D.O.s in Academia

[nilbog]

Is anybody looking to work or is currently working in academia? Have you experienced any hurdles because of the degree?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Is anybody looking to work or is currently working in academia? Have you experienced any hurdles because of the degree?

It hasn't been until 20 or so years ago that Osteopathic Medicine has seen the explosion of new schools and the caliber of students be dramatically higher. This means that things like undergraduate research, which is where most pick the bug, wasn't really a factor to be successful in your applications. There were also very limited research opportunities. Even now undergraduate research is undervalued and opportunities are limited to labs with scarce funding. What I'm getting at is that in the world of academia publications are king, which is why you don't see many DOs. That said, if your goal is academics at an Osteopathic affiliated programs or you can have a strong publication background, you wouldn't be limited by your degree.

 

[nilbog]

It hasn't been until 20 or so years ago that Osteopathic Medicine has seen the explosion of new schools and the caliber of students be dramatically higher. This means that things like undergraduate research, which is where most pick the bug, wasn't really a factor to be successful in your applications. There were also very limited research opportunities. Even now undergraduate research is undervalued and opportunities are limited to labs with scarce funding. What I'm getting at is that in the world of academia publications are king, which is why you don't see many DOs. That said, if your goal is academics at an Osteopathic affiliated programs or you can have a strong publication background, you wouldn't be limited by your degree.

Thanks - this explains why there seemed to be so few DOs at the universities where I worked!

 

[NontradCA]

It hasn't been until 20 or so years ago that Osteopathic Medicine has seen the explosion of new schools and the caliber of students be dramatically higher. This means that things like undergraduate research, which is where most pick the bug, wasn't really a factor to be successful in your applications. There were also very limited research opportunities. Even now undergraduate research is undervalued and opportunities are limited to labs with scarce funding. What I'm getting at is that in the world of academia publications are king, which is why you don't see many DOs. That said, if your goal is academics at an Osteopathic affiliated programs or you can have a strong publication background, you wouldn't be limited by your degree.

It's from the top down, not really anything to do with undergraduate research. I think there are several factors. Graduate OME isn't heavy in research. The majority of DOs go into Primary Care, which is not centered on academics.

 

[nilbog]

It's from the top down, not really anything to do with undergraduate research. I think there are several factors. Graduate OME isn't heavy in research. The majority of DOs go into Primary Care, which is not centered on academics.

Those are also good points!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

It's from the top down, not really anything to do with undergraduate research. I think there are several factors. Graduate OME isn't heavy in research. The majority of DOs go into Primary Care, which is not centered on academics.

My point about undergraduate research is that is where most people pick up their taste for research.

 

[Petypet]

Thanks - this explains why there seemed to be so few DOs at the universities where I worked!

Also many people don't realize what real research is until after residency. Most DO schools aren't research heavy and thus many students don't get to partake or even observe real research (more so than running a few experiments under the guidance of a grad student, post-doc, and a PI). Thus, like someone said, most DO's don't go into research heavy fields, and then they never really partake in research.

Most universities have DO's on faculty, teaching, practicing, and researching, so it is clear that if academics is your goal you will not be limited because of your DO degree. I am looking to work in academics, 50/50 research/teaching + clinic time, and I have yet to have a door shut for me based on my potential degree.

 

[jaguar33]

http://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=17679

"The first osteopathic physician to hold an endowed full professorship and the first to chair a department at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Ross Zafonte, DO, is a leading expert in traumatic brain injury, his research published in more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts and book chapters."

Doesn't look like the DO degree held this physician back.

 

[NeuroLAX]

http://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=17679

"The first osteopathic physician to hold an endowed full professorship and the first to chair a department at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Ross Zafonte, DO, is a leading expert in traumatic brain injury, his research published in more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts and book chapters."

Doesn't look like the DO degree held this physician back.

NSUCOM grad right there!

SDN did a 20-questions with him: http://www.studentdoctor.net/2014/03/20-questions-ross-d-zafonte-do/

 

[Dr. Zombie]

NSUCOM grad right there!

SDN did a 20-questions with him: http://www.studentdoctor.net/2014/03/20-questions-ross-d-zafonte-do/

he writes "My day starts extremely early and ends quite late. I work between 80 and 100 hours per week and sleep around four hours per night. I typically take two weeks of vacation a year."

Yeah no...I rather be a regular physician, than a big-shot physician like him and lose on quality of life outside work (family time especially). That's why I'm not obsessing over top-tier specialty in top-tier residencies.

 

[Jwalker]

NSUCOM grad right there!

SDN did a 20-questions with him: http://www.studentdoctor.net/2014/03/20-questions-ross-d-zafonte-do/

He's a legend here ya? ;P

 

[SnowDoggy44]

Also many people don't realize what real research is until after residency. Most DO schools aren't research heavy and thus many students don't get to partake or even observe real research (more so than running a few experiments under the guidance of a grad student, post-doc, and a PI). Thus, like someone said, most DO's don't go into research heavy fields, and then they never really partake in research.

Why do you specify as "real research"? What other kinds of research are there?

 

[Petypet]

Why do you specify as "real research"? What other kinds of research are there?

Real research vs. research under the direct supervision of someone else, kind of like being a med student vs. attending. There is a significant difference between doing a few experiments under the direct guidance of an advisor, which in many cases he/she directly tells you what to do, versus coming up with original research ideas based on previous literature, getting funded, completing said research, and getting published. In undergrad and even in med school, very few people undertake the entire process of grant writing, proposing an idea, going through IRB, publishing the idea, etc.

Thus, it isn't until one goes through said process do they really get a good chance to know if they enjoy it or not, and being a DO, we have fewer opportunities to do this just because the colleges are not associated with big time research institutions. At some bigger MD institutions, students will at least have more exposure to this type of stuff, giving them a better idea if they think they would like to do that as part of their career.

Not to say that doing research under someone is bad, just in a summer or for a few weeks (like I read on so many student's resumes), you don't get a full appreciation for the scope of research.

 

[Seth Joo]

Is anybody looking to work or is currently working in academia? Have you experienced any hurdles because of the degree?

Its possible to be in academia as a DO, there are many DOs in academia, though it depends, some institutions are biased towards MDs. Particularly the elite universities.