DMU has a new student organization that’s also a feather in the University’s cap: The Genetics Student Interest Group of Des Moines University recently made DMU one of only seven medical schools in the U.S., and the first and only osteopathic medical school, to earn affiliation with the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG).

Alisdair “Rod” Philp, Ph.D., a DMU assistant professor of biochemistry and nutrition, was inspired to help students create the group because of student anxiety over genetics questions on medical licensing examinations. He is an elected affiliated scientist of the ACMG, which enabled the student interest group’s affiliation. Philp says the rapid advancement in genetic knowledge and research, along with DMU students’ interest in both, affirmed the idea for such an organization.

Posted in Biomedical Science, Current Students, DMU News, Osteopathic Medicine, Physician Assistant, Prospective Students, Research, Student Life, Student Organizations | Leave a Comment

DMU has the perfect way for pre-med students to get a head start…

The DMU Health Professions Advanced Summer Scholars Program (Health P.A.S.S.) gives them a taste of what it’s like to be a student in osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physician assistant or physical therapy.

The FREE three-week program takes place at the end of July and is open to college sophomores and juniors who want to get a taste of what med school will be like and pad their resumes with a little hands-on experience. Enrollment is limited to 10 students and applicants must have a minimum cumulative college grade point average of 3.0.

Posted in DMU Events, New Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Prospective Students, Student Life | Leave a Comment

Students in DMU’s Conservation and Sustainability Committee are active in encouraging the University and individuals to recycle, walk or bike instead of drive, use less paper and observe “meatless Mondays.”This national campaign is not intended to convince people to become vegetarian; rather, its goals are to help people seek healthier plant-based protein foods that, collectively, will help reduce the environmental burden of livestock production.

Please don't eat me every day of the week.

Committee member and second-year osteopathic medical student Andrew Kamps offers this recipe that is healthy, inexpensive and easy to throw together – the perfect combination for busy medical students.

Posted in Healthy Cooking, Student Life | 1 Comment

About three years ago, a group of DMU students began pushing the University to increase its sustainability practices. They wanted DMU to recycle more paper and plastic water bottles and reduce waste in other areas.

Now an official campus organization, the Conservation and Sustainability Committee succeeded in getting the University to install several water coolers that allow people to refill their bottles. In conjunction with Food Day 2011, in October the committee brought to campus the movie “Food Inc.,” a disturbing documentary about corporate food production in the United States. The group is also encouraging the campus community to observe Meatless Monday, a national movement to get people to eat meatless at least one day a week.

Posted in Current Students, Health News, Healthy Cooking, Student Life | Leave a Comment

When Des Moines University celebrated its centennial in 1998, students creatively created a fun event to mark the occasion: They invited students of nearby Drake University Law School to play a football game. The “Malpractice Bowl” has been held every year since and will again occur this Saturday, Oct. 29, starting with the women’s game at 11 a.m., the men’s game afterward, and a friendly barbecue to wrap it up.

Students have a ton of fun with the event. DMU students started designing Malpractice Bowl t-shirts some years ago, with snarky taglines like “Des Moines University – helping OTHERS since 1898….Drake Law – helping THEMSELVES since 1881.” One year’s shirt depicted a bulldog, Drake’s mascot, chasing an ambulance.

Posted in Current Students, DMU Events, Life in Des Moines, Student Life | 2 Comments

Congrats, you made it to Des Moines University! All your hard work through undergrad has finally paid off. Now that you’re here, you might have noticed your friends didn’t come with you. I was personally shocked when my friends didn’t want to move nine hours way from our hometown to keep me entertained when I occasionally have breaks. But that’s okay, I’m not bitter. I did wonder, though, why should I get to know my classmates? Some of them talk funny. What would we have in common? Why bother? I came up with some reasons why you don’t have to go it alone.

Posted in Student Bloggers, Student Life | Leave a Comment