By Laura Turner
SDN Staff Writer

The Student Doctor Network, in coordination with the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA), is pleased to announce the winner of the first annual SDN Scholarship in Community and Preventive Medicine. The inaugural winner is Tamar Nazerian, a first year medical student at Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Scholarship Winner Tamar Nazerian

The scholarship was launched earlier this year to provide support for students that plan to enter the field of community and preventive medicine.

Lee Burnett, physician and co-founder of SDN explains, “As a nonprofit charitable organization we have a responsibility to the greater community.  Our goal with the scholarship is to provide support to a student that also feels that sense of community responsibility. Tamar Nazerian has worked extensively in the area of preventative care. It is wonderful that she is the first recipient of this scholarship.”

Prior to matriculating at Western University, Ms. Nazerian served as the Project Coordinator for the University of Southern California/Childrens Hospital Los Angeles University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, working on two federally grant supported projects. The first was called Project Access for Pediatric Epilepsy, which used telemedicine to bridge the communication gap between pediatric primary care physicians and pediatric subspecialists in rural areas. The second project focused on providing children with special health care needs who are transitioning into adulthood with information to enable them to find appropriate medical care. She also worked at the UCLA Lili Claire Family Resource Center as a Program Coordinator.

Ms. Nazerian completed a Masters in Public Health at the University of Southern California, with a focus on Child and Family Health. She received her Bachelors of Science in Physiological Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a Public Affairs minor with a Social Welfare emphasis.

“I am thrilled and humbled to be the first recipient of this scholarship,” Tamar Nazerian said. “As I wrote in my application essay, I have found that the strategies that are most effective at improving the overall health of a community are not those that rely on individual behaviors or access, but instead focus on improving society’s collective health and wellness. My goal is to serve as a Pediatrician and focus on early intervention to improve the health and well being of children and society as a whole.”

A complete text of Tamar Nazerian’s application essay is available here.

“We look forward continuing to support students that are focused on community and preventive medicine with this and other scholarships in the future,” said Lee Burnett.  The annual SDN Preventive Medicine Scholarship was offered as two awards, one for SOMA and the other for the AMA-MSS.  SOMA chose to start the scholarship with the 2009 academic year.  In 2010, annual scholarships are planned for additional healthcare professions.

Students enrolled in a full-time health or health-related undergraduate or graduate course of study are invited to submit a poster presentation for the 2008 U.S. Public Health Service Scientific and Training Symposium. The conference will be held June 9-12 at the Tucson Convention Center. More than 1,000 public health administrators, providers, clinicians, professors and representatives from business employing public health professionals are expected to attend. This is an excellent opportunity to obtain experience presenting and to network with others in the field.

Posters can be on any topic related to the field of public health. They will be viewed by attendees from 12 to 5pm at the Tucson Convention Center on Monday June 9 and will be on display during the opening reception from 6 to 8 pm that evening. Students will be asked to stand with their poster to answer questions during these times. The dimensions for each poster are 8′ x 4′ and the deadline for submissions is May 23. Submissions will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and those who submit proposals will be notified of the result weekly (wherever possible). All selected presenters will be notified by May 30. Visit http://www.phscofevents.org/agenda/StudentPoster.cfm to submit.

Students are also encouraged to attend the conference. Registration is free for full-time students (excluding meals). Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn more about public health and the opportunities in this growing and important field! Visit www.phscofevents.org and sign up today!

Learn more about the important upgrades to Kaplan’s Qbank and see how you score on a Qbank Challenge at www.qbankchallenge.com.

Only on SDN – Enter to win Kaplan’s new Step 1 Qbank!
Kaplan is giving away a Step 1 Qbank to the first 100 SDN members who respond to our post. Check the Step 1 forum on Monday, December 10 to learn how to win a FREE 3-month Step 1 Qbank!

As a web-based resource, BOM has assembled the most high yield resources on the topics of Debt Management, Insurance/Policy, Malpractice, and Career Development. Each of the links provided have been screened and reviewed by medical students to provide only the most concise and accurate information. As a student-based organization, local BOM organizations recruit local business leaders and experts to lead small group discussions, organized panels, and Q&A sessions at medical schools. Topics covered include Reimbursement, Financial Planning, Healthcare Management Organizations (HMO), Medicare/Medicaid, Physician Income, and many more. Given the increasing financial pressures on the practice of medicine and the growing medical student debt load, medical students have begun to respond. Students are no longer passive recipients of these forces.

In closing, Brill mentioned his enthusiasm at becoming an SDN partner site, “We would like to reach prospective members and help fellow medical students find appropriate resources through SDN.”

For more information, including how to start a chapter at your school, please visit www.businessofmedicine.org or their newly created forum here on the SDN forums.

The Student Doctor Network would like to welcome its newest partner, the American Medical Association Alliance. The mission of the AMA Alliance is to partner with physicians to promote the good health of America and support the family of medicine. The Alliance network of physicians and physicians’ spouses represents all stages of the medical lifestyle, from the training years to retirement.

The President of the AMA Alliance, Dianne Fenyk, has a message for SDN users.

A Message from AMAA President Dianne Fenyk

The American Medical Association (AMA) Alliance is an organization of opportunities. As Alliance members, we can choose how to take advantage of these opportunities. Studies show that people join an organization for three main reasons:

1.To belong
2.To develop themselves personally
3.To make a difference for the greater good

Alliance membership satisfies all of the above criteria. The AMA Alliance offers a multitude of opportunities with programs, conferences, resources and projects that allow you to choose involvement in an area of personal interest to you. Are you ready to learn leadership skills? Are you interested in contacting your legislators regarding access of care for all Americans? Are you ready to take a stand against tobacco products in movies aimed at children? Do you feel it’s time to get involved with schools to help stop bullying and prevent violence? Are you looking for a project that educates parents on adolescent body image? Are you seeking scholarships or during the training years or a place to stay during residency interviews across the country? Do you want to take care of yourself by participating in a healthy walking challenge? Are you looking for friends with similar goals or similar challenges? The Alliance has it all!

The Alliance’s grassroots program, Screen Out! is designed to make movie studios aware of parental concerns about the harmful effects of tobacco product placement in movies aimed at children. Resources like Hands Are Not For Hitting and You Don’t Have To Be Bullied workbooks teach kids how to deal with conflict, while fact sheets like Childhood Bullies and Victims help children make healthy lifestyle choices. By signing up to join the Alliance’s “One Step at a Time” walking challenge, you’ll be joining physicians and physician spouses across the country who are walking their way to better health.

No matter what you choose to do with the opportunities the Alliance offers, I guarantee you’ll be doing it with like-minded individuals who care about you as much as they care about the health of America.

I promise you I care! Please let me hear from you – I’d love to know what Alliance opportunities may interest you as a resident physician or medical student. My e-mail address is diannefenyk@prodigy.net.

Fondly,
Dianne Fenyk
AMA Alliance President

SDN users who wish to join the Alliance may click here.

The Student Doctor Network is pleased to announce partnerships with two premier health care organizations: the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations – United States (IFMSA-USA) and the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, Undergraduate Division (Pre-SOMA).

IFMSA strives to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through programming and opportunities, IFMSA-USA develops culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet.

The goal of Pre-SOMA is to promote and inform the public about osteopathic medical education as well as to increase the number of applicants to osteopathic medical schools.

SDN is excited to partner with two organizations so dedicated to pre-health and health professional students and looks forward to the reciprocal benefits these alliances will provide. Welcome!

Most academic authors agree that getting published is an important part of being a professional. But it can be an expensive undertaking. Whether sacrificing reasonable compensation for their work or relinquishing use of their own intellectual material, many writers must make unwanted compromises. However, potential authors have more choices than they think. Challenging the notion that academic publishing is a money-losing proposition, Free Educational Publications (FEP) International was created to cater to these very concerns. Working with authors to provide a full gambit of publishing services at no cost, FEP International provides authors with an academic publishing environment that places their ideas and their commitment first.

Dr. Andrew Doan, CEO and President of FEP International, began his publishing company with a simple ethic: provide high-quality publishing services for no cost to its authors. From his own experiences during his ophthalmology residency, Dr. Doan recognized the unpleasant realities of modern academic publishing.

For example, one of his attendings had written a popular textbook that retailed for about $100. Yet, the author averaged only $4 a book in royalties (less than 5% of the total price). With over 5,000 copies sold and the book going out of print, the attending was understandably upset to learn that he would need to purchase the rights to his own material so as to re-publish it on a university Web site. Most amazingly of all, Dr. Doan’s own referral commission for selling the very same book on Amazon.com was nearly $7 a copy!

Inspired by such experiences, Dr. Doan saw an opportunity to change the way academic publishing can be accomplished, offering authors a new method for printing their work free from many of the common drawbacks of the publishing world. Unlike “vanity publishers” where authors pay thousands of dollars to have their books produced, FEP International invests in its authors by providing all its services at no cost. From copy editing, typesetting, and artwork creation, FEP does its best to provide high quality services.

Unique in the world of publishing, FEP also allows authors to retain the use of their intellectual materials. And for those concerned about getting competitive compensation for their work, FEP can offer as high as 40% royalties based upon the retail price of the book. By using strategies that market and sell books directly to readers through the internet, FEP can justify such higher royalties for its authors.

As evidenced by its name, Free Educational Publications, FEP International has set its sights on expanding its publishing presence by providing services with affordability in mind. According to Dr. Doan, an important goal of FEP is to find corporate sponsors for their more popular books and educational resources. Through such sponsorship, they hope to offer books in an open-access format so that they are free to the world. For those who cannot afford a book, it could be read online with advertisements. If someone prefers to own the title without advertising, a printed version could still be purchased.

Similar to the model used by television, radio, or other media dependent upon sponsors, FEP hopes to pair with corporations to provide the best access to content for everyone. With all revenue, including money from advertisements, being shared with their authors, FEP places a premium on the contribution of anyone trying to succeed in academic writing. According to Dr. Doan, “Our goals are to serve academic communities, be an advocate for authors, and support philanthropy.”

FEP International has many publications of particular interest to the SDN community. For those facing the challenges of raising a family while pursuing a rewarding career, Dr. Sheila Carson’s series Mommy MD – Guide to Realistic Parenting is a must-read. Also beginning this fall, FEP is launching a new, open-access peer-reviewed journal titled The Journal of Academic Ophthalmology, supported by program directors from the top ophthalmology programs in the country. Coinciding with this release, FEP plans to print a magazine version of its popular Pearls in Ophthalmology series. Working with corporate sponsors to provide copies of the journal to every program director and copies of the Pearls to every resident and fellow, they are hopeful that this model will become a template for producing journals and magazines in every field of medicine. Please visit FEP International’s MedRounds Web site at www.medrounds.org for more information on these and other titles.

In addition, FEP International has begun publishing a series of books aimed specifically at the SDN community. In his book Caribbean Medical School Primer: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go, Dr. Marcus F. Yarbrough details a personal journey through offshore medical school, providing information and answers that are not to be found in any catalog or on any Web site.

Complimenting this title, Alfa O. Diallo, M.D., M.P.H just released his new book MCAT Pearls: A High-Yield Review of the Pre-medical Science that provides the aspiring physician with an affordable alternative to prepare for the MCAT. Coming in December, The Official Student Doctor Network Guide to Pharmacy School Admissions by Anna Peck will help guide potential pharmacy school students through the process of school selection, applications, interviews, and admissions. Included in the guide will be interviews with practitioners from various areas of the pharmacy profession. Building on this theme, a more in-depth introduction into the career paths of pharmacy will come from Sarah M. Lawrence’s book The Student Doctor Network Pharmacy Career Guide, coming in fall 2008. These books will be found by visiting the SDN section of the MedRounds Web site. Also visit SDN’s Amazon store at for these and other great SDN titles.

FEP International is actively seeking potential authors for future SDN books. Interested individuals should visit FEP International’s Web site at www.fepint.org where details and guidelines for submission are outlined.

To discuss this article on the SDN Forums, click here.

The Student Doctor Network partner site program brings together Web sites that serve pre-health, professional health students and practitioners to advance the work of SDN and the partner organizations. Partner sites are selected based on usefulness, presentation, and frequency of updates. SDN partners must provide students with unique resources that will benefit their academic and professional careers. Today, SDN is pleased to announce a new partnership with the American Podiatric Medical Association, the nation’s largest professional organization representing Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (podiatrists).

Established in 1912, the American Podiatric Medical Association is the premier professional organization representing the nation’s Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (podiatrists). The APMA represents a vast majority of the estimated 15,000 podiatrists in the country. Within APMA’s umbrella of organizations are 53 component societies in states and other jurisdictions, as well as 22 affiliated and related societies. APMA’s national headquarters is in Bethesda, Maryland. APMA has a staff of approximately 60 professionals who are dedicated to promoting foot and ankle health, to member service, and to professional excellence.

The direct ancestor of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), the National Association of Chiropodists (NAC), was established in 1912 with 225 chiropodist members. Prior to 1912, professional organizations of chiropodists existed in five states, beginning with the world’s first organization of chiropodists in 1895, the Pedic Society of New York.

The earliest years of the NAC were focused on education. Between 1912 and 1916, seven schools were founded, and the Council on Education (predecessor of the Council on Podiatric Medical Education) was established in 1918.

In 1920, the NAC reorganized its annual meeting as a national convention of state delegates, based upon dues-paying members in the state societies. Following World War II, the NAC focused on profession-wide concerns such as standardization, public relations and recruitment, research and practice-building.

The NAC experienced growing pains in the 1950s, caused in part by inadequate staffing and a drop in college enrollments once returning veterans graduated. The NAC undertook a significant reorganization in 1956 with a new constitution, bylaws, and governance structure. In 1957, the NAC was renamed the American Podiatry Association (APA). “Chiropody” was often confused by the public, and the Greek roots of “podiatry” mean “foot doctor,” which was viewed to be a better professional rubric.

In the early 1960s, education again dominated APA concerns. APA called for review and reform of the schools’ educational processes. APA also identified needs for definition of the profession, inter-professional cooperation, and enhanced public relations. These efforts placed the profession in a stronger position by the late 1960s. In 1969, the APA staff of 15 moved to a new headquarters building on Chevy Chase Circle in Washington, D.C.

In 1984, APA was renamed the American Podiatric Medical Association to emphasize the profession as part of mainstream medical practice. In 1987, APMA moved to its current headquarters building in Bethesda, MD. The history of APMA has been one of steady, determined growth marked by the recognition that the integrity of the educational process and the contributions of individual practitioners are paramount to the strength and success of the profession.

Podiatric medicine is the field of medicine that strives to improve the overall health and well-being of patients by focusing on preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions associated with the foot and ankle. Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (DPMs) are physicians and surgeons who practice on the lower extremities, primarily on feet and ankles. The preparatory education of most DPMs includes four years of undergraduate work, followed by four years in an accredited podiatric medical school, followed by a hospital-based residency. DPMs are licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to diagnose and treat the foot and its related or governing structures by medical, surgical, or other means. The vast majority of states also include ankle care as part of the podiatric physician’s scope of practice.

In addition to private practice, podiatrists serve on the staffs of hospitals and long-term care facilities, on the faculties of schools of medicine, as commissioned officers in the Armed Forces and the U.S. Public Health Service, in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and in municipal health departments. Many podiatrists today are also members of group medical practices.

The skills of podiatric physicians are in increasing demand because disorders of the foot and ankle are among the most widespread and neglected health problems. The Student Doctor Network is fortunate to count the APMA among its partner sites as we work together to advance the podiatric medical profession and serve students, residents and physicians.

To visit the APMA Web site please go to www.APMA.org
To visit the Podiatric Residents & Physicians Forum – cohosted by APMA Click here
To discuss this article on the forums please visit this link: Article Discussion

Officials from Oakland University and Beaumont Hospitals announced last week they will create a privately funded medical school on Oakland’s campus.

Beaumont and Oakland jointly filed a letter of intent with the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) to begin the process of establishing an allopathic medical school.

“Studies show that there is a looming shortage of physicians, nationally and especially in Michigan,” said Ananias Diokno, M.D., Beaumont’s Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “This new medical school will help fill the gap.”

In addition to addressing the doctor shortage, the new medical school will have a significant economic impact on southeast Michigan. According to the AAMC, the economic impact of medical schools and teaching hospitals is $451 billion nationwide, $18 billion alone in Michigan.

“Beaumont is the largest, private-staff model teaching hospital and academic medical center in the country,” said Kenneth J. Matzick, President and CEO, Beaumont Hospitals. “Becoming the primary teaching hospital and equal partner of a medical school is the logical next step.”

Officials said the first two years of the four-year curriculum will consist of basic medical science in classrooms and labs on Oakland’s campus. Students are placed in hospitals for clinical rotations in years three and four at Beaumont’s two hospitals in Royal Oak and Troy, Michigan. The medical school will be funded by foundations, individual and corporate donations. Plans to erect a new building to house the medical school on Oakland’s campus have already been discussed.

The charter class is expected to be admitted in 2010.