Fourth-year medical student Katherine Manseau has been na
med the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Student DO of the Year. This annual award honors and acknowledges an osteopathic medical student who is committed to the tenets of leadership, community service, commitment, and professionalism.
Raised in Hobbs, New Mexico, Manseau was inspired to pursue medicine after she used CPR and other life-saving measures to rescue a young boy during her high school job as a lifeguard. Manseau recounts that moment as a deciding factor in her desire to pursue a career in medicine. “At that point, I realized how much I really enjoyed not only helping people in vulnerable times but also furthered my interest in medical knowledge and patient care,” says Manseau.
She graduated from the University of Colorado with a BA in Biochemistry and a minor in Chemistry. Manseau applied to Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and was accepted into the Foundations in Biomedical Sciences post-baccalaureate program, Class of 2021.
Manseau has proven herself to a capable and committed student, receiving top 10% academic honors in multiple pre-clerkship courses. She has gone above and beyond to help her peers as an academic tutor, while also serving in leadership positions both within and outside Burrell college. Manseau was a Las Cruces chapter co-founder of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and a BCOM representative on the Dona Ana County Health Council and Health Alliance.
During her time in medical school, Manseau has been a dedicated servant to the Las Cruces community. Manseau has volunteered at the local soup kitchen, provided diabetes screenings and education to children and adults, cared for and helped adopt-out local shelter pets, educated elementary school children on basic anatomy and medical techniques, and volunteered her time to many other charitable projects and organizations.
Among other projects Manseau conducted as a medical student, she has researched both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes and its presentation in adolescents, with a focus on Diabetic Ketoacidosis, as well as research on the Affordable Care Act and the impact its repeal would have on border health outcomes.
After graduation, Manseau will begin her residency in Orthopedic Surgery. After completing her residency, she plans to practice in Southern New Mexico and continue to make a difference in the Southwest.
Manseau was nominated for Student Doctor of the Year by her academic colleagues. Her application was assessed by one representative of each class, a clinical faculty member, a basic science faculty member, as well as Burrell’s Dean.
Manseau is honored and thankful for the recognition by Burrell college. She would like to extend her gratitude to her colleagues in the class of 2021 as well as the faculty and staff of Burrell, particularly Dr. Minugh-Purvis and Dr. Ontiveros for their support throughout her time as a medical student.
For her fellow and future Burrell classmates, Manseau encourages them to continue to work hard and remain determined, “You will have several days where you will feel tired, frustrated, or unmotivated, but just remember how fortunate you are to have the opportunity to call yourself a future physician.”
Manseau’s application will now be presented to the National Student DO of the Year competition hosted by the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP), a council of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM).
The national winner will be declared at the annual meeting of AACOM, where they will receive a monetary award and a plaque of recognition.
