Episode 79: Dr. Joel Dickerman D.O. Dean of Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine

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In April of 2022, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) graciously invited the D.O. or Do Not Podcast to attend their national meeting, the “Educating Leaders” conference, in Denver, Colorado. Our two producers, Lerone Cark, MS-II at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Brooke Pillegi, MS-II at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as Ben Berg, our premedical student liaison, attended the conference to continue our mission of promoting awareness of osteopathic medicine by interviewing leaders in the field.

We would like to thank Dr. Robert Cain, president of AACOM, Joseph Shapiro, director of media relations, and Helene Cameron, vice president of medical education services for having us at the conference and supporting the podcast. We had an amazing experience and would recommend the conference to any medical or pre-medical students interested in learning more about the inner workings of osteopathic medicine and osteopathic medical education.

In this episode of D.O. or Do Not, we have Dr. Joel Dickerman, the current dean of the newly established Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, the first osteopathic school in Kansas. Dr. Dickerman will discuss the new campus in the city of Wichita and what makes the school special, including innovations in education, a virtual anatomy lab, and a team-based approach to learning. He discusses some of the benefits to students looking for population management and in-person experiences that they may not get elsewhere. He explains the pros of attending a new school and helping to shape the future of the educational experience. He also talks about the diverse clinical opportunities that are open to students while in Kansas. Dr. Dickerman shares his unique journey and how being treated by an osteopathic physician while in high school changed his trajectory from becoming a teacher to an osteopathic physician and finally coming full circle as a dean of an osteopathic medical school.