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School Department News

Faculty and Staff

WCUCOM Student Named Paul Ambrose Scholar
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 1:22pm

Hattiesburg, Miss., May 7, 2013 - Joshua Stake of Jacksonville, Fla., a second-year medical student at William Carey University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (WCUCOM), has been accepted as a 2013 Paul Ambrose Scholar. He was selected for this highly competitive and impressive award from among a national pool of medical students’ applicants with interests in public health and prevention (both MD and DO). As part of the program, Stake will attend a leadership symposium in Washington, D.C., June 20-23, and conduct a community-based health education project. Dr. Italo Subbarao, associate professor of medicine and associate dean of planning, assessment, and competency development at WCUCOM, will accompany him to D.C. as his mentor. Stake’s project is focused on implementing best practices to help prevent childhood obesity in the Hattiesburg community.

The Paul Ambrose Scholars Program exposes health professions students to influential public health professionals and prepares them to be leaders in addressing population health challenges at the national and community level. Since 2002, more than 460 students from over 160 academic institutions have become Paul Ambrose Scholars, equipped with leadership and organizational skills in public health education that can only be found outside of the classroom.
 

Ross Excellence in Anatomy Award Presented to JoshHolifield of Laurel
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - 10:42am

Hattiesburg, Miss., April 30, 2013 - Josh Holifield of Laurel, son of Dana and Connie Holifield, recently received The Randolph J. and Brenda H. Ross for Excellence in Anatomy Award given to a first-year medical student at William Carey University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM). Dr. Tommy King, president of WCU, presented it to him during Honors Day Convocation on April 24. The award, established by Dr. Ross and his wife, is given the medical student who has the highest Grade Point Average in anatomy.

Dr. Ross is Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Hattiesburg Clinic. The recipient of the award must be from Mississippi and plan to practice in Mississippi upon graduation. The award consists of an engraved medallion and a cash stipend which is credited to the student’s tuition for his or her second year of medical school.

Dr. Ross has been a strong advocate for the WCUCOM since its inception. In 2007, the WCU Board of Trustees and Dr. Tommy King committed to open the COM to address the severe shortage of physicians in Mississippi and surrounding areas. It was recognized at that time that a medical school would positively impact the healthcare of rural Mississippians. In 2008, the COM was officially established, and in 2010, WCU welcomed the inaugural class. Holding provisional accreditation by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the WCUCOM is the state’s second medical school and one of 29 institutions that offers a degree in osteopathic medicine in the U.S.
 

Mayor Signs National Osteopathic Medicine Week Proclamation
Thursday, April 18, 2013 - 1:23pm

Hattiesburg, Miss., April 18, 2013 - On Tuesday, April 16, (center) Mayor Johnny DuPree signed a proclamation during the city council meeting declaring April 14-20 to be National Osteopathic Medicine Week and urging all citizens and community organizations to support this observance by helping to educate residents about DOs and osteopathic medicine. Looking on as Mayor DuPree signed the proclamation was (left to right) Dr. James Turner, dean of the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM), and medical students Nicholas Swindle, Katy, Texas; Nandini Mehta, New York, NY; Evan Harsh, Fayetteville, Ark.; Alexis Cates, Mandeville, La.; Jamie Bishop, Prattville, Ala., and Jason Eversole, Fort Worth, Texas.

Safe Drug Use Topic of WCU Lecture
Monday, April 15, 2013 - 4:19pm

Hattiesburg, Miss., April 15, 2013 - Dr. Francis Achike, professor of pharmacology and clinical skills in the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM), will present a lecture titled, “Advancing Safe Drug Use Through Interprofessional Education” on April 17 at 3 p.m. in the Lucile Parker Gallery. This lecture is a part of WCU’s University Lecture Series.

The presentation will address the increasing global awareness of the need for Interprofessional Collaborative Patient-centered Care (IPCPC) for improved healthcare delivery.  Historically, there have been several attempts at IPCPC, but several of these failed due to the lack of educational preparedness for would-be IPCPC practitioners; hence, the current push by national and international professional bodies for pre-licensure interprofessional education (IPE).  The multi-professional involvement in the medication use chain (prescribing, dispensing, administration, and termination of medication) dictates a need for multi-professional input (and therefore IPE).  IPE is now recognized as a fundamental prerequisite for tomorrow’s healthcare practice.

Dr. Achike will not only discuss the growing need for IPCPC and IPE, but will also discuss the IPE component that the WCUCOM envisages as part of the Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics curriculum. He will describe the WCUCOM’s pilot IPE class on safe drug use and the feedback from it, which includes the students’ readiness for an IPE curriculum on safe drug use, and the need to develop other healthcare professional programs, such as pharmacy, to strengthen the IPE curriculum.

This is the last lecture in the University Lecture Series for this academic year.
 

Dean of WCUCOM Receives Outstanding Master of Public Health Award
Friday, April 12, 2013 - 9:50am

Hattiesburg, Miss., April 12, 2013 - Dr. James M. Turner, dean of the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM), was the recipient of the Alton B. Cobb Outstanding Master of Public Health Award at the University of Southern Mississippi’s annual College of Health Awards Night at the Thad Cochran Center on April 2. Dr. Michael Forster, dean of the College of Health at USM, and Dr. Ray Newman, chair of the Department of Community Health Sciences at USM, presented the award to Dr. Turner, who is currently a student in the Master of Health program.

Dr. Turner graduated from Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988. He received his Fellow from the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians in 1998 and the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Medicine in 2008. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine from Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, Fla., and completed his Bachelor of Science degree at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus, Ga.

Dr. Turner has worked as an Osteopathic Family Physician and Emergency Physician in Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, and West Virginia. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Medicine. He is also an inspector for the American Osteopathic Association for medical colleges and emergency medicine residencies, and servers on numerous committees of the osteopathic medical profession. Dr. Turner relocated to Hattiesburg from Charleston, West Virginia, where he worked in post- graduate education and developed an emergency medicine residency program. He has worked for the WCUCOM since 2011.