Vickie Powell, B.S., PharmD, MS, FASHP, Site Director of Pharmacy Operations at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, addressed Touro College of Pharmacy students, faculty and alumni earlier this week about the importance of advancing health equity. She discussed the skills and impact pharmacists have and encouraged the students to go to underserved communities and share what they know. “Pharmacy students have invaluable knowledge and clinical service skills,” she said. “There are lots of people who don’t have access to care. Taking the time to go out and talk to them is very important and has a big impact on the quality of life people will have.” The talk was part of a faculty speaker series launched as part of the school’s new “Center of Excellence”, established to recruit and graduate more underrepresented minority pharmacists and to train and provide opportunities for faculty and students to address unmet pharmacy needs in underserved communities. The Center is funded by a recent $3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. Shown is Dr. Powell receiving Certificate of Appreciation from Dean Dr. Henry Cohen for participating in the lecture series.

#FBF 40 first- and second-year TouroCOM Middletown students attended a “Stop the Bleed” training class yesterday where they learned how to apply tourniquets, pack wounds with gauze, and other techniques to control bleeding in emergencies. Professors Joyce Brown and Kelly Kohler provided instruction and Ruby, Dr. Kohler’s therapy dog who comes to campus on Mondays to calm students taking tests, participated as well. “Stop the Bleed” classes were created by the American College of Surgeons, Committee on Trauma. Several Middletown students are also instructors and have trained local high school students participating in the school’s MedAchieve afterschool program for high school students aspiring to health care careers.

Happy Thankgiving! We're thankful for our wonderful Touro community!

#WednesdayWisdom #happythanksgiving

To celebrate #touro50, we’ve been spotlighting some amazing Touro Trailblazers! Here are just a few.

#FBF TouroCOM Harlem students joined over 2,000 other bikers on a 50-mile traffic-free ride to raise funds for MS! Starting on the West Side of Manhattan, “Bike MS New York City” took riders through the Battery Park Tunnel at the southern tip of Manhattan to New Jersey. Over $1.6 M was raised at the event, part of one of the largest fundraising cycling series in the world. Pictured L-R are OMS Touro team riders Matt Meissmer, Anton Livshin, and James Schaeffer at Pier 84 on the West Side Highway celebrating their ride. “MS can affect anyone regardless of race, age, gender, or sexuality. It’s one of the few diseases that has had pharmacological developments within the last 15 years that have drastically changed the course of the disease,” said Tal Sharon, OMS-II and President of the Student Interest in Neurology Group. “It was a lovely event. I hope that Touro participates again next year!”

Congratulations to scholarship winner Paola Arteaga-OMS II at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown, on winning the R. Jaime H. Rivera Velez Award for Outstanding Service from the Latino Medical Student Association Northeast! “We are very proud of her achievement and all of the community service work that she is doing in our community!” said Francis Rose, Jr., Assistant Dean of Students.

Lindsay Hock, a third-year student at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown, was recently elected treasurer of the national Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA). The action took place in Boston at OMED, an annual meeting that brings together thousands of osteopathic physicians, medical students and other health professionals from across the U.S. Congrats Lindsay!