Virginia

Both Amar Mukhtar, DO, and Sonul Gulati, DO, are first-generation medical students whose families hail from different parts of the globe: Dr. Mukhtar’s family is from Sudan, and Dr. Gulati’s family is from India. VCOM’s commitment to international outreach was a key part of their experience as students, and now they are paying that commitment forward through their MedDreams Foundation. 

All types of healthcare professionals are in short supply—including doctors, nurses, technicians and home health aides. The reasons for the shortages vary and are often interrelated. They include burnout, changing demographics, difficulty in recruiting and retaining adequate medical personnel, and the rigors of the medical profession.

Giles County students visit VCOM’s Simulation and Technology Center in Blacksburg through SWVA AHEC’s high school pipeline program. Recognizing those trends and a need to respond, the Virginia General Assembly established the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA).

Each year in March, future physicians across the globe experience Match Day, a milestone when they learn where and in what specialties they will continue their training in residencies. VCOM students did particularly well on Match Day, as they always do.

Low back pain (LBP) is a condition that affects millions of people each year. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and the condition for which the greatest number of people may benefit from rehabilitation. 

Kristin Lynch Grimes, DO, VCOM-Virginia 2013, is a woman of faith who knew from the age of seven that she wanted to be a physician.

In fact, one of her defining childhood memories is of her previously healthy grandmother being admitted to a hospital on a Friday afternoon and dying just two days later. “I remember observing what was going on and listening to my mom and her siblings talking, but the voice of my family wasn’t being heard by the medical professionals,” she recalls.

William G. Anderson is an icon in the osteopathic profession. He was the first Black president of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), a member of the AOA Board of Trustees and a member of VCOM’s founding Board of Directors. He is also an icon of the Civil Rights Movement. He worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., and was the personal physician to Rosa Parks. He and his wife wrote a book about their experiences fighting for civil rights in Albany, Georgia, the proceeds of which go back to the American Osteopathic Foundation to provide scholarships for Black students who want to pursue education in osteopathic medicine.

Each spring, the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) honors the region’s very best public relations work with its Summit Awards. On Feb. 8, the spring 2023 issue of the VCOM View magazine won a silver award in the chapter’s publications category.