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Celebrate first-generation DOs and the odds they overcame
Join us as we launch an inspiring video series celebrating first-generation osteopathic physicians. These trailblazers each followed a unique journey of overcoming challenges, breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations to follow in their footsteps.
Our series highlights the compelling stories of osteopathic medical students, residents and practicing physicians across various stages of their careers. By showcasing their perseverance, determination and vision, we aim to inspire meaningful mentor-mentee connections and demonstrate that attending an osteopathic medical school—and becoming a physician—is a real and attainable possibility for aspiring students.
Vani Ganesh, OMS III, a student at Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, represents the power of perseverance, heritage and heart. Raised in an Indian household grounded in whole-person care and deep respect for every individual’s story, Ganesh believes her cultural roots and lived experience will allow her to connect with patients on a deeper level. “Sharing your story matters. If someone sees a student who looks like them or comes from a similar background, it can make them feel empowered too,” she said.
For Ganesh, her pursuit of medicine is more than a personal milestone: it’s a shared achievement with her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. and now proudly watch her fulfill the dreams they once envisioned for her.
As the only Vietnamese American dean in the United States, John T. Pham, DO, dean at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, is a testament to what’s possible through resilience, opportunity and hard work. A first-generation college student, physician and the child of Vietnamese immigrants who fled the country after the war, his journey to leadership is deeply rooted in perseverance. “I’m living proof that hard work can be successful,” he said. “I broke that bamboo ceiling.”
Through a holistic approach to care, he continues to lead and inspire the next generation of osteopathic physicians.
First-generation DOs don’t just follow paths; they create them. Brianna Scivinsky, OMS II, at A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM), is paving the way. As a first-generation DO candidate, Scivinsky shares how her great-grandparents’ courage to immigrate from Poland inspired her path to medicine. “I wanted to become a DO because I am very close with my family. I noticed when I shadowed various osteopathic physicians, that they had a very close relationship with their patients. I would like to see my patients as my family,” she said.
Her journey is a powerful reminder that perseverance and determination can break barriers and create opportunities for future generations.
In our inaugural episode, AOA trustee and current first vice president Joshua D. Lenchus, DO, shares his journey as a first-generation DO, reflecting on the mentors who helped shape his path, including AOA Past President Joseph A. Giaimo, DO, and the lessons he now pays forward: “I think mentorship was probably the single greatest solution to the obstacles that I had in stumbling along the path to becoming an osteopathic physician. Medicine is about serving others [and] putting others before yourself,” he said.
Because pioneering a path means making it easier for others to walk it.