GA-PCOM held its annual body donor memorial service where family members were recognized by students, faculty and staff members.
For students in the doctor of osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physician assistant studies programs at Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM), having an understanding of the human body’s function is vital. Thanks to the body donor program at GA-PCOM, students are able to study firsthand the intricacies of the human body and the relationships between systems.
As such, GA-PCOM recognizes that those who donate their remains to science make a tremendous contribution to the body of knowledge surrounding medical education. Each year GA-PCOM holds a donor memorial service to honor the donors and their family members. The most recent memorial was Saturday, May 13.
The families of the donors were the College's invited guests and were joined by students, facility and staff members at a memorial service led by GA-PCOM anatomical donation coordinator Jeffrey Seiple.
“We can study from a wide variety of textbooks and resources, but the courage and kindness of your family member’s donation has given us the opportunity to form this foundation with hands-on learning that would not have been possible otherwise," said DO 2020 Class Chair Ronak Patel during the service. "Nothing can replicate the masterwork of the human body.”
A video that featured students expressing their thanks to the donors was shown at the beginning of the service, just before the cremains of the donors were presented to their family members. Candles were also lit in honor of the donors and family members were invited to share stories and memories of their loved ones.
“Not a day goes by where I don’t utilize the lessons that I learned during my first semester of med school, thanks to the selfless act made by the donor," said Ishan Choppa (DO '20) in the student "thank you" video. "Their donation not only allowed me to see the complexity of the human body, but the beauty of it as well, while simultaneously reinforcing my passion as to why I decided to embark on this journey to medical school in the first place.”
Donors are continually needed to support medical education programs. Any Georgia resident at least 18 years old is eligible to register for the GA-PCOM Body Donation Program based upon the college’s donor criteria.
Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education with a storied 125-year history dedicated to the healthcare professions. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
Jamesia Harrison, MS
Assistant Director, News and Media Relations
Email: jamesiaha@pcom.edu
Office: 678-225-7532 | Cell: 470-572-7558
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