D.O. or Do Not: The Osteopathic Physician's Journey for Premed & Medical Students

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In April of 2022, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) graciously invited the D.O. or do not podcast to attend their national meeting, the “Educating Leaders” conference, in Denver, Colorado. Our two producers, Lerone Cark, MS-II at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Brooke Pillegi, MS-II at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as Ben Berg, our pre-medical student liaison, attended the conference to continue our mission of promoting awareness of osteopathic medicine by interviewing leaders in the field.

We would like to thank Dr. Robert Cain, president of AACOM, Joseph Shapiro, director of media relations, and Helene Cameron, vice president of medical education services, for having us at the conference and supporting the podcast. We had an amazing experience and would recommend the conference to any medical or pre-medical students interested in learning more about the inner workings of osteopathic medicine and osteopathic medical education.

Mr. David Bergman, J.D. is Vice President of Government Relations for the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). His team works with Congress and agency professionals to directly advocate for the osteopathic profession. Mr. Bergman comes from a family of M.D.'s and has worked in medical policy for many years. Upon learning of osteopathic medicine, he quickly embraced the osteopathic profession and what it stands for. In this episode, Mr. Bergman discusses the contributions he and his AACOM team have made on behalf of D.O.’s and his goals for the future. For any listeners interested in becoming more involved in AACOM, medical policy, or advocacy, this episode is a must-listen that we are sure you will enjoy.

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Welcome to the D.O. or DO Not Podcast. My name is Ben Berg, a “nontraditional" premedical student who graduated from Albany University and is now doing postgraduate work at Hunter College in New York to prepare to apply to osteopathic schools for the 2023 application cycle. I was lucky enough to attend AACOM's “Educating Leaders 2022” conference in Denver, Colorado. Attending the conference afforded me an incredible week of lectures and networking. It was a great experience that I would recommend to any premedical student. Attending the conference as a representative of the podcast provided me with an incredible opportunity to be surrounded by great osteopathic physicians as well as administrators. Speaking for myself, this experience truly affirmed my desire to become an osteopathic physician. The reason for the trip was so that I represent the premedical student perspective and share my experience with our premedical listeners who are interested in osteopathic medicine - and that is what we are going to do in this episode.

Tune in to listen to Ben Berg, our premedical student liaison, interview Dr. Helene Cameron, Ph.D. Dr. Cameron serves as the Vice President of Undergraduate Medical Education Services for AACOM (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine). In this interview, Dr. Cameron offers insight into how AACOMAS (AACOM Application Service), which is a subsidiary of AACOM, works to help premedical students matriculate into osteopathic medical school, as well as provides crucial information and dates about the upcoming application cycle. 

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In April of 2022, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) graciously invited the D.O. or Do Not Podcast to attend their national meeting, the "Educating Leaders” conference, in Denver, Colorado. Our two producers, Lerone Cark, MS-II at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Brooke Pillegi, MS-II at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as Ben Berg, our pre-medical student liaison, attended the conference to continue our mission of promoting awareness of osteopathic medicine by interviewing leaders in the field.

We would like to thank Dr. Robert Cain, president of AACOM, Joseph Shapiro, director of media relations, and Helene Cameron, vice president of medical education services, for having us at the conference and supporting the podcast. We had an amazing experience and would recommend the conference to any medical or pre-medical students interested in learning more about the inner workings of osteopathic medicine and osteopathic medical education.

In today’s episode, we interview Jeanne Sandella, D.O., a family medicine-trained physician who currently serves as Vice President of Professional Development Initiatives and Communications for the NBOME (National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners). Dr. Sandella will discuss important topics relevant to current and incoming osteopathic students across the country, including the  Level 1 switch to pass/fail, changes surrounding the Level 2 PE, and her thoughts on D.O. students who feel pressure to take both COMLEX and USMLE to secure their desired residency programs.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

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Today, we are excited to hear from Dr. Sadia Riaz.

Dr. Riaz is a board-certified hematologist/oncologist. This specialty deals with disorders of the blood as well as various tumors and cancers. Training is intensive, with three years of internal medicine residency followed by three years of fellowship.

Dr. Riaz started her career in an accelerated seven-year program at NYITCOM, followed by post-doctorate training at a large academic institution.

She then went on to private practice, followed by a decade working in academics focusing on oncology and transplant medicine, and finally transitioning back to private practice.

In this episode, Dr. Riaz discusses her journey and the challenges she has faced as a Muslim female in medicine today. She also draws on her own experiences and shares her advice for women who are seeking careers in similarly competitive subspecialties of medicine.

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Dr. Jeremy Polman, D.O., is a third-year internal medicine resident and aspiring gastroenterologist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Polman attended Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school and Baton Rouge General for internal medicine residency. He is passionate about teaching and has even worked for an online education company throughout his residency that helps thousands of D.O. and M.D. students prepare for both USMLE and COMLEX. He also recently published a book, Osteopathic Medicine: A Core Concepts Approach, to further simplify learning the osteopathic principles. Tune in today to listen to Dr. Polman’s path to osteopathic medicine and all that he has contributed to the osteopathic profession thus far!

On today’s episode we interview Dr. James Jones, who currently serves as Dean at Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) in Dothan, Alabama. Dr. Jones attended medical school at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM), after which he trained in Emergency Medicine in the LSU Charity Hospital program in New Orleans. He is a strong advocate for the principles of osteopathic medicine and even acquired a fellowship in Integrative Medicine. Tune in today to hear about Dean Jones’ path to osteopathic medicine as well as what ACOM has to offer under his leadership!

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Today on D.O. or Do Not, we have Ashton Gatewood, an osteopathic medical student at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. Gatewood is a member of the Choctaw Nation and a descendant of Cherokee and Chickasaw ancestors. Before enrolling in medical school, she worked as a nurse and health care administrator at an Indian Health Services clinic in Oklahoma City for almost five years. While at OSU-COM, Ashton was distinguished in January as the OSU-COM Student Doctor of the Year and recently was runner-up for National Student D.O. Doctor of the Year. In this episode, Gatewood discusses her Cherokee and Chickasaw ancestry along with her unique experiences as a Native American osteopathic medical student.

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In this episode, we have Dr. Lewerenzii, who gives us a unique perspective of a physician working in a non-clinical position. Dr. Lewerenzii graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, now better known as A.T. Still University. He completed his residency in family medicine. After 10 years of practicing, he decided he wanted to do something different. Dr. Lewerenzii tells his experience and path of becoming a Medical Science Liaison (MSL), where he works to bridge the gap between healthcare workers in the field and the pharmaceutical industry. As an MSL, he has worked in multiple disciplines including rheumatology, dermatology, and, currently, gastroenterology. This episode will give pre-medical and medical students the opportunity to explore unique careers and roles while still being a physician.

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Dr. John Biery is a family medicine-trained physician that currently teaches osteopathic manipulative medicine at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine and also recently completed an osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine (ONMM) residency. In this episode, Dr. Biery discusses the different possible routes to ONMM residency, including his unique path that involved pharmacy school, the Navy, osteopathic medical school, family medicine residency, sports medicine fellowship, and finally ONMM residency. Tune in to this episode to hear what one might expect during ONMM residency as well as how it has augmented Dr. Biery’s career since he completed it.

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In this episode, we will hear commentary from Ian Storch, D.O. to "break down" the recent "D.O." performance from Hasan Minhaj on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," both to discuss some misconceptions that may arise from the comedian's comments as well as discuss some of the hard truths that are brought up and how D.O.'s might learn from them.

We interview David Siegel, a professional comedian in Florida who has worked with Comedy Central and appeared on America's Got Talent. David will discuss the thoughts of a comedian when writing a skit and the importance of an audience to try not to take them too seriously.