5
COM Outlook . Winter 2014
COMmunications
In December,
OMS-III
Elyse Julian
was selected
from a competitive list of
applicants to receive the
2013 NSU-COM Student
D.O. of the Year Award
from her peers, joining
an exceptional group of
previous winners that
have become leaders in
the medical field.
Excerpts from her rec-
ommendation letter illus-
trate why Julian was selected for this prestigious honor.
“Elyse’s leadership experiences demonstrate innovation. She
founded the Student Ambassador Society in 2011, organized a
student orientation guide for incoming OMS-I students, and
coordinated applicant tours. These endeavors have been crucial
in improving the experiences of incoming first-year students
and future applicants.
Elyse’s community service is just as extensive and dem-
onstrates her dedication to the osteopathic tenet of a holistic
approach in that her experiences are varied and touch a broad
section of the South Florida community. What really sets Elyse
apart is the varied nature of the work. She has spent count-
less hours educating undergraduates on what it means to be
an osteopathic physician, tutoring OMS-I students for their
classes, feeding the homeless through local soup kitchens and
food drives, reading to sick children in the hospital, assisting in
alumni events, and participating in health fairs for underserved
populations. Her résumé is impressive by the sheer number
of hours spent in research, volunteer events, committees, and
academic conferences.”
As the current NSU-COM selectee, Julian is automati-
cally entered into the national Student D.O. of the Year
Award competition, which is presented annually by the
Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents—
a council of the American Association of Colleges of
Osteopathic Medicine.
Elyse Julian Named Student
D.O. of the Year
On October 14, the Student Advocate Association
(SAA) and the Student National Medical Association
(SNMA) hosted a
Relationships in Medicine
panel dis-
cussion for the student body and their significant others.
The panel included representation from each stage of a
relationship from married with children, recently mar-
ried, dating in the class, long-distance relationships, and
even single and looking.
Panelists included the college’s dean, Dr. Anthony J.
Silvagni, and his wife Dianna Silvagni, J.D., clinical as-
sistant professor of medical education, who demonstrated
their support of students who manage relationships while
in medical school. The Silvagnis shared their experiences
on adapting to life in medical school when Dr. Silvagni was
a student. The panel members responded to questions from
the moderator and the audience, discussing their relation-
ships and offering wisdom on what they found works well
in their lives. Understanding and compromise help stu-
dents and the ones they love adapt to the many demands
of medical school and maintain a healthy relationship.
The SAA offers several activities to support medical stu-
dents and their significant others and will continue to offer
meetings and events that embrace its mission.
Student Groups Host Insightful
Relationship Panel
Panelists (pictured from left) are Justin Tudino, Megan Welker, Boris
Volfson, Antonious Fawzy, Lenzetta Lake, Dr. Anthony J. Silvagni,
Dianna Silvagni, Jason Faucheux, Matthew Derby, and Charita Ray.
In November, the College of Osteopathic Medicine
established the
Division of Integrative Medicine
, which
is based within the Department of Osteopathic Principles
and Practice. Integrative medicine combines traditional
Western medicine with complementary treatments such
Division of Integrative
Medicine Established
as acupuncture, transcendental
meditation, yoga, neutroceuti-
cals, and herbal medicines, ma-
nipulative medicine, and tech-
niques in spirituality. Jill Wallace
Ross, D.O., assistant professor
of family medicine, is serving as
interim director of the new Divi-
sion of Integrative Medicine.
