NSU University School Viewpoint Fall/Winter 2017

VIEWPOINT n 15 N SU University School takes pride in continually offering hands-on educational experiences to its students. The latest innovation is the 2017–2018 pilot program of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM)/NSU University School Fellowship. After a rigorous selection process that included an online application, essay, and formal interview, 12 Upper School students—all of whom have excelled in advanced science classes and demonstrated an interest in health care—were selected for the inaugural program. Planning for the program began last winter when Scott Fech, Ph.D., Upper School director; Jaimie Crawford, M.Ed. , associate director; and David Spangler, Ph.D., director of community collabora- tion; met with deans from NSU undergraduate and graduate divisions to explore possible partner- ships. Elaine Wallace, D.O., M.S. M.S., M.S., dean of KPCOM, and Jill Wallace-Ross, D.O., who are also parents of three children at NSU University School, suggested a fellowship program for Upper School students interested in the medical field. Dianna Silvagni, J.D., clinical assistant professor of medical education and nutrition at KPCOM, used her experience coordinating AIM-HIGHER, NSU’s summer medical school immersion program for high school students, to partner with the Upper School to create the fellowship. KPCOM fellows have the opportunity to interact with NSU medical profes- sionals and explore an array of health professions. In addition to the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, several colleges, departments, and specialties in the Health Professions Division— including dental, optometry, nursing, pharmacy, audiology, internal and family medicine, and pediatrics—plan to participate. “Dianna Silvagni’s network of NSU and community resources have been integral to shaping the program,” Crawford said. “The KPCOM/NSU University School Fellowship has been shaped by this premise of medicine as a healing science, and student applicants wrote essays on their experience as recipients or benefactors of compas- sion,” Crawford said. The fellows will be asked to form unique research questions and speak to an audi- ence about their experiences, sharing evidence documenting the impact the fellowship has had on their lives. Additionally, they will be required to submit journal entries throughout the program, documenting their experiences. “These students are 100 percent committed to the fellowship program. They must have an extreme level of maturity and commitment in order for them and the program to be successful,” Fech said. After completing training in workplace safety (OSHA) and health information privacy regulations (HIPAA), the fellows were trained and certified in basic life support by KPCOM clinical faculty members and medical students—who are active mentors throughout the process. The students also participated in the Area Health Education Center Tobacco Training and Cessation Program where, alongside KPCOM medical students, they presented effective, evidence-based tobacco-use treatment and prevention services to local middle schools. Recently, the fellows worked alongside KPCOM faculty members and members of the