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Jann Gael, OMS-IV, is a medical school student at Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest. Born in Amarillo, TX, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of science in biology before spending several years working at the university as an embryology research assistant. During his time in research, Gael invested his efforts towards fully characterizing fundamental physiological processes necessary for proper human development in the hopes of elucidating mechanisms that could be used to create treatments for congenital disease. Currently, in his role as a medical student, Gael believes that diligence, integrity, and a love of learning will allow him to best serve and support his future patients and peers. Focusing on the flexibility needed to view problems from different perspectives, he holds these values as essential in creating a robust and reliable foundation for treatment plans that can best address a patient’s needs.

Medicine offers the perfect venue in which deductive reasoning and natural curiosity can be used to affect and improve the lives of others more directly. Passionate about the field of pathology, Gael was drawn to the challenge of finding connections between vast amounts of information, the openness to collaboration needed to address a problem from multiple angles, and the critical thinking skills required to be successful in these endeavors.

Alongside his love of science, Gael indulges in his passion for fine arts. Music has always played an instrumental part in Gael’s life, even more so now in the face of COVID. In his spare time, he enjoys performing lullabies on the piano, singing (poorly but enthusiastically) to songs from the last musical he’s seen, or listening to music livestreams as he sketches and writes on his weekend evenings.

Tune in to learn more about Gael’s path to osteopathic medicine, his passion for working with others, and his experiences navigating life and medicine as a transgender medical student.

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In this episode of D.O. or Do Not, we interview Dr. Melanie Jessen. Dr. Jessen is the Family Medicine Residency Director at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois. Dr. Jensen also serves as the second-year Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine course director at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and subsequently attended the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she also completed her internship, a neurology residency, and a family medicine residency. Dr. Jessen has served as president of the Illinois Osteopathic Medical Society and was a  delegate for the American Osteopathic Association.

I hope you enjoy her journey starting as a teacher of dance and music and ultimately pivoting direction to attend medical school and become an osteopathic physician.  

Hosted by Tiffany Carlson
Edited by Thomas Jasionwski

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In this episode of D.O. or Do Not, we welcome Dr. Justin Boge.

Dr. Boge did a residency in anesthesiology at UW Madison and a fellowship in pain medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. He is an Air Force veteran who is currently on staff at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  While working part-time in his pain management practice, he is simultaneously furthering his education with a Master of Health Administration through Cornell University.

In this interview, Dr. Boge will tell us how he chose osteopathic medicine and why he decided to pursue extra time as a teaching assistant in osteopathic manipulation while in medical school at Des Moines University. He will talk about his experiences serving in Iraq and how he chose to specialize in anesthesia and pain management. I hope you enjoy his story and journey in being and becoming an osteopathic physician. Thanks for listening!

Hosted by Tiffany Carlson
Edited by Nicholas Buskill

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In this episode, we interview Dr. Georgeanne Freeman, a family medicine physician who graduated from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa. She then went on to complete her intern year at East Tennessee State University followed by a family medicine residency at the University of Washington. Currently, Dr. Freeman owns her own full-spectrum family medicine practice called Downtown Doctor in Austin, Texas. She is also the founder of Hippo Hydrate, which provides rehydration treatments for a variety of ailments.

Hosted by Madli Vahtra 
Edited by Thomas Jasionwski

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In this episode of D.O. Or Do Not, Dr. Tonni Bacoat-Jones shares her story with us. Dr. Bacoat graduated with a degree in mathematics from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended medical school at Des Moines University and completed a traditional osteopathic rotating internship in Brooklyn New York. Dr. Bacoat completed a residency in anesthesiology and a pain management fellowship at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Ultimately, she went on to work and teach at Nova-Southeastern University on the Clearwater campus, where she is currently the post-baccalaureate gross anatomy course director and assistant course director for first-year medical students. Dr. Bacoat holds a Master of Public Health that she obtained through George Washington University.

In this interview, Dr. Bacoat will tell us about her journey as a non-traditional medical student who raised her five-year-old daughter during her studies at Des Moines. She describes how an early family mentor led her to choose osteopathic medicine and will give students her study strategies to be successful in medical school. We hope you enjoy listening to Dr. Bacoat’s journey.

Hosted by Tiffany Carlson
Edited by Nicholas Buskill

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In today’s episode, we have Dr. Tuvia Marciano. Dr. Marciano is a pediatric gastroenterologist at NYU Langone on Long Island. He graduated from the New York Institute of Technology in 2000 and completed his pediatrics residency at Downstate Medical Center before moving on to finish his pediatric gastroenterology fellowship in 2007 at the prestigious Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Marciano has won several awards for his excellent care and is featured in multiple regional guides including Newsday and New York Magazine. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Edited by Thomas Jasionwski

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Dr. Ariel Nassim is a sports medicine physician at Nassim Medical in New York. He graduated from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel. He also completed a sports medicine fellowship at Drexel University College of Medicine. In addition to his regular practice, Dr. Nassim has worked with several professional athletes at various sports events, including the US Open and Pan American Games. He is even scheduled to be on Team USA’s medical staff at the upcoming 2021 Olympics.

Hosted by Madli Vahtra 
Edited by Thomas Jasionwski

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Today, we will be speaking with Dr. Jim MacKenzie, a child psychiatrist in Chicago. Dr. MacKenzie graduated from the Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He then completed his residency in psychiatry at Loyola University followed by a fellowship in child psychiatry at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. He went on to practice academic medicine, but recently transitioned much of his time to focus on political advocacy. He is currently working to expand the scope of practice of family medicine physicians to include psychiatric care. As you will soon see, Dr. MacKenzie demonstrates how intelligent and thoughtful psychiatrists can be. If you have not previously considered a career in psychiatry, I know you will be inspired to reconsider after listening to his interview about topics ranging from autism to how a pizza party changed his life.

Hosted by Madli Vahtra 
Edited by Celine Tran

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For our fourth and final Osteopathic Medicine Month episode, we had the pleasure to host Student Doctor Edith Waskel, OMS-IV, and Student Doctor Edward Ng, OMS-IV, MS. Edie and Ed are current fourth-year osteopathic medical students and soon-to-be graduates of the Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (WU-COMP) in Pomona, California. Successfully beating the odds and couples-matching to the University of Illinois-Chicago Emergency Medicine Residency program, they will begin their physician journey as emergency medicine interns this July.

Drawn to the mind, body, and spirit approach of osteopathic medicine, Edie felt a career as an osteopathic physician was a natural choice. As she entered medical school, she quickly recognized her passion for healthcare policy and osteopathic political advocacy and entered into leadership roles within the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA). Currently, she serves as the student representative on the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Board of Trustees. In this position, Edie has worked alongside Kevin Klauer, D.O., EJD,  current CEO of the AOA, to help eliminate any remaining osteopathic medical student discrimination students may have encountered when applying to away rotations and residencies – a huge success for the osteopathic profession. Additionally, enthusiastic about social medicine, she has also served as the National SOMA Community Outreach Director and on the SOMA Resolutions Committee to help amplify the osteopathic medical student voice.

Ed also found that the osteopathic philosophy aligned with his own healthcare philosophy and chose to pursue a career as an osteopathic physician over the allopathic route – with the added bonus that WU-COMP was close to home. As a first-generation American and college student, Ed’s connection to medicine grew from his humble roots and desire to serve others. Like Edie, Ed chose to pursue medical school leadership positions focused on healthcare policy and osteopathic political advocacy. As a medical student, he served on the American Association of Osteopathic Medicine’s Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents by overseeing the Mental Health Awareness Task Force. In this position, he helped to organize the Osteopathic Medical Student Day of Wellness, which is dedicated to bringing recognition to the mental health challenges medical students face and stopping the stigma associated with mental health. Similarly to Edie, he also worked to pass osteopathic medical policy to help further and better the profession by acting as an alternate voting delegate at the 2019 American Osteopathic Association House of Delegates.

As they enter into the next stage of their osteopathic medical career, Edie and Ed are excited for their future together as emergency medicine residents in Chicago, IL – and hopefully, with a puppy. Tune in to learn more about their experience with the NRMP couple’s match, healthcare policy and osteopathic political advocacy, and their advice for students pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine.

Edited by Nicholas Buskill

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For our third Osteopathic Medicine Month episode, we had the honor to host pediatrician Dr. Tyree Winters, DO, FACOP, FAAP. Dr. Winters is both the Pediatric Residency Associate Program Director and the third-year medical student pediatric clerkship director at Goryeb Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Winters is committed to community pediatrics and child advocacy and maintains a special interest in helping youth combat obesity. To that end, he created a dance exercise program called “Hip Hop with a Doc” for kids and adopted the moniker "Dr. Tye."

Tune in to learn more about Dr. Winter’s path to pediatrics, his passion for osteopathic medicine, and advice to students intent on pursuing a career as an osteopathic pediatrician.

Edited by Nicholas Buskill