DMU’s Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) will host a campus visit on Sept. 5 by Norman Vinn, D.O., who became the 117th president of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) on July 20. AOA is the governing organization of the osteopathic medical community of the United States.
During his visit, Dr. Vinn will give a presentation, free and open to the public, in the Student Education Center (SEC) Auditorium on the DMU campus from noon to 1 p.m. on the AOA and its relationship with both students and residency programs. His discussion will seek to inspire and promote all to be active in their roles as physicians and in shaping the future of health care.
Dr. Vinn is founder of Housecall Doctors Medical Group Inc., a home care network that provides on-site clinical services to more than 1,000 homebound elderly in Southern California’s Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. He and his colleagues combine the traditions of the family doctor making house calls with the efficiencies and effectiveness of technologies like electronic health records (EHRs) and scheduling support programs.
Dr. Vinn also shares his experience and knowledge surrounding residentialist care and EHR systems with other physicians as president of The Residentialist Group Inc., of Laguna Hills, CA, a management group specializing in the development and operation of house call programs.
A fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), Dr. Vinn also was honored as Physician of the Year by the ACOFP of California in 2009. That same year he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California (OPSC). A longtime member of the AOA Board of Trustees, he is past president of the OPSC and a founding member of the American Osteopathic Association of Medical Informatics. He earned his undergraduate degree at Tulane University and his osteopathic medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He also earned a master of business administration degree from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
SOMA links students to the members, philosophies and activities of the AOA. The DMU SOMA chapter works locally to assist osteopathic medical students throughout their medical school training by providing educational lectures, community service opportunities and a strong support system. Nationally, SOMA works to promote awareness of student concerns to the AOA, to provide benefits that will make life as a medical student more enjoyable and to address issues that affect not only the osteopathic medical community, but also all societal issues that are of concern.
