D.O. or Do Not: The Osteopathic Physician's Journey for Premed & Medical Students Ian Storch & Tianyu She

This week we are joined by Bryce Piro, a medical student at VCOM - Carolinas who started his own company while in medical school - CoffeeDocs Co. Bryce gives an inside view of his journey and what prompted his idea to start this company with his roommates. He will discuss the process behind making his idea a reality, including how he got started as a content creator and how he ultimately transformed that into so much more. He will detail some of the procedures he went through in getting started as a LLC and what it took for his company to hit the ground running, as well as the valuable cause behind CoffeeDocs Co. Bryce then details his journey into medicine including how he found his calling and the various stops he took along the way that ultimately landed him at VCOM - Carolinas. 
Lastly, Bryce will discuss what he values most about his experience at VCOM - Carolinas and offers some parting advice for those who aspire to follow a similar path. I hope you enjoy hearing about his story and find it valuable for whatever path you pursue!

This week, we are joined by Dr. Michael Foti, a dedicated physician who serves as a professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, bringing his expertise and passion for medical education to the next generation of healthcare professionals. With a recommendation from the esteemed Dr. John Gimpel, Michael brings a wealth of experience as both a practitioner and educator. His journey, much like his passion for mental health advocacy, embodies resilience and compassion. As Michael reflects on his own challenges and triumphs, he echoes a sentiment from his journey: "You should never let where you come from dictate where you go."


He will start by sharing insights into his harrowing experiences as an intern during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, grappling with chaos and loss in the hospital. Then, he opens up about his personal battle with anxiety and depression, shedding light on the stigma surrounding mental health in the medical profession. Finally, Michael shares how he turned his own struggles into a mission to advocate for physician wellness and support medical students in their journey.


I'm confident you'll find Dr. Michael Foti's story both engaging and insightful. May his journey inspire you on your own pursuits.

Dr. Andrea Amalfitano is an osteopathic physician, has a PhD, is a pediatrician, geneticist, educator, patient advocate, virologist, dean . . . and so much more!

In today's episode Dr. Amalfitano discusses his pathway to Osteopathic Medicine,  from an immigrant family and a father who recommended medicine becuase. . . "doctors are never out of work!"  to a pediatric residency at the esteemed "Mayo Clinic," to being a researcher at Duke University and ultimately coming full circle to return to Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine as Dean.

Dr. Amalfitano is well spoken, witty, and may be the smartest D.O. we've had as a guest to date.

Listen to his ideas on Osteopathic Medicine . . . MSU  . . . PhD.  . . clinical medicine and the adenovirus!   He will make you want to go to Osteopathic School AND pursue a PhD!

We are always flattered when we are approached by exemplary physicians who wish to share their story.  On today’s episode we speak with Dr. Stella Rubina a physician who serves as Director of the Palliative Care Medicine Department at Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens. Dr. Rubina earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Brooklyn College after which she attended NYITCOM for medical school. After considering a career in Orthopedics, Dr. Rubina entered the SOAP  to find a transitional year at St. Peterburg General Hospital in Florida, and subsequently did a  family medicine residency.   Although not her initial intended path, she ultimately found that she could contribute best to her patients through Hospice and Palliative Care medicine. 
In today’s interview, Dr. Rubina shares her deep philosophy and thoughts on the magnitude of end-of-life care. Dr. Rubina reflects on her journey to medicine starting as a young immigrant  woman from russia. She shares how she stayed centered through her unique pathway of medical training which was full of twists and turns. She provides unique  advice on navigating through a career in medicine when things don’t go exactly as planned and tells us how to find fulfilment and success as a physician no matter the circumstance. Enjoy the episode!

 This week we are joined by Dr. Josh Lenchus, who has been featured in the American Osteopathic Association’s “The DO” many times, most recently as the first DO to be elected as the president of the Florida Medical Association. While giving insight to his journey, Dr. Lenchus embodies a quote from the most recent article from “The DO” “You should never let where you come from dictate where you go”.  Dr. Lenchus walks us from the beginning of  his journey as he  started his academic career by attending community college to save money! He will discuss his three years of working as a pharmacist before attending Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. He discusses the trials and tribulations of his internal medicine residency at the prestigious University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial hospital where he was one of the first DO's at the hosptial. He shares his experience as a hospitalist at Jackson when he graduated and finally gives us amazing pearls of wisdom from his time as a residency director which is invaluable to those applying to residency in any specialty.
Ultimately, Dr. Lenchus discusses his transition into administrative work which led him to be selected as chief medical officer at Broward Health. We hope you enjoy listening to his story and take his philosophy with you on whatever journey you choose to pursue!

In this episode we interview four medical students who have been integral to the podcast over the past year.  Meet Violet, Matt, Ben and Lilly. . . all future Osteopathic Physicians!  Congratulations!  For anyone who wants to hear an uplifting story or who is interested in following in their footsteps. . . . we are so proud of all four of them! (if you're a premed. . . yes this is a pitch to join our team!)