In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on our communities and our country, claiming the lives of over half a million Americans. With this influx of deaths, medical coroners find themselves on the frontlines combating the disease. Accurately classifying deaths is an essential part of understanding the disease, as well as allocating resources to areas that are most affected.

This episode features a discussion with PCOM's Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Chair of the Forensic Medicine program, Greg McDonald, DO ‘89. In this episode, Dr. McDonald discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the point of view of a forensics expert. In addition to his role at PCOM, Dr. McDonald serves as the chief deputy coroner for Montgomery County.

This episode features a discussion with Michael Tecce, DO ‘15, resident physician in plastic surgery and assistant instructor in surgery at Penn Medicine and a PCOM alumnus.

After spending five years in public accounting, Dr. Tecce transitioned his career in pursuit of full-time academics in medicine. As a student at PCOM, Dr. Tecce completed a one-year graduate fellowship in bioethics and served on multiple medical mission trips to Guatemala. He also founded the Philadelphia Surgical Conference, a clinical skills conference held annually for medical students enrolled in all Philadelphia-area medical schools. As a resident, he recently developed a tech-based platform for at-home services and is the first person from Penn Plastic Surgery to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Tecce’s inspiring personal story no doubt has parallels to experiences and challenges we all share, particularly in the present moment. As a PCOM alum, Dr. Tecce brings a valuable perspective to our work here at the College, and I hope you enjoy our conversation.

This episode features a discussion with PCOM's Chief Admissions Officer, Adrianne Jones, MLS, on the increasing number of medical school applications from traditionally underrepresented communities.

As our population continues to grow more diverse, the need is critical for health professionals to be representative of the people and communities they serve. PCOM has an important role to play in creating a more equitable system of healthcare across the country, and I hope you enjoy this frank conversation on how we might achieve that equity and attract a more diverse student population.

Listen now and subscribe on SoundCloud or iTunes, or visit http://pcom.edu. , the Office of the President to learn more.

Each year, our three campuses nominate one student for the Student DO of the Year, a nationwide award presented by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. The students are selected by their classmates and faculty members based on their service to the college, their leadership and research experiences, and their dedication to the osteopathic profession.

In this episode, we discuss why these nominees chose osteopathic medicine, how they’re making the most out of medical school during COVID-19 and how to establish trust and personal relationships with patients amidst the pandemic. We also dive into the topics of mental health and meaningful medical school experiences.

With a focus on our students, this episode features a discussion with PCOM leaders Patience Mason, MEd, and Patrick Wolf, MBA, about the College’s response to the challenges we have faced due to the pandemic.

Patience is the College’s Chief Student Affairs Officer and leads the student affairs operation for our 2,800 students at the Philadelphia, Suwanee and Moultrie campuses. Patrick is the College’s Chief Occupational and Environmental Safety Officer. He is responsible for ensuring PCOM work environments in Pennsylvania and Georgia comply with all institutional, city, state and federal safety policies, codes and regulations.

During our discussion, we talked about the precautions and safety initiatives we’ve instituted across all campuses, the success of these guidelines, the challenges we’ve faced, and some of the lessons we’ve learned during this time.

This episode features a discussion with PCOM South Georgia’s Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Stacie Fairley, PhD.

Since making its way into our country earlier this year, COVID-19 has impacted all areas—urban and rural. The rural areas have seen devastating effects of the pandemic with contributing factors such as under-resourced health systems, disproportionate rates of poverty and food insecurity, limited internet access, and economies largely built on essential industries and services.

During this podcast, we discuss the effects of COVID-19 on rural America, the importance of osteopathic physicians in these areas, and how PCOM South Georgia is helping to combat the underlying issues that have been brought to light by the pandemic.

This episode features a discussion with PCOM's chair of school psychology, Jessica Kendorski, PhD. The fight against COVID-19 has drastically affected how students around the country will be receiving their education this fall. Dr. Kendorski gives guidance for parents as they determine the best plans for their family and what they can do to support their children's mental health as they return to school.

In addition to advice on back-to-school planning, Dr. Kendorski and I also discuss the long-term effects the pandemic may have on children as well as the impact of this challenging time on the College’s emergency response plans.

Along with social distancing, hand sanitizing and wearing a mask, the development of a vaccine is seen as the foremost way to combat COVID-19, a global pandemic with far-reaching effects. Currently, there is a race taking place among researchers and laboratories to develop a vaccine to immunize citizens of the world against this novel coronavirus. PCOM Georgia faculty members discuss with PCOM President Jay S. Feldstein, DO, the process involved in developing, testing and distributing a vaccine.

This episode features a discussion with PCOM students Hiral Patel (DO ‘22), PCOM Georgia, and Gabi Yankelevich (DO ‘21). Looking for ways to support their communities as the COVID-19 crisis deepened, Hiral and Gabi gathered with classmates and decided to organize and make a difference. In Suwanee, Hiral and others established a student-run service offering grocery shopping to local residents. In Philadelphia, Gabi and her classmates responded to the urgent need for personal protective equipment by raising funds to secure FDA-approved N95 respirator masks for local health professionals.

With the onset of a global health crisis, PCOM students have risen to the occasion and shown remarkable strength, resilience and, perhaps most importantly, humanity. I am incredibly proud of the work these and other students have done to represent the PCOM community, as well as their own communities, in a time of great need.

This episode features a discussion with Dr. Erik Polan, assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, PCOM Transitional Year Program Director, and core faculty for PCOM Internal Medicine residency. Most recently, Dr. Polan has been working on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 with internal medicine residents at Roxborough Memorial Hospital .

Our discussion explored what life has been like for Dr. Polan and his residents; the unique challenges this public health crisis presents; tips for the general public to reduce the risk of infection; and what the future of healthcare may look like post-COVID. We also discussed ways the PCOM community can support and keep each other safe during this time.