TouroCOM News

This semester, 18-year-old Kylee Rivas has been able to hold a human heart and brain; maneuver an ultrasound machine to view kidneys, hearts and bladders; and practice saving a life with CPR techniques. She also presented a medical case to her high school peers “Grand Rounds” style—mimicking what medical students do while training on the hospital floors.

The world is full of talented artists and accomplished physicians – but how many successfully combine the two, excelling at both?

Every day, Dr. Chaim Poper’s patients face a bewildering array of complications caused by chronic conditions such as ALS, MS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s Disease. For his patients, Dr. Poper, the long-term care director for Ezras Choilim in Monroe, NY, has two goals: to ensure a stable quality of life and—especially given the pandemic—to keep his patients in their homes and out of the hospital.

Sarah Loftus, OMS-II at TouroCOM Middletown, is a 2^nd Lieutenant in the United States Army and president of the school’s Armed Forces Medical Club. Recently she organized and moderated a well—attended webinar for students with NASA Astronaut and Colonel Andrew Morgan, an astronaut on the International Space Station. They explored how a medical career in the military can be rewarding and propel physicians into space. We discussed with Sarah her interest in medicine and military service.

Last summer, TouroCOM Middletown twins Kimberly and Bridget Brafi were excited to be starting the school’s DO and master’s programs, respectively. But there was a wrinkle: they needed permission to skip orientation because they’d already committed to hosting a mentoring session in Virginia for youth on the topic of career readiness.

In November, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown student Simal Ali, OMS-II, was recognized by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine for her efforts in promoting the field. She launched a lifestyle medicine campus interest group earlier this year that now has over 110 members.

Community health fairs hosted and staffed by Harlem’s Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) attracted people of all ages and colors for health screenings and education recently.

Middletown, New York — Alexa Walsh, a third-year student at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM), was named recipient of the 2021 Sullivan 180 Medical Scholarship, TouroCOM Executive Dean Kenneth Steier announced today. This award promotes the practice of medicine in underserved areas by offering tuition assistance to a TouroCOM Middletown student who has demonstrated financial need, outstanding academic work and dedication to improving the health of the local community.

Abbey Santanello, OMS IV at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, and her faculty advisor Professor Mikhail Volokitin, recently won a 2021 Student Research Fellowship Grant from the Touro College and University System to study the causes of common dysfunctions among runners and how to prevent injuries and relapses. We explored with Ms. Santanello her research and interest in osteopathic medicine.

Washington D.C. — Fernando P. Bruno, MD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Anatomy at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown, has been awarded a Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His fellowship placement will be at the Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, within the National Institutes of Health.