The ACOM Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) recently achieved success on the national level, with the passage of a resolution and the election of students to national positions. The Dean’s Cabinet is proud of these students and their contribution to the profession.

ACOM SOMA Resolution Passed through the AOA House of Delegates

The Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) holds a House of Delegates twice a year where SOMA members are able to submit resolutions to be voted upon by delegates from each chapter. These resolutions, if passed, are then adopted as official SOMA policy and are eligible to be submitted to the AOA House of Delegates. ACOM SOMA is proud to announce that resolution S-20-26, SUPPORT THE BOLSTERING OF VETERAN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RESOURCES THROUGH PROVIDER PAY REFORM was approved both at the Spring SOMA House of Delegates and Fall AOA House of Delegates. This resolution aims to support and advocate for provider pay reform and staff management within the VHA system to efficiently and effectively meet the health needs of the United States veteran population. This resolution was authored by ACOM OMS-III students Benjamin Duong, Rebecca Stoll, E’Joven Reed, Amir Khiabani, Alexis O’Connel, Katherine Beyer, Brandon Newell and Morgan Bivens as well as Nicholas Harriel from NYIT COM at Arkansas State University and Jacqueline Chung from PNWU COM. This is the first time that an ACOM SOMA resolution was submitted and passed by both the SOMA and AOA House of Delegates.

ACOM students elected to National SOMA Board of Trustee Positions

ACOM OMS-II student Melanie Weyers was elected as Region II Trustee and ACOM OMS-III student Amir Khiabani was elected as National SOMA Treasurer. Both Students were elected to serve on the National SOMA Board of Trustees in their respective positions.

As Region II Trustee, Weyers will oversee the largest SOMA region including 15 SOMA chapters from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. She will support SOMA chapters in Region II by facilitating region-wide events and guiding chapter leaders to improve chapter engagement. Her current plan is to expand Region II involvement with the National SOMA Opioid Overdose Prevention Taskforce and to facilitate Naloxone training events. Weyers is the third consecutive ACOM student to serve as the National SOMA Region II trustee.

As National Treasurer, Khiabani will be a senior National SOMA leader that will be overseeing a large budget for SOMA. This position includes working closely with the AOA as well as the SOMA Convention Director to ensure that funds are appropriated strategically. Khiabani will also have the ability to work on projects with other SOMA leaders and has current plans to further develop needs-based funding for students. Khiabani is the first ACOM student to be elected to be a part of senior National SOMA leadership.