MU | F e a t u r e s
and dental supplies and to build an endowment
for such expenses. The program has its own
website, medicalpracticum.org and gifts can
be made there or on the University’s website.
To date, the practicum’s largest benefactor
has been Brotherhood Mutual Insurance
Co. in Fort Wayne, whose president is MU
accounting alumnus Mark Robison ’86.
has changed her priorities, her perspective on
wealth and her compassion for less-fortunate
people.
Ultimately, the trip could not happen without
the dozen or so health care providers each
year who take vacation time or unpaid leave
from their jobs and practices to provide
the health care in the clinics. “It’s a large
contribution they make,” says Osborne.
“We have been truly fortunate to be joined
by high quality professionals who are
exceptional role models.”
A reunion of all Medical Practicum alumni
is planned at Homecoming on Oct. 8, 2016,
and will feature an encore lecture from Miller
and Osborne. They are proud of the legacy,
the help provided to impoverished people
and the rich educational experiences given to
Manchester students over the years. “The way
we live,” says Miller, “is not how most of the
people in the world live.”
Working so closely with the providers not
only offers MU students valuable hands-on
experience, but also unparalleled access to
the wisdom and life perspectives of these
health care providers. “It gave me focus,” says
Chase Holford ’17, a junior from Valparaiso,
Ind., who plans to become a physician. The
practicum “really makes me want to pursue
medicine in a way I haven’t felt before.”
Cally Miller ’17, a senior from Elkhart,
Ind., agrees. She hopes to get into the rural
medicine program of the Indiana University
School of Medicine, and says the practicum
Like Chase and Emily, Cally can’t thank
Osborne enough for leading the practicum.
“It’s a lot of work for him,” she says, “but it’s
totally worth everything he puts into it.”
By Melinda Lantz ’81
Clockwise from top left: Eric Cupp ’16 provides
a wellness check; Paul Fry-Miller ’75 (center),
a physician assistant, works at the clinic; Alyssa
Machamer ’10 (top) and Kassie Seidenstucker ’11
Smithey help patients; Dr. Rachel Long ’06, (center),
performs a procedure with assistance from Jessica
Noll ’17; Dr. Ari Cylus, a dentist, works on a patient
with help from Khadijat Ishola-Gbenla ’11 (center)
and Sarah Lauinger ’12; and Ed Miller ’56, professor
emeritus of chemistry and founder of the Medical
Practicum, checks supplies.