ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- First-year medical students at The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine geared up in Elmira for their first day of school Friday morning, eager to kickstart their careers in osteopathic medicine.  

Aspiring doctors have traveled from as far as California to learn at LECOM this fall. Over a hundred students came out Friday morning for orientation. Students spent Friday morning's orientation highlighting values of professionalism, followed by a luncheon at Elmira College. Associate Dean Dr. Richard Terry, D.O., feels the adjustment to medical school will be even tougher for these students who’ve worked in other programs during COVID.  

“That's a tough transition they're not quite used to,” Dr. Terry said. “Many of our students came through a COVID-ized college or they might've been in a hybrid model or Zoom, so this is quite an adjustment.”  

While many students are coming to Elmira from out of state, 62% are from the state of New York. Maria Forte is a student from the Southern Tier, beginning her studies to be an emergency medicine physician. 

“Elmira is a medically underserved community,” Forte said. “LECOM is a renowned D.O. school, and I'm happy to be starting my career where I'm from.”  

Lucas Brandao traveled from Massachusetts to kick off his medical career at LECOM. He hopes to serve as another resource in an underserved area.  

“I decided to come here because LECOM is the largest medical school in America. It has over a hundred clinical rotation sites, and it's in a needy area,” Brandao said. “It's in an underserved area, so definitely an exciting place to be.”  

The mission of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is to prepare students to become osteopathic physicians, pharmacy practitioners, and dentists through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care, and community service to enhance the quality of life through improved health for all humanity.

More information about the various programs offered at LECOM can be found online.