{"id":18494,"date":"2013-11-02T19:40:16","date_gmt":"2013-11-02T23:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=18494"},"modified":"2014-09-24T12:18:58","modified_gmt":"2014-09-24T16:18:58","slug":"young-married-couple-lead-the-way-to-osteopathic-medical-school-in-blacksburg-va","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2013\/young-married-couple-lead-the-way-to-osteopathic-medical-school-in-blacksburg-va\/","title":{"rendered":"Osteopathic medical school in Blacksburg, Va., &#8216;perfect fit&#8217; for EMU grads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Since elementary school she had wanted to be a doctor, but Margaret \u201cMaggie\u201d Parker didn\u2019t know that that dream would merge with a later dream \u2013 marrying a good man \u2013 during her academic journey through Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) and on to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vcom.vt.edu\/\">Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)<\/a>, linked to Virginia Tech University.<\/p>\n<p>Maggie had wrapped up her first two years at EMU before meeting a native of Harrisonburg, Va., Nathaniel \u201cNate\u201d Yoder, who had returned to his hometown after completing two years at a sister Mennonite school, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hesston.edu\/\">Hesston (Kan.) College<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Maggie and Nate were both <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/pphs\/\">pre-professional health sciences majors<\/a> in the class of 2008, and they quickly discovered a shared interest in answering God\u2019s call through practicing medicine.<\/p>\n<p>Now in their final year at VCOM, Maggie Yoder is pursuing a residency in family medicine, while Nate Yoder will be doing a residency in emergency medicine. They will each earn the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe VCOM relationship is a perfect next step for someone who\u2019s come through EMU,\u201d says Maggie, adding that EMU and VCOM are both based on service to others and intercultural awareness.<\/p>\n<p>The non-profit VCOM was established with foundation and private donations in the fall of 2003 \u201cto prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health,\u201d according to the school\u2019s website. Initial focus on underserved areas in Appalachia has stretched to Latin America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe school\u2019s block schedule is set up to encourage hands-on service in clinical settings in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic,\u201d says Maggie. Up to 25 VCOM students travel to rural areas in these countries four times per year for several-week stints. They staff clinics that VCOM has established with local community partners, providing services to people who otherwise would not have access to basic care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile most medical students spend the first two years of med-school in the classroom, we had the chance to do hands-on clinical assessment and intervention,\u201d says Maggie. Maggie and Nate have each completed a 10-day stint in Honduras, with Nate also spending time in Guatemala.<\/p>\n<p>After graduating from EMU in 2008, the Yoders took time off to work in research roles \u2013 he in a biotech lab and she at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nih.gov\/\">National Institutes of Health<\/a> \u2013 before beginning medical school in 2010.\u00a0 Anca Chirvasuta, a 2012 graduate of EMU, has followed the Yoders to VCOM.<\/p>\n<p>The founder and chairman of the board of directors at VCOM, John Rocovich, J.D., LL.M., was key in building the relationship between EMU and VCOM, anchored by a 2008 agreement for automatic admission for qualified EMU grads. The arrangement guarantees acceptance of up to 10 EMU students into the VCOM program, assuming these students follow a distinct academic protocol and demonstrate high achievement in EMU&#8217;s pre-med program. (The Yoders&#8217; acceptances predated this agreement.)<\/p>\n<p>Rocovich serves on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/science-complex\/building-the-dream\/commission\/\">EMU\u2019s Commission for the Sciences<\/a>, which undergirds EMU\u2019s <a title=\"Suter Science Center campaign\" href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/science-complex\/\">campaign to renovate Suter Science Center<\/a>. Renovations are expected to begin in early 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since elementary school she had wanted to be a doctor, but Margaret \u201cMaggie\u201d Parker didn\u2019t know that that dream would merge with a later dream \u2013 marrying a good man <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2013\/young-married-couple-lead-the-way-to-osteopathic-medical-school-in-blacksburg-va\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Osteopathic medical school in Blacksburg, Va., &#8216;perfect fit&#8217; for EMU grads<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":18501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4515,266,12579,5640,5730],"tags":[15202,15201,11730,10207],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-18494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-pre-professional-health","category-suter-science-center","category-undergraduate-programs","tag-edward-via-college-of-osteopathic-medicine","tag-john-rocovich","tag-pphs","tag-pre-med"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Osteopathic medical school in Blacksburg, Va., &#039;perfect fit&#039; 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