Passion
Posted: May 21, 2010
SOMA professor part of school’s mission of promoting access
For Robert C. Bowman, M.D., professor of family practice at A.T. Still University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, a lifelong passion of primary care motivates him to give back to the school he believes in.
Increasing his giving to the 2009 Employee Investment Campaign (EIC) at the Mesa campus 10-fold compared to the previous year, he cites the school’s focus on offering students an opportunity for health access careers as a key factor.
“The mission of the school has a clear focus on health access, and I am passionate about it,” he says.
A noted primary care researcher, Dr. Bowman says access is an important issue and that 25 states have limited means to provide access to primary care for most of their citizens.
“The U.S. will continue to maintain the same primary care level despite the doubling of the population from 1980 to 2040,” he adds. “ATSU’s mission and SOMA’s collaboration with 11 community healthcare centers to train students in a healthcare access setting is worth supporting.”
Primary care is the most complex care, and students working with Dr. Bowman get firsthand knowledge in learning essential skills they need in this area.
“Our goal is to enable the student to succeed at all levels, and this keeps us apart from other medical schools,” he says.
“We want the student to be productive, caring, and compassionate physician.”