DMU D.O. student Jason Sebesto was recently selected as one of five (FIVE out of 235 entries) winners of the American College of Physicians 2009 National Medical Students Abstract Competition.

He will present his abstract “MRSA Detection of Colonized Needless Catheter Ports Using Real-Time PCR” at the April convention. 

Jason began this research project with Jeff Gray, Ph.D., assoc. prof of micro/immun, as part of the DMU Summer Research Program which DMU students and current undergrad students can apply for now!

Posted in DMU News, Research | Leave a Comment

’96 CPMS grad Michael S. Lee, D.P.M., FACFAS, was recently named president-elect of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS). (ACFAS has 6,000+ members. It’s a big deal!)

“ACFAS is a forum and network of the best and the brightest minds in the field of podiatric surgery, and I am honored to be granted the opportunity to serve my profession in this way,” said Dr. Lee. 

Posted in DMU Alumni, DMU News | 2 Comments

We call all three of our guinea pigs our babies. They are in so many ways – they eat, poop, whine & sleep (repeat daily). But they are a joy to have around the apartment. Our first concern moving out to Des Moines was finding apartments that accept small animals. We wanted to be near school but many of the apartment buildings did not allow pets or they only allowed cats. It’s too bad I’m horrendously allergic to cats so I never thought about owning one. Guinea pigs, however, are more social and much smaller than a cat or dog anyway. Plus, we don’t have to take them out for walks since they have a very spacious cage where they can do their business all around the clock. We were fortunate to find an apartment complex not too far from school that welcomed our pets. 

Posted in Life in Des Moines | Leave a Comment

What’s a physician assistant? It’s not a physician‘s assistant. A physician assistant (or PA) is a licensed medical professional that can give care in medical offices, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and more. They can take medical histories, perform exams, give immunizations, do simple suturing and cast uncomplicated fractures or perform minor surgeries. They can order and read diagnostic tests, prescribe drugs and treat your illness. 

DMU has a great program for PAs and you can read more about the profession at the American Academy of Physician Assistants page.

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The DMU Global Health dept. recently arranged an exchange partnership with a medical school in Uganda. The first two DMU students to try it out are currently there. Jon & Katie are in Uganda for two months. Luckily for us back home, they’re blogging about it!

DMU will host two students from Uganda in March & April. We’re really excited to meet them and share experiences/perspectives on the healthcare system!

Jon & Katie aren’t the only two to chronicle their travels…..read other DMU students’ blogs of abroad.

Posted in Current Students, Global Health | Leave a Comment

The Des Moines Register had a great piece yesterday, Losing Weight: How they did it, about 3 local women who changed their diet & exercise plans to lose weight/live healthier. 

Dr. Melita Schuster from the DMU Clinic offered up some tips for the article. She suggested cutting all pop, drinking more water, cutting foods with partially hydrogenated oils and adding resistance training to your schedule.

One of the best parts about the piece is one of the women featured is DMU’s own Nikki Hook! Nikki works in the COM dean’s office and has lost 59 pounds through Weight Watchers and use of the DMU Wellness Center. She makes great use of the Wellne$$ Pay$ program offered to DMU employees and she’s worked her tail off.  

Posted in Des Moines Events, Des Moines University Clinic, Life in Des Moines | 2 Comments