabeth Potts, DO ’12,Pitman, NJ, were married on April 14, 2012. Joe McDermott,DO ’12, and Katie Muenker, DO ’12, were members of thebridal party.

Benjamin D. Lessig, DO ’96, Toms River, NJ, and his wife,Celeste, are the proud parents of Noah Ethan, born on April 22,2012.

Shawn M. Tweedt, DO ’00, Brookeville, MD, and his wife,April, are the proud parents of Katherine Michaela, born onJune 1, 2012. Baby Katherine joins big sister Claire Amelia, age three.

In Memoriam

Baby DenzineAbasolo/Seeley wedding Baby LessigKlucka/Potts wedding

On a Personal Note

TOP DOC AWARDSThe following PCOM alumni were recog-nized by Philadelphia Magazine (May 2012)as “Top Doctors” in their respective fields:

Gary A. Aaronson, DO ’83, New Hope, PA– Pulmonary Medicine

Gilbert E. D’Alonzo, Jr., DO ’77,Philadelphia, PA – Pulmonary Medicine

Jamison S. Jaffe, DO ’00, Ambler, PA –Urology

Lee Pachter, DO ’83, Elkins Park, PA –Pediatrics

Brian D. Rosenthal, DO ’98, Blue Bell, PA– Urology

Stanley J. Savinese, DO ’87, Ridley Park, PA– Hospice and Palliative Medicine

E. Eric Horvath, DO ’95, San Antonio, TX,was recognized by Scene in S.A. (January2011) as one of the “Best Doctors in GeneralSurgery.”

mY turn essaY

It’s quite near impossible not to let those little ones stealyour heart. That is exactly what happened to me in 2009 asa newly hired nurse at the Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia (CHOP). As I became accustomed to thedynamic environment inside of the hospital, I constantlywondered how, outside of it, I could fight for childrenfighting chronic diseases. Perhaps it was the abandoned,abused newborn admitted to my care, or the eager 17 yearold, spontaneously hit with paralysis, who was more wor-ried about attending the prom than the severity of her pro-gressing neurological disorder, that lit the fire.

After much soul searching (and brainstorming), I foundedthe Gloves for Love Pediatric Cancer Foundation, with thegoal of “knocking out pediatric cancer.” Gloves for Love is a501c(3) foundation that benefits the Cancer Center atCHOP. Since its inception, Gloves for Love has raised over$20,000 through a number of charitable events.

Charitable funds for pediatric cancer support andresearch truly make a difference in the lives of the sickest ofthe sick, many of whom fill CHOP’s beds daily. Oftentimespeople hear the word “cancer” and think of it as a deathsentence. Yet so many advances in treatment methods—new drugs, clinical trials and treatment protocols—allowchildren to live, to grow up and to have children of theirown, to partake in the blessings so many of us take forgranted: lives full of relationships, love and faith.

I have found that there is a unique generosity of spiritamong those who support Gloves for Love. A large part ofthis spirit—and momentum—has come from the Philadel-

the philanthropy of giving back by Lauren Saltzburg (DO ’15)

phia College of Osteopathic Medicine community. Inbetween OMM practicals and neurology exams, my class-mates find the time to face off against the faculty in charitybasketball games and to attend Beach Baggo benefit tourna-ments. The community recognizes that such fundraisers arenot just fun and games; they are intrinsic workings of heal-ing, of encouragement and hope. Their dedicated effortsgive sick children a voice and help to raise awareness forthem. While parents await a cure for their young sons anddaughters, such efforts give them a network of emotionalsupport.

On a personal level, I have been amazed at the waysGloves for Love has helped me to grow. I am learning newthings each day and coming in contact with wonderful peo-ple who are willing to donate their time and talents to thisimportant cause. Our shared enthusiasm sustains the foun-dation—and also my own academic journey whenevertimes are challenging (balancing DO studies while pursuinga joint MBA/MA program at Saint Joseph’s University isnot always easy).

I remain steadfast in my obligation to humanity, to myfuture patients and to my colleagues. I remain eager to trainand to eventually practice during an unprecedented time inthe history of medicine. There are now tools to uncover theunderlying basis of many childhood cancers. There is apotential to transform the way children with these dreadeddiseases will be treated. I believe there will be a cure forpediatric cancer; there has to be, for the next child diag-nosed with this malignant disease.

glovesforlove.org

32 P h i l a D e l P h i a C o l l e g e o f o s t e o P a t h i C M e D i C i n e

THE FUND FOR PCOM

You love PCOM.

The Fund for PCOM has been the primaryvehicle through which alumni, parents andfriends express their loyalty to the College.

Annual gifts are a meaningful way for donorsto demonstrate their belief in the College’s

continued commitment to the recruitment and training of osteopathic physicians andgraduate students who will employcompassionate, holistic approaches to clinical, didactic and other professionalresponsibilities required in today’s healthcareand scientific environments.

We invite you to play a pivotal role in the life of the College through an annual gift to The Fund for PCOM.Your gift will provide discretionary funding that will be directed to the areas of greatest need at PCOM. Call the Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 800-739-3939 or visit www.fund.4.pcom.edu.

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Documents

Digest #2 2012