VCOM Auburn Yearbook 2019

SOSA Student Osteopathic Surgical Association

Madison Blackwell, President; Lynch Major, Vice President; (Katherine) Tate Pember, Secretary; Annie Gilliam, Treasurer; Tayler Gant, National Liaison Officer; Luke Brunham, Anesthesiology Chair; Johnathan Sledd, Orthopedics Chair; Paul Brisson, MD, Faculty Advisor

SOSA is the official student organization of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons (ACOS). The VCOM-Auburn chapter of SOSA strives to equip its members with hands-on skills that will better prepare them in the field of surgery. Over the past year, SOSA hosted a liver biopsy and fine needle aspiration workshop, as well as several suturing workshops. This past December, SOSA hosted the second annual Surgical Conference at VCOM. More than 200 people volunteered or attended the conference over the weekend. The conference was a two-day, student-led event under the guidance of VCOM-Auburn Surgery Chair Paul Brisson, MD. The conference allowed each attending student to obtain at least ten new medical skills. Students also heard from guest speaker, Stewart Nutting, MD, and

a panel of practicing physicians. Students received guided training from experienced physicians in various fields of medicine including neurosurgery, general surgery, sports medicine, anesthesia, orthopedics, family medicine and OB/GYN. Hands-on training included suturing, endotracheal intubation, hemorrhage control, laparoscopy, ultrasound, diabetic foot, casting and surgical instrumentation. Each of the workshops was operated by students with a qualifying background in the respective fields. These students worked closely with specialized physicians from VCOM and the local community to provide the best hands-on experience for the attendees. Additionally, demonstrations of open thoracotomy, craniotomy and total knee replacement were conducted in the anatomy lab.

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