By Sallie Boyles
On Saturday, February 8, PCOM Georgia will host about 80 college students from schools around Metro Atlanta for the first Operation Decode Medicine. Organized by PCOM Georgia’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Chapter, the event was conceived to provide valuable resources, free of charge, to help make medical school a viable option. Topics will include applying to medical school, obtaining financial aid, prepping for the MCAT, fulfilling academic prerequisites, and building a competitive resume.
The program has been spearheaded by Eyana Thomas (DO ’27), this year’s liaison for the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) and a member of SNMA. However, she credits the previous MAPS liaison, Staicy Odhiambo (DO ’26), for laying the groundwork. In addition to assisting in planning the agenda, Odhiambo ran a successful MCAT book drive in 2023-2024 on campus. As a result, many attendees will leave with complimentary study sets that would have otherwise collected dust on doctors’ bookshelves.
The team effort further includes seven members of the SNMA executive board, another 15 or so DO student volunteers, administrative staff, and Erik Zarandy, DO ’12, who is in practice and serves as an assistant professor of family medicine at PCOM Georgia.
“The whole day is programmed to be official and unofficial,” Thomas said, explaining that students will be free to network, ask questions, and hear from admissions.
Conveying how medical school students offer some of the best insights from having recently gone through the process, she added, “There are certain unspoken rules, like you should turn in your secondary applications within two weeks.” Nevertheless, she and her panel had to put their heads together in a labor of love to recall pertinent details. “I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am without people reaching back to help me,” Thomas said. “I want to make sure the path is clearer and easier by following in my footsteps.”
Thomas, who grew up in Savannah, was determined to be a chef with her own restaurant until Dr. Pimple Popper’s YouTube videos got her thinking about medicine. “As it turned out, my high school had a Medical Explorers Program that gave me the opportunity to shadow doctors,” she said. Thomas went on to earn two bachelor’s degrees—cell and molecular biology, and chemistry—from Augusta University in 2021. Unfortunately, she missed out on clinical experience because of Covid restrictions, and her GPA dipped while navigating online learning.
Although Thomas didn’t need a master’s degree to better her candidacy for medical school, she said, “I felt I was lacking hands-on experience.” Taking two gap years before applying, she started working as a patient care assistant in the OR. The job exposed her to various surgeries, which was stimulating. It also made her realize her influence on patients, which was humbling. “Even if you didn’t remember me,” Thomas said, “I was the person who was giving you warm blankets while prepping you for surgery and the first person you woke up to when you were being transferred to your bed.”
When she subsequently joined AmbioPharm as a quality control chemist, Thomas continued to moonlight in the hospital and applied to medical schools. “I fell into osteopathic medicine,” Thomas said, “because of the idea of healing with my hands.”
That decision led her to PCOM and a culture that cultivates and supports student initiatives like Operation Decode Medicine. In fact, Thomas doesn’t believe the event could be happening without the administration’s collaboration. “You can tell the school really cares about what’s going on,” she said. “I’m so blessed to be in a place that amplifies diverse voices and sees that programs like this don’t fall through the cracks.”
Among those on campus who work to ensure students’ outreach efforts succeed is Assistant Director of Diversity and Community Relations Christy Dinkins, EdD.
“When Eyana approached me with this initiative, it was a no-brainer for me,” Dinkins said. “Our campus is committed to creating pathways for students from underrepresented backgrounds to learn about and get into the medical field. This is evident in the number of pathway initiatives coming from our campus community. Our office currently hosts six pathway programs with the most recent addition being an internship program with undergraduate students at Georgia State University and Georgia Gwinnett College. The interns helped promote this event, and five of them are registered to attend. I am proud to support Operation Decode Medicine and will work with SNMA to ensure we are able to host it every year.”
“My greatest hope for these students is that they are inspired to pursue medicine,” Thomas said. “Even if they don't join us at PCOM, we hope that by showcasing our ‘home,’ we can help them be better prepared to find their place in medicine.”
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.
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