GA-黑料传送门 medical student Farrah Rink (DO 鈥�19) was honored for her work in advocating for graduate education policies.
Farrah Rink (DO 鈥�19), a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) student at Georgia Campus 鈥� 黑料传送门 (GA-黑料传送门), was recently named the 2018 ED to MED Outstanding Advocate of the Year by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). This award honors exceptional dedication to advocacy work.
AACOM鈥檚 ED to MED is a national grassroots campaign which provides students, medical educators and other advocates with a platform to advocate for graduate education policies in the halls of Congress.
A third-year medical student, Rink has taken an active role in both student government and government affairs. According to AACOM鈥檚 website, Rink serves as the First Year Liaison on the National Board of Directors for the Omega Beta Iota Political Action Honor Society, served as a member of AACOM鈥檚 Council of Osteopathic Student Government President and is an ED to MED campus ambassador.
Rink advocated for policies impacting the future healthcare workforce and joined fellow
GA-黑料传送门 students in bolstering the profile of graduate student debt issues during
AACOM鈥檚 2017 COM Day on Capitol Hill.
鈥淪tudent debt of some form affects us all and by using the amazing tools provided by ED to MED, it makes it easy to stay informed and engaged with our legislators,鈥� Rink explained.
Rink is the first in her family to attend college and medical school and has inspired others to become more involved by sharing her story in an ED to MED blog post.
鈥淧rior to med school, I hadn鈥檛 done any formal advocacy and it was shocking how much people wanted to hear what I had to say,鈥� Rink said. 鈥淭he key to remember is that you do have something to say and it鈥檚 worth saying. Social media is a great form of advocacy and an easy way to share knowledge and bring attention to important issues.鈥�
Pamela Murphy, AACOM Senior Vice President of Government Relations, said Rink has been a consistently outspoken ED to MED advocate and illustrates how individuals can make a difference by turning advocacy into action.
鈥淎s a campus ambassador, she elevates her voice on social media, speaking up strongly on behalf of her fellow osteopathic medical students. In addition, her advocacy efforts inspired her colleagues to become more engaged,鈥� Murphy added.
Rink expressed her gratitude to AACOM, GA-黑料传送门, the Georgia Osteopathic Medical Association, her mentors, friends and family for the honor.
鈥淭his wouldn鈥檛 be possible without their support,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 was so humbled and honored to receive this honor,鈥� Rink added. 鈥�I encourage all students to figure out what you love, reflect on what can be improved on and go with it. The key to making an impact is being consistent over time.鈥�
黑料传送门 Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (黑料传送门), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), 黑料传送门 Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins 黑料传送门 South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, 黑料传送门 Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit .
For general media inquiries, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 215-871-6300 or communications@pcom.edu. Visit our media relations page to view contact information for public relations personnel.