Heart Walk is April 1st

OSU Pride Works

Sherry Eastman (right), program specialist II in family medicine, receives the OSU Pride Works!
award from the OSU Pride Posse’s Tina Tappana, Sandy Cooper and Marsha Kennedy,
along with Jeff Hackler, who nominated Eastman for the honor. Eastman was honored with a
recognition plaque, an OSU bag, balloons and oranges.

When Sherry Eastman’s mom enrolled her in a dance class, the painfully shy five-year-old’s light started to shine.

Eastman is the very first OSU employee to receive the “OSU Pride Works!” award from the “OSU Pride Works!” campaign. Her dance training may have helped her earn it.

“I love dance.  It did so much to bring me out of my shell. I learned poise and how to appear in front of an audience,” says Eastman, no longer shy, and talking up a storm. Through her dance activities, she often appeared in pageants and musicals, and taught tap and ballet at her own studio in Enid.  “I really liked performing,” Eastman says.

Now, she performs behind the scenes, encouraging others. She gets plenty of opportunity as she aids third and fourth year medical students taking rotations and deciding on internships and residency training.  “When they tell me they had a positive experience on their rotations, it is my biggest enjoyment. Anything I can do to help them get through medical school makes me feel great.”  she says.

“I think we have the greatest students here at our school.  They are top notch, and an absolute joy to work with.”

Eastman says OSU’s atmosphere of teamwork and support is outstanding. She began her OSU career at the former University Center, moved to the OSU-CHS business office, then to family medicine.

The OSU Pride Works! award recognizes excellence in how individuals serve their customers, work with teammates, and view their jobs and themselves. Co-worker Jeff Hackler nominated Eastman, writing:

Sherry Eastman is one of the most enthusiastic OSU supporters you will ever meet. Sherry wears orange as often as possible and her office is decorated with a number of OSU items that help her spread her infectious loyalty for OSU to those around her. Naturally, she lives and dies with every Cowboy athletic victory and loss. It is never a surprise when Sherry decorates an area in our building orange and black during March Madness or she returns from Stillwater with Eddie Sutton “Game Face” fans for her fellow employees.

Such a commitment to OSU wouldn’t mean so much if it was not accompanied by an equal dedication to the students for whom she helps coordinate rural rotations. Sherry emotionally invests herself in every student she assists, allowing her to put forth the same effort for those students as she would for her own son or daughter. When students achieve an impressive accomplishment or suffer a difficult setback, she lives through those experiences with them. There is no doubt that Sherry believes in the work she is performing for an organization that she proudly represents. The orange, black, and white OSU sneakers she can’t wait to wear every Friday are proof of that.

Do you, or someone you know, show OSU pride at work?
Do you have an OSU Pride Works story to share?
Contact Marla Schaefer, Rounds editor.

D.O. Day events slated

Wednesday, March 22, is Student D.O. Day at the Oklahoma legislature in Oklahoma City. OSU Medicine students will visit the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association office and then go to the capitol to meet with their legislators. During the month of March, students will be Student Doctors of the Day, joining a physician mentor at the capitol.  They will have the opportunity to be introduced at the floor of the chambers, and will help provide medical services to those at the capitol on that day.  A group of students also is slated to attend D.O. Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C. on April 27.

Mini-Med returns in April

The popular OSU Mini-Medical School returns on four Tuesdays in April. Experts will discuss Cataracts and Macular Degeneration, April 4; Breast Cancer, April 11; Back Pain, April 18 and How to Understand Medical Studies, April 25.  For more information or to register: www.minimed.okstate.edu

Heart Walk is April 1st

Join the CHS Heart Walk Team for an early morning walk at LaFortune Park Saturday, April 1, to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke, the number one killer of Americans.

The Heart Walk is a healthy, fun family event! Your only commitment is to get sponsors to support you for as little as from $5 to $500. If you are interested in participating, visit the American Heart Association web site which makes recruiting sponsors quite easy with just a click of the mouse. Our goal is to get at least 30 people to join the OSU CHS team this year. Please email Elizabeth Nokes if you would like to participate!

Research Week draws a crowd

David Wallace, Ph.D., chaired a recent Research Day Symposium showcasing translational research being conducted by OSU-CHS researchers. The theme was Translational Medicine: “Bench to Bedside,” and included 10 oral presentations and 40 posters. Rosemarie M. Booze, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, gave the keynote address. Her topic was “Neurobiology of HIV Dementia and Substance Abuse.” 

Presenters were basic and clinical science faculty, post-graduates from Osteopathic Medical Education Consortium of Oklahoma (OMECO), and biomedical science and forensic science graduate students.  Angela Robinson, Arlen Foulks and James McClay took top honors for their OMECO poster presentations.

Congressman John Sullivan (center) joins Dr. Richard Wansley and Dr. David Wallace at OSU-CHS’ research event. Sullivan spoke to researchers as part of the day’s activities.

Dr. Rashmi Kaul and Dr. Senait Assefa discuss a poster presentation in Founders Hall

Osteopathic Run, shoe drive to aid homeless center

The 27th annual Osteopathic Run begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 25, at the College. Events include an 8 km (five mile) and a 2 km (one mile) Walk-A-Mile fun run. 

New this year is the Walk-A-Mile Shoe Drive to collect new and lightly used shoes to donate to the homeless center along with a monetary gift. Donation boxes will be available on campus.

See website for more details and on-line registration information.

Students are encouraged to take part in the tradition of running the race in scrubs.  A training group has been started and all are welcome. For more information, email: ecrook@okstate.edu.  The run aids the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless Nurses' Clinic. Elizabeth Dunlap, MS II, is run chair. 

Food Drive

Food items and more than $100 were collected in February to aid the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.  Staff Advisory Council representative Sandra Hale presents the check to local Oklahoma Guardsmen, who picked up campus donations.

Blood Drive

Grant Evans, a second year medical student, takes time to donate at a recent campus blood drive.

Round of Applause!

Co-author article: Allee, B.A., Pollak, M.H. & Malnar, K.F., Survey of Osteopathic and Allopathic Residents’ Attitudes Towards Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2005, 105(12), 551-561, Michael Pollak, Ph.D.

Interview and filming by NBC station in Oklahoma City re: “Otitis Media and OMT”, Oklahoma City Channel 4; Interview with Brazilian journalist for Crescer Magazine in Brazil re: “Alternative Medicine in Children;”Research on Otitis described in the December 2005 issue of Child Magazine; and January 1, 2006 issue, research on Otitis described in the Bottom Line Personal publication, Miriam V. Mills, M.D.

Animal Planet requested video of the pet therapy at Heatheridge Assisted Living Center and Leisure Village Health Care; filmed this and sent it to Animal Planet in January; and interviewed by OSRHE (Jennifer Geren) for the College Connections radio show, discussing research in pet therapy, Sherril M. Stone, Ph.D.

Editor: American Association of Osteopathic Examiners on-line newsletter, Thomas Pickard, D.O.

James D. McKay, D.O., adjunct clinical associate professor of medicine, is the recipient of the 2005 Researcher of the Year award from the American College of Osteopathic Internists (ACOI). ACOI makes the award in recognition of major contributions to clinical or basic research related to osteopathic internal medicine.