Jaclyn Zibman, MS/Biomed ’22, is a first-generation college and graduate student who
loves to learn and help others, a great combination for a medical career. However,
she believes her primary passion for health care comes from her desire to create lasting
change and positive impacts.
“I feel that health care is more than just fixing an ailment,” she said. “It involves education, time and trust in a provider.
With a degree in biology from the University of Georgia, together with her master’s degree in biomedical sciences, Zibman has accepted a position as the director of medical simulation at Loyola University’s nursing school in New Orleans.
Excited to help the college set up, staff, manage and develop its new lab, Zibman said she feels “very confident in the education that PCOM Georgia provided me, not only through my medical simulation concentration, but also through my biomedical and organizational development and leadership knowledge.
“I want to use my skills to help the students at Loyola become the best providers they can be,” she said.
Zibman also wants to bring the philanthropic organization she founded, Uplift ATL, to New Orleans to support those in need. “I want to advocate for the rights of others through the continued education of myself and those around me,” she said. “I want to be someone that others feel comfortable coming to and be the best leader, friend, teammate and person that I can be.”
Uplift ATL is an initiative with a mission to uplift the people of Atlanta through a dynamic approach, according to Zibman. The organization aims to help not only those in need, but also to help small and local businesses grow. In addition, the organization has assisted people in registering to vote and distributed COVID resources.
Zibman chose to earn her graduate degree at PCOM Georgia because she wanted to continue challenging herself, while widening her knowledge. She said the biomedical sciences program offered the opportunity for her to learn from professors who also taught in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. And she liked the wide array of second year concentrations that were offered.
“I had a difficult time deciding between forensics, non-thesis and medical simulation,” she said. “I ultimately chose medical simulation because it was the most hands-on of the options, even allowing us to become EMT certified and work in the field alongside Gwinnett County firefighters and paramedics on our ride-alongs,” she said.
Along with the medical simulation concentration, Zibman completed a certificate in organizational development and leadership. “The opportunity to learn about so many different fields of health care through coursework, research opportunities, clubs and networking was very attractive,” she said.
While a student at PCOM Georgia, Zibman participated in many activities. She worked as a co-lead and project manager for the Medical Spanish Initiative Committee, which is working on a medical Spanish textbook and curriculum with an emphasis on creating culturally competent providers.
Zibman joined a grant-funded fellowship research team that has been working to identify addressable concerns related to vaccine hesitancy in order to educate and increase vaccine understanding and uptake.
She served as president of the Family Medicine Club, which serves as the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians’ PCOM Georgia chapter. She also interacted with and trained multiple disciplines of medicine through medical simulation.
“We trained paramedics at the Gwinnett Fire Academy, assisted in running Trauma Day at Lanier Technical College, which involved developing and running a case from start to finish with students training to become EMTs, nurses, DOs and radiology techs. In addition, we taught high school students about triage and emergency field medicine.”
“These experiences really showed me that my passions for leadership and medicine can merge in so many different ways and opened me up to the fields of teaching and administration,” Zibman said.
Growing up in Augusta, Georgia, Zibman is inspired by her parents. “They’ve been together for 32 years and they are absolutely my sounding board for what good people are in the world,” she said. “They work so hard and never hesitate to help someone in need. They go above and beyond with everything they do, and they inspire me to challenge myself and put my all in everything I do.”
She leaves the following advice to those coming behind her.
“Do not be afraid to try and fail. I have been gifted with so many opportunities simply because I just applied or asked a question or tried my hand at the task.”
“I was so afraid of the word “no” for so long and now I have such a diverse background of leadership roles, a fantastic network, and so much potential for growth that I would have missed out on if I was scared of failing.”
“As my mother likes to say, 90% of success is just showing up.”
© 2024 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine