Student Osteopathic Medical Association: Scholarships

For any questions about the scholarship programs please contact: Sabeena Rahman, Associate Director of Scholarships, at sabeena.rahman@nv.touro.edu.

The Osteopathic medical student that receives the Humanism in Medicine Scholarship should reflect the benevolent character exemplified by those members of our osteopathic family who perished on October 19, 2004. The eight members were flying to Kirksville, Missouri to explore ways of improving and developing a "Compassionate Campus" at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. The student applicant must be a third or fourth year Osteopathic medical student attending any of the accredited osteopathic medical colleges. The applicants will be judged on how well they demonstrate in their character the philosophy of Osteopathic medicine, unconditional love for their community and peers, leadership and dedication, compassion and empathy, spirit and enthusiasm. The Humanism in Medicine Application must be completed and emailed by September 22, 2008.

This fellowship is provided by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and the Osteopathic Research Center for osteopathic medical students who are currently or will be starting a research project in the field of osteopathy. The fellowship itself is a cash prize of $2000 provided to an individual or group of students pursuing research particularly during (but not limited to) the summer semester of 2008. Information regarding guidelines for qualifying applicants and the application itself can be downloaded from this website. The deadline for the application is January 4, 2008. Applicants will be notified by early March and should receive the funding by the end of May. Applicants are requested to present abstracts the following fall during the Annual AOA/SOMA Research Symposium. All questions or comments regarding this fellowship should be directed towards Alissa Cohen, National SOMA Research and Development Director at the following e-mail address: AlissaCo@pcom.edu.

Congratulations to the 2007 recipient of the SOMA Research Fellowship Toni Webster (NYCOM)!

The Andrew Taylor Still Memorial Scholarship provides a $500 stipend to select third and fourth year osteopathic medical students who utilize OMT in clinical practice. It is offered to those students who have completed, under the supervision of an Osteopathic Physician, a clinical rotation which included an emphasis on the use of OMT. Students should write about a particular experience where they utilized OMT and should likewise include information regarding the chief complaint, history of present illness, pertinent past medical history, therapeutic modalities employed and outcome generated. The student must also include validation from the supervising physician that OMT was, in fact, utilized. Specific OMT techniques utilized and rationale as to why should be included in the essay.

The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage students to employ OMM as an integral component of patient care. The stipend is awarded at the Spring SOMA Convention. Applicants may describe any clinical experience where they utilized OMT during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Ten scholarships are available this year. Scholarship applications will be judged and the best applications will be awarded the scholarships. Typed essays (minimum 250 words) reflecting an experience may be used for publication on the SOMA website, in the SOMA column of The D.O., or in our other publications. These awards are available to students who submit the completed application before the annual deadline of March 1, 2008. The scholarships will be awarded at the 2008 Spring SOMA Convention in Washington, D.C. If unable to attend the convention, award winners will be notified by April 30, 2008. It is the applicant's responsibility to inform the National SOMA OP&P Director of any changes in contact information, including address/telephone/e-mail.

The SOMA New Member Scholarship was developed for new members of SOMA (i.e. students signing up for SOMA during the Fall membership drive). Five $500 scholarships will be awarded based on an essay on the topic. "Vision of Osteopathic Medicine." The deadline to apply for this scholarship is September 18, 2006. Scholarship applications can be found in the new members packets or can be downloaded here

Due to the great generosity of Ed Loniewski, DO and his wife, Melissa, it is possible for students to receive up to $1000 to cover transportation, room, board and essential expenses while doing an elective rotation in a medically underserved location. Rotation sites are selected by the student and approved by the Office of Clinical Education. Students may be able to find, but are not limited to choosing, health professional shortage area (HPSA) sites by searching the following website http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/ . The completion of this rotation must be during the student's 3 rd or 4 th year of study only and in the academic year of the initial application.

A student who wishes to apply must complete and submit an application form, verification form and curriculum vitae to National SOMA. Recipients will be selected at the discretion of the Director of the Program for the Medically Underserved, and approved by the Board of Trustees of National SOMA. Any questions should be brought to your local SOMA PMU representative or to the National PMU Director. The National PMU Director for 2008-2009 is Michael A. Ruzek. He can be reached at ruzekmi@umdnj.edu.

Application deadline for a rotation to be completed in the fall of 2008 is May 31, 2008, and for the spring of 2009 is November 15, 2009. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for the current academic year. Scholarships will be awarded to the extent that funding permits.

Membership in National SOMA.
Completing the 3rd or 4th year of training.
Demonstrate, through extracurricular activities and/or community service, an interest in practicing medicine in an underserved area.
Verification Form, signed and stamped by the school registrar, or similar, affirming that the rotation is an elective.
The externship must be completed in an underserved area, whether in the United States or abroad. Students may be able to find U.S. sites at the following website: http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/.
The externship must be four weeks in length, can be completed with a D.O. or M.D. and can be in any area of medicine, including primary health care as well as specialties and subspecialties.
Once chosen for the scholarship, the training site may not be changed without verbal and/or written consent of the PMU Director.
The externship may not be used to fulfill criteria for any other scholarship or stipend.

Upon completion of the qualifying rotation, the recipient must complete the following:

Preceptor(s) evaluation of student achievement.
Student evaluation of preceptor(s) and learning environment.
An essay of 500 words or less describing the student's experiences during the rotation, which may appear on National SOMA's website.
Identify and mentor a first or second year medical student of the recipient's choice with the expectation that that student will apply for the scholarship in subsequent years.
A completed reimbursement form with all original receipts, reflecting actual travel, room, board, and ancillary expenses, upon which the scholarship disbursement will be based. Maximum disbursement in $1000, minimum is $250.

Each year the SOMA Foundation, the philanthropic organization of SOMA, offers scholarships to many deserving osteopathic medical students. There is one universal application for two separate scholarships: Medical Education Scholarship and Corporate Grant Scholarship. For both awards, students are evaluated based on SOMA leadership positions, a personal statement, local chapter involvement and financial need. The applications are graded by a third party, and awards are then given based on the above criteria at the Spring SOMA convention. The deadline for submitting applications is March 15th, 2008. The scholarship will be awarded at the spring convention in Washington, D.C.

A $1000 award will be given to a LECOM student this spring at the SOMA convention.

Mission: The mission of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association's International Health Program is to promote international medicine and to develop an awareness of other cultures medical practice via direct student interaction. It is the desire of this program to provide resources to students interested in international health and to encourage osteopathic medical students to incorporate an international elective experience into their medical school curriculum.

Scholarship Information: General International Health Programs Scholarship: Each student selected for the scholarship will receive up to $500 to cover transportation, room, board and essential expenses related to an international medicine elective rotation. Rotation sites are selected by the student and approved by the respective Office of Clinical Education or equivalent at the osteopathic medical school prior to application. The completion of this rotation must take place during the student's 3rd or 4th year of study only.

Requirements for consideration:
1) Membership in National SOMA.
2) Entering the 3rd or 4th year of training.
3) Demonstrate a strong interest in international medicine.
4) Verification Form, signed and stamped by the school registrar, or similar, which affirms that the experience meets the schools requirements for an elective rotation.
5) The externship should be at least one month in length and must take place in a country outside of the United States.
6) Once chosen for the scholarship, the training site may not be changed without verbal and/or written consent of the IHP Director.

We are excited to introduce a new scholarship for this spring designed to meet the needs of those students who participate in international medical missions and relief trips. It is specifically designed for those trips of a short-term basis that do not meet the requirements for the general scholarship. Each student selected for the scholarship will receive up to $250 to cover transportation, room, board and essential expenses related to an international medicine missions/relief trip. The completion of this trip may take place during any part of the four years of study. This scholarship comes at the request of so many of you who take international relief trips each year and are looking for another source of financial support. I encourage anyone who may qualify to apply as soon as possible.

Requirements for consideration:
1) Membership in National SOMA.
2) Demonstrate a strong interest in international medicine.
3) The trip does not have a length requirement but must take place in a country outside of the United States.
4) Once chosen for the scholarship, the site may not be changed without verbal and/or written consent of the IHP Director.

Scholarship Deadline is March 1st
The deadline for submission of applications each year is March 1st. The applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and awards will be distributed each year at the annual spring SOMA convention in Washington D.C. Awards may be applied to rotations that have previously occurred or are yet to occur as long as the applicant is still a student at an accredited college of osteopathic medicine at the time the scholarship is awarded. Scholarships will be awarded to the extent that funding permits.

A student who wishes to apply must complete and submit an application form and verification form (for the general scholarship only) to National SOMA. Recipients will be selected at the discretion of the scholarship selection committee. Any questions should be brought to your local SOMA International Health representative or to the National Health Programs Director.

Thank you for you interest in the SOMA International Health Program. If you have any questions about the scholarship or about the SOMA international health program please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.

Upon completion of the qualifying international experience, the recipient must complete the following:
1) An essay of 1000 words or less describing the student’s experiences during the trip. This essay may be used on the SOMA website to promote the International Health Scholarship program.
2) A completed reimbursement form with all original receipts, reflecting actual travel, room, board, and ancillary expenses, upon which the scholarship disbursement will be based.

All Pre-SOMA members are eligible to apply for this scholarship, designed to cover the student�s travel expenses to attend D.O. Day on Capitol Hill which takes place each Spring in conjunction with the Spring SOMA Convention in Washington, DC.

This scholarship is awarded to a Pre-SOMA member that demonstrates dedication to the osteopathic profession and a genuine interest in political activism to impact current legislation related to healthcare.

For more information on Pre-SOMA membership, chartering a new Pre-SOMA chapter, or anything else related to SOMA or Osteopathic medicine in general, please visit http://studentdo.com/pre-soma.htm or email the National Pre-SOMA Director: Crystal Lenz, OMS-II at pre_soma@hotmail.com.