Welcome to Region IV

Nate Gentry, OMS III
Region IV Trustee
NYITCOM – Arkansas

Region IV comprises eleven chapters from the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. The chapters in our region are passionate about being involved in their local communities through hosting health fairs, volunteering in various capacities, and engaging with kids of all ages to increase awareness about healthcare and the osteopathic profession. We also seek to provide educational opportunities for medical students in addition to what they receive from the traditional school curriculum. Many campuses in our region also host a St. Baldrick’s event which fundraises for pediatric cancer research. We invite you to get to know each chapter better through their various highlighted events below. The Chapter Leaders are looking forward to implementing new ideas and goals this upcoming year, and we can’t wait to see all the great things that will be accomplished!

Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM)

We are Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, and we are located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. With things slowly returning to normal, we have seen great success and growth in our chapter within this past year. We have worked hard to get our faculty, students, and community members involved with events, such as: Diversity Week, Narcan Training Certification Classes, Walk with the Docs, St. Baldricks, volunteering at HOPE Campus Kitchen, presenting to high school students about Professional Development and so much more! Our 2022-2023 executive board is working diligently to plan another successful year in which we continue to grow within SOMA and as future DOs.

Walk with a Doc: Monthly walk in a nearby park with community members, faculty and students. Different health topics are addressed at each walk too!

World Down Syndrome Day

Walk with a Doc

Cost of Poverty Experience

Volunteering at HOPE Campus: Our SOMA Chapter has continued to partner with the HOPE Campus Kitchen in Downtown Fort Smith where we help to prepare and serve meals to those in need.

St. Baldrick’s Carnival Event: This year, ARCOM’s SOMA chapter put on a Carnival in which all Campus organizations participated to help raise money for St. Baldrick’s. Each organization hosted their own carnival booth with prizes to win. Faculty, students, and community members purchased tickets to use at the carnival, and all proceeds went to raising money for our St. Baldrick’s Campaign. Our campus goal was to raise $2000, and we over doubled that goal with an end total of $4116!

Instagram: arcom_soma
Twitter: ArcomSoma
Facebook: ARCOM SOMA
Contact us: arcom@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Maria Marasco
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Amanda Ter Doest

A.T. Still Univ. Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM)

A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine was the first Osteopathic Medical School. Every year our SOMA chapter participates in trunk or treat for Halloween, hosts many DO for a day events, and raises money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. While in the past we helped plan a local St. Baldrick’s event, we were proud to have held our own St. Baldrick’s on campus for the first time ever this year.

Valentine’s Day Packages & Bake Sale for St. Baldrick’s Event: We hosted a Valentine’s Day Bake Sale at our school to raise money for St. Baldrick’s event. Many students volunteered their time and baking skills to donate baked goods and help us raise money for St. Baldrick’s. All proceeds from that also went towards St. Baldrick’s.

Be The Match: We were able to hold a Be The Match registry for a week, which allowed students, faculty, and community members to register for the national bone marrow registry. As this was the first year doing this, we were unsure of the outcome, but were pleasantly surprised that we ran out of kits and had more than 60 people sign up.

Vital Signs Clinic: We hosted a Vital Signs Clinic at the local University. We brought our medical equipment/black bags and taught premed students how to evaluate the heart, lungs, BP, deep tendon reflexes, eye exam & otoscopic exam. This was a great way to inspire our juniors to keep working towards the goal of being a physician! This event was super successful. Would plan this event again.

Facebook: ATSU-KCOM SOMA
Instagram: @kcom_soma
Contact us: atsukcom@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Zachary Taylor
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Megan Watson

BURRELL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE (BCOM)

BCOM is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is one of the newest osteopathic medical schools in the country. The campus sits on the New Mexico State University campus, giving BCOM students great opportunities for mentorship with pre-med students. BCOM currently has over 140 SOMA members with 4 students serving on National SOMA. They stay active in mentorship with their DO for a Day program and Pre-SOMA chapter at NMSU. BCOM remains active in health policy at the local and national level, recently developing a relationship with the Alliance of Health Councils in Albuquerque with a focus in public health. Most recently, BCOM worked with other on-campus organizations to host a community health fair that reached over 400 community members. This fair offered health screenings, nasal Narcan training, various health-related presentations, and more.

Instagram: @burrellsoma
Facebook: BurrellCollege
Contact us: bcom@studentdo.org
Chapter President: Miranda Willis
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Kayla Lopez

Kansas City Univ. College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCU-COM)

This past year we held two Naloxone Trainings on campus through the MO-Hope Project, volunteered with KC Harvesters, hosted ShaDO week, raised money with Charity Miles and more! We look forward to returning to campus in the fall and start planning more service and on-campus events!

SOMA Club Fundraising: We used the Charity Miles app from July to October to raise money for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

SOMA Club Volunteering: We partnered with KC Harvesters to help sort and organize food and supplies that were then given out to the underserved communities in our city.

ShaDO Week: We held an informational session for pre-SOMA students where we talked about the benefits of KCU, hosted a virtual tour of the campus and had an open question forum.

SOMA Spring Conference: Members attended the Spring conference where they listened to advocacy speakers, heard from the NBOME and the AOA and voted on resolutions.

Contact us: kcumb@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Elizabeth Keene
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Pankti Shah
KANSAS CITY UNIV. COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE—JOPLIN (KCU-JOPLIN)

Opened in 2017, the Joplin campus of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences founded its SOMA chapter in the fall of 2018. KCU-Joplin’s SOMA chapter volunteered at the Big Red Shoe Run hosted by the Ronald McDonald House and hosted fundraising events for Watered Gardens, Soul Harbor, and St. Baldricks. Our Chapter President, Kenedy and our National Liaison, Mariah attended the SOMA Spring Conference on behalf of KCU-Joplin as delegates. We look forward to creating more mentorship opportunities at KCU and sponsoring exciting events!

Contact us: kcu-joplin@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Szumei Leow
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Alexis Clare

Kansas Health Science Center Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM)

We are KansasCOM SOMA, and we are located in Wichita – Kansas’ largest city. Wichita, Kansas is a thriving, diverse center of culture and industry. KansasCOM was built in the heart of Kansas to help meet the growing medical needs of rural locations across the United States. Newly added as an official SOMA Chapter in April 2023, we are excited to offer various SOMA activities to our members!

Facebook: KansasCOM
Twitter: KansasCOM__DO
Contact us: kansascom@studentdo.com

NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine—Arkansas State (NYITCOM)

NYITCOM at A-State is located in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Our chapter was awarded the 2020 Golden Femur Chapter of the Year Award. We participate in fundraisers for St. Baldricks and placed 3rd overall in our region for Charity Miles. The Social Medicine Certification program continues to be one of our most popular programs, as well as our NOD program for underserved youth. Our largest achievements this year include the HIV Symposium and work to send 26 members to attend DO Day on Capitol Hill.

Delta HIV Symposium: The Delta HIV Symposium was created to bridge the gap in provider education concerning HIV diagnosis and patient care. 109 attendees were presenting including speakers from across the nation.

Northeast Arkansas First Pride: Our LGBTQ+ Health Disparities Committee represented NYIT during the region’s first pride event in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

National Outreach for Diversity: The NOD program implements training sessions for members to teach our medical/science NOD curriculum to underserved youth within our local community. This program involves ~32 students during bi-monthly, 1½ hour sessions.

Instagram: nyitcomjb_soma
Facebook: SOMA NYITCOM at A-State
Contact us: nyitarkansas@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Nate Gentry
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Marie Fong

National Osteopathic Night Out

Past and Present Research Symposium

Oklahoma State Univ. College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM)

Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s SOMA chapter is located in Tulsa, OK. On-campus, our yearly events are the Rural Health Fair and the mentor/mentee dinners with the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association (OOA). Last year we held collaborations with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for Naloxone Training and with the OOA on legislative activism. Also, we participate in volunteer work with our local community and St. Baldrick’s on the national level. As a dynamic and engaged chapter, we always strive to become better physician leaders through political activism and community service.

Rural Health Fair: Organize 60 volunteers, 8 student organizations, and external donations for one of our largest events of the year. Services provided include hypertension screenings, education via breast models, mental health resources, osteopathic manipulation, as well as education on PrEP and anatomy.

Work closely alongside the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association: Hosted the OOA to speak on current legislation, Osteopathic Medicine Day in Oklahoma City as well as DO Day on the Hill in Washington DC.

MAT Discussion: In alignment with Words Matter, collaborated with ACOFP to host a speaker who addressed topics related to experiences while on the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and efforts to pioneer medication-assisted therapy in Oklahoma primary care.

Instagram: osucom_soma
Facebook: OSU Student Osteopathic Medical Association
Contact us: osucom@studentdo.com
Chapter President: James Hobbs
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Jantzen Faulkner

Rocky Vista Univ. College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVU-COM)

RVU-COM is located in Parker, CO, just south of Denver. We are the first school in the country to utilize a cut suit, which allows for realistic surgical simulations. RVU-SOMA’s big yearly event is the National Outreach for Diversity, but we also host NOD events and charity fundraisers for the St.Baldrick’s Foundation for Childhood Cancer. Most recently, in March-April of 2020, we raised over $500 for Help Colorado Now, an emergency aid relief organization for Denver citizens affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Outreach for Diversity: Visited an inner-city middle school with 11 volunteers and brought ultrasound machines, games, and pig organs to introduce the students to medicine.

Club Fair at RVU: Set up a booth at the Club Fair at RVU for our membership drive.

Hosted Guest Speaker: Hosted guest speaker Dr. Vince Markovchick from the Healthcare for All Colorado Foundation at RVU. Dr. Markovchick gave an excellent presentation about the “Health of our Healthcare System” and the importance of establishing a Medicare For All program in this country.

Instagram: rockyvistauniversity
Twitter: @rvucom
Website: www.rvu.edu
Contact us: rvucom@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Jonathan Evers
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Jeffrey Edwards

Sam Houston state University College of osteopathic medicine (shsu-Com)

Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Conroe, Texas. We are excited to be the most recent addition to Region IV and to represent our inaugural class. We look forward to serving our student body and our community through several upcoming events including Stop the Bleed classes, Blood Drives, career development workshops, and CPR classes. We are excited about what the future holds for our school and our SOMA chapter.

Facebook: SHSUCOMSOMA
Instagram:  shsucomsoma
Contact us:  SamHouston@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Dana Faris
Nat’l Liaison Officer: De Ann Atkinson

Univ. of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM)

In 2017, UIW opened its School of Medicine in Brooks City-Base, located in south San Antonio, Texas. Our medical campus buildings formerly housed the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and was one of the WWI Army air installations. Additionally, it was where JFK gave his final speech before his assassination.

During 2021-22, UIW’s SOMA hosted the following events: ShaDO day to increase UIWSOM’s exposure to pre-med students, opportunities for pre-SOMA UIW students to observe osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), and a non-perishable food drive for Haven for Hope.

Looking towards 2022-23, SOMA plans to host the following events: a “Thriving in Medical School” presentation for current OMS-I students, a guest speaker engagement from Mary Beth, the mother of a childhood cancer survivor, multiple OMM observation opportunities for pre-SOMA UIW students, and a Haven for Hope blanket drive for members of our community facing homelessness.

ShaDO Day: The virtual event began with a slide-show presentation covering multiple topics, including UIWSOM admissions, the osteopathic profession, and life in San Antonio. Next, the SOMA President and another OMS-I shared their journeys regarding medical school and why they chose to attend UIWSOM. Attendees then asked questions about medical school applications, the qualities of an attractive applicant, and financial aid.

Pre-SOMA OMM Observation: Pre-SOMA UIW students attended a UIWSOM DOCS (Developing Osteopathic Clinical Skills) class and then paired with two current OMS-I students. During this time, pre-SOMA students observed their OMS-I students perform OMM and were able to ask questions. Additionally, pre-SOMA students had the opportunity to interact with the DOCS faculty, consisting of predominantly osteopathic physicians.

Haven for Hope Non-Perishable Food Drive: Haven for Hope is an organization within San Antonio that provides aid to community members facing homelessness. To aid in their efforts, SOMA invited UIWSOM students and faculty to participate in a food drive that donated non-perishable items to Haven for Hope.

Instagram: uiwsom_soma
Facebook: SOMA @ UIWSOM
Contact us: uiwsom@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Bridget Sumner
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Randall ‘Lat’ Nichols
Univ. of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC-TCOM)

Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Fort Worth, Texas. This year is a huge one for us because we are working on re-launching our SOMA chapter on our campus. We have worked to engage our faculty, administration, and student body in the importance of support for education, advocacy, and leadership within our osteopathic medical community. This spring we are hosting a virtual ShaDO Week in coordination with our SGA, National Osteopathic Medicine Week, and a resolution writing workshop. We cannot wait to come back next year and share memories of our events!

Facebook: TCOM SOMA
Instagram: @tcom_soma
Contact us: tcom@studentdo.com
Chapter President: Prathyusha Mahasamudrum
Nat’l Liaison Officer: Mya Mitchell