April 2004
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Medical school one of best
OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is again ranked one of the best medical schools in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The top rankings were released in the 2005 Best Graduate Schools Guide.
OSU placed 13th in rural medicine and 17th in family medicine. "It is an honor for Oklahoma State University to have the only medical school in the state that is in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of America’s best medical institutions," says David J. Schmidly, OSU president and CEO. "OSU Medicine is consistently in the high ranks of medical schools that provide expertise and services in rural healthcare. This latest ranking accurately reflects the vision, expertise and commitment of our school to continue as a national leader in providing doctors who specialize in rural healthcare."
"Our mission for more than 30 years has been to educate and train primary care physicians for rural and underserved Oklahoma," says John Fernandes, D.O., M.B.A., president and dean of OSU's medical school. "These rankings solidify our commitment to the Oklahoma Legislature to produce excellent doctors and keep Oklahomans healthy."
This is the fourth consecutive year the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine has been voted "best of" by U.S. News & World Report.
Round of Applause!
Sandy Cooper, director of human resources, has been accepted into law school at the University of Tulsa. She begins the part-time program in August.
Staff Advisory Council awards six $100 scholarships each year to assist employees’ academic endeavors. Human Resources matched this year’s scholarship monies, for a total of $200 to recipients Sarah Bishop and Joyce Hawthorne, Business Office; Angela Galvin, Health Care Center; Shelby Kaiser, Prevention Program; Lisa McCutcheon, External Affairs and Diana Price, President's Office. American Heart Walk team gathered at Tulsa Promenade before the walk.
Front row - Betty Pittman, Cathy Newsome, Reneé Motte, Christy McCall, Bavette Leeper and E.J. Second row – Kim Arnhols and Gabby, Marla Schaefer, Sandy Cooper, Shelly Johnson, Mary Jane Nichols, Ellen Stockton, Taylor Stockton, Jennifer Hall, Karen Wicker and Chandler, Marilyn Mitchell. Back row – Regina Hawthorne, Joyce Hawthorne, Andy Swanson, Lisa McCutcheon, Shelly Handleman, Jerry Cozby, Holly Drenner, Lori Knight and Janey Hope.
A total of $2,573 was raised through the walk, the Red Dress pin day and Staff Advisory Council spaghetti lunch.
The Oklahoma Educational Foundation for Osteopathic Medicine (OEFOM) Board of Trustees has awarded $2,500 scholarships from the OEFOM Endowed Student Scholarship Fund to Garrett Decker and Shonda Davis, MS-IIs, and to Daniel Williams, MS-III. OEFOM donated $100 to the College’s Student Senate to assist DO Day at the Mall, scheduled for April 3 at Woodland Hills Mall.
Osteopathic Run marks 25th anniversary
Runners, walkers and bikers will take part in the 25thannual Osteopathic Run 
Saturday, April 17 at the main campus.
Events include an 8km race, a 2-mile fun run and a bike ride. Tulsa Regional Medical Center provides a free breakfast for participants and a health fair from 8 a.m. to noon includes blood pressure testing, body fat measurement and musculoskeletal exam.
Race proceeds benefit the OSU Community Health Education Center in North Tulsa. Awards go to first, second and third place winners in age brackets. Prize baskets go to the top three male and female 8km finishers. First male and female physician, and medical student, get special awards. All 2-mile participants receive ribbons.
The Student Osteopathic Medical Association sponsors the race. Race coordinators are Michael Bolding, Joel Hopper and Jessica Erbacher. For more information, visit their website.
OSU Niblack Scholar will research at College
Budding scientists like Oklahoma State University freshman Kristen Ketchum are a rare breed. It’s only fitting, because saving rare breeds and endangered species may become her life’s work.
When Ketchum, daughter of Robert Ketchum, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and cell biology, was growing up, she visited zoos in major cities like Miami, Philadelphia and Minneapolis. Those visits instilled a love of animals and sparked a future career path devoted to saving them.
Now, as one of the first 12 OSU Niblack Research Scholars, she’s taking the first steps towards becoming a research scientist, or a veterinarian, or a Ph.D., or even all three. The Niblack Research Scholars Award supports undergraduates conducting research guided by a member of the research faculty, with day-to-day mentoring by a graduate student. The purpose of the award is to give outstanding students an appreciation of scientific research in a laboratory environment at an early stage of their academic careers. The award is named for John Niblack, retired vice chairman of Pfizer Inc.
Beginning this fall, Ketchum will spend two semesters, as well as two months in the summer of 2005, working on "Sequencing the Genome of Drill Cytomegalovirus".
"She will be sequencing part of the genome", says Earl Blewett, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology, and Ketchum’s faculty sponsor. He explains that the Cytomegalovirus belongs to the herpes family, and occurs in monkeys. Sequencing the genome increases information on viruses that are similar to human viruses, allowing comparison of genes.
The research lab at OSU is Ketchum’s habitat. "I am very excited. I am getting a scholarship for something I want and like to do. I would do it even if I wasn’t getting a scholarship", she says.
Her career goals are big. "I am leaning towards getting a Ph.D. and possibly going to veterinary school, then working in a zoological park. I want to be able to do research with breeding programs to try to introduce endangered species back into the wild. A lot of animals now exist only in captivity. It would be fun to keep them reproducing so people can at least see them".
Ketchum receives a $2,000 stipend each semester for the academic year, and $4,000 for the summer months. OSU student Susan Neubauer, her graduate sponsor, receives $4,200.
Residency Fair
Bahareh Ebadifar, MS I, and Joo Hee Kim, M.P.H., administrative director of the Osteopathic Medical Education Consortium of Oklahoma, discuss OMECO opportunities at the recent Residency Fair.
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Blewett’s on the trail
Earl Blewett, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology, is a veteran athlete who has run endless miles.
He has clicked off a mere 100 miles in about 21 hours and is a former iron man competitor, former Tulsa Masters swimmer, former hockey player, canoeist and skier.
Injuries have sidelined him lately, but they don’t stop him from serving as race director for the Lake McMurtry Trail Run, to be held in Stillwater at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 10.
Blewett came to love the lake and its trails while living in Stillwater. He and friend Chuck Streit created the race in 1999 to promote trail running and to help raise money to maintain the trails around the lake.
"It's a beautiful lake", Blewett says. Runners will compete in 25k and 50k events (about 15.5 miles and 31 miles) on the lake’s dirt trails. Blewett helped build some of the trails with OSU’s mountain bike club.
The Saskatchewan native came to Oklahoma in 1994. "I remember running in shorts and singlet in December, thinking how wonderful it felt", says Blewett, then accustomed to far more frigid temperatures.
Last year’s race raised $500 to benefit trail maintenance, the OSU running club and the Red Dirt Pedalers. About 70 runners participated.
For more information, contact Blewett or visit the website. |
Mini-Medical School draws big opening night crowd
OSU’s popular Mini-Medical School opened March 16 to 200 students. 
Here, Beth Freeman, library director, provides information about Web-based medical searches. Nearly 350 learners signed up for the six-week series.
OSU’s Mini-Medical School, which has drawn record enrollment this session, meets Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00pm at OSU-Tulsa.
April 6
Common "GI" Problems
David James, D.O.
April 13
Joint Replacement
Ronald LaButti, D.O.
April 20
Arthritis
James McKay, D.O.
For more information visit the website.
MEDXtravaganza
The annual Student Affairs MEDXtravaganza drew approximately 130 prospective students, faculty advisors and others to campus for information and a tour. Above, a group stops to see the student lounge. At right, Dustin Cupp demonstrates how to find information in the computer lab. Student Ambassadors conducted the campus tours.
