Eastern New Mexico
Eastern New Mexico Regional Academic Center
Thomas Wulf, MD
Regional Assistant Dean
Affiliate Assistant Professor, Clinical Medicine
BS, Southern Illinois University
MD, Central America Health Science University
Emily Cometti, BS
Regional Academic Center Coordinator
BS, Texas Tech University
Meet an Alumna and a Student from the Eastern NM Regional Academic Center
Tianna Sell, DO
Class of 2024
Tianna Sell is currently completing her Orthopedic Surgery residency at Corewell Health in Farmington Hills, Michigan. During her time at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tianna was active in the Student Government Association, serving as the Class of 2024 president. In Eastern New Mexico(ENM), Tianna served as president of their Youth Medical Explorers (YME) and as the ENM Regional Academic Center Representative. As a first-generation college graduate, Tianna thoroughly enjoyed her time with YME and said, “YME provides resources and mentors for high school students pursuing healthcare careers. It has been fun working with the students and helping them find their paths within medicine,” she added.
Tianna hails from Mead, Colorado where she attended Carroll College in Helena, Montana, earning a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology while playing softball for the Fighting Saints. While an undergraduate student, Tianna spent the summer of 2016 in Roswell, NM, shadowing Dr. Don Wenner II.
Tianna described returning to Roswell for her third-year rotations as a full-circle moment, coming back to work at the same hospitals where she had shadowed.
“I always wanted to return to Eastern NM for my clinical rotations because I knew what great hands-on clinical experience I would get. Working one-on-one in a true apprenticeship role with preceptors in Eastern NM provides unmatched experiences and learning opportunities for students. I also enjoyed the close relationships between providers within the hospitals. I was always able to hop between preceptors if interesting cases were going on, and found preceptors always welcoming to have me,” said Tianna.
Tianna was also a Yates Scholar through the support of the PY Foundation and plans to return to Southeastern New Mexico upon completing her residency.
“The Yates scholarship, as a result of the PY foundation, is a huge opportunity to relieve debt burden and also serves the purpose of bringing back new physicians to the underserved area. Being able to cut my student debt almost in half is a surreal feeling. I am honored to receive such a scholarship and look forward to returning to Southeast New Mexico in five years,” concluded Tianna.
Bailey Boyd
OMS IV Class of 2025
Student doctor Bailey Boyd graduated from Colorado State University with a major in Biology and a concentration in Pre-Health Science and is expected to graduate from Burrell in May 2025. She has participated and held leadership positions in many groups at Burrell, including the OBGYN Club, American Medical Women’s Association, Gifted Hands, and Student Government. She is interested in a career in women’s health.
Rural medicine and communities hold a special place with Bailey. She’s from Dolores, Colorado; a small, picturesque town in the Four Corners area with a population of 900 people. Bailey graduated with the same twenty-five peers from preschool.
Bailey completed her third-year clinical rotations in the Eastern NM Regional Academic Center, in Artesia, NM, a rural, vibrant community that has prepared her well for residency.
“I can’t imagine having completed my clinical rotations at any other RAC site. The preceptors were fantastic, always exceptionally generous with their time and knowledge. I was truly part of their family for the four weeks I rotated with them. The diverse range of medical cases I encountered have enhanced my learning and professional growth with hands-on experience that I will cherish forever. Through IVs, intubations, deliveries, cardiac catheterizations and more, rural medicine is so special. Eastern NM encompasses all the best aspects of this discipline,” said Bailey.
“Moreover, being awarded the esteemed Yates Scholarship made this opportunity possible. It alleviated financial burdens and allowed me to fully immerse myself in the experience without distraction. Growing up in a small town, I have always admired the sense of community and support we offer one another. The PY Foundation exemplifies these values, and I am deeply honored to be a recipient of their generosity. Those at the foundation are kind, supportive, and always there to offer a helping hand; they were an integral piece in my ability to achieve a Distinction in Rural Medicine on my diploma. Thank you, Eastern NM!”
Bryan Cross
Dr. Bryan Cross is originally from Oklahoma. He attended the Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and completed a residency in proctologic surgery at Community Health Network in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a board certified proctologist practicing in Hobbs, New Mexico. His primary interests are prevention of colon cancer, colonoscopy with advanced polypectomy, and treatment of common anorectal disorders. In his free time, Dr. Cross enjoys spending time with friends and family and watching Texas football.
“During residency, I enjoyed training junior residents, interns and students. I was very fortunate to have attendings that really took an interest in teaching me as a young surgeon, and I hope to pass that same enthusiasm along. Osteopathic physicians have a long history of taking care of their own, and passing their knowledge and skills along to future physicians. Practicing medicine in a rural or remote area can be very different and present unique challenges when compared to the typical urban setting where access to virtually any service is abundant. The best way to get future physicians interested in working in these areas is to directly expose them to these settings. The students assigned to the Eastern NM RAC will have opportunities for more direct involvement, one-on-one teaching, and hands-on experiences that students often lose out on when there is a hierarchy of multiple trainees at large academic centers. At our facility, we expect students to gain robust exposure to standard of care medicine with the unique challenges of being in a rural setting. Instead of having a surgeon who only does hernias, and another who only does bariatrics, students will see the same attending perform a myriad of services, and also get exposure to critical thinking that is unique to rural areas.”
Alexander Lam
Alexander Lam is from Houston, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University where he double majored in biomedical science and entomology. Lam is currently serving in the United States Air Force and said, “Nearly every service member that I’ve come across from infantryman to pilots have vouched for the benefits of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment. As a future military physician, it’s a tool I look forward to using often.” At Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lam has been actively involved in the Student Government Association and the Military Medicine Club. He also participates in activities for the Pediatrics Club and the American Medical Women’s Association. He is interested in exploring the roles of entomology (study of bugs and insects) and anthropology in medicine, and through his career in the Air Force, he hopes to become a pilot and to one day be a flight surgeon/astronaut for NASA.
“Clinical rotations are like the light at the end of the tunnel for us as students who have spent two years in the classroom learning about thousands of diseases and drugs all in preparation for this moment. I’m excited to finally have the opportunity to be hands on with patients. I’m extremely excited to become part of the community in Eastern New Mexico. I think it’s an incredible opportunity to get training in a rural area. Giving back to the community has always been a big part of my life. I am where I am today because of all the contributions that have come from the support of my family, friends, coaches, teachers, and mentors. I look forward to not only becoming a member of the medical community in Eastern NM, but also integrating in the community as a whole through volunteer work.”
