COM Outlook Winter 2019

4 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE BY SCOTT COLTON, B.A., APR INNOVATIVE WEBSITE OFFERS INSPIRING SOLUTION FOR DISASTER-RELIEF HOUSING In her role as dean of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM), Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S. 4 , exemplifies the NSU Core Value of student centeredness. A recent example of her continued com- mitment to student health and wellness was evidenced by the creation of an important website that can benefit students attending Florida’s various medical schools. In October 2016, Wallace presented an innovative idea to the Council of Florida Medical School Deans (CFMSD). Her suggestion focused on the importance of creating a network of medical students who would be willing to temporarily house other Florida medical school students displaced by natural disasters. “Several medical schools throughout the southeast- ern and southern United States have been impacted by natural disasters in recent years. The schools had arrangements in place for holding classes at alternate sites, but not much was mentioned about the displace- ment of students,” said Mark Sandhouse, D.O., M.S., associate dean of administration, who chaired the CFMSD task force charged with exploring the idea. “The creation of the Florida Medical Student Disas- ter Housing program addresses the human component of a natural disaster in Florida,” he added. “It gives students of all the Florida medical schools the ability to find a safe haven during and after a storm, should they need it.” Working with physicians from Florida State Uni- versity (FSU) and the University of Miami, as well as with student representatives from the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Osteopathic Medical Asso- ciation, the task force designed a registration question- naire for interested students. FSU—in a display of appreciated collaboration—also volunteered to create and host the website. As task force chair, Sandhouse led brainstorming sessions to develop methods for student registration, as well as for local administration and information dissemination, in the event of a disaster. “The devel- opment took place in phases, with the initial question- naire created on a public platform,” he said. “I devel- oped the list of local administrator responsibilities and led the rollout of the final product, first to the local administrators, and then to the entire CFMSD group.” After nearly two years of intricate planning, the concept morphed into reality with the official debut of the Florida Medical Student Disaster Housing website on July 27, 2018. “The task force members are excited about the opportunity we created for our students,” Sandhouse said. “As a result, we are looking to further develop the site and have it serve as a model for medi- cal schools throughout the United States.” KPCOM students interested in participating in this worthy program can register to house a Florida medi- cal student at fmsdisasterhousing.com . † DISPLACED BY DISASTER