|
 OU-COM
welcomes newest
class of medical
students
New
students hold best
combined
GPAs in college
history
One
hundred and twenty
aspiring physicians
and surgeons will be
officially welcomed
and given short
white coats during
the Ohio University
College of
Osteopathic Medicine
(OU-COM) Convocation
ceremony Aug. 14, 2
p.m., at
Templeton-Blackburn
Alumni Memorial
Auditorium.
Selected from 3,690
applicants, the
students in the
Class of 2014
began orientation
and anatomy classes
last month at
OU-COM.
This
year marks the 35th
year for this
ceremony, where
students will be
welcomed into the
medical profession
by leaders in the
osteopathic medical
community, the
college and Ohio
University, and
where they receive a
short, white coat,
which identifies
them as medical
students. They are
required to wear the
coat when they are
accompanying
physicians in a
clinical setting.
The
Class of 2014, which
tied with last
year’s class for the
college’s largest
class ever, set its
own record with the
highest grade point
averages in OU-COM
history, said John
Schriner, Ph.D.,
director of
admissions. The
combined GPA of the
class is 3.67, with
a combined 3.73 GPA
in non-science
classes and a 3.61
GPA in science, he
said.
More
than 27 percent of
the class members
are the first in
their family to
attend college, and
15 percent hail from
Appalachian counties
in Ohio. A total of
84 percent are from
Ohio, Schriner said.
Minority students
make up 26 percent
of the class, and 58
percent are women,
he added.
“The
Class of 2014 is
truly an outstanding
group of students.
There are many great
attributes of the
class,” Schriner
said. “Most
important is the
fact that they are a
great bunch of
people that have a
passion for learning
and the aspiration
to serve society.”
Another highlight of
the event is the
presentation of the
Phillips Medals of
Public Service, the
college’s highest
honor given to
individuals who have
made outstanding
contributions to
health care,
education and/or
public service.
This
year’s three
recipients all have
significant ties to
Ohio University.
Delivering the
keynote address,
besides receiving a
Phillips Medal of
Public Service, is
John Kopchick,
Ph.D., Goll-Ohio
Eminent Scholar and
OU-COM professor of
molecular and
cellular biology.
In
1989, Kopchick and
his research team
were the first to
discover and
characterize the
molecular aspects of
growth hormone
antagonists, an
accomplishment for
which he and Ohio
University were
awarded several U.S.
and European
patents.
The
discovery became the
basis for the drug
Somavert®,
a treatment for
people with
acromegaly, a growth
hormone disorder
that can cause
excessive growth of
organs and bones in
adults and can lead
to premature death.
Royalty income from
a license to the
Pfizer Corporation
to produce the drug
makes up most of the
licensing revenue
received by Ohio
University -- $5.8
million in fiscal
year 2008.
The
second recipient is
David R. Scholl,
Ph.D., who received
his doctorate from
Ohio University in
1981. As a
graduate student, he
played a key
laboratory support
role in the
development of the
landmark
bio-engineering
project that
produced the world’s
first transgenic
animal using the
technique known as
pronuclear
injection.
In
1983, Scholl joined
Diagnostic Hybrids,
Inc., of Athens, as
director of
research.
Originally a
start-up company
based on Ohio
University faculty
research, Diagnostic
Hybrids now is a
market leader in the
development and
distribution of
cellular and
molecular diagnostic
kits for detecting a
wide range of
medical conditions.
The company employs
about 220 people in
Athens.
In
1995, Scholl became
president and CEO.
The
final Phillips Medal
will be awarded to
John Haseley, J.D.,
who grew up in
Athens and graduated
from Ohio University
with honors in
political science.
His career includes
working for former
Governor Richard F.
Celeste and Senator
John Glenn and as a
law clerk for U.S.
Court of Appeals
Judge Guy Cole in
Columbus. From 1998
to 2005, he served
as Congressman Ted
Strickland’s chief
of staff. Until
recently, Haseley
served in the same
role when Strickland
became governor four
years ago.
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