5
COM Outlook . Fall 2012
The summer 2012 COM Outlook ar-
ticle entitled “Silencing Stigma: Historical
Reflections Illuminate the Decline of D.O.
Bias” elicited both passionate and over-
whelmingly positive responses from our
readers. One such response, written by
class of 1997 alumnus
Richard Proctor,
D.O., Pharm.D., M.B.A.
,
illustrates that
although the osteopathic profession has
indeed come a long way in terms of over-
coming bias, anti-D.O. sentiment still exists.
“
I read with great interest your recent
article and appreciated, very much, your
giving the readers an opportunity to learn
of some of the specific instances in which
D.O.s encountered prejudice. I particularly
appreciated learning of Dr. Neer’s experi-
ences and of Dr. Melnick’s experiences with
the pharmaceutical companies. Reading
your article, I admiredDr. Melnick’s strategy
in dealing with the pharmaceutical repre-
sentatives and believe that, even today, we
shouldmake fellow osteopathic physicians
awarewhenwe encounter anti-osteopathic
organizations. While the prejudice is less
commonly found these days, it is still pres-
ent. I have noted that those M.D.s having
the strongest anti-D.O. prejudice are almost
invariably the least competent.
When in private solo practice, I was
well received by the M.D. community
and served on the executive board of
the county medical society. In that ca-
pacity, I was one of the first to adopt
the arbitration agreement (a response
to the medical liability insurance crisis
in Florida) then being promoted by the
L E T T ER
t o t he
ED I TOR
“
Osteopathic
Bias”
Florida Medical Association (FMA) about
six years ago. As such, I was asked by
the FMA to be a speaker to the Orange
County Medical Society to present the
FMA program and relate my own expe-
riences in requiring that all my patients
sign an arbitration agreement as a condi-
tion to being my patient. The day before
I was scheduled to speak, the Orange
County Medical Society learned that I am
an osteopathic physician and, within 20
minutes of learning that fact, the invita-
tion for me to speak was rescinded.
I am presently an emergency room
physician at a major Tampa hospital affili-
ated with the University of South Florida
School of Medicine. I continually see the
contrast in personality characteristics
between osteopathic and allopathic doc-
tors in training and with my physician
colleagues. I am saddened to notice that
many/most osteopathic physicians who do
allopathic postgraduate training programs
adopt many of the personality traits of
our M.D. colleagues. I continue to believe
that the osteopathic training I received at
NSU-COM and my postgraduate training
at NSU-COM-affiliated Palmetto General
Hospital is, at the least, every bit the equal
of myM.D. colleagues. However, theM.D.s
lack an acceptable level of competence in
the most-common medical problem con-
fronting the emergency room physician:
evaluation of musculoskeletal complaints.”
Renovated HPD Student Lounge Unveiled
OMS-III Carisa Lippmann, the college’s
current Student Government Association
president, has been a profoundly dedi-
cated advocate for her student peers ever
since she began her medical school odys-
sey in 2010. Lippmann’s all-encompassing
commitment reaped dividends in August
when the renovated HPD Student Lounge,
located above the HPD Library, was un-
veiled to an audience comprising about
300
HPD students, faculty members, and administrators. “Last year, I asked NSU
President Dr. George Hanbury if the lounge could be redone,” Lippmann said. “Not
only did he say yes, but he allowed me and another student from the Physician As-
sistant Program to help design the new lounge, which looks awesome.”
