On Saturday, September 18, and Sunday, September 19, student organizations from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) hosted the fourth annual Women’s Health Symposium on the Philadelphia campus. Leaders from the PCOM American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) chapter, the PCOM
OB/GYN club and the PCOM Oncology club came together to host the event.
“September is Women’s Health Month and we wanted to continue this event that focuses on bringing together female healthcare professionals, as well as female patients,” shared Sonya Levine (DO `24), AMWA community service leader. “Our goal in hosting this event is to improve interpersonal relationships with patients, engage with patients from different backgrounds, remain inclusive and open-minded, and supplement what we learn in our didactic years with real-world examples,” continued Ms. Levine.
The two-day event featured five unique sessions focused on different elements of women’s health. Saturday’s events included a talk given by Abby Match, a Living Beyond Breast Cancer Young advocate. At 35 years old, Ms. Match was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. In her talk, Ms. Match shared her journey through breast cancer and the struggles she faced in her battle. “This talk really stood out to me because Ms. Match is just a few months out from her treatment,” shared Shuchi Sehgal (DO `24), president of the PCOM Oncology club. “Often, as medical students, we may not hear a patient’s story until years after they’ve received treatment. It was very helpful to hear Ms. Match talk about the importance of listening to our bodies as women and how physicians should work to understand their patients better, so as to ensure the best course of treatment,” continued Ms. Sehgal. This event was coordinated by school psychology student Melanie Singh (PsyD '26).
Saturday also featured speakers that touched on topics in women’s health such as OMM/PCS
treatment for individuals with breasts, and a discussion surrounding the pathology
of sexual assaults, hosted by deputy coroner Hillary Brown MS/FM `18.
Sunday’s events included an Allied Health Panel focused on inter-professional discussion with non-physician members of the healthcare team. Panelists touched on their role in a healthcare team and how they each contribute to overall women’s health. Audience members were invited to come with questions and participate in group discussions.
Ms. Sehgal hosted a talk on Sunday titled “HIV and AIDS: transmission and its impact on the FSW community.” This discussion focused on a range of topics including HIV and AIDS transmission and access to healthcare in the female sex working population, as well as access to testing and healthcare in rural villages and sex work communities in Uganda and the U.S.
“Having attended this event for the past four years, I was excited to see how it’s grown and changed,” shared Zoe Beausoleil (DO `24), president of the PCOM OB/GYN club. “Having been remote for most of the past two years, we were excited to bring the event back to campus and play host to impactful speakers who touched on a wide variety of topics.”
Additional student leaders responsible for coordinating these events include Sarah Song (DO `24), Karoline Loretan (DO `24) and Megan Czachor (DO `24).
For the past 125 years, 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.
Brandon Lausch
Executive Director, Strategic Communications
Email: brandonla@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6312 | Cell:
717-371-0609
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