Medical students raise money for Parkinson’s research

Liberty University’s Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) hosted “Pancakes for Parkinson’s,” a fundraiser for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, at the Center for Medical and Health Sciences on Monday morning.

Over 200 guests attended the event, paying a $5 admission fee that will benefit Parkinson’s disease research. Students served pancakes with toppings, coffee, and juices. Guests also received free brochures on Parkinson’s and bracelets to show their support.

Members of Liberty’s SOMA group are all students at the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM). SOMA is the nation’s largest network of osteopathic medical students. The student-led organization prepares members to be leaders and advocates in the field of medicine. SOMA groups at every osteopathic medical school on the East Coast participated in the fundraiser by hosting their own pancake breakfast on Monday.

Pranamya Mahankali, a first-year medical student and vice president of SOMA at Liberty, said that the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation is paving the way for groundbreaking research.

“Their mission coincides with our medical school’s mission to have a servant’s heart,” she said. “We hope that by having events like this, we can help prepare our classmates to become community response physicians.”

Mahankali said that this is the first event SOMA has held at the medical school, which opened last August. LUCOM is the second medical school in the state — and the 30th in the nation — to offer the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree.

“This is a little step toward a greater purpose, and we are hoping it will be an annual event,” she said. “I am enthusiastic about SOMA because they provide a way for osteopathic students to go out into the world and teach the public what osteopathic medicine really is.”