VCOM Auburn Yearbook 2020

ACONP American College of Osteopathic Neurologists and Psychiatrists Stephen Richardson, President; Jacob Greenspan, Vice President; Kristie Liao, Secretary; Noor Buttar, Treasurer; Aaron Hawkins, MD, Faculty Advisor

T he American College of Osteopathic Neurologists and interest within the fields of neurology and psychiatry. The club’s aim is to have an active presence within the community, allowing the club’s members to not only interact with the community but also to exercise the desire to serve others. This past year has brought many challenges and ACONP has had the opportunity to adapt in order to maintain the mission of VCOM. Before everything moved online, ACONP attended a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) meeting. At the meeting were four board members and two members of the community with a family member who suffered from mental illness. The two people from the community consisted of one wife with a husband who has ADHD and depression and one mom of an adult son with a diagnosis. Talking through the struggles they faced while taking care of their family with these additional responsibilities and learning about how these diseases impact the quality of life of many more people than the patient, was a valuable experience. We had plans to attend these once a month, but they were canceled as a result of the pandemic. Throughout the year, ACONP has held discussions with the organizers of East Alabama’s Alzheimer’s Association Walk, which is an impactful, community-focused, leadership opportunity. We plan to have ACONP members play key roles in the organization of this event. Our hope is that we will still be able to be a part of this event in the future. Psychiatrists (ACONP) chapter at VCOM-Auburn strives to inform students about the practice of medicine and to foster

Earlier this year, ACONP held a virtual ice cream social where first-year medical students could learn about the club and have any questions that they had about the club answered. We hope to continue to participate in the many events that the ACONP chapter at VCOM-Auburn has been a part of for the past four years.

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