by Jennifer Kowalewski

Faculty, staff and students at OU-COM will be busy Wednesday, April 19, with two special events. In the evening students will honor their choices of outstanding faculty, staff and peers at OU-COM.

The annual Distinguished Osteopathic Commitment Awards, better known as the D.O.C. Awards, begin at 5:45 p.m. with dinner, followed by the awards ceremony.

Both events will take place in Irvine 194.

The Distinguished Osteopathic Commitment Awards

Every year, the D.O.C. Awards honor those who have made OU-COM the excellent place it is to learn the art and science of medicine. The awards are sponsored by Student Government, Sigma Sigma Phi, the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Alumni Affairs.

Following dinner, the auditorium will fill with students, faculty and staff, where nearly three dozen awards will be announced. The festivities begin with an introduction by Multimedia Producer Mark Loudin and welcome from Student Government President Matthew Rose and Sigma Sigma Phi President Amy Miyoshi. The masters of ceremony are second-year students Scott Reineck and John Idoine.

“Students have been acknowledging their peers, faculty and staff for their excellence in teaching, tutoring and support since the college began. It’s a way of saying, somewhat more formally, ‘thank you,’” says Pat Burnett, Ph.D., director of student affairs.

Awards include Outstanding Basic Science; Outstanding Clinical; Outstanding CCE; Outstanding ICOM; Best CPC Block Team; Outstanding Lab Instructor; Individual Staff Member Recognition; Outstanding Group Facilitator; OU-COM Mentor Recognition; Outstanding Tutor; Lifetime Achievement; Class Advocate; Peer Mentor; All-Around Great Classmate Award; Outstanding Comrade; Outstanding Biomedical Sciences Student; Family Medicine Award; Student Government Special Recognition; Student Government Top Organization; Student Government Leadership Award; Sigma Sigma Phi Recognition; Student D.O. of the Year and Honorable Mentions.

Also, the Family Medicine Fellows and OMM Fellows will be announced and the Commendation from the Class of 2008 presented.