Mali Schneiter (right) took to heart a big lesson:
It’s imperative for students of osteopathic medicine
to become its policy leaders.
The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF) will applaud two members of the College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2015 among award recipients at the organizations’ honors event on Oct. 24. Katie Eggerman, D.O.’15, M.P.H., will receive the AOA Presidential Memorial Leadership Award, and Mali Schneiter, D.O.’15, will accept the Welch Scholars Grant.
The AOA Presidential Memorial Leadership Award was established to honor past AOA presidents for their leadership and lifetime commitment to the osteopathic profession. The $5,000 award recognizes an osteopathic medical student who is committed to the principles of osteopathic medicine and who has worked to become one of its top student leaders.
In her first year at DMU, AOA Presidential Award recipient Katie Eggerman served as her class liaison
to the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) and then as a national liaison member. In the latter role, she chaired the SOMA political action committee with a goal of increasing student interest in health care policy. She organized 38 DMU students to participate in D.O. Day on the Hill, compared to eight students the year before. She also partnered with other campus leaders to create the student legislative committee to organize events and speakers on policy issues.
Last year, Eggerman was a member of the national SOMA Board of Trustees, representing the seven SOMA chapters in its Region III . She was one of two coordinators for a Primary Care Leadership Institute, a partnership of SOMA and the American Medical Student Association that brought together 23 students from various medical professions to participate in discussions on primary care issues and leadership. Eggerman, who is serving as the national SOMA board treasurer this year, also is an educator scholar in the DMU Pathways of Distinction program, in which she is developing skills in medical education.
“At such a pivotal time in the American health care system and in medical education, it is critical that osteopathic medical students show our strength as leaders,” she stated in her Presidential Memorial Leadership Award essay.
Recipients of the $2,000 Welch Scholars Grant are chosen for their high academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, commitment to osteopathic medicine and financial need.
At DMU, Mali Schneiter has been secretary and president of her class, vice president of the College of
Osteopathic Medicine Student Government Association and a member of several campus organizations. In April 2013, she was elected national global health representative for the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents, a role in which she promoted students’ global health interests and opportunities. Schneiter, who also is pursuing a master’s degree in public health at DMU, participated in the University’s health service trip to Honduras in 2013, and she continues to volunteer at local free clinics.
“Global public health and quality patient care are the ultimate goal of osteopathic medicine, and this is something I want to spend the rest of my career striving for,” she stated in her Welch Scholars Grant essay.