Lewis Associates e-Newsletter
Volume
5 Issue 9
September 2006
Published by Lewis Associates. Dr. Cynthia Lewis, Phd., Editor
Email imaclewis@lewisassoc.com
with your comments. Enjoy!
What's inside:
Welcome
to Success Stories Newsletter!
Important News: Americans Look Abroad for Healthcare; Makeshift Medicine; Contemplating Plan B
Useful Links: Computer-Based MCAT released exams; Humanities in the curriculum
Alumni Updates: Another Lewis Alumni faculty on Medical School Staff: Dr. Ronda Henry-Tillman at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Dr. Darin Ward, dentist in Oregon; Dr. Cynthia Delgado, Fellow at UC San Francisco; Dino Guillermo, Completing degree in Chinese medicine
Dates and Reminders: Lewis Associates Changes Mailing Address; National Osteopathic Medical Meeting Open to Students
Success Story of the Month: Akufo Opoku, Ghanaian immigrant and reapplicant . . . a Happy Ending
Question of the Month: How can Osteopathic Physicians Practice outside the US?
Welcome to Lewis Associates!
This September, there are already 3 Class of 2007 Advisees interviewing!
Remember when I warned that the application process for allopathic medical
school is accelerating? I proposed this is due to the streamlining of electronic
web-based applications and secondaries. . . no more hard copy of anything
or even waiting for an email in many cases! And, now this goes for Osteopathic
medical and dental schools! In any case, this is a very busy time for all
pre-health students!!
Thanks from Dr. Adrian Miranda, Class 1994, Faculty at Medical College
of Wisconsin
I have never really taken the time to express my sincere gratitude for everything
you did for me. I have often mentioned your name during talks and to friends
and family as the person who was the most influential in my path to success.
I can’t tell you how many times my wife has answered that question
right on the "newlywed" board game. Without your guidance and
support I would never have accomplished my goals. I am so glad to hear
you are doing well and I want you to know that I still often think of you
and the years at SDSU. I am now married with two children (Alex 3 and Sofia
2). My wife Heidi is from Madison and much to my dismay, she does not plan
on moving to California any time soon. . . I wish you the best and I hope
that you have a wonderful party surrounded by people who love you and whose
lives you have changed. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you
or your family and please stay in touch.
Your friend and Protégé,
Adrian Miranda, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatalogy and Nutrition
Medical College of Wisconsin
(Editor's note: see next month's success story for more about Dr. Miranda)
Thanks From Andrea Casillas, entering the Michigan State University
ABLE Program in fall 2006
"Dr. Lewis, Thank you so much. I am very grateful to have had you along
my side during this stressful year. I appreciate all your work and patience!
I wish you the very best. May God bless you always. Thank you very, very
much."
Andrea
Comment from an Alumnus
"Wow! What a website. Are you sure you want to retire? Based
on what I've seen, you have to be the most successful Advisor on the planet!
I owe a great debt of gratitude to your ability to encourage young people
to achieve their goals. If there is anything you ever need, no matter what
time of day, I'll take care of it, just call me. Joe"
Joseph E. Allen, MD, MS, FAAFP, CAQSM
Family Practice and Sports Medicine
(Editor's note: Dr. Allen did a consult on my torn knee meniscus a couple
of weeks ago. . . what a great benefit from having terrific alumni in the
medical profession! Thanks again, Joe!)
What's New?
IMPORTANT!!
Change of Mailing Address
Through the end of 2006, our Lewis Associates mailing address will be our
office address: 2727 Camino del Rio South Suite 156, San Diego, CA 92108
Long term Advising packages back by popular demand! Lewis
Associates will continue long-term advising for the next couple of years
based on overwhelming requests. We are also focusing on Personal Assessments,
essay and interview packages, our new Medical and Dental Residency essay
package, and hourly problem-solving advising.
NEW FREE teleconferencing and videoconferencing. You need
to register for free AOL Instant Messaging, and will get free audio and/or
video contact with us!! Talk with Zakiya to set up your computer for this
NOW!!
We now have e-billing and plan on having more online services.
In a couple of years, some new books and CD's will be out by Dr. Lewis about
preparing for medical and other health professions schools. . . keep on
the lookout!!
Harvard Medical School Track Record
We are proud that 2 of our Class of 2006 applicants were interviewed at Harvard
Medical School this year and both are accepted! This brings Dr. Lewis' record
to 29 Advisees accepted to Harvard Medical and Dental Schools in the past
20 years!
92% of our Class of 2006 applicants were accepted!
. . . and 2 were waitlisted.
100% of our Class of
2005 applicants were accepted!
100% of our Class of 2004 applicants were accepted!
In order to be a competitive Class of 2007, 2008, or 2009 applicant,
you need to submit a quality application as evaluated by your clinical,
service and other experiences and your GPA/MCAT/DAT/GRE, etc. profile--in
a timely fashion. This requires a well thought-out strategy to carry you
through the difficult year-long application process. And, if you get advising
with Dr. Lewis, you will find out that we begin preparation the year before
submission of your application!!
What are your chances?
If you want to change your career or reach your present career goal, but
do not know how to begin, or how to jump over all those hurdles, Lewis Associates
will advise and implement strategies to change your life.
Getting Started
Read about your Personal Assessment in our newsletter
and website, then phone or email
us directly to get started! We spend on average 7 hours working to develop
an effective strategy of taking you from where you are to where you want
to be.
You may be like our other Lewis Associates Advisees--highly motivated and
intelligent, but needing focus, guidance and specific technical expertise.
Dr. Lewis solves problems for her Advisees and finds opportunities for them.
Maybe you wish to use our hourly advising to solve a specific problem.
Dr. Lewis is a trained biologist, having taught and directed her own research
programs for many years at two universities. She earned two postdoctoral
fellowships
(one at NIH), received the 1990 NACADA Outstanding Institutional
Advising Program in the U.S. and directed her own Health Careers Opportunity
Program grant for 6 years, bringing $1 million to her university.
If you are serious about making your dreams to become a physician,
dentist, physician assistant, veterinarian, optometrist, podiatrist, naturopathic
physician, or pharmacist a reality--Lewis Associates can help you.
We have made the difference for over 700 alumni now practicing in medicine
during the last 21 years.
Dr. Lewis teaches Professionalism, Leadership, and Quality, and sets high
standards for her Advisees.
Lewis Associates will save you money and heartache on your preparation
and application process.
Contact the health career experts! For more information
email imaclewis@lewisassoc.com
or call 805-226-9669 and ask to set up your first appointment.
n e w s & l i n k s
N E W S
More Americans Left Uninsured (Chicago Tribune)
The ranks of Americans without medical coverage grew by 1.3 million people last year, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.
Long working hours linked to high blood pressure (Scientific American)
Workers who clocked more than 51 hours at the office each week were 29 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than those who worked 39 hours or less, a new study from California has found.
Biotech’s Bright Hope (LA Times)
More than 300 gene therapy trials, including the one for Parkinson's at UC San Francisco, are underway in the U.S. and abroad.
Could walk-in clinics help slow rising health costs? (USA Today)
Retail clinics are spreading nationwide as more than a dozen clinic operators plan to open thousands in stores such as CVS, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Kerr Drug.
A Cut Below: Americans Look Abroad for Health Care (ABC News)
By looking at options outside the American health care system those who lack adequate insurance can get medical care at significantly lower prices. Often referred to as medical tourism, seeking medical care outside the United States is an idea that is taking off at new levels.
Makeshift Medicine (Boston Globe)
One year after Katrina, ER doctors cobble together care in a former department store as New Orleans copes with shortages of beds and staff
Contemplating Plan B (Inside Higher Education)
For college students who wanted another level of protection against getting pregnant, the Food and Drug Administration’s decision last week to allow women 18 and older to buy the emergency contraceptive drug Plan B without a prescription came as welcome news.
L I N K S :
Computer-Based MCAT released exams
AAMC: AAMC has had online practice tests (PTs) available for several years
now, at e-mcat.com. This
is the official MCAT practice test site (despite the .com at the end). One
practice test is free for anyone who registers. At this point, the tests are
still the old length, rather than the new shorter versions. This was necessary
for students practicing for the August exam. They are converting all of the
PTs to the shorter length as quickly as possible. The first shorter versions
will be available in early September, with the others following as they are
readied. The built-in diagnostics and ability to customize tests provide an
advantage over the paper PTs. Please take a look at the free one (e-mcat.com)
to familiarize yourself with the added features of the computerized PTs. The
presentation of the items and user interface are very similar to that of the
live, computerized MCAT.
Find this and other useful links on Lewisassoc.com's
Links Page.
h o s p i t a l c h a r t b
l o o p e r s
We found these and decided to pass them on. . . let us
know if you wish to see more next month.
-The patient refused autopsy.
-The patient has no previous history of suicides.
-Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
-She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very
hot in bed last night.
-Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
-On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
a l u m n i u p d a t e s
9 Lewis Alumni faculty at US Medical Schools (See July
and August
2006 Alumni Updates for the first 8!)
| Dr. Ronda Henry-Tillman, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
After we located Dr. Henry-Tillman, she emailed to Dr. Lewis: "It's great hearing from you! I have done pretty well since my days in College. I'm not in San Diego but in Arkansas. I'm currently Associate Professor of Surgery, and Director of Cancer Control and the Women's Oncology Clinic here at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. I have attached my CV so you can see some of my accomplishments since then. You know it all starts with a strong determination and a good foundation (Thank you). I spend a lot of time mentoring students and junior faculty here at UAMS (actually our junior faculty mentoring model was published in Academic Medicine recently)." Ronda Henry-Tillman, MD, FACS Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, UAMS COM Director Cancer Control, Arkansas Cancer Research Center Dr. Henry-Tillman is pretty modest. She is currently co-Investigator for 7 clinical research studies! And, has 40+ juried scientific publications under her belt. She has promised a Success Story down the road. . . stay turned! |
|
| Dr. Darin Ward,
DDS, practicing in Eugene, Oregon |
|
| Dr. Cynthia Delgado,
MD starting Clinical Nephrology Academic Fellowship at University of California,
San Francisco July 2007 (#1 program in the US)
|
|
| Dino Guillermo, BS, currently attending the
Pacific College of Chinese Medicine in San Diego Dino will complete an MS in Acupuncture and Herbalogy in spring 2007.
He came to my rescue after I fell down walking to my car in front of
my office last week. He offered some great treatment for my poor knees!
|
August
24, 2006, Dr. Ward wrote to Dr. Lewis:
| More
White Coat Ceremony Photos
Entering Class of 2006
|
|||||
d a t e s & r e m i n d e r s
Change of Mailing Address
Through the end of 2006, our Lewis Associates mailing address will
be our office address: 2727 Camino del Rio South, Suite 156, San Diego, CA
92108
Become a D.O.: Osteopathic Medical School Introduction
DO Dean's Fair & Information Session
Sponsored by: Dr. Joseph Nika • Pre-Health Advisor • UNLV College
of Science
http://www.aacom.org/events/aoa/aoa-2006.html
Monday, October 16th, 5-7:30pm
Moyer Student Union
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
4500 Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154
Open to the public
* Learn about Osteopathic medicine and medical schools
* Discover the best ways to prepare for medical school
* Talk to medical school students and admission experts
* Get free AACOM Publications
s u c c e s s s t o r i e s
by Dr. Cynthia Lewis
The "rest of Akufo Opoku's
story"--Class of 2006!
See 8/06 newsletter
for part one. 
Akufo applied to 19 allopathic schools, submitting her AMCAS a bit late. She started interviewing in February. . . also a bit late. She got 6 interviews and started to be put on wait lists. . . 6 in all! Then came preparing updates for waitlisted schools and Letters of Intent to Matriculate with "good news" of her accomplishments that we devised.
Then, on June 8th, 2005 Akufo got the wonderful email accepting her to the Medical University of Ohio. . . now called the University of Toledo. We continued to communicate with the other schools. . . and she was also accepted to Southern Illinois University.
Email to Dr. Lewis if you wish to communicate about medical schools or other issues or to contact those profiled in Success Stories: drlewis@lewisassoc.com
q u e s t i o n o f t h e m o n t h
by Dr. Cynthia Lewis, PhD
From an Advisor: I have a student who I think would be an excellent candidate for Osteopathic Medical School. However she wants to practice outside of the U.S. (Doctors without Borders or third world). I heard this year that the situation was improving whereby D.O.'s are being allowed to practice overseas.
Answer by: Tom Levitan, VP for Research and Application Services, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
It might be best to consider two examples in response to the question about DO applicants who want options for practicing medicine outside of the United States.
The first example is folks who after medical school will want to participate in overseas relief programs or missions and practice occasionally or on an annual basis outside of the U.S. From what we know, the DO degree is not a barrier to such practice. The organization through which the individual works will verify that the doctor is licensed and communicate that to the foreign country authorities.
Several of the osteopathic colleges include overseas medical experience either third and fourth year rotations or supplemental experiences in their undergraduate programs. (Editor's Note: Our own Dr. Jacqui Romero practiced in the Caribbean with Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine and Nicolas Cahanding did a medical mission trip to Tibet with Midwestern at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine).
The second example is students who, after completing medical school and licensure in the U.S., want to move overseas, be licensed, and practice medicine as residents of foreign countries. The response here is different and varies from country to country. Many countries distinguish between Osteopathic medicine which is very much like Osteopathic medicine as it is recognized in the U.S. and includes full medical education and practice, and Osteopathy, the practice of manipulative treatments ONLY, but not the full practice of medicine. The Osteopathic International Alliance maintains a www site that provides more detailed and country specific information:
http://www.oialliance.org/directories.htm
In many countries, the situation for U.S. licensed physicians who want to emigrate and practice is similar to the situation for foreign licensed physicians who want to move to the U.S. to practice.
We will feature an important question each month. Please submit one that interests you for Dr. Lewis to answer. Send your questions to imaclewis@lewisassoc.com with Newsletter Question in the subject line.
lewis associates advising services
Lewis Associates specializes in personal, effective and professional
premedical advising and placement for traditional and non-traditional
applicants. Often, non-traditional students are older than 21 years
of age, career changers, international applicants or second-round applicants
for admission to health professions school.
Lewis Associates' services meet the needs of all types of students from
pre-applicants to applicants, including hourly advising support for
specific needs. Click
here.
contact
"It's never too late to be who you might have been."
If this is how YOU feel, then, maybe Lewis Associates is the place
for you. Lewis Associates provides Mentoring and Coaching through
the rigorous and often circuitous pre-health preparation and application
process. Other consultants may support programs like Law and Business
or graduate school -- not Lewis Associates. We are the experts in
Health Professions based on 23 years of a successful
track record.
Call or email today to set your first appointment!
805.226.9669 imaclewis@lewisassoc.com
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