WCUCOM students participate in D.O. Day on Capitol Hill | Schools

The following is a press release from William Carey University:

Thirty-five students from William Carey University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Student Osteopathic Medical Association participated in DO Day on Capitol Hill, which was held in conjunction with the SOMA Spring Convention in Washington, D.C. March 8 - 11. The students had the opportunity to lobby members of Congress on various healthcare issues and participate in workshops.

The first-year Osteopathic Medical Students students who attended were Mohammed Ali of Chicago, Ill.; Nabil Baddour of New Orleans.; Patrick Barber of Bay St. Louis; Jamie Bishop of Prattville, Ala.; Shannon Carroll of Baltimore, Md.; Alexis Cates of Mandeville, La.; Evan Harsh of Fayetteville, Ark.; Tyler Metzger of Monroe, La.; Matt Roberts of Atlanta, Ga.; Shiraz Saleem of Germantown, Tenn.; Ali Sawal of Sugarland, Texas; Renee Sellers of Purvis; Moiz Siddiqui of Sugarland, Texas; Christa Sikes of Huntsville, Ala.; Nicholas Swindle of Katy, Texas; Tarah Talakoub of Beaumont, Texas; and Dena Thompson of Clyde, N.C.

The second-year Osteopathic Medical Students students who attended were Hope Harris of Newton, SOMA president; Kate Brady of Dellwood, Minn., Cavatina Pham of Houston, Texas, national liaison officer; Shawn Ali of New Orleans.; Rainier Batiste of Baton Rouge, La.; Denver Briley of Memphis, Tenn.; Richard Calderone of Slidell, La.; Dabi Chung of Atlanta, Ga.; Brian Forsberg of Atlanta, Ga.; Ben Groves of Nettleton; Brandi Hyatt of Drew; Brett Hyatt of Soso; Shanique Jarrett of Miami, Fla.; Brittany McClure of Hattiesburg; Kruti Patel of Longview, Texas; Naila Rashid of New Orleans.; Leslie Smothers of Jasper, Ala.; Carolina Wales of Lafayette, La.; and James Wilkinson of Gulfport.

The SOMA Spring Convention activities included the SOMA House of Delegates meeting, in which the students are given updates on osteopathic medicine from the national American Osteopathic Association president, educational break-out sessions, and workshops.

During the DO Day on Capitol Hill on March 8, the students joined nearly 1,000 osteopathic medical students from around the country to lobby for legislative bills that will greatly influence the practice of osteopathic medicine. As supported by the American Osteopathic Association, the issues this year focused on ensuring the future physician workforce and improving patient access to quality health care.

“The importance of this event was apparent to me when I witnessed our congressmen dealing with the issues facing medicine and the osteopathic medical profession in particular,” said Brian Forsberg, OMS II. “Awareness is an important step in ensuring the future remains bright for medical care in this country.”

The students had the opportunity to meet with Mississippi Members of Congress and their staff: Representatives Steven Palazzo, Gregg Harper, Bennie Thompson, and Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker.

“D.O. Day on the Hill presented me with the opportunity to combine a pleasurable visit with the more pressing matters of politics and medicine,” said Matt Roberts, OMS I. “I wanted to hear the opinions, and to see if new legislation, in particular the Affordable Care Act, would precipitate as drastic a change in medicine as I have heard it will.  The meetings with Mississippi’s elected individuals gave me this chance.”  

The WCUCOM students came back with an increased understanding of national legislation that will affect the state of healthcare in Mississippi, and have taken the opportunity to share the information with their fellow medical students