Tag Archives: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

In celebration of the holiday season, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) is hosting the first annual Jolly Gingerbread Challenge and Light Show.

This free, family-friendly event is open to the public and will take place on Thursday, December 5.

The highlight of the event is a gingerbread house decorating competition featuring a grand prize of $500. The runner up will be awarded $250 and third place will take $150.

Participants, who must sign up online in advance, will receive one free gingerbread house kit and will have an hour-and-a-half to build and decorate a gingerbread home. Gingerbread creations will be judged for overall appearance, originality, creativity, difficulty and precision.

The public is invited to observe the live Gingerbread Challenge while snacking on hot apple cider, cookies and other goodies sold at a modest price by BCOM medical students. Attendees will also have the chance to take free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The event will culminate with a holiday light show at approximately 7:30 p.m. The professional light show will be produced by HB Stage Productions, which is behind some of Southwest’s most popular holiday light displays.

Gingerbread Challenge winners will be announced immediately after the show.

To learn more about the Jolly Gingerbread Challenge and Light Show, visit the Gingerbread Challenge website. Interested attendees are asked to please RSVP online. Parking on the BCOM campus is free and open to the public after 5 p.m.

What: The community is invited to a free holiday-themed light show and gingerbread house challenge.

When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5

Where: 3501 Arrowhead Dr., Las Cruces, NM

Thirty-three medical students attending the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) are set to receive scholarships to support their educational journeys.

The scholarships are made possible thanks to a $1.6 million anonymous gift to the Southwest Foundation for Osteopathic Education and Research (SWFOER).

“This private foundation strongly supports the mission and vision of BCOM and SWFOER — to bring more doctors to New Mexico and the Southwest region of the U.S.,” says Victoria Pineda, director of institutional advancement at BCOM. “We are so excited to have them support these aspiring physicians. And it’s not just an investment in our students, it’s an investment in the health and future of New Mexico.”

The gift will establish a new scholarship program at BCOM that will support 14 students with $100,000 over the course of their four years in medical school.

An additional 19 students will receive one-time scholarships of $10,000.

All students who are awarded scholarships must agree to complete a clinical rotation — hands-on medical training — at BCOM’s Southeastern New Mexico hub, which includes the cities of Artesia, Carlsbad, Hobbs, Lovington and Roswell.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, each of these cities are located in counties that are critically low on health professionals.

The rural training experience is expected to inspire BCOM students to one day work in regions of the U.S. where there are little to no doctors.

In addition, BCOM students who receive scholarships totaling $100,000 must agree to return to New Mexico after their residency training. If a career opportunity is available, he or she will practice as a physician for four years in one of the following regions in New Mexico: Artesia, Eddy County, Chavez County, Lea County, or Las Cruces.

“A program like this guarantees to bring doctors back to our region,” says Don Peska, DO, BCOM’s dean and chief academic officer. “This gift is going to make an extraordinary impact on New Mexico, bringing physicians back to New Mexico communities that truly need their help and expertise.”

John Hummer, president of BCOM, adds, “We are humbled and extremely grateful to have this donor — a renowned business leader and philanthropist who has done so much good for New Mexico — supporting our medical students and joining us on our mission to increase the number of future New Mexico physicians.”

The first cohort of scholars will be selected this summer, prior to the start of the 2019-20 academic school year. Scholarships will be awarded based on academic achievement, community service, personal integrity and character.

Students will be able to apply the funds towards tuition, books, room and board and other educational expenses.

The gift was secured by the Southwest Foundation for Osteopathic Education and Research (SWFOER). SWFOER is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Its charter and mission is to provide financial support to BCOM students, as well as to support medical and academic research initiatives.

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Co-Founder and President John L. Hummer and Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer George Mychaskiw, DO, presented a gift of $250,000 to New Mexico State University.

Receiving the gift were NMSU Chancellor Garrey Carruthers and NMSU Foundation President Andrea Tawney. The gift will be used for the New Mexico College of Osteopathic Medicine Current Use Scholarship at NMSU, to be administered by the NMSU Foundation.

As a commitment to developing a pipeline of students pursuing medical and health careers to serve the region in the years to come, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and the New Mexico State University Foundation, Inc. have established the New Mexico College of Osteopathic Medicine Current Use Scholarship at NMSU.

The funds are to be used to award undergraduate students pursuing a degree in science or a health-related discipline, with a preference given to students in pre-medicine.

“This is an outstanding investment, not just for our students, but for our entire region,” NMSU Chancellor Garrey Carruthers said. “Far too many of our communities are medically underserved – there just aren’t enough medical professionals to provide the care our region needs. These scholarships will allow more students to earn degrees at NMSU, who will then be prepared to go on to medical school. These scholarships will mean so much for our students, and for the health and well-being of people across our region.”

“This annual scholarship gift is one of the most powerful and tangible testaments of our public/private partnership with NMSU and will yield generational benefits for New Mexicans,” Hummer said.

The annual gift increases each year of operation until full operation is achieved at four years where it will remain at $500,000 per year, increased for inflation, for the life of the affiliation agreement with NMSU.

“The BCOM-NMSU partnership is the first of its kind in U.S. higher education and is a model of disparate organizations working together for a common good. This scholarship gift represents our belief in and support of this partnership,” said Mychaskiw.

The presentation took place Monday, December 11th.

Author: Justin McHorse – NMSU

The first group of students enrolled in a special program at New Mexico State University are taking their initial steps on the path to becoming a doctor of osteopathic medicine. Those steps are intended to lead to more doctors to serve people in underserved areas, especially the Southwest U.S.

“NMSU has major research, educational and outreach programs in the health sciences,” said NMSU Provost Dan Howard. “This program is a welcome addition to our efforts to improve the health and wellness of the people of New Mexico.”

The seven NMSU freshmen toured the new Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine on Sept. 7 and are settling into their regular NMSU classes.

They are the first participants in the Osteopathic Medicine Pathway Program, which gives qualifying students who complete various requirements an assured pathway into the Burrell College when they graduate with a bachelor’s degree from NMSU.

“A goal of the program is to train osteopathic physicians who will practice here,” said OMPP Program Director Jeremy Taulbee. “The hope of the program is by accepting students from the New Mexico, West Texas, Arizona region, they might practice medicine here.”

Taulbee said the program was created in October 2015 as an agreement between NMSU and The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University.

“The program was created to provide students interested in a career as an osteopathic physician with a pathway that would allow them to go from a baccalaureate program at NMSU, to a guaranteed seat in the doctor of osteopathic medicine program at BCOM,” Taulbee said. It also is intended to provide the opportunity for students interested in earning a degree from the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine to experience a supportive and enriched undergraduate learning environment, Taulbee said.

“Other goals are to enhance the accessibility of medical degrees for students graduating from NMSU and to increase the number of health care providers in New Mexico who are committed to serving the healthcare needs of our diverse population,” he said.

“This partnership with NMSU is very exciting as it allows BCOM to fulfill its mission of increasing the physician workforce in the region,” said Tania B. Arana, associate dean for Admissions and Student Affairs and associate professor of Biomedical Sciences at BCOM. “The pipeline program affords BCOM an opportunity to take an active role in developing these promising undergraduate students by helping them to build their curriculum and gain the necessary experience to prepare them to become successful medical students. We are very fortunate to have this unique opportunity to partner with such a well-recognized and established university.”

Taulbee said while OMPP students are required to earn a baccalaureate degree, they will not be required to major in any particular field. Students are able to choose any course of study that fits their interests. A few of the majors represented in the Fall 2016 cohort include biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering and kinesiology.

Joseph Berning, program director for Kinesiology and director of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory in the College of Education at NMSU, will focus on the academic preparation of the students while at NMSU. A particular focus will be mentoring the students to become future leaders.

“They will need to be leaders in medicine,” Berning said. As doctors, they will not only need to be experts in medical disciplines but also will need to lead the delivery of health care and understand the business aspects of medicine.

“We will help them understand the components of working in medicine,” he said.

NMSU’s Financial Aid and Scholarships Office will assist each OMPP student in finding scholarships and other forms of financial aid to cover the cost of their NMSU education. No scholarship is offered strictly to the OMPP students. Also, successful completion of the program does not provide any financial aid for the cost of attending BCOM. Once students are enrolled as medical students at BCOM, they will work with BCOM’s Financial Aid personnel to find options for financing their medical education.

Taulbee pointed out that OMPP offers a unique opportunity to selected NMSU students who are committed to serving their community’s health care needs.

“During the program and over the course of their undergraduate studies, the OMPP will provide opportunities for frequent and substantial interactions with the southern New Mexico healthcare community,” Taulbee said. “OMPP students will learn from professionals working and teaching in the healthcare field through seminars, research opportunities and internship positions. OMPP students will have the opportunity to interact with faculty, staff and students from BCOM.”

To qualify for the program, students must meet certain academic standards.

“The OMPP is open only to incoming freshmen students, who are attending the first fall semester at NMSU following their graduation from high school,” Taulbee said. “All candidates must meet all admissions requirements for NMSU, have earned a high school GPA of 3.5 or greater, and have a composite ACT score of 23 or greater or an SAT score of 1060 or greater.”

The application process for the OMPP is separate from the admissions application for NMSU. All students interested in the OMPP must also complete an application for admission to NMSU. The application period for the next fall cohort of the OMPP started on Aug. 1. To apply for the OMPP, candidates must complete an admissions application for NMSU (http://admissions.nmsu.edu) and complete the OMPP Supplemental Application. This application includes the OMPP Application Form (found on the OMPP website: http://ompp.nmsu.edu), a typed, two-page personal essay and three letters of recommendation.

Complete applications must be received or postmarked on or before Dec. 15. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff from both NMSU and BCOM. Top candidates will attend an on-campus interview at NMSU in mid-February. Successful candidates will be notified in mid-March of their acceptance into the OMPP for the following fall semester.

During their time in the OMPP, students must complete all NMSU undergraduate courses required for admission to BCOM with a grade of B or greater. Students must also complete at minimum 15 credits per semester and maintain an overall GPA of 3.3 or greater in all college coursework to remain eligible. Students must participate in all official activities associated with the program, unless excused by the OMPP director. In addition, OMPP students will be required to live on campus and participate in a dedicated Living Learning Community during their first year of undergraduate study.

During their third year, each student will be required to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and earn a score in the 50th percentile or greater. Students will be required to earn a baccalaureate degree in a major of their choosing. By Dec. 15 of the year prior to their expected enrollment in BCOM, OMPP students will sign a letter of commitment to attend BCOM in the academic semester following their graduation from NMSU.

The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University is a freestanding, privately funded, separately licensed and independently operated entity, and is not a part of New Mexico State University.

For more information on the OMPP program, visit the website at http://ompp.nmsu.edu

Author:  Darrell J. Pehr – NMSU