The Superior Institute of Medicine, or ISMD, and MSU held a miniworkshop on Wednesday in the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building with more than 150 doctors in attendance with hopes of learning about osteopathic medicine and the health care system in the U.S.
Associate professor Leonel Mendoza and professor Walter Esselman inaugurated the event with MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon addressing the gathering of physicians, all reigning from Brazil.
Speaking to the participants of the workshop, Simon said MSU is proud to have carried a long-term relationship with Brazil over the years.
“We were in fact, working in Brazil over 60 years ago, well before it was open to many American universities,” Simon said. “We pride ourselves on having the capacity to have deep and long friendships.”
Mendoza, who also was one of the organizers of the event, said the workshop was a joint effort between the MSU Office of the President, Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.
Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine William D. Strampel explained the significance and benefits of osteopathic medicine to the audience.
“The philosophy of osteopathic medicine is that the body has an inherent ability to heal itself. We treat the whole person and not just the disease process. I believe the philosophy of osteopathic medicine will merge to become the philosophy of medicine in general in the U.S.” Strampel said.
One of the organizers and director of ISMD, Roberta Motta, said, “We don’t have osteopathic medicine in Brazil; for us it is very new. It is very important to learn about it for us.”
Human biology junior Akshaya Raghu said she is part of the osteopathic medicine college program and would have attended the event if it were open to students.
“I think it is really cool that people are coming to MSU to learn about this,” Raghu said. “It would be great if it was open to students too.”
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