Dear Pre-SOMA Members, Welcome back to the spring semester! Read through this IMPORTANT email! We will have our FIRST meeting of the semester on 2/15 in HJP 1104 at 5:30pm. This meeting will be very important as the Director of AACOM Mrs. Gina Moses will be presenting on the next Application Cycle. Furthermore we will be going over meeting dates, membership requirements, upcoming events and opportunities. Its time to register *for D.O. Day on the Hill and SOMA Spring Convention*! D.O. Day on the hill is Thursday, March 8th, 2012, and SOMA Convention is March 9th and 10th, 2012! * * *What is D.O. Day on the Hill? * "This is a prime opportunity to educate Members of Congress and their staff about osteopathic medicine and communicate our positions on important health policy issues where legislation is crafted—Capitol Hill." When you sign up for D.O. Day on the hill, you will be given appointments with your representatives to discuss issues relevant to patient safety, physician reimbursement and graduate medical education opportunities. You'll gather at the Hyatt Regency on the morning of D.O. Day, register, listen to an issue briefing, and attend various appointments with your representatives on the hill. It is a fun day which can also involve some sight seeing- you'll have time for it! REGISTER NOW! D.O. Day is free to attend, and deadline to register is THIS FRIDAY 1/27!!! If you are thinking of going but can't commit 100% by Friday, please send me an E-mail with your full name, home address (in the area of the representatives who you would like to speak to on the hill), phone number, and birthdate. I will sign you up and check in with you periodically to see if you'll still be coming/ how your planning is coming along. * * *What is SOMA Convention?* Spring convention is where SOMA elects our new national board for the upcoming year. We run our house of delegates using Robert's Rules of Order- this is where we vote on resolutions regarding the operation of our organization and our stance on issues that affect our patients and profession. We have a keynote speaker, workshops such as suturing and OMM, and a formal reception on Saturday evening recognizing scholarship winners. REGISTER NOW! $38 until February 24th, after that date the price increases to $100 per pre-soma member. Location of D.O. Day Breifing and SOMA Convention: Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill 400 New Jersey Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20001 Next, this is for those of you applying for this 2012 Application cycle. Please help us share the information on AACOM’s scholarships for underrepresented minority students. We would like to encourage those interested 2012 AACOMAS applicants and continuing students, to make applications. 2012 Sherry R. Arnstein Minority Student Scholarship Eligibility To be eligible, an applicant must be an underrepresented minority (African-American; Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian; mainland Puerto Rican, or Hispanic) student in good academic standing and currently enrolled in his or her first, second, or third year at an AACOM member college of osteopathic medicine OR an underrepresented minority student who has been accepted and is planning to matriculate at one of the AACOM member colleges. Previous Arnstein Scholarship awardees are ineligible. Deadline Entries must be post-marked by March 31, 2012. All entries must include the required Cover Page, with all appropriate signatures, in addition to the required essay. Incomplete entries will not be considered. Awardees will be notified by July 21, 2012. http://www.aacom.org/InfoFor/students/finaid/Pages/ArnsteinScholarship.aspx Last, the Health Professions Recruitment Fair will be on March 31st, 2012 in D.C. This is a great opportunity for everyone to talk one on one to osteopathic doctors. Open to all high school and college students, parents, pre-health advisors, school guidance counselors, administrators and others interested in learning more about health professions educational opportunities and careers. This is a great opportunity to meet a variety of admission officers from various health professions schools. *Participants will learn:* - How to apply to medical school or other health professions education programs - How to write a successful personal statement - What current medical students have to say about their experiences - Demonstrations on Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) - Much more that will help in preparing for a career in the health profession http://www.aacom.org/events/medfair/Documents/Recruitment%20Flyer.pdf Have a great spring semester! -- Pre-SOMA Club at UMD <http://www.presomaumd.com> * *