U.S News & World Report:
OSU Medical School One of Nation’s Best
 OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has been named for the fifth year in a row in the U.S.News & World Report “2006 Best Graduate Schools Guide,” an annual report card that analyzes schools in selected fields such as health care and medicine.
The publication shows the medical school in 11th place in rural medicine, 16th in family medicine and 54th in primary care.
“Dr. John Fernandes has done an exceptional job of leading the College of Osteopathic Medicine to greater heights,” OSU System CEO David Schmidly said. “The quality of our faculty, students and graduates has never been better. We’re honored to be Oklahoma’s only medical school ranked by U.S. News& World Report and proud to serve the state of Oklahoma with medical school graduates who stay in-state and serve the medical needs of our rural residents. We also commend the faculty and students in the Occupational Education Studies program. They have built an international reputation for this university.”
Fernandes said U.S.News compares the nation’s 144 medical schools based on opinions and data collected from college academic deans, program directors and senior faculty throughout the United States.
“Our consecutive top rankings reflect our longstanding commitment to the people of Oklahoma and to the Legislature to educate and train excellent physicians for our state,” said Fernandes. “We are honored to be recognized for meeting our mission of preparing the majority of the state’s rural and family doctors.”
The magazine also ranked OSU’s Occupational Education Studies program at the Stillwater campus in tenth place, nationally. This program has been in the U.S. News rankings since 1996.
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Still going places
 When Chad Landgraf was a little boy he loved to study maps.
“I was fascinated by them,” Landgraf, data and policy analyst in the OSU Office of Rural Health, recalls. “They took me to other places.”
The magic of his childhood imagination turned into a grownup career choice. Landgraf now has a bachelor’s degree in cartography and a master’s degree in geography. In college, geography got him out of bed in the morning and into the classroom. “It was something I could get excited about. It was fun. And geography helps you understand a lot about places.”
At OSU, he is responsible for integrating geographic information systems (GIS) technologies with ongoing and future research projects. He explains that GIS is a suite of hardware, software and associated methodologies used to analyze both spatial and non-spatial data. While the primary function of GIS is to aid in research and the decision making process, “It is becoming an integrated tool that everyone can use,” Landgraf says. The technology already is common in applications like Map Quest, cell phones and in-board navigation systems.
GIS is especially useful to planners and researchers. It ties into a specific location on the earth’s surface like a city, a block, or an address. It analyses data from a geographic perspective to help achieve more precise and informed planning. For example, it can show health care facilities, schools, stores, restaurants, income levels, land costs, taxes and more in a given location. All this helps paint a clear picture of that spot on the earth’s surface.
Landgraf says his office is available to assist other departments that need spatial data information. He also will answer questions abut GIS and its research applications. He can be reached at 584-4376 or chad.landgraf@okstate.edu
The kid in Landgraf still likes to study maps and picture far-away places. Sometimes, imagination still works best.
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Development director named
 Tulsa native Karen Senger brings 13 years of nonprofit experience in fundraising, public relations, program development and management to her new position with the OSU Foundation as development director for OSU-CHS. In the position, she will oversee major gift efforts as well as CHS fund raising programs.
Senger most recently was development director for the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and before that was executive director of Leadership Tulsa. She is an active member and past chapter president of the Association for Women in Communications. She is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and serves on the board of the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter as vice president of education.
Her interests and hobbies include home remodeling and decorating, art, Jazzercise, gardening, going to the movies and writing. Her husband, Scott Malcolm, is self-employed and starting a new career in environmental education. They take care of three pet rabbits, Haberlea, Thistle and Bramble, who they consider their “kids.” The rabbits are completely spoiled and rule the house, according to Senger.
She attended Jenks High School and received a B.A. in Public Relations from Southern Methodist University.
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Al’s Pals teach skills
Jan Hardwick, assistant director of OSU prevention programs, always dreamed of pairing prevention training with treatment. Now, using colorful “Al’s Pals” program materials, she’s doing it. Prevention consultant Jacqueline Chambliss uses the new program to teach social and emotional competency to children ages 3-8 at the Tulsa Women and Children’s Center (TWCC), a residential treatment center for women in treatment for substance abuse, and their children.
Hardwick says Al’s Pals is a research based program featuring “Al,” a little boy who learns life skills through adventures with his pals Keisha and Ty. Hardwick, a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years experience in prevention education, says developing strong social and emotional skills will help children as they mature. “They get along better with peers and teachers, do better academically, and it also helps protects them from risky behaviors later on.”
“We expect to have about six children at a time,” Hardwick says. TWCC children’s therapist and child care specialist assist with the Al’s Pals program. A cycle of 46 lessons will be presented twice a year. TWCC is owned by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse services. Treatment services are provided by Palmer Continuum of Care, a subsidiary of Palmer Drug Abuse Program of Tulsa. The center is located at 2442 E. Mohawk Blvd. |
Eugene Field - Partners in Education:
A very good year
Elizabeth Nokes, coordinator, reports a year filled with activities for Eugene Field Elementary School and the OSU-Center for Health Sciences Partners in Education project. Among the highlights:
ϒ First-graders in their Halloween costumes visited the school and received candy as they paraded. They stayed for lunch and sang Halloween songs.
ϒ Staff Advisory Council met a need for CD players by purchasing 15 new players, one for each classroom.
ϒ Medical students gathered treats, planned and helped out at seasonal parties.
ϒ An angel tree fulfilled wishes for 75 students.
ϒ Second-graders visited campus and caroled during the holidays.
ϒ Annual campus holiday party-goers provided more than 200 boxes of cereal for the food pantry at Eugene Field.
ϒ Children with quarterly perfect attendance came to campus for a movie and refreshments.
ϒ On Fat Tuesday, third graders paraded around school in colorful homemade Mardi gras masks.
ϒ More than 25 faculty/staff mentors and a record high of more than 60 students are mentoring children.
ϒ Students sponsor a health fair for the school that takes care of 250 of the children and parents in this area. Basic healthcare and sanitation is taught and free food is distributed.
ϒ A total of 1,500 books were donated that can be dispersed to students.
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Students visit lawmakers
On March 23, 35 students rode the big, orange OSU bus to Oklahoma City to visit with Rep. Lucky Lamons and others. Tim Teel, MS II and OSU Political Action Committee chair, said each students had appointments with at least one of their representatives or senators. The students also were introduced on the House floor.
"We had a very successful day,” Teel said. “I think it shows how deeply our students care about getting out there, getting involved in the political process and making a difference in how their profession is being affected at the level of state government. Each of our students took the opportunity to develop relationships with their senators and representatives in an effort to establish themselves both as concerned citizens and credible sources of information to our states' lawmakers. I'm so proud of our students. They really got out there and worked hard...they really care about what's going on."
Medical students visit the nation’s capital on April 14 to meet with Oklahoma legislators. The student contingent will visit Washington, D.C. as part of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association annual D.O. Day on the Hill.
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Round of Applause
Karen Wicker reports that OSU Center for Health Sciences received a total of 81 media mentions during February and March. Look for television commercials about the OSU system (all campus locations) to begin airing soon on KOTV Channel 6 in Tulsa.
Leigh Goodson, Ph.D., has been named to the Association of American Medical Colleges MCAT advisory board. The newly-formed board is made up of admissions officers, health profession advisors and medical school faculty.
Jan Barber and Debbie Martin will represent OSU-CHS at Reaching Hands, Inc. “High Tea with a High Purpose,” May 7. The pair will accept accolades for the Center’s partnership with Reaching Hands during the United Way Day of Caring.
The OSU Student National Medical Association won the chapter of the year award for Region Three at a recent national conference. Cecilia Amoah, MS II, was elected regional assistant director and Dontae Bowie, MS I, was named regional Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students liaison. In addition, Bahareh Keith, MS II, and Adrienne Loftis, MS I, will serve on national committees for the upcoming year. Region Three is comprised of Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Colorado, Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico.
Maxwell Adu-Lartey, MS III, presented a research paper, “The Relationship Between Osteoporosis and Congestive Heart Failure,” at a March meeting of the Bristol Myers Squibb National Medical Fellows conference. He received $6,000 from Bristol Myers Squibb National Medical Fellows in Academic Medicine to conduct the research at Johns Hopkins, and completed it in late 2004.
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OSU walkers help the Heart Association
| Walkers took to the path at LaFortune Park Saturday, April 2 to benefit the American Heart Association. Among those helping were Marty Coleman, Monica Browne Hagens, Krys Hatfield, Esmeralda Ruiz, Leigh Goodson, Sherril Stone, Ian Bushyhead, Kari Hopfer, Stephanie Aldret, Randy Aldret, Janet Grooms and Nathan Rapp.
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Leigh Goodson and daughter Shea are
followed by Sherril Stone and Patches.
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Stephanie and Randy Aldret
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Kari Hopfer and her mom, Diane Frick, Stephanie
and Randy Aldret, Marla Schaefer, Marty Coleman,
(front) Sherril Stone with Patches, Leigh Goodson and Shea
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2005 Residency Fair
Joo Hee Kim with Tonya Dye and Zoobia Mirza,
both MS III
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Current students and graduates gathered in Founders Hall March 24 to gather information from nearly 40 programs represented at this year’s Residency Fair. The clinical education department coordinated the fair.
OSU alumni Dr. Mark Callery and Dr. Andra Adams
with Miranda Renfrow, MS III
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Charla Geist, MS II, talks with a representative
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