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

Send us Fan Mail

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Gerard Baltazar, with whom I will be working in the future at my residency. Dr. Baltazar is a trauma and intensive care surgeon at NYU Langone Health. He obtained his undergraduate degree in biology and fine arts from Georgetown University and his D.O. degree from Touro University in 2007.

Dr. Baltazar completed his general surgical residency at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, and finished a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at Rutgers University Hospital in Newark, NJ. He has received several regional, state, and national awards for scientific research, writing, and community service. His research interests include traumatic brain injury, international medicine, and osteopathic manipulative treatment for surgical patients. He has volunteered for surgical missions on three continents and was the recipient of the 2015 Oriens Award from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Before joining NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Dr. Baltazar was Director of Surgical Critical Care at a safety-net hospital in the Bronx.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to the first episode in our series highlighting physicians for  Osteopathic Awareness Month. Today, we interview Jason Haxton, who has been awarded an "honorary D.O." because of his role as the director of the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, MO. for the past 20 years. Today, he will share with us some of the fascinating history of osteopathy.

The collections of the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine include more than 80,000 objects, photographs, documents, and books dating from the early 1800s to the present (focused mainly on 1870–1940). The core of the collection consists of artifacts from the professional and private life of A. T. Still, the founder of osteopathy; most of the artifacts were donated by Dr. Still's daughter and her family members.

Since the founding of the museum in 1934, other family members, DOs, and museum supporters have donated many additional artifacts that reflect the ongoing history of the osteopathic profession. The research collections of the International Center for Osteopathic History (ICOH) also include many former holdings of the A. T. Still Memorial Library, for which the museum assumed responsibility in 1997. Of note, when we interviewed Dr. Darnita Anderson Hill last month, author of "Blacks in Osteopathic Medicine: An Idea Whose Time Has Come," she found the resources of the museum invaluable to her writings. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Send us Fan Mail

Today, we have a special episode for you in celebration of National Doctor’s Day. For the past 14 months, we have been interviewing osteopathic physicians about their career journeys and experiences. We like to ask them about the best advice they have for students entering the field of medicine. Today, we have compiled for you some of the most valuable advice we have heard from our guests to help motivate you through YOUR journey in medicine. We hope you enjoy this episode!

Created and edited by Madli Vahtra

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to our 39th episode and the fourth installment in the resident physician series. Today, we have Dr. Tara Gaston, a fifth-year orthopedic resident at Rowan University and Jefferson-Kennedy Hospital. Prior to receiving her DO degree at Rowan University, she obtained a master's in physiology and biophysics and a bachelor's in biology at Gettysburg College. She is married to a previous guest we have had on this podcast, Dr. Ryan Moncman, a neurosurgery resident.

In this episode, Dr. Gaston talks about what made her choose orthopedic surgery and her journey into the challenges faced by female physicians in what is historically perceived as a male-dominated field. We hope you enjoy this episode and our others dedicated to Women’s History Month.

This episode was hosted by Daniella Rodriguez OMS-III at Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Edited by Thomas Jasionowski

Send us Fan Mail

Third-year osteopathic medical student Madli Vahtra is joined by her colleague, Tiffany Carlson, in speaking to Dr. Teresa Hubka, a D.O. practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Chicago. Dr. Hubka graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed an internship year in New Jersey at the Atlantic City Medical Center and her residency in OB/GYN at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. After residency, Dr. Hubka started a private practice that subsequently grew into Comprehensive Wellness Care, a practice that specializes in the total care of women of all ages. Dr. Hubka is a clinical professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is also the Obstetrics and Gynecology Program Director at Presence Resurrection Medical Center. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Hosted by Madli Vahtra & Tiffany Carlson
Edited by Nicholas Buskill

Send us Fan Mail

Carisa Champion is the third resident DO physician we have had on the podcast. She is currently a fourth-year surgical resident at the University of Florida Health in Jacksonville, FL.

In medical school, she not only graduated with a concomitant doctor of osteopathy degree and a jurisprudence doctorate, making her a physician and lawyer, but also a master's in public health.

Dr. Champion's resume includes acting as a White House intern, AOA Board of Trustees Student Representative, national chair of the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP), and member of the Board of Trustees of the Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health, to name just a few of her accolades.

On top of her duties as a surgical resident, Dr. Champion has been working as a member of the production staff for the TV show "Grey’s Anatomy" and with the FDA to find a treatment for COVID-19! We hope you enjoy the interview!

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, we have Dr. Cindy Hoffman. Dr. Hoffman graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1985 and completed both family medicine and dermatology residencies by 1990.

Dr. Hoffman's practice ranges from general dermatology to Mohs surgery and even cosmetic and laser treatments. She rounds out her busy schedule by acting as the dermatology residency director at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx and is the course director of the dermatology department at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.

In episode 19, we spoke with her about how DO students can be competitive for dermatology residency positions. Today, we will learn more about the competitive field of dermatology through her own private journey. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Edited by Thomas Jasionowski