Jenna lives in Idaho now, but hails from Oregon, and attends Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU). She is a third-year medical student and is the recipient of the Richard Davies, DO and the Daniel Dugaw, DO Scholarship award.
While serving at a booth during a PNWU event, Jenna had the opportunity to serve a woman who had no prior knowledge of OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment). After working on her back, pelvis, and lower extremities, the woman was able to walk, stand upright without pain, and even touch her toes! Jenna writes, “The experience with this woman inspired me to learn more about osteopathic medicine and incorporate the approach into my interactions at my school and in my community”.
Since then, she has organized an event for high schoolers to learn about OMT from her peers as part of a mentorship program that she established between PNWU and a local school. She also volunteers as a student doctor at a local free medical clinic, performing OMT under the guidance of a preceptor.
Mark A. Taylor PhD and Chief/Professor of Cellular Sciences at PNWU tells us why he admires Jenna.
As Co-director of the Heritage University Master of Arts in Medical Sciences (MAMS) program, as well as knowing Jenna as a first and second-year medical student at PNWU, “I was personally privileged to be one of her instructors”.
“Beyond academic excellence, she (Jenna) has demonstrated leadership, commitment to community service, dedication to the osteopathic profession, superior professionalism, and living the osteopathic philosophy. Jenna serves as the President of Sigma Sigma Phi, is the National Liaison for the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, ins the National Liaison for the Pediatrics Club, is a PNWU Student Ambassador, is a tutor to both medical and graduate students, is a member of a high school advisory board, and is a coordinator for multiple community outreach projects. She organized partnerships between the Sigma Sigma Phi Gamma Delta Chapter (SSP) and other clubs on campus to provide service to the community. SSP is partnering with the Developmental Medicine branch of SOMA to provide pen pal letters to children with developmental disabilities at a local middle school. Additionally, SSP is partnering with the Veteran’s Club to provide a food/clothing drive to benefit the veterans of the Yakima Valley. Jenna has also co-authored 4 National SOMA resolutions and edited 8 others. Jenna attended OMED, SUmmer Leadership Meeting 2019: “The Building Blocks of Leadership”, the American Acadamy of Osteopathy National Spring Convocation, DO Day on Capitol Hill, the National SOMA Spring COnvention, DO Day in Olympia, as well as an AOA House of Delegates meeting. Her enthusiasm, passion, consensus building, and commitment, model servant leadership and empowers others to believe a difference can be made”.
Dr. Taylor goes on to say, “Jenna serves as a co-coordinator for Yakima’s Diabetes Prevention Program, a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program, volunteers at the Union Gospel Mission, acts as an ASPIRE mentor to children facing economic, academic, or social adversity, and teaches citizenship exam preparation classes for migrant workers. Her bilingual fluency in English and Spanish has proven to be indispensable. Her classmates perceive her as “kind, accessible, helpful, hard-working, a role model, a beacon of positivity who lights up every room she enters, and an inspiration to others.”
Congratulations, Jenna. You have been very busy and the world is a better place for having you in it. The Foundation looks forward to following your career, wherever it takes you. Job well done.