Colleen D'Angelo
Our youngest daughter, Catie, has been taking temperatures and putting bandages on stuffed animals since she was a little girl. On her 8th birthday, Catie declared that she would someday be a doctor, and she never wavered. Fast forward through the Biomedical Academy in high school, getting accepted into Ohio University’s Early Assurance Program (EAP) as a 17-year-old, majoring in biology with a minor in nutrition as an undergrad, and we arrive at the beginning of Medical School. In a way, the years have been a blur, but in reality, they have been carefully planned and beautifully executed.
Recently we celebrated Catie’s white coat ceremony for the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM). The convocation marks the transition from the study of preclinical to clinical health sciences and the start of medical school. A white coat with the OU-HCOM patch was placed on each student as their name was read and then together they recited the physician's oath, pledging their commitment to the humanitarian goals of medicine. The white coat reminds students to always display high levels of professionalism and empathy. The ceremony reminds parents and friends that their student is engaging in a difficult rite of passage and needs support and understanding.
Out of the class of 2026, Catie and 71 other first years are at the Dublin location, 64 attend the Cleveland Campus and 124 are in Athens. All three locations receive the same teachings as students have virtual instruction and sit in assigned pods of eight. They will become doctors of osteopathy (DO) which is slightly different from doctors of allopathy (MD). Both degrees meet the same standards for practicing medicine in all 50 states, but the DOs also have 200-300 extra hours of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). They focus on how the bones, nerves and muscles work together and various hands-on methods to relieve pain and prevent illness or injury.
OU-HCOM’s first Dublin class was in 2014 after a $105 million gift from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation (OHF) funded the Dublin campus. The need for primary care physicians in Ohio is great, especially in underserved rural and urban areas. The goal of the OHF’s large donation was to train primary care physicians and other high-need specialists for areas of greatest need in Ohio and beyond.
Dr. William Burke has been dean of OU-HCOM’s Dublin campus since 2013.
“OhioHealth is the preeminent education partner for the Dublin campus,” says Burke. “Students benefit by obtaining outstanding clinical rotations and residencies through OhioHealth. The physicians benefit by working with bright students who ask tough questions, keeping docs at the top of their games. Ohioans benefit because every collaboration between OhioHealth and Heritage College is aimed at improving care for our communities.”
The white coat ceremony in Athens. (Left to right) Catie D’Angelo, Matt Magro, IanWeiland, Grace Counts
Burke also raves about their partnership with the City of Dublin, which had the vision and leadership to collaborate and create a hub of education right in our backyard. Now, OU-HCOM is the largest medical school in the state of Ohio, yet set on retaining its friendly sense of community and desire to be of service to others.
Burke and the other instructors and administrators strive to help their students achieve a balance. The amount of information that medical students need to absorb is akin to trying to take a sip of water from a fire hydrant. It is important that the scholars take breaks from studying for recreation, exercise and healthy meals. All students are given a pass to the Dublin Recreation Center and frequently join leagues for soccer, basketball and sand volleyball. Catie and I are working to add pickleball to that list!
Serving others and giving back to the community are also emphasized with regular partnerships involving the Dublin Food Pantry, Columbus Health Fairs, and the medical academy for science-oriented high schoolers. Rising juniors and seniors can apply for the medical academy summer camp where they work alongside med students and professionals to learn about careers in care. The program is in its eighth year and 60 students from 30 high schools attended in 2022 at no charge.
“We are actually seeing some of our medical academy students applying to OU-HCOM so we know the program has been successful,” says Burke.
Treating the whole patient – mind, body and spirit – is the core of osteopathy.
“We started learning how to talk and listen to patients from day one of orientation,” says Catie. “The very first speaker was a patient who described her experience with a medical issue and how her DO treated her with respect, asking caring questions instead of just treating the disease. Then we began seeing ‘patients’ the first week in our school exam rooms where our interactions were recorded and then reviewed with us in detail.”
Actors or local people playing a role help the students by pretending to be patients with specific symptoms. Anyone interested in this paid assignment can contact the university for more information. The medical students learn the protocol of asking the proper questions while being good listeners and respectful of their patient’s emotional and physical condition. Should the students forget the reason that they are studying to become doctors of osteopathy, they just need to glance down at the pin decorating their new white coats. All first years receive one and Burke still proudly wears his green and white pin every day. It simply says IATP; “It’s About The Patient.”
