51社区

Be an example of wellness and end the stigma around mental health, keynote speaker Lori Criss told the 51社区 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2027 during the college鈥檚 2023 Convocation and White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 18.

Criss, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, told students, 鈥淵our generation can change this. Already I see more willingness in institutions and among health care professionals and among young people to talk about mental health. Expect this in your education, and I see this happening here at HCOM, so you鈥檙e very lucky.鈥�

Criss asked students to take classes on mental health and substance use disorders and pursue a rotation at a mental health center or psychiatric inpatient setting.

鈥淏e intentional about learning how to help your patients feel safe, acknowledging their risk factors, their symptoms, and then giving them hope that through evidence-based practices you can help them prevent these conditions, you can help them treat them and you can help support their long-term recovery,鈥� she said.
 

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At the ceremony, Criss received the college鈥檚 Phillips Medal of Public Service, the highest honor bestowed by the college.  The award was given to Criss in recognition and appreciation for the three decades she has worked to make Ohio鈥檚 behavioral health services more visible, accessible and effective.

In addition to helping their patients, Criss reminded students to make their own mental health and wellness a priority and look out for each other. She asked them to commit to five things: to connect with others, to spend time daily being still in mind and body, to go outside, to give back to their communities and to practice gratitude every day.

Following the keynote address, students were given a short white coat, which signifies that they are student physicians in training.

鈥淥nce you receive your white coat, you no longer represent just yourself but the entirety of the osteopathic profession,鈥� said second-year medical student Jonathan Peters, Student Government Association president on the Dublin Campus and the National Student Government Association representative for the college. 鈥淚n my short time at HCOM, I鈥檝e learned that medical school is many things. It鈥檚 a challenge, a balancing act. But I鈥檝e also come to realize that medical school is family and there is nothing more osteopathic than family.鈥�

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More than 4,800 applications were submitted this year for 260 spots in the Heritage College鈥檚 Class of 2027. Ninety-five percent of admitted first-year students are from Ohio, 30 percent are from groups underrepresented in medicine, and 19 percent are first generation college students.

鈥淪tudents, regardless of who you are and where you come from, you were selected because you have the potential to be an outstanding osteopathic physician,鈥� said Heritage College Executive Dean and OHIO Chief Medical Affairs Officer Ken Johnson, D.O.

鈥淵our time at 51社区 is not simply a means to an end. All along the journey, you will change and improve lives, including your own,鈥� said OHIO President Lori Stewart Gonzalez.

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The Heritage College is the state鈥檚 top producer of primary care and rural physicians and the largest medical school in Ohio, with nearly 1,000 students across the college鈥檚 three campuses.

鈥淲hat most people don鈥檛 know is that one out of every 14 Ohio physicians holds a professional affiliation with the Heritage College,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淭hat vast network is going to take you places in the years ahead.鈥�

The ceremony was livestreamed, allowing family and friends to watch remotely. A recording of the ceremony is available to watch on the Heritage College鈥檚 website.