The BCOM Pulse, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine’s monthly e-newsletter, won a first place award in the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s (AACOM) annual Excellence in Communication (EIC) Awards. The first place award was acknowledged at AACOM’s Annual Award Banquet on Friday, April 20, 2018. The award was delivered in early August 2018.
According to the AACOM website, the EIC Awards Program, “is designed to recognize the important role communications plays in advancing osteopathic medical education and the profession. It also seeks to inspire higher levels of performance among our members. Each year, more than 100 entries are reviewed and award winners are chosen by an expert panel of judges—consisting of AACOM’s Marketing and Communications team, AACOM senior staff members, and guest judges who specialize in all areas of communication—based on creativity and effectiveness in achieving the project’s stated objective related to the mission of the submitting osteopathic medical school.”
The EIC Awards Program accepts entries from the marketing and communications department of any of AACOM’s 34 member colleges. Awards are given out in nine separate categories: website, social media, podcast/video, newsletter, magazine, annual report, advertising, recruitment, and feature story/article.
To be considered for the award, members of BCOM’s communication department were required to submit digital copies of three newsletters published in 2017 and to complete an online entry form detailing strategic marketing objectives, strategies for reaching the target audience, and methodologies for collecting and evaluating results, amongst other criteria.
Director of Communications Justin McHorse said, “It is an honor to be recognized by AACOM for the collective contribution of BCOM’s talented team members in the production of The BCOM Pulse. The in-house production of the e-newsletter began in November 2016 and has served as an invaluable media platform to convey the many accolades received and contributions made to the community by the students, faculty and staff. We appreciate the time and effort that AACOM’s Marketing and Communications Advisory Council commits to organizing and administering the EIC Awards.”
To be eligible for the award, only 50 percent of the work is required to be done in-house, but The BCOM Pulse is produced entirely by a team of BCOM staff members. In addition to all the faculty, staff, and students who shared their stories for publication in the newsletter, the following individuals are recognized for their contributions to this prestigious award:
Shaminder Dhillon
Ryan Gonzales
Justin McHorse
Jessica Salopek
Sam Turner
Tony Varin
