VCOM - Auburn 2018 Yearbook

SOMA Student Osteopathic Medical Association

Landry Shipman, President; Jonathan Wang, Vice President; Jay Patel, Treasurer; Danielle Ferra, Secretary; Emily Chin, NLO

T he VCOM-Auburn chapter of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) works throughout the year to keep students up-to-date and aware of current political events affecting the osteopathic profession. SOMA is the student affiliate organization of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), representing and advocating for osteopathic medical students’ interests at the local, state, regional and national levels. The SOMA chapter at VCOM-Auburn has seen exciting growth in the past year thanks to the previous leaders. Current officers Landry Shipman (president), Emily Chin (national liaison officer), Jonathan Wang (vice president) and Danielle Ferra (secretary) hope to continue to establish SOMA as a solid organization. Within the past year, SOMA has been involved in many exciting events. The Doctoring Committee, headed by previous Vice President Marissa Lee, has hosted a mock standardized patient experience each block to help first-year students prepare and practice with classmates. For National Osteopathic

Medicine Week, President Landry Shipman and National Liaison Officer Emily Chin went to Auburn University and hosted a booth advertising VCOM- Auburn, while educating undergraduate students about the osteopathic profession. SOMA also held the annual Med Gala for VCOM-Auburn at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University this spring. The event was a wonderful time for students and faculty to come together and enjoy each other’s company. SOMA members attend three yearly conferences across the country. Previous President Brigitte Meyers and National Liaison Officer Anna Stamas attended the Student Leadership Conference and AOA House of Delegates in Chicago in 2017. There, they received updates regarding SOMA and the AOA, collaborated with Region II colleagues to gather ideas for initiatives for the upcoming year and networked with SOMA, SGA and politically active physicians. Additionally, Brigitte Myers and Anna Stamas attended the OMED Fall Convention in Philadelphia in 2017.

96