LYNCHBURG, Va., May 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On
Saturday, 126 student-doctors made history as they became
Liberty University's first class of
osteopathic physicians.
For the graduates of Liberty
University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM), it was a
day four years in the making. For Liberty, it was a longtime vision that became
reality.
In 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony marked the first steps in
building the Center for Medical and Health Sciences. Thanks to a
$20.5 million grant from the Virginia
Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission,
the 144,000-square-foot, four-story facility was completed in 2014
to train medical professionals who would go on to serve
underprivileged areas in southside Virginia.
"Class of 2018, you were chosen to attend LUCOM based on your
character, capacity, and motivation, and it was truly a divine
appointment that guided you to attend this medical school," said
Dr. Peter Bell, LUCOM dean, in his
opening remarks at the college's hooding ceremony. "I have seen you
demonstrate your passion for medicine with a servant's heart. ... I
marvel at your accomplishments as student-doctors and soon-to-be
colleagues in the high calling of osteopathic medicine."
According to Bell, two-thirds of the class will begin primary
care residencies. The rest will enter several different
specialties, including internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency
medicine, neurology, and obstetrics and gynecology. Many will work
in hospitals in underserved areas and communities across the
country, and some will enter the medical mission field.
Bell also celebrated the recent news that LUCOM was granted
accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on
Osteopathic College Accreditation.
Liberty President Jerry Falwell introduced the ceremony's keynote
speaker, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr.
Ben Carson. (Carson also spoke
earlier in the day at the university's Commencement Exercises.)
Carson first visited the Center for Medical and Health Sciences
in 2015, when he came to campus to speak in Convocation. He met
with LUCOM students and toured the facility. He said he always
feels welcome and "at home" when he comes to Liberty.
In his speech, Carson shared stories of lessons he has learned
over his extensive career as a neurosurgeon.
"The road that you travel is not always going to be easy,"
Carson said. "There will be bumps."
He said while in medical school at the University of Michigan, he failed his first series
of comprehensive exams. His advisor quickly told him to forget
medical school. But after working hard, Carson exceled. Years
later, in an ironic twist, he was invited to be his alma mater's
Commencement speaker.
He said that unlike that advisor, people should take a closer
look at the real issues and not dismiss them right away without
getting to the heart of the problem. He said this translates to the
field of medicine and encouraged the graduates to become "holistic
healers."
"Be a person who looks at the entirety of the individual — the
soul, the brain, the body," Carson said. "Treat people the way you
would want to be treated, not as 'the colon cancer (patient)' or
'the emphysema' or some other disease. I've heard so many people in
the medical profession refer to the patient as a disease. They're
not a disease. They're created by God, for whom Jesus died, and for
whom we have the privilege of intervening to change their
lives."
Being able to hear Carson speak at their hooding ceremony was an
honor, said LUCOM graduate Craig
Mitcham.
"It speaks volumes for the influence Liberty has," he said. "He's a person of great
character. (Carson) has accomplished so much in his personal life,
whether it's his medical accomplishments or how he was able to
overcome adversity in his life."
During the ceremony, Falwell congratulated the inaugural class
on the way they have already shown God's love to others.
"Part of LUCOM's mission is preparing students to have a
servant's heart and to be competent and passionate in the
workforce," he said. "We have accomplished that. I hear reports
from physicians all over the community on how delighted they were
to have worked with you, how your compassion for others is evident
in what you do."
He told them that their extra efforts beyond their classes were
obvious.
"Whether it was conducting a community clinic just down the road
in Danville, or tending to medical
needs in Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, or the Dominican Republic, you stayed on mission as
true public servants."
LUCOM's founding dean, Dr. Ronnie
Martin, thanked the students for "establishing a legacy" for
those students and classes that will follow, "creating a culture
for the college that will light the pathway for others."
"You are all pioneers, explorers, and leaders for many reasons,
not merely because you are the first class," he said.
Martin encouraged them to always follow the ultimate role model
as physicians – Jesus Christ.
Graduate Josh Steele said it's an
"unreal feeling" to be part of the first class. He will be
completing his residency in internal medicine with St. Joseph
Health System in Michigan.
"I would have never thought I would end up here when I first
came to Liberty nine years ago (for his
undergraduate degree)," he said. "I think being part of this first
class has given us all a unique, diverse bond that the rest of the
classes won't have."
For Josh Brunton, the
relationships he built while at LUCOM will span the rest of his
life, he said. He met his wife, Nicole, also a LUCOM graduate,
while they were at Liberty.
"That's the biggest takeaway," he said. "Our professors got to
know us on not only a professional level, but a personal one. I
feel like no matter where I go from here, whether I need someone to
help me move or call for career advice, I can rely on the people I
met here."
SOURCE Liberty University