The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) recently named Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) students Chantel Thompson (DO ’22) and Omoshade Idowu (DO ’22) to the Board of Directors. The officer elections were held April 16-19, 2020, during the Virtual SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference.
Thompson, of Philadelphia, PA, will serve as National President-Elect, and Idowu,
originally from Seattle, WA, will serve as Region VIII Director, both for two-year
terms. SNMA is the oldest and largest student-run organization supporting underrepresented
minority medical students, with more than 7,000 members nationwide and in the Caribbean.
The SNMA is committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical
students, addressing the needs of underserved communities, and creating clinically
excellent, culturally competent, and socially conscious physicians. The SNMA Board
of Directors meets quarterly to make business and policy decisions in accordance with
the SNMA Constitution and Bylaws, and is governed by the House of Delegates, made
up of all active SNMA members.
“This is an incredible honor, and I am humbled to have been selected by my peers to represent this dynamic organization on a national level. I am committed to supporting the SNMA’s members, mission, and goals and look forward to getting started in this new role,” said Thompson. “I am proud to represent PCOM as a student leader and feel well-prepared for this role. I hope to utilize the wisdom I’ve gained as a student as well as my combined experience to be an influential member of the SNMA Board of Directors,” added Idowu.
Thompson is a rising fourth-year dual-degree candidate in Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and Master of Public Health (Thomas Jefferson University College of Population Health), and earned her undergraduate degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Hampton University in Hampton, VA. She previously served as Co-President of the PCOM chapter of the SNMA. During her tenure, she advocated for increased cultural competency in medicine, by creating the PCOM Cultural Competency Program and founding the inaugural Cultural Humility and Medicine Symposium. Thompson also served as Leader for Community Outreach of the Medicine for Education Club and immediate past Associate Region VIII Director of the SNMA.
Idowu is a third-year medical student and earned her undergraduate degree in Biology,
with a concentration in Physiology, from the University of Washington-Seattle. She
is passionate about the achievement of physical, mental and spiritual health in medicine.
She is an immediate past Co-President of the PCOM chapter of SNMA and in her tenure
focused on mental health awareness through programming offered by the Department of
Behavioral Health Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) for the City of Philadelphia.
This programming trained and certified PCOM students in Mental Health First Aid and
Opioid Overdose Prevention and Narcan Rescue Training. She has also served as a PASS
mentor for incoming students, Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program
(HPREP) mentor, Health Career Collaborative facilitator, DO Council Parliamentarian
and Co-Chair of the DO Council Legislative Affairs Committee.
Learn more about the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine programs at PCOM's locations.
Established in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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