A-State Alumni Receive Medical Degrees at NYITCOM
JONESBORO – Fifteen alumni of Arkansas State University became members of the first graduating class of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), which is based in historic Wilson Hall on the A-State campus.
NYITCOM celebrated the graduation of its inaugural class with a virtual commencement ceremony Thursday at the same time its in-person commencement and hooding, canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, was originally scheduled.
The A-State alumni who earned their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree through NYITCOM are:
- Severiano Brock Acebo of Jonesboro,
- Jamarcus Brider of Helena,
- Christina Carl of Jonesboro,
- Hallie Frederick of Jonesboro,
- Carter Lee of Sherwood,
- Brian Mason of Jonesboro,
- Lauren (Massey) Lefler of Walnut Ridge,
- MaKayla (Lyles) O’Guinn of Lake City,
- Clayton Preston of White Hall,
- Garrison Rice of Farmington,
- Glynn “AJ” Riels of Hamburg,
- Holly Sensabaugh of Cave City,
- Nathan Tripod of Paragould,
- Jackson Troxel of Pocahontas and
- Alyssa (Caparas) Weyer of Jonesboro.
The virtual commencement included remarks from Hank Foley, Ph.D., president of New York Institute of Technology; Jerry Balentine, D.O., NYIT vice president of medical affairs and global health; Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., founding dean of NYITCOM at Arkansas State; Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; and Shane Speights, D.O., who has served as dean of NYITCOM at Arkansas State since January of 2017.
NYITCOM is planning to hold an in-person celebration for the Class of 2020 sometime in the spring of 2021.
NYITCOM is dedicated to improving access to health care for the underserved and rural populations in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta Region. NYITCOM at A-State was established in 2016 with the mission of meeting the need for more physicians in this medically underserved area.
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