Michigan State University

College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dean's Update 2025-8

Hellos, Farewells, and the Bright Future Ahead at MSUCOM

COMe Home and Celebrate with Your MSUCOM Family

As we prepare for the fall season and reflect on a month of milestones, I want to personally invite you to COMe home to Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine for our annual Alumni Weekend, October 10–11. This year, our celebration coincides with MSU’s Homecoming, offering the perfect opportunity to reconnect—not just with your MSUCOM family, but with Spartans across generations and disciplines. (Also: it's your chance to enjoy East Lansing without exams, enduring the anatomy lab, or searching for parking near Fee Hall.)

If you haven’t yet registered, I encourage you to join us for a weekend full of connection, laughter, memories, and momentum—from golf and our MSUCOM Reunion to the Homecoming tailgate and football game. It’s shaping up to be an unforgettable gathering—and it wouldn’t be the same without you here with us.

These moments—seeing familiar faces light up in recognition, sharing stories across the years, celebrating how far we’ve come—are at the heart of what makes MSUCOM so special. Whether this is your first time back or your fifteenth, let this be the beginning of many more homeCOMings to come.

If you’re attending, I hope you’ll say hello. And if you can’t make it this time, please still reach out—I’d love to hear from you and find other ways to stay connected. Our relationships are a cornerstone of this community, and they continue to grow in importance as we look ahead. Plus, let’s be honest: nobody gets into medicine because they don’t enjoy reconnecting over a good story and strong coffee.

Beginnings and Completions

August has brought some truly meaningful ceremonies—welcoming the Class of 2029 at our D.O. White Coat Ceremony and celebrating the graduation of our PA Class of 2025. Both moments reflect the full arc of our work: supporting aspiring health professionals from their first moments of training through their transition to service.

At the White Coat Ceremony, we heard from Dr. James R. Sylvain, Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, who reminded us that the white coat is “a symbol of trust—earned, not given.” That message rings especially true in osteopathic medicine, where compassion and connection are as vital as clinical acumen.

The Class of 2029 is a remarkable cohort:

  • 68% are Michigan residents

  • 21% came through our Osteopathic Medical Scholars Program

  • 14% are first-generation college students

  • 45% come from disadvantaged backgrounds

  • 9 are veterans, and 12 are international students

This group is bright, motivated, and ready to go. Some of them even know how to find Fee Hall without Google Maps (we’re calling that a win).

As we welcomed this new class, we also honored our graduating class of 35 PAs, who leave behind a legacy of service. From launching Spartan Street Medicine outreach alongside our D.O. students to engaging in Project Access and inspiring Detroit students to pursue PA careers, they’ve embodied the spirit of MSUCOM.

Whether D.O.s or PAs, our students carry forward the osteopathic philosophy of holistic, human-centered care—and they’re doing it in bold, compassionate, community-rooted ways. And let’s face it: the world could use a little more of that right now.

Celebrating a Legend: Dr. William G. Anderson

This month, we also celebrated the incredible contributions and retirement of Dr. William G. Anderson, an icon not only at MSUCOM but across the country.

Dr. Anderson’s impact on medicine, education, and justice is vast—from his leadership within the American Osteopathic Association to his powerful voice in the Civil Rights Movement, including his work leading the Albany Movement in Georgia. His legacy also lives on through our William G. Anderson Lecture Series: Slavery to Freedom, now in its 25th year.

As Senior Advisor to the Dean and Professor of Surgical Services, Dr. Anderson’s wisdom, humility, and call to action have shaped our community. One of his most memorable challenges continues to guide me: “If, when you leave this world, it isn’t any better than when you arrived, what good were you?”

We may not all lead national movements, but we can start by answering that email, mentoring that student, or showing up when it counts. (And yes, Dr. Anderson always showed up.)

May we each rise to meet that challenge.

One Team, One Health: Strength in Unity

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz’s One Team, One Health initiative is moving toward its next phase, and I want to reiterate that MSUCOM is not only present—we are influential at the table. The One Health Council is nearing the end of its design work, and soon we’ll see how this bold initiative takes shape.

Together, we’re exploring:

  • A unified College of Medicine offering both D.O. and M.D. degrees

  • A new College of Health Sciences to elevate vital health science disciplines

  • A Research in Health Sciences to catalyze interdisciplinary discovery and innovation

I understand the questions and concerns that may come with change, but I am confident in this: our identity as osteopathic physicians and educators remains firmly rooted. Dr. A.T. Still’s principles—treating the whole person, fostering resilience, and improving community health—are more relevant now than ever.

This is our moment to lead change and help shape the next decade of health education and practice. As the One Health Council finalizes its recommendations, your insight and ideas will help define where we want to be years from now—and what legacy we will leave for the future of medicine. The university is actively seeking feedback, and Osteopathic Medicine at MSU is able to be both a voice of experience and a driver of innovation. Let’s take this opportunity to contribute with vision, clarity, and purpose.

Sharing Our Story

If you haven’t seen it yet, our newest edition of SpartanDO Journeys is out—highlighting the meaningful work MSUCOM is doing across Michigan and beyond. It’s a celebration of who we are and the impact we continue to make. Please share it widely. (Bonus: it's one of the few things this month that doesn’t come with a parking permit requirement.) [LINK TO JOURNEYS]

In Closing

To all our alumni, faculty, students, staff, and partners—thank you for everything you do. You are MSUCOM’s strength, and I am deeply grateful.

As always, if you have thoughts, ideas, or just want to connect, please reach out: dejongj@msu.edu. I love hearing from you.

With gratitude and Spartan pride,

Joyce deJong, DO
Dean, MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine