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RVUCOM Welcomes Class of 2016

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InsideOver the Edge:Student Rappels for Cancer

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Medical Missions to Honduras and Guatemala

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Students Participate in ADLS Training

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F O U N D E D 2 0 0 6

2012 Newsletter

Vol. 5 No. 1

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On Saturday, July 28th, RVUCOM fac-ulty, staff, family, friends and distin-guished guests, gathered at The Wild-life Experience in Parker to witness the Class of 2016 receive their white coats and be officially recognized as student doctors.

The Ceremony was the culmination of Orientation week, in which RVU-COM’s newest student doctors were welcomed to medical school with in-formational sessions, presentations and the opportunity to get to know each other and the University’s faculty and staff. In a survey of Class of 2016 student doctors, one student doctor wrote, “I feel like the faculty and staff are family - that’s why I chose RVU. This is absolutely the environment I want to be in.”

Another student doctor wrote, “After Orientation, I feel very well-prepared. It really helped, seeing what life at RVUCOM would be like.”

Outside of presentations, everyone was invited to enjoy group social ac-tivities off campus. These included an evening gathering at LoDo’s in High-lands Ranch and a group trip to the Rockies game in Downtown Denver,

at which RVUCOM was recognized on the field.

The highlight of the week, however, was the White Coat Ceremony. The turnout was spectacular, with over 1000 people in attendance. The Class of 2016 filed into the theater, with their white coats draped over their arms. The RVUCOM Color Guard Posted the Colors as the student doctor a capella group, the S.O.A.P. sang the national anthem. After the delivery of the Invo-cation by Frank Ames, Ph.D., Director of Library Services and Professor Med-ical informatics, all were welcomed by RVUCOM Acting President/Dean Bruce Dubin, D.O., J.D.; Vanessa San-chez, Ph.D., Chair of the RVU Board of Trustees and Terry Boucher, Executive Director of the Colorado Society of Os-teopathic Medicine (CSOM).

Ryan Green, OMS-II, Student Govern-ment Association (SGA) President, addressed the incoming student doc-tors, followed by Dr. Roy Martin, a re-nowned Medical Ethicist from Texas, who delivered an inspirational key-note address.

Each member of the Class of 2016 introduced themselves and were coated

by one of the RVU-COM Deans. Thom-as Mohr, D.O., Act-ing Dean/Vice Dean then led the group in reciting the Osteo-pathic Oath.

After the Ceremony, many student doctors and guests returned to the RVU campus for a reception.

For more than 100 years, the white coat has served as the pre-dominant symbol of physicians. While the coats represent re-spect and medical authority, they have also come to be associated with the com-passion and hope that patients receive from their physicians. The color white also conveys the essence of purity in medicine. Traditionally, the shorter white coat is worn by student doctors as physicians in training, while longer white coats are worn by practicing physicians — the length representing their education and experience.

Welcome to the RVUCOM family!

RVUCOM Welcomes Class of 2016

Acting President/Dean Bruce D. Dubin, D.O., J.D. and Acting Dean/Vice Dean Thomas Mohr, D.O. talking before the Ceremony (Continued on page 5)

The RVUCOM Color Guard: Van Wall, OMS-III, US Army Reserve; Rebecca Gulledge, OMS-II, US Air Force Reserve; and Ronald Fenton, OMS-III, US Navy Reserve

Chelsey Zahler, OMS-I receives her white coat from Michael Martin, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Student Services

Joshua Kalb, OMS-I with his parents Steve and Debby and wife Lind-say, following the ceremony (Photo courtesy of Joshua Kalb)

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On Monday morning, the 6th of Au-gust, NASA accomplished an amaz-ing feat. A one ton “rover” was land-ed on the planet Mars. It’s almost like something out of a science fiction novel! There were news broadcasts on television and fantastic photos of the surface of Mars on the in-ternet. The success of this NASA project makes me wonder what we might consider success here at RVU.

There is an old quote attributed to Henry Ford that says: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working to-gether is success”. How might we measure success here at RVU? It’s an interesting question. One method we might use is the per-formance of our students on their National Board Examinations. Although we are still awaiting the results for most of the COM-LEX examinations taken this summer, we do have the results in for the 103 students who sat for the USMLE Level I examination. With a pass rate of 96% and a mean score of 220, it looks like suc-cess is knocking on our door.

Another measurement of success is the residency match our stu-dents achieved this year. Looking at the hospitals and residency programs where our RVUCOM graduates are now training, I think we can all feel a sense of success in knowing what the Class of 2012 has accomplished. Again, more knocks on the door from something called “success”.

For our new Class of 2016, success was seen in doing well on their first quiz in medical school. Well done Class of 2016! You’re on your way.

Beyond the students, what about the rest of us? Our success here at RVU is a family effort. For all of our faculty and staff, success is taking pride in what we all do every day. We all work together in training the next generation of physicians, and each and every one of us plays an important part in that. We are all training that next group of great doctors. Our success comes from: IS; finance; financial aid; security; housekeeping; Admins; support staff; the library; and the list goes “on-and-on-and on”.

I guess Henry Ford was right — success is working Together! Thanks everyone for contributing to our success!

Rappelling 31 stories down the side of a skyscraper in Downtown Denver may sound like the work of a dare-devil, but for RVUCOM student doctor Casey Bitting, OMS-IV, it was her part in a worthy cause to raise over $1000 for cancer.

“When I received the invitation, my first inclination was to hit ‘delete’ - not because I didn’t want to raise mon-ey, but because rapelling down the side of a building doesn’t sound like my idea of fun,” says Casey. “But then I thought, why not?! Not many people have a worthy charity to use as a motivational cause to conquer a major fear! So, I signed up!”

Casey volunteered with the Cancer League of Colorado and their program, Over the Edge, which gives partici-pants who raise $1000 or more, the opportunity to rappel off one of the most prominent buildings in Downtown Denver — the 1600 Glenarm Place Luxury Apartments building.

“I met several cancer survivors while I was at the event, some are survivors themselves, thanks to donations from the Cancer League of Colorado,” says Casey. “That was far more powerful than rappelling over 30 city stories. I was so honored to be a part of this, and so grateful to ev-eryone who donated for allowing me this opportunity.”

For more information about the Cancer League of Colo-rado and their Over the Edge Program, visit their website at www.denverovertheedge.com.

Over the Edge: RVUCOM Student Doctor Takes a Leap for Cancer

A Message From thePresidentBy Bruce Dubin, D.O., J.D., Acting President/Dean

(Continued on page 5)RVUCOM Student Doctor Casey Biting, OMS-IV, rappelling off the 1600 Glenarm Place Luxury Apartments building in Downtown Denver.

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It is amazing to think that we are beginning our 5th year of operation here at Rocky Vista

University. We have watched as our inaugu-ral class has come and gone, and while there have been bumps along the way, the sto-ry of RVU and our students is a story of unprecedented success. This has truly been a team effort that would not have been possible without the dedication of our faculty and staff and the hard work of our students.

Grades, tests, rotation evaluations and administrative policies often make it seem like students and faculty are on opposing teams, but nothing could be further from the truth. Our faculty and administration know that each of our students needs to be pushed to achieve success in this field. We take great care in selecting top quality students who we know will rise to the occasion.

I had the honor of leading the Osteo-pathic Oath for our graduates in May and then again for our incoming stu-dents at the White Coat Ceremony. Those words are fitting for new begin-nings, as a new student and a newly graduated physician. They remind us

that being an osteopathic physician is a responsibility “to preserve the health and life of my patients”. It is often dif-ficult to maintain focus on the patient when true patient care may be down the road. Every quiz, every test, every semester, every year brings our stu-dents closer to shouldering that respon-sibility on their own.

Our faculty and staff take this seriously as well. Each member of the educational team understands that they play an im-portant role in preserving the health and life of your future patients. We must hold our students to a very high standard because so much is at stake.

To our new and returning students: remember that the patient is the reason for your struggles and remember too that you are up to the challenge! We will be there to guide you and to push you, but you have to do the work on your own. You wouldn’t be here if you did not have the ability to succeed!

The RVUCOM family measures success one student at a time, but also enjoys the benefits of a skyrocketing reputa-tion and growing respect in the com-munity when all our students do well. At a recent meeting

of the American Osteopathic Associa-tion’s (AOA) House of Delegates, it was clear that the Osteopathic profession has taken notice that in just a few short years, RVUCOM has demonstrated quality outcomes in medical education based on board scores, residency place-ments, military scholarships, excellent accreditation site visits, and rural and international activities. We have now received notice that the federal De-partment of Education, at the request of AOA’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), has granted Title IV eligibility to ‘for-profit’ colleges, paving the way for RVUCOM to apply to become an eligible institu-tion for Federal Financial Aid funding. This pleasant surprise is another indica-tor that we are doing things right and that we are being recognized for it.

As we welcome our new students to the Rocky Vista family and welcome back our returning students, I want to con-gratulate all of you on your hard work and perseverance. Keep up the good work, keep the final goal in sight, and as you do so, the reputation of your col-lege will continue to grow and thrive.

A Message From the DeanBy Thomas Mohr, D.O., Acting Dean/Vice Dean

On July 28th, nearly 250 new RVUCOM students and their family members attended a Colorado Rockies game against the Cincinnati Reds. RVUCOM was recognized during the pre-game ceremonies and throughout the game on the stadium monitors. Acting Dean/Vice Dean, Thomas Mohr, D.O. and Frank Ames, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Medical Informatics; along with OMS-II stu-dents Kristin Gaines, Jie Casey, Rebecca Glasgow and John Lee rep-resented RVUCOM on the field.

Each of them were featured on the “Jumbo-tron” as the announcer welcomed RVUCOM and noted our University’s service to the community and our future patients. Several of the Rockies ball-players came by to shake hands with the RVUCOM contingent as did the Rockies mascot “Dinger”. Unfortunately, the home team lost to the Reds 9-7.

Acting Dean/Vice Dean Thomas Mohr, D.O.; Rebecca Glasgow, OMS-II; Kristin Gaines, OMS-II; “Dinger” the Rockies’ Mascot; Frank Ames, Ph.D.; Jie Casey, OMS-II and John Lee, OMS-II

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RVUCOM Welcomes Class of 2016(continued)

RVUCOM Class of 2016 Students during the White Coat Ceremony

The RVUCOM Class of 2016

RVUCOM SGA President, Ryan Greene, OMS-II welcomes the incoming class of student doctors

Keynote Speaker Dr. Roy Martin, Medical Ethicist, addresses the crowd

Susan Bauer, OMS-I with her husband Adam. (Photo courtesy of Gail Bradford)

Jackie Vroman, OMS-I with her parents following the Ceremony (Photo courtesy of Jackie Vroman)

The audience watches as the students receive their white coat on stage

Richard Tennant, OMS-I with his sister Lyndsey (Photo courtesy of Richard Tennant)

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From the Rocky Vista University Alumni Association V U

ALU M N IA S S O C I A T I O N

Fellow Alumni:

Congratulations on finishing the first month of Residency! By now most of us have settled into our new homes and new life as a Resident Physician. We are even becoming accustomed to answering to “Doctor”! While we grow into our new roles, the Alumni Association is growing

as well. This past month we have setup our online alumni wear store. You can now stay connected with RVU through alumni wearables and accessories. We are also in the process of developing our alumni website to keep you ever connected.

Conferences are a great source for education and network-ing. With many conferences in the near future, please let us know if you plan to attend. We will be at your service to help make the conference a great experience, while representing RVU. Contributing alumni members will receive some extra perks while at their conference. Not a contributing member? It is never too late to sign up; you can contact myself or Julie Rosenthal in Admissions to help you begin the process.

The Rocky Vista Alumni Association is dedicated to serv-ing our alumni and the future generations of Rocky Vista Alum. On behalf of the Alumni Association, we are excited to welcome the newest students of Rocky Vista University, the Class of 2016. Welcome to our family!

Cheers,Meghan Croteau, D.O.Alumni Association President/CEO

NOW AVAILABLERVU Alumni Association Apparel is now

available in the RVU Online Store! Click the Online Store link of the RVU homepage

to see more.

Meghan Croteau, D.O.

RVUCOM Alumni at Oklahoma State University Medical Cener (OSUMC) in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Patrick Henderson, D.O.; Scott Reeder, D.O.; and RVU-COM Alumni Association President/CEO Meghan Crouteau, D.O.

Upcoming Conference Visit us at Booth #909. Please notify Julie Rosenthal at jrosenthal@rvu.edu if you will be attending. Hope to see you there!

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RVUCOM continues to encour-age its student doctors to aid medically underserved popula-tions around the globe with its recent medical missions to Gua-temala and Honduras.

In Guatemala, the RVUCOM team provided care at Lake Atitlan, as well as the villages of San Antonio Polopo, Concep-cion and Solola. While RVU-COM missions have visited some of these locations in the past, Solola was a first.

The team spent two days providing care in Solola. The first day, they worked in a rural farming village. On the second day, un-der the guidance of Camille Bentley, D.O., Chair of Global and Community Medicine and Associate Professor of Family Medi-cine; and David Kanze, D.O., Chair of the Undergraduate OPP Fellowship and Assistant Professor of OPP, the team was given the opportunity to work with the Government, right in the center of town. The Mayor of Solola, who knew of RVU-COM and DOCARE from previous mis-sions to Guatemala, was in attendance to thank them for their service and awarded everyone in the group with certificates of appreciation.

During that visit, the team was able to see about 600 patients, treating a variety of is-sues, including orthopedic, respiratory and geriatric cases, as well as performing injections and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM).

Dr. Bentley describes a special case in Guatemala: “A 60-65 year old woman came in, complaining of painful sores in her mouth. We made up a numbing topi-cal mixture for her – similar to a pharma-ceutical product we have in the US called “Magic Mouthwash” that helps with the numbing of sores and ulcers in the mouth. Without the typical ingredients on hand, we made a mixture of various medicines and mouthwash for her to use. She was so overwhelmed by how well it worked that she came back to a different site the

next day to thank us, bringing two big pots of hot soup for everyone for lunch that day. That was quite overwhelming – especially for people for whom this was their first trip - to realize the impact we had was really cool. Even for me – that was overwhelming. It’s those little things that have a big impact on people.”

Boris Bayerman, OMS-III, who went to Guatemala says, “the ex-perience was both eye opening

and educational for me. Being able to pro-vide direct assistance to families that need medical care fortified my desire to provide medical outreach in the future.”

In Honduras, the RVUCOM teamworked in a hospital in La Saba for five days, seeing over 600 patients and treating a lot of or-thopedic and geriatric cases. Even though the trip was mostly first year students, Dr. Bentley says she was impressed by how professional they were, and how well they performed their histories and physical ex-ams.

Outside of working, the students had a chance to get out and really experience the local culture. They went sight-seeing and even spent a day at the beach, swimming at a nearby island.

RVUCOM Student Doctors Provide Medical Care in Guatemala and Honduras

Drew Rose, OMS-II checks the weight of a child in Honduras

RVUCOM volunteers at a Clinic in Guatemala

Sarah Amoroso, D.O.; Lia Fiallos, D.O.; and Meghan Croteau, D.O.; with the Mayor of Solola, Guatemala; Jennifer Montemayor, Ph.D.; and Camille Bentley, D.O. Student doctors on the beach in Honduras

Andrew Rotando, OMS-II checks the heart rate of a patient in Honduras

Visit us at Booth #909. Please notify Julie Rosenthal at jrosenthal@rvu.edu if you will be attending. Hope to see you there!

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In mid-July, RVUCOM Class of 2014 stu-dent doctors participated in Advanced Di-saster Life Support (ADLS) Training.

Over the course of two days, student doc-tors reviewed didactic and skills sessions with various faculty members, and partici-pated in a mass casualty drill at the end of the course.

During the drills, 25-30 volunteers, in-cluding faculty members, Standardized Patients (SPs) and Class of 2016 students, served as “victims”. The simulation sce-nario created for the exercise involved the

concert-goers who, while attending a pa-triotic concert, became victims of a bomb blast. Inflatable dummies were also used to simulate casualties.

The triage exercise provided a multifac-eted simulation where student responders had to both concern themselves with the victims of a bomb explosion and also with the possibility of additional hidden explo-sive devices in the area where they found the victims. The students were also tasked with having to secure the scene and safe-guard against “snipers”.

RVUCOM rising third year student doc-tors are required to participate in this train-ing event as part of the Capstone Course.

Currently, RVUCOM is the only osteopath-ic medical school in the country offering Advanced Disaster Life Support Training as a required component of its curriculum. This specialized training includes modules devoted to natural disasters (fire, chemical, biological and nuclear events), mass fatal-ity management and other important top-ics associated with preparing individuals to effectively respond to a wide range of disaster situations.

Students Are Prepared for Anything with ADLS Training

A student doctor in special effects makeup plays a “victim”

Boris Bayerman, OMS-III and Julie Sefcik, OMS-III tend to a “victim” as part of the ADLS training

Erin Philpott, OMS-III assists with stabilizing a “victim”

Julie Sefcik, OMS-III prepares to aid the simulated “victims”

Class of 2016 Profile

161 Students originating from 33 states

30% from Colorado; 41% from the Mountain West Region

Top Feeder States Include: Colorado, Minnesota, California, Texas and Utah

Age Range: 21 – 41; Mean: 25

94 (58%) Men and 67 (42%) Women

Mean Science GPA: 3.5

Mean Cumulative GPA: 3.6

Mean MCAT: 27.4

18% of Class hold Graduate Degrees

Selected from an applicant pool of 3,851 Candidates

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During Orientation week, Maj. Gen. Philip Volpe, D.O., Commanding General, Western Regional Medical Command of the United States Army. Maj. Gen. Volpe shared with Class of 2016, some of his many experiences

in the United States Army, includ-ing his experience in Somalia as the Command Surgeon for “Black Hawk Down”.

As part of the presentation, and to help prepare students for emer-gency situations in their future careers as physicians, a team of RVUCOM OMS-III Military students carried out an emer-gency demonstration, utilizing a Cut Suit to create a hyper re-alistic surgery on stage. With one student acting as the ‘pa-tient’ wearing the Cut Suit, the other students, under the guide of Anthony LaPorta, M.D., Pro-fessor of Clinical Surgery, were able to successfully “stabilize” the patient.

Maj. Gen. Volpe is an accom-

plished Army Veteran with tours of duty in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East and was part of a Special Ops Task force in Somalia. He spoke to students about these experiences, and his experiences being in charge of Medical Training in the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force.

A Presentation and Cut Suit Demonstration with Maj. Gen. Philip Volpe, D.O.

On July 27th, RVUCOM student doc-tor Christopher Waasdorp, OMS-III was enjoying a game of Rugby with his teammates at a park in Denver, when unexpectedly, his disaster training skills were called into action.

Chris and his teammates witnessed a fire spreading rapidly over a con-do complex directly across the street from the park. He and his teammates quickly sprang into action, running into the burning building to warn the residents to evacuate immediately.

They also began to fight the fire with extinguishers as the fire department arrived.

Chris was told by the Fire In-spector that he and his team mates’ efforts saved the fire department about three hours worth of work and helped saved people from being hurt.

Seven condo units were severely damaged and about 34 people lost their homes.

The blaze is believed to have started in a bush just outside the Spyglass Hill condo complex in Denver. The blaze presumably traveled up the wall and into a second floor apart-ment, quickly setting much of the building on fire.

An RVUCOM Student DoctorBecomes a Hero

A view of the fire burning in a Denver Apartment

Jaysun Frische, OMS-III; Peter Gertonson, OMS-II; Morgan Light, OMS-III; and Ronald Fenton, OMS-III attend to the ‘patient’

Morgan Light, OMS-III; Jaysun Frische, OMS-III; and Peter Gertonson, OMS-II assess the patient on the floor

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A team of RVUCOM student doctors and faculty participated with members of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Foundation to perform health screenings on residents of Trinidad, Colorado. The occasion was the first annual festival celebration held at the recently completed Health and Well-ness Center, built around the century-old Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church. The Health and Wellness Center houses a fully-staffed medical clinic as well as

a functioning mental health center that delivers outpatient services. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel also contains large meeting rooms for community activi-

ties and beautiful gardens that add to the healing atmosphere of the complex .

Student doctors participated in checking vital signs and Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements for participants at the fair. They also checked glucose measure-ments and performed skin and spinal screenings. Several hundred people came through the clinic facilities and the citizens of Trinidad gave RVU a very warm wel-come.The Mount Carmel Health and Wellness

Clinic and physicians of Trinidad have also agreed to host third and fourth year RVUCOM student doctors for their rural rotations.

Students Perform Health Screenings at Mt. Carmel Health and Wellness CenterBy Thomas Told, D.O., FACOFP -dist., Chair, Rural & Wilderness Medicine

The RVUCOM student doctor team with David Kanze, D.O. and Thomas Told, D.O., at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Health and Wellness Center

Ashley Curtis, OMS-II performs a glucose screening on a Health Fair participant

In mid-July, Class of 2014 student doc-tors participated in Final Capstone “Ad-ventures” as part of both the Rural and

Wilderness Medicine and Global Medi-cine tracks.

Unsuspecting students in small groups were ushered outside to the south lawn, only to encounter a simulation scene of a woman on the ground, screaming out in pain. Standardized Patient Kathe Barron played the part of the non-English speaking woman in dis-tress. She was also accompanied by Standardized Patient Lupe Lynge, playing her grandmother who also spoke only Spanish.

The woman presented with all-over pain and the appearance of

a large, firm abdomen. After checking vitals and assessing the patient, they de-termined she was in labor. The student doctors then aided in a simulated birth.

The “Adventure” was considered a team-building exercise, giving students from both tracks a chance to interact and work together to diagnose and assist a patient. The Global Medicine students were able to bring some of their Span-ish language skills to the table, while the Rural and Wilderness Medicine stu-dents were able to bring the childbirth skills they learned while working with the NOELLE simulator in a previous exercise.

Student Doctors Work Together During Final Capstone “Adventures”

OMS-III Students Britney Vanderbeek, Corrine Ryser, Lizzie Jelenick and Jesse Anderson with SPs Lupe Lynge and Kathe Barron.

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By Thomas Told, D.O., FACOFP -dist., Chair, Rural & Wilderness Medicine

AOA House of DelegatesBy Thomas Mohr, D.O., Acting Dean

On July 19-22, the American Osteo-pathic Association (AOA) convened the 92nd Annual House of Delegates in Chicago. This is the primary busi-ness meeting for the profession where leaders are elected, policies and po-sitions are ratified and the course is charted for the future of the pro-fession. Each state is allocated one delegate for every 100 osteopathic physicians and every state with an osteopathic medical school is allowed to seat one student delegate as well. Over 500 delegates packed the confer-ence hall along with representatives from the specialty colleges and other affiliate societies.

The Colorado delegation to the House of Delegates is elected by the membership of the Colorado Society of Osteopathic Medicine (CSOM). Led by president William Mandell,

D.O. and Executive Director Terry Boucher, the Colorado delegation also included Thomas Mohr, D.O., Michael Mohr, D.O., Eric Gish, D.O.; Thomas Told, D.O.; and Robin Smith, D.O. Rocky Vista University was represented by delegate Ryan Greene, OMS-II and alternate del-egate John Lee, OMS-II.

Highlights of the meeting included the A.T. Still Memorial Lecture by George M. Thomas, D.O.; a farewell speech by AOA President Marty Levine, D.O.; and the inaugural speech by incoming AOA President Ray Stowers, D.O. Over 100 resolu-tions were discussed either in com-mittee or on the general floor.

For more information on the details of these resolutions, visit the AOA website at www.osteopathic.org.

Ryan Greene, OMS-II with Thomas Mohr, D.O.

Members of the Colorado Delegation meet

Department of Higher Education Meeting Held at RVUBy J. Andrew Usera, Esq., Vice President and General Counsel

On July 23, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) hosted an information session at Rocky Vista University for over fifty representa-tives of higher education institutions across Colorado.

Facilitating the session was Matt Gianneschi, Ph.D., Deputy Executive Director of the CDHE and Heather De Lange, Academic Policy Officer. The purpose of the session was to inform the attendees on the implementation of HB 12-1155, a bill approved re-cently by the Colorado State Legisla-

ture modifying some aspects of the state’s degree authorization proce-dures. RVU was selected as the site for the meeting to address the rule-making process, proposed adminis-trative procedures, data collection and option for institutional fees.

RVU’s Vice President and General Counsel J. Andrew Usera, Esq. was recognized by Dr. Gianneschi for assisting the CDHE in acting as a sounding board for options being considered as the legislative proposal was being drafted.

RVU provided breakfast for the at-tendees and led a tour of the facilities following the meeting. The Commis-sioners of the CDHE will be holding a meeting at RVU in December of this year.

Matt Gianneschi, Ph.D., Deputy Executive Director of the CDHE addresses the group

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RMOPTI: Post Graduate UpdateBy Thomas Mohr, D.O., Acting Dean/Vice Dean

Rocky Vista University is dedicated to expanding opportunities for gradu-ates to pursue residency training here in the Mountain West. To coordinate efforts on new program development and quality improvement of existing programs, Rocky Mountain OPTI was created. An OPTI is an “Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institute” and all D.O. residencies and fellowships must be a member of an OPTI, along with one or more college of osteopath-ic medicine. The academic member of Rocky Mountain OPTI is RVUCOM who currently provides all the fund-ing and support for the organization.

Rocky Mountain OPTI underwent an accreditation site inspection by the American Osteopathic Associa-tion (AOA) in June and is expected to receive full accreditation at the next meeting of the Commission on Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institutions on August 15th. Thomas Mohr, D.O., RVUCOM Acting Dean/Vice Dean and Executive Director for the OPTI, will be in attendance at that meeting.

The staff of the OPTI includes Dr. Mohr and Marsha Sellner, Adminis-trative Director of RMOPTI and RVU-COM Administrative Director of Grad-uate Medical Education. Deb Bennett, RVUCOM Residency Program Coor-dinator and Administrative Assistant to the Vice Dean, has recently joined the Office of Postgraduate Affairs.

The OPTI staff has been busy visit-ing each of the member residency programs in Pueblo, Colorado and Casper, Wyoming and setting up poli-cies and procedures to ensure that os-teopathic residents receive the highest quality education.

We are proud to announce that the Parkview Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency program, which RMOPTI helped to develop, is off to an incredible start. Under the leader-ship of Teresa Braden, D.O., Program Director and Director of Medical Education, the residency program ac-cepted 11 residents, including 7 RVU-COM graduates, to their inaugural class which completed orientation in July. RMOPTI member hospitals also include the University of Wyoming – Casper and St. Mary Corwin Hospital in Pueblo. RMOPTI staff visit all their member institutions on a regular ba-sis.

Several new residency programs are in stages of development. The Inter-nal Medicine residency program at Sky Ridge is proposed for a 2013 start and only awaits an affirmative vote by the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee in August. If that goes as planned, potential new residents will start interviewing in the Fall. Inter-views have already begun for the new Osteopathic Dermatology residency in Colorado Springs. The new Osteo-pathic Hospice and Palliative Care fellowship is slated for a July 2013 start as well. Several other programs are in early development stages and will more likely be up and running in 2014.

Marsha Sellner and Thomas Mohr, D.O. at the University of Wyoming

Duane Brandau, D.O., Ph.D., RVUCOM Asso-ciate Dean of Clinical Affairs ; Marsha Sellner; and Thomas Mohr, D.O. at the University of Wyoming

Thomas Mohr, D.O. and Marsha Sellner at the Parkview Adult Medicine Clinic

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Promotions& New Appointments

Deb Bennett- Residency Program Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to the Vice DeanDeb Bennett has been appointed to the new position of Residency Program Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to the Vice Dean. She has been employed at RVUCOM for the past 4 years. She began as an Administrative Assistant of Specialty Medicine for Dr. Thomas Mohr. She was then promoted first to Coordinator of the Testing Center and then Director. In this new role she will be the primary program coordinator for one or more postgraduate training programs affiliated with RVU under the direction of the program director and the OPTI Director. Congratulations, Deb!

Camille Bentley, D.O. - Chair, Global and Community MedicineDr. Camille Bentley has been appointed as Chair of the new Department of Global and Community Medicine. She has been with RVUCOM for 5 years as an active member of the Primary Care Department, and has worked closely with faculty and staff to provide quality and innovative education for our students. As Chair, Dr. Bentley will continue to expand the development of the department, via areas such as direction and teaching of the Global Medicine Track, organization of and attending our students on RVU sponsored medical outreach activities, continued working with the Clinical Education Department assisting students with finding high quality and safe clinical experiences overseas andencouraging and assisting students with research/poster projects. Congratulations, Dr. Bentley! Melissa Blomquist- Administrative Assistant, Office of Pre-Clinical Affairs & Testing CenterMelissa Blomquist been appointed to the new position of Administrative Assistant, Office of Pre-Clinical Affairs & Testing Center. She has been with RVU since February, 2010 and formerly worked in the Legal and General Counsel Department. In her dual roles, she will assist the Phase Directors in all administrative functions and special projects along with assisting The Director of the Testing Center with Exam Prep/Scoring. Congratulations, Melissa!

LeAnn Jons-Cox, D.O. - Chair, Department of Osteopathic Principles and PracticesDr. LeAnn Jons-Cox has been named Chair of the Department of Osteopathic Principles and Practices. Dr. Jons-Cox has been with RVU since January, 2009. In her new role, Dr. Jons-Cox will play an integral role in the leadership of the depart-ment and the college, and will develop faculty and curriculum. She will supervise the members of her department and provide oversight on fiscal matters. Congratulations, Dr. Jons-Cox!

Patty Kellison - Director of the Testing CenterPatty Kellison has been promoted to Director of the Testing Center. Patty has been with RVU since October, 2009, assisting Deb Bennett, faculty members and a team of proctors with creating, administering and scoring exams, and assisting stu-dents with testing-related issues. Patty especially enjoys editing and coaching faculty members in writing skills. She will continue this work in a managerial capacity in her new role. Congratulations, Patty!

Gary Pippin - Safety and Compliance CoordinatorGary Pippin has been appointed to the new position of Safety and Compliance Coordinator. Gary has been with RVU since February, 2012, previously serving as the Front Desk Administrative Assistant. In his new role, Gary is responsible for coor-dinating and implementing procedures so that RVU is in compliance with Title IV’s Higher Education Act. He will work with the Security Dept. in overseeing and training individuals as designated campus security authorities. He will also be responsible for campus security reports, available to students and their families, as required by the federal government, and he will also continue his responsibilities for the front desk. Congratulations, Gary!

Marsha Sellner - Administrative Director of RMOPTI and Administrative Director of Graduate Medical EducationIn March, Marsha Sellner was named the Administrative Director of RMOPTI and Administrative Director of Graduate Medical Education. Marsha has been with RVU since October, 2007. In her new role, she will manage the accreditation of the Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institute, RMOPTI, and will assist with the development of postgraduate training sites in the region. Congratulations, Marsha!

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Crickett ForrestAdministrative Assistant to the Vice President and General CounselCrickett joins RVU from Shreveport, Louisiana. She attended the Eastern Oklahoma State University RN Pro-gram in 1973-74 and was a recipient of the J.G. Puterbaugh Scholarship for Nursing Students.

Most recently, Crickett worked as an Education Assistant, Clerkship Coordinator and Residency Coordinator Assistant in the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Previously she served as the Senior Administrative As-sistant to a Doctor in the Department of Biochemistry and Mi-crobiology at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Crickett also worked for The Child Abuse Network in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Child Advocacy Center in conjunction with Oklahoma University; and has been a Mary Kay Cosmetics Consultant since 1979.

Crickett says she became interested in RVUCOM after she met an RVUCOM student on rotation in Dallas. “She spoke so high-ly of RVUCOM and how exciting the program there was that it really caught my interest,” says Crickett. “Since I now have a daughter and two granddaughters living in Westminster, I decided to look into employment at RVUCOM and made the move.”

Crickett also explains that her “first goal here at RVUCOM is to learn everything that I possibly can regarding what is required in Legal and Compliance and become an integral part of the team.”

Crickett has been married to her husband Jim since 1968 and they have two daughters, Shelby and Cheri, and a son, Derek. She also says they have nine wonderful grandchildren. Crickett has many interests including her children & grandchildren, watch-ing TV, reading, painting, bowling and visiting with friends and

family. She’s also currently looking to find a new church home.

“In a former life (mid 30’s) I became a flight attendant to face my fear of flying… then the airline went bankrupt,” says Crickett. “I’ve also worked as a designer showroom model (when I was much younger) and I was a finalist in the Mrs. Oklahoma Pag-eant. I love people, enjoy life and collect lasting friendships as I go.”

Welcome, Crickett!

Cherise WorkmanExecutive Administrative Assistant to the Acting President/DeanCherise is originally from Manches-ter, Washington. She has previously worked as a Court Clerk for the Su-perior Court in Yavapai County, Ari-zona, prior to moving to Colorado in 2008. She also worked for The Shaw Group - Power Division in Centen-nial as an Administrative Assistant

and Inspections Coordinator. She is currently pursuing a Para-legal degree at Arapahoe Community College.

Cherise says that the friendly people and dedicated faculty and staff at RVU really drew her in during the interview process. “I am excited to be part of an organization that places strong values in where it’s going and how it’s impacting the people within and around it,” says Cherise.

Cherise says she is happily married with four beautiful children, two girls and two boys, ages three to eleven, and one small dog. She loves to bike, camp and take road trips with her family - es-pecially vacations to Disneyland!

Welcome, Cherise!

Welcome to our New Employees

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