Second year medical student Roxanne Waggoner has been named BCOM’s 2018 Student DO of the Year. This annual award is presented by the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP), a council of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). Osteopathic colleges from all over the country organize a committee to select their own Student DO of the Year (SDOY) and that student is then entered into the national SDOY competition. According to the COSG, SDOY awardees “go above and beyond the average osteopathic medical student” and represent leadership, commitment to community service, dedication to profession, professionalism, and the embodiment of the osteopathic philosophy.
The BCOM selection committee consisted of the SDOY chair as selected by the Student Government Association (SGA), one representative from each class, another student randomly appoint by the SGA, a clinical science professor, a basic science professor, and the dean. BCOM SDOY Chair Katherine Kleinberg said, “Roxanne has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service through her volunteer work with Jardin de Los Niños, Mini Med School, Welcome Baby, and much more. She is dedicated to osteopathy and the profession through her participation in DO for a Day and the Medical Explorers mentorship program. She also exemplifies the BCOM mission through her devotion to serving the Southwest region.”
Waggonner, a Las Cruces native, plans to one day practice pediatrics in a rural area in New Mexico, and she has recently developed an interest in neonatology. She says she was shocked and excited when she found out she’d been selected as BCOM’s 2018 Student DO of the Year. “This award helps prove that the things I am doing for the community are meaningful. I have increased my community outreach hours since my first year of medical school and plan to continue volunteering throughout rotations during third and fourth year.”
The BCOM selection committee will submit a letter of recommendation for Waggoner’s national nomination, which will be evaluated along with her application and personal essay. The national winner will be announced at AACOM annual meeting in April and will receive a $1,500 monetary award.
