TCOM student Jennifer Pham named TOMA Student Doctor of the Year
Jennifer Pham of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine has been named the Student Doctor of the Year by the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association. Pham, a fourth-year student at TCOM, was honored Saturday during an awards ceremony at TOMA’s MidWinter Conference in Dallas.
“It’s an honor and privilege being named TOMA Student Doctor of the Year,” Pham said. “I take a lot of pride in being a D.O. In terms of how I want to practice medicine, I value taking into account the whole person — their physical, social and mental needs. This award is both a confirmation and reflection of how much I’ve taken the osteopathic philosophy to heart.”
Pham is the vice president of TCOM’s Class of 2023 and has been an active student from the moment she arrived on campus. She was the chair of Mentality Initiative to Nurture Doctors and also served as the co-chair for TCOM’s Medical Mentorship Program, which helped more than 150 pre-med students learn more about medical school, their specialty interests and osteopathic medicine.
Pham served on the Texas Pediatric Society Committee on Children with Disabilities and as a social media committee member with the American Osteopathic College of PMR Medical Student Council. In 2020, she was the co-founder of the TCOM Coalition for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in collaboration with 16 other TCOM students and served as the Medical Student Government Association’s second vice president of the TCOM study body executive board. She also was a national representative of the Student American Association of Osteopathy.
“I’m incredibly proud of student-doctor Jennifer Pham for receiving this honor,” said Everett Endowed Professor Dr. Frank Filipetto, dean of TCOM. “She has been a terrific representative of TCOM and osteopathic medicine everywhere she goes. We can’t wait to see her impact on our profession as a health care provider.”
Pham was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2022 and received Gold Level Recognition twice for completing more than 70 hours of volunteer work in 2020 and 2021. Throughout her time in medical school, Pham has been mentored by many and wants to do the same when she enters the profession.
“I’ve had a lot of great, influential mentors over the years, such as Dr. Yein Lee and Dr. Omar Selod,” Pham said. “They have supported me in this long journey and modeled the type of physician I want to be — one who goes above and beyond for their patients and their students. I would like to do the same by mentoring students and one day, teaching the next generation.”
Pham was also named the TCOM Student Doctor of the Year by the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents and is eligible for the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine National Student Doctor of the Year. That award will be announced at the end of February.
“Future Dr. Jennifer Pham, OMS, is TOMA’s 2023 Student Doctor of the Year recipient,” said Awards and Scholarship Committee chair, Georgeanne Freeman, D.O. “The awards team is inspired by reading CVs and letters of recommendation for several candidates. We chose Jennifer because she stands out with her leadership, involvement and professionalism. These were described by fellow students and reflected in her many organization memberships.
“She has led forums to educate her community about racial bias and health disparities. She mentors pre-med students and lower-classmen at TCOM. We are excited to see what amazing things Jennifer does as a D.O. I wouldn’t be surprised if she juggles being a physician with politics. Well done, Jennifer. Well done.”
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