2006 Annual Chapter Report

Sigma Sigma Phi

Iota Chapter

Michigan State University

College of Osteopathic Medicine

Submitted by Taleb Hage

AOA Convention 2006
October 16-20, 2006

Las Vegas, NV

Sunday, October 15, 2006

2006 - 2007 Officers:

President: Taleb Hage

Vice President: Jillian Davis

Secretary/Treasurer: Niamh Condon

Editor: Brain Moody

Faculty Advisor: Dr. John Thornburg D.O., PhD

2006 - 2007 Committee Chairs:

Membership: Melissa Corrion

Fundraising: Natasha Joshi

Philanthropy: Kory Johnson

Rush: Angela Zischke

Induction: Eric Schauberger
Academic (Study Buddies): Melissa Wolinski

Osteopathic Medical Scholars: Neil Dalal

Outreach: Rachel Brock

Social: Jovana Koscica

Diversity: Reddog Sina

Current Membership:

Class of 2007 33

Class of 2008 38

Class of 2009 52

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It has been another fulfilling and beneficial year here at Sigma Sigma Phi Iota Chapter, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. This report is not a mere list of accomplishments and administrative information; it is a description of the unique qualities of this year’s class and new members. This report will show why our members have gotten much praise from faculty and why we’ve seen generous cooperation between students.

Membership for 2005-2006

· 2006 Requirements

This year, the main criteria set to receive an application for admission is solely based on academic performance. All candidates have at least passed every 1^st year class. Our application asks students to describe six categories of achievement: classes of academic honors, involvement in student organizations, peer-to-peer tutoring, community service, recommendations, and awards. Applicants are also required to write an essay about significant changes they have made to their school or community. The new members are chose after much scrutiny.

Members of Iota Chapter are required to keep excellent academic standing and a minimum of 4 hours of community service per semester. This year, members that do poorly in one class due to extenuating circumstances have the option to petition for reactivation of membership and are required to complete additional hours of community service.

· Initiation

At this year’s Σ Σ Π initiation, “growing” was our defining term. Growth in size and passion showed when 52 new members of the Class of 2009 were initiated. Every single member deserved this honor, as exceptional academics, diversity, and service, mark our new group. The Iota Chapter has gained great recognition and our new members are devoted to uphold these standards and work far beyond the minimum.

· Induction

Induction of our biggest selection yet had honorary speeches by the Dean and Associate Dean of MSU-COM. Dean Dr.Strampel emphasized the importance of the realization that our lives will, from now on, revolve around medicine. We will always be responsible for our communities’ lives and the advancement of osteopathic principles. MSU-COM 2006 SSP members were proud to take this responsibility.

Academic Dean Dr.Falls and 2005 SSP president Sam Alam made it clear that Class of 2009 has been exceptional. Class cooperation, community service, and communication with the faculty have been especially plentiful this year. Sigma Sigma Phi members include many of those that have been leaders for our class and vital to these statistics.

My speech, however, focused on the driving force behind my running for president of the Iota Chapter. It was simply my devotion to this class. Personally, I have never been more in tuned and impressed than with my colleagues here at MSU-COM. Every bit that we help each other through this academic journey brings more understanding and success to our learning experience. Better education means better physicians.

Administration for 2006

· Committees

In order to maximize the chapters output and ensure involvement of all of our members, ten committees were formed based on community/school projects and administrational business. Each is headed by a chair who is in charge of their respective committee duties, members, and sub-committees that are created at their own discretion. This system greatly reduced micromanagement, a main problem seen in previous years. Notably, the newest addition, the Diversity Committee, has great potential to show the community that Σ Σ Π embraces the variety that life has afforded us. The committees and sub-committees are as follows:

Projects:	Administration:
o Academic (Study Buddies) · Tutoring · Research · Board Review o Philanthropy o Osteopathic Medical Scholars o Outreach o Social o Diversity	o Membership o Pledge/Rush o Initiation o Fundraising o Awards

· Meetings

This year’s Σ Σ Π meetings are held monthly. Each e-board member and committee chair is required to attend and submit a report. Basic reports consist of in-progress/upcoming projects, and a list of involved members. The e-board is especially proud of this year’s brainstorming capacity and commitment to projects.

Community Activities for 2005-2006

• Focus Hope

The Iota Chapter members participated in Focus Hope’s Vision Screening and Food Drive. This event took place in Detroit and benefited thousands of low income residents. We took part in basic vision screening, registration stations, and canned food distribution. Focus Hope is a nationally recognized civil and human rights organization. Their mission is to use intelligent and practical action to fight racism, poverty and injustice. Their programs focus on community and economic development. Iota Chapter will continue to participate in Focus Hope’s events.

• Cristo Rey

Cristo Rey Community Center is a multicultural agency that provides intervention for short term emergency crisis, long term supportive services, and educational programs to meet the needs of the community, particularly North Lansing. Last year, most Iota chapter members enlisted to serve 4 hours a week in center’s clinic. This was done thru MSU-COM’s Community Medicine In Action organization.

• Special Olympics

Special Olympics held hockey and bowling tournaments. As medical volunteers, Iota chapter members watched games and attended to a variety of minor medical needs.  Two-way radios were provided to contact a doctor if necessary.  Most of the medical concerns were treated with an ice bag, band aids and lots of TLC.

• Friendship Clinic

Friendship Clinic is a student-run clinic that is jointly organized by MSU-COM and MSU-CHM. The goal of the clinic is to provide basic healthcare to the underserved population of the Lansing area while giving first and second year medical students an opportunity to improve their clinical skills. Members present their findings and differential diagnoses to supervising physicians. Students are able to gain confidence in their clinical skills and network with local area physicians who are willing to volunteer their time.

• “What’s In a Doctor’s Bag?”

Last year, this is a program attempted to ease any fears that young children had about going to the doctor. Members went to local elementary schools and spoke with young students about what we do as physicians and what to expect when they go to the doctor’s office. We let the children touch and see the equipment we use and wore our white coats. As a token of appreciation, we left each classroom a toy doctor’s bag/medical kit for the children to play with.

Campus Activities for 2004-2005

• Fund-raisers:

In addition to this year’s scrubs/lab coats sales, various SSP members and faculty put together an “Anatomy Survival Guide” and sold it to the first year students. The next fund-raising endeavor will be held during February, and will consist of selling microorganism dolls. These items will ensure amusement and a successful fundraiser.

Membership dues and fund-raisers generate approximately $2500 of our operating budget used to fund our organization’s activities. Our supportive role in other student organizations demands more responsibilities and thus, the need for additional funds. The scrub/lab coat and Survival Guide sales successfully generated approximately one quarter of our operating budget. These additional funds allow us to extend financial support to our colleagues in their student organizations without raising membership dues.

• Safe Driving:

The Iota chapter has taken it upon us to ensure our fellow classmates have a safe ride home after class get-togethers. A list of volunteer designated drivers has been compiled and will be issued at any school event that involves alcohol. SSP knows how important it is to be there for our classmates and the significance of safe driving.

New Academic Iota Chapter Activities

• MSUCOM Peer-to-Peer Academic Support System “Study Buddies”

In summer of 2005, Sigma Sigma Phi’s MSUCOM Gross Anatomy tutoring was a success, as most our fellow students appreciated it. For the class of 2009, summer anatomy wasn’t only a requirement but a necessary component of our swift transition into medical school. Fortunately, nearly one hundred percent of the class passed. The success was attributed to our hard work, knowledgeable faculty, and in a large part, an effective academic support system. The effectiveness of their contribution motivated me to return the favor to MSUCOM by promoting volunteerism and teamwork amongst my colleagues to assist with their studies; with this purpose, Study Buddies (SB) was created. This semester, SB has taken over last year’s SSP tutoring program as this years Academic Committee and therefore has become a crucial part of Iota Chapter.

With the essential assistance of Iota Chapter members, Melissa Wolinski and Mitch Peabody, and resources from our generous faculty, Study Buddies has become a reliable medical school sidekick. Class-specific discussions led by colleagues, an A.N.G.E.L.-based online networking system, question and answer forums, and volunteer anatomy tutoring are just some of the study aids SB has provided for their fellow students. In particular, the discussion sessions have become an integral part of some students’ study routines. The utilization of “smart classrooms” with projection technology have provided an opportunity to incorporate visual study aids and assist in comprehension of the overwhelming amount of information that we are expected to grasp. Histological slides, for instance, can be analyzed while discussing physiology lecture material. In addition, our convenient ANGEL based network is being utilized by 90% of both our osteopathic and allopathic colleges to share copyright safe, student made study aids.

The main SB (Academic Committee) responsibilities include:

· coordinating and scheduling the volunteer tutors

· acting as liaisons to the COM Office of Academic Support

· providing one-on-one and small group tutoring sessions

· maintaining the file sharing networking system

· assist preparation of Summer Anatomy Survival Guide

Both years in the pre-clerkship program have its own corresponding Study Buddies and both participate in summer anatomy tutoring for the incoming first years (e.g. 2005 SB & 2006 SB will tutor anatomy for Class of 2011). The Academic Committee coordinates both years. The 2^nd year tutors utilized a system of dividing the workload to avoid negatively impacting their own coursework. In a given unit of each course, each tutor would master a specific subset of the objectives. Second year SB members often join 1^st year’s discussion sessions to help direct and emphasize important items in lectures. Members tutored in their strongest areas, and several tutored for multiple courses.

For anatomy lab, stations were created and separated by compartments of the systems (e.g. nerves, vasculature, bones, etc.). One tutor was assigned to each station and students rotated from one station to the next. This system provided the students accurate and well-studied information in the most time-efficient manner. New this year, SB set up practice lab practical that closely mirrored the real exams. Students found this the most helpful in calming their anxiety before the real practical.

The academic committee made sure that priorities of tutoring allowed us to target at-risk students and helped us set a pace that was appropriate for each group. We requested extended anatomy lab hours to provide “after hours” tutoring for those students who were below the passing percentage. This allowed us to conduct special help sessions for students needing extra time in the anatomy lab.

Overall our tutors had a great experience serving the community of medical students. The anatomy students and anatomy faculty were grateful for our tutoring. Moreover, the results of this year’s tutoring were rewarding and successful. Nearly 100% of the class of 2010 passed summer anatomy. The 20 students we worked with increased their average score by over 15 percent!

MSUCOM affords prestige for its valuable education. Tutoring, faculty reviews, peer mentoring, and sharing study aids collectively contribute to this reputation and make our medical school experience a more reasonable one. Sigma Sigma Phi’s Academic Committee (Study Buddies) hopes to remain an integral part of the success students are seeing in each of their classes, and become an extraordinary resource for future students.

Upcoming Activities for 2006-2007

· Holiday at the Hospital

Sigma Sigma Phi will be setting up a thanksgiving celebration in the children’s ward at a local hospital. Decorations, food, and games are on the agenda. We know it will be an amazing day for the kids and for SSP!

· Special Olympics

A number of SSP members will be volunteering as medical staff at this year’s Special Olympics. In Lansing, they will be hosting a Bowling event. Our members are expected to treat any minor injuries, and most importantly, have fun with the participants! Year to year, this is always a rewarding experience.

· Valentine’s Day Blood Drive

In order to fill post holiday gap, SSP hopes to set up an in-school blood drive. Our members will be responsible for manning registration stations and providing any assistance that Red Cross is required.

· Alumni Mixer

All MSU-COM Sigma Sigma Phi alumni are invited to join us at our Social Alumni Mixer during the winter semester. This will enable our new members to make connections and give us a chance to educate each other with our own unique experiences.

Conclusion

During our induction, it was emphasized that from medical school and on, every bit of our daily lives will revolve around being a physician. Our role in medicine will continually present to us responsibility for the wellbeing of our communities and the advancement of osteopathic principles. Our members proudly accept this responsibility with extraordinary generosity and cooperation.

Thank you for taking the time to read our chapter report!

Sigma Sigma Phi Members of the Iota Chapter at MSU COM

OMS IV Dennis Ahmad Andrew Allen Shaily Batki Katherine Cashen Catherine Cavanaugh Richard Chalmers Stacie Demel Esli Gollapalli Irene Grias Justin Grill Derek Handzo Kara Herber April Hodnicak Christopher Houdek Melissa Jacobs Jennifer Jury Brianne Lane Allison Lindemyer Alys Long Jamie Longhurst Phil Mataverde Diane Mater Leana May Masseha McDonald Vincent McGinniss Kimberly Ostrowski Seth Palmer Alysha Persons Sara Peace Eric Ratchford Danielle Rayome Dave Swender C. Luke Wilcox	OMS III Sam Alam Bradley Aymen Gauri Badhwar Seema Bhat Lauren Chung Jody Delind Christine Dugan Anna Fleytman Jeff Frey Jennifer Granger Stacey Hall Sina Joorabchi Rania Khan David Knesek Elizabeth Martin Wendy Miller Patricia Milner Sally Murad Meghan Murphy Denise Olle-Gavorin Drue Orwig Roger Packard Emily Penn Cara Robinson Sima Salman Brad Whitmer	OMSII
		Jennifer Balawender Shalice Bostick Rachel Brock Kelly Burnett Michael Campian Niamh Condon Melissa Corrion Neil Dalal Jillian Davis Taleb Hage Ryan Hart Lynn Hartman Jered Haynor Matthew Holen Jonathan Horbal Jennifer Hwang Leah Jenkins Kory Johnson Natasha Joshi Anna Koniuch Shant Korkigian Jovana Koscica Joanna Lee Brittany Long Therese Long Timothy Long	Monica Maka Tina Metropoulos Brian Moody Amanda Nies Aubrey Parsons Mitchell Peabody Cheryl Peavler Prasanth Pillai Rebecca Rivard Bradley Rosen Saw San Carly Scahill Eric Schauberger Phawanjit Sekhon Stephen Shassberger Brian Shukri Reddog Sina Matthew Sleziak Debra Smouse Andrea Sterling Sheel Tolia Amanda Walker Daniel Weber Rachel Wiseman Melissa Wolinski Angela Zischke

Sigma Sigma Phi is an Honorary Osteopathic Service Fraternity. It's objectives and purposes are: To further the Science of Osteopathic Medicine and its standards of practice, to improve the scholastic standing and promote a higher degree of fellowship among its students, to bring about a closer relationship and understanding between the student bodies and the officials and members of the faculties of our colleges, and to foster allegiance to the American Osteopathic Association and to perpetuate these principles and the teachings through the maintenance and development of this organization.