Page 27 - COM Outlook - Winter 2013

27 COM Outlook . Winter 2013
but he handles the complexities with grace
and takes them in stride.
As the medical field evolves, including a
morphing of M.D. and D.O. education and
training, Dr. Sandhouse wants the osteopath-
ic profession to retain its identity and stability.
“If we continue to discount osteopathic prin-
ciples, we are going to lose our profession,
and I would hate to see that happen because
we will lose the tangible thing that makes us
different,” he said.
Stimulating the body to heal itself is a
truly proactive way to save money on health
care and stay distinctive, which is why Dr.
Sandhouse truly loves what he does. “My
greatest thrill is to help patients deemed
beyond help by others,” he admitted.
Dr. Sandhouse also serves in various
roles to maintain the distinctions and keep
osteopathic manipulative medicine vital.
One way he stays involved is by serving
as chair of the COMLEX (Comprehensive
Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examina-
tion) OPP/OMM Committee for the National
Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners,
where he spends “lots of weekends review-
ing information and editing questions to
ensure quality as well as standardization.”
Serving on the Educational Council in
Osteopathic Principles (ECOP), a consortium
of department chairs or their designees, also
keeps Dr. Sandhouse involved in strengthen-
ing the field. “We have consistently beaten
the national average on national boards in
OPP and remain actively engaged in the pro-
fession.” Additionally, he considers himself “a
big believer” in the development of curriculum
and is listed as an author of the Glossary of
Osteopathic Terminology.
When at conventions or just by chance,
Dr. Sandhouse enjoys encountering the suc-
cessful people he has helped train or meeting
patients who have been referred to him by
former students and colleagues.
After five years of study and 20 years of
building a progressive career, Dr. Sandhouse
stands out as an enduring and diligent mem-
ber of the NSU-COM family. His attachment
is so strong that when outsiders make unso-
licited job offers, he “turns them down without
blinking. I think that speaks volumes about
how I feel about being here,” he said.