Press Release

Clinical Leadership Expands at OUM – Dr. Chellaraj Benjamin Named Associate Dean for Clinical Education (Asia-Pacific)

Oceania University of Medicine has named Chellaraj Benjamin, MD to the post of Associate Dean for Clinical Education (Asia-Pacific).

“Dr. Benjamin has been informally associated with OUM for several years, arranging guest lecturers for the OUM campus,” says Professor Surindar Cheema, OUM’s Vice Chancellor. “Through his coordination of the New Zealand Medical Treatment Program, which takes him to numerous South Pacific island nations, his far reaching contacts will be invaluable to OUM as we continue to grow.”

Dr. Benjamin’s medical travels take him to Fiji, Samoa, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, activities which were honored by Samoa’s Head of State in 2005.

A cancer specialist, Dr. Benjamin is the Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology at Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. In his new medical school role, Dr. Benjamin will develop and evaluate suitable clinical clerkships in the Asia-Pacific region, ensuring that the OUM clinical curriculum is on par with international licensure requirements. He will also supervise students during their rotations and work closely with physician preceptors to ensure that students are getting the most of their core rotations and electives.

“The desire to provide patient care is what brings many of us to medicine,” says Dr. Benjamin. “Consequently, developing clinical training opportunities for medical students, so they can learn to diagnose and treat their own patients, is very rewarding and brings many of us physicians full circle. It is especially exciting to be doing this at OUM, a young medical school with such a bright future.”

Since joining the University in February, Dr. Benjamin has been working largely with prospective clinical sites in New Zealand and will soon travel to explore clinical opportunities in South India. He will continue to strengthen OUM’s on-campus clinical education activities by continuing to schedule guest instructors from Auckland to teach specialty programs in Samoa.

As part of his new appointment, Dr. Benjamin will meet on campus in Samoa with other OUM administrators for a three-day conference in late July to finalize new curriculum initiatives and launch new clerkship programs at TTM Hospital, the school’s primary teaching facility. In attendance will be Professor Cheema, Dr. Benjamin, Dr. Peter Horneffer, Dr. Benjamin’s North American clinical education counterpart, Dr. Gary Welch, OUM’s associate vice chancellor, and Dr. Stanley Dean, the medical director of TTM Hospital.

Located on the grounds of the National Hospital Complex in Apia, Samoa, Oceania University of Medicine offers a graduate entry, four-year medical education program to an international student body of approximately 100 healthcare professionals from five countries. Graduates are receiving their post-graduate specialty/residency training at teaching hospitals in Australia, Samoa, and the United States. Listed in the World Health Organization's World Directory of Medical Schools and recognized by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, the school began its formal accreditation process with an international accrediting body in 2008. For more information about OUM, visit www.oceaniamed.org.

OUM Expands Clinical Leadership Team – Dr. Peter Horneffer Named Associate Dean for Clinical Education (North America)

Oceania University of Medicine has appointed Peter J. Horneffer, MD as the school’s Associate Dean for Clinical Education—North America.

“With more and more American students entering our program, it is vital that we bring someone to the leadership team with knowledge of clinical training and licensing procedures in the US. Dr. Horneffer provides much needed expertise and an impressive group of colleagues who are showing interest both in our curriculum and in accepting our students for clinical rotations,” says Professor Surindar Cheema, OUM’s vice chancellor.

In this role, Dr. Horneffer will be responsible for researching and establishing suitable clinical clerkships in North America, ensuring that the OUM clinical curriculum is on par with those in the US and Canada. He will work with students and their mentors to cultivate prospective clerkship sites and arrange affiliation agreements with the hospitals and supervising physicians. He will monitor student progress, review evaluations, and work with faculty and staff to prepare documents for each year’s National Residency Match Program.

“I am very pleased to have joined OUM. This is an innovative program with an excellent staff and highly motivated and disciplined students who are a pleasure to advocate for. I plan to work closely with students and mentors to help set up the best rotations possible,” says Dr. Horneffer.

Dr. Horneffer is a cardiovascular surgeon in the Baltimore, Maryland area. He received his undergraduate degree at Yale and his medical and post-graduate training in general and cardiothoracic surgery at Johns Hopkins. He completed cardiac surgery fellowships in England and France, where he specialized in heart transplantation and cardiac valve repair. He served on the medical faculty at Georgetown University and continues his relationship with the medical school at Hopkins.

Since joining the University early in the year, Dr. Horneffer has already contacted many teaching hospitals in the Baltimore/Washington DC/Virginia area, as well as those in other states. Dr. Horneffer has secured an affiliation agreement for psychiatry rotations and verbal agreements with contracts under review for other core rotations and electives. All of the facilities are either accredited teaching hospitals, or the preceptors have active faculty appointments at local medical schools.

As part of his new appointment, Dr. Horneffer will meet on campus in Samoa with other OUM administrators for a three-day conference in late July to launch new clerkship programs and finalize new curriculum initiatives at TTM Hospital, the school’s primary teaching facility. In attendance will be Professor Cheema, Dr. Horneffer, Dr. Chellaraj Benjamin, Dr. Horneffer’s Asia Pacific clinical education counterpart, Dr. Gary Welch, OUM’s associate vice chancellor, and Dr. Stanley Dean, the medical director of TTM Hospital.

Dr. Eti Enosa, a noted surgeon and former CEO of the Samoan Health Department, has been elected Chancellor of Oceania University of Medicine by the OUM Council.

"Dr. Enosa has been a strong advocate for OUM since its formation, and we are honored that he has agreed to take on the role of Chancellor," says Taffy Gould, Chairman of the OUM Council. "With an international accreditation process underway, this is a critical time for OUM, and Dr. Enosa will provide leadership to help propel OUM to become a recognized leader in medical education."

The Chancellor is the titular head of the University, primarily advising the OUM Council on governance matters and providing counsel to the Vice Chancellor, who is the University's chief executive officer. A member of the OUM Council, the Chancellor presides over graduation and other University ceremonies and will work with the government and other organizations to promote the University.

"I feel honored and humbled, and I will execute the duties as required of the appointment wholeheartedly," says Dr. Enosa. "I shall endeavor to do my best with all my knowledge and strength to promote OUM both locally and abroad."

After graduating from Fiji School of Medicine in 1966, Dr. Enosa completed his postgraduate training in New Zealand and has been a general surgeon, practicing early in his career at district hospitals throughout Samoa. In 1983, he became the first Samoan appointed Chief Surgeon at Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Samoa's national hospital. Dr. Enosa served the people of Samoa as the Director General of Health (renamed Chief Executive Officer of Health) until 2004.

In 1990, Dr. Enosa became the first Samoan to be awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (FRACS). In addition, he served as a member of the Fiji School of Medicine Council until 2004 and has served in numerous leadership roles with non-governmental organizations and on various committees within the Samoan Ministry of Health.

"As a member of the OUM Council, Dr. Enosa has provided wise counsel and leadership in the early development of the University," says Professor Surindar Cheema, OUM Vice Chancellor. "I look forward to working with him in his new role and plan on spending a lot of time with him as we continue to build our medical school."

Located on the grounds of the national hospital in Apia, Samoa, Oceania University of Medicine offers a graduate entry, four-year medical education program to approximately 100 healthcare professionals in five countries. Graduates are receiving their post-graduate specialty training at teaching hospitals in Australia, Samoa, and the United States. Listed in the World Health Organization's World Directory of Medical Schools and recognized by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, the school began its formal accreditation process with an international accrediting body in 2008. For more information about OUM, visit www.oceaniamed.org.

Latest OUM Milestone: First Students Accepted Into US Residency Programs - Join Fellow OUM Alums in Samoan and Australian Internships

Oceania University of Medicine (OUM) has passed another milestone with the acceptance of its first students into residency programs in the United States.

Dr. Dennis Harris, previously a paramedic and OUM’s first American graduate, has been accepted into the Family Medicine Residency Program at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Tallahassee, Florida. Ms. Patricia Graham, a physician assistant from Chicago, will join the Internal Medicine Residency Program at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois. Ms. Graham has passed both of her USMLE Step 2 exams and will graduate from OUM in May.

“We are very happy to see Dennis and Patti join OUM’s 2007 graduates from Samoa and Australia who are already hard at work completing their internship and residency training. Dr. Chris Inkson is training in Canberra (AU), Dr. Anmol Tandon is in Queensland (AU), and Dr. Tapa Fodow is at Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Samoa’s national hospital complex,” says Professor Surindar Cheema, OUM’s vice chancellor. “This bodes well for OUM. With more Australian students nearing their national licensure exams and the US students now having passed two of the three exams required for licensure, OUM is further establishing itself as an international medical school.”

According to Dr. Harris, there were two things which set the Tallahassee program apart for him.

“First, it is an unopposed program; family medicine is the only residency program at Tallahassee Memorial. That means that we have the opportunity to see all specialty cases and procedures, without having to compete with other residents. For example, family medicine residents are typically responsible for doing 40 or so deliveries during their training, but if there were also OB residents there, we would all be scrambling for the same deliveries. The same would be true for surgical cases if there were surgical residents. The exposure we will get will be fantastic. Also, this is the only program that I met with which has a PharmD dedicated to teaching the residents. This particular pharmacist does no in-hospital pharmacy, but is responsible only for teaching residents,” he adds.

Ms. Graham began her healthcare career, first as an RN, then as a PA, before enrolling at OUM. She completed all of her clerkships in the Chicago area and is currently amid the application process for a preliminary medical license, required in Illinois.

“I couldn't be happier. I’m thrilled to be in internal medicine, which is what I love, and happy to be in my hometown area of Chicago. I cannot wait to get started,” says Ms. Graham.

“Being accepted into a residency is a great milestone for these students and for OUM,” says Peter Horneffer, M.D., OUM’s Associate Dean for Clinical Education in North America. “This is a young doctor’s first position practicing medicine and caring for patients independently. It also signifies that these hospitals are entrusting our students with the primary care of their patients, a testament to the quality of their medical education. Congratulations!”

Both Dr. Harris and Ms. Graham will begin their orientations in mid-June. All US residencies officially start in early July of each year.

Located on the grounds of the national hospital complex in Apia, Samoa, Oceania University of Medicine offers a graduate entry, four-year medical education program to approximately 100 healthcare professionals in five countries. Graduates are receiving their post-graduate specialty training at teaching hospitals in Australia, Samoa, and the United States. Listed in the World Health Organization's World Directory of Medical Schools and recognized by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, the school began its formal accreditation process with an international accrediting body in 2008.

(l-r) Drs. Kim Hayes and Tapa Fidow; Prime Minister Tuilaepa A.S. Malielegaoi; Taffy Gould, chairman of the OUM Council; Dr. Christopher Inkson; Prof. Dr. Satupaitea Viali, OUM dean; Dr. Dennis Harris; Professor Surindar Cheema, vice chancellor.

The joyous “baahh-oouu” of a symphony of conch shells heralded the commencement of the inaugural graduation ceremony of Oceania University of Medicine in Apia, Samoa, on May 5, 2007.

More than 400 friends, family members, and government officials watched four of the six newly minted doctors receive their degrees on a stage decorated with native palms and flowers under the largest fale in the South Pacific on the campus of the National University of Samoa.

Beneath the largest fale in the South Pacific, the graduation ceremony stage was woven with palms and fresh flowers.

Declaring the occasion an historic event for Samoa, the keynote speaker, Prime Minister Tuilaepa A.S. Malielegaoi advised the graduates, “you have the opportunity to greatly improve the lives of those you touch. That is where medicine is like politics. You will wield a great deal of power. But having the wisdom to use that power effectively is the difference between success and failure.”

Founded in 2002, OUM actually graduated six physicians in its class of 2007, but four were able to make the trip to Samoa for the festivities:

Led by Dr. Tapa Fidow holding the OUM mace, the new doctors lead the procession at the conclusion of the ceremony.

OUM Founder Taffy Gould, who said she had been awaiting the day for more than five years, told the graduates that how perseverance would help them realize their dreams, “Indeed, most of our students have overcome adversity to pursue their medical degrees. Many of them work full-time at other jobs. They have families to support and a multitude of responsibilities.”

Throughout the ceremony that was delivered in English and Samoan, the Samoa Symphony and Choir serenaded the audience with inspirational hymns and traditional Samoan songs.

"No matter where your professional life takes you, remember that you always have a home here at OUM in Samoa,” said Professor Surindar Cheema, vice chancellor of OUM. “Never forget the warmth and generosity of the Samoan people. Keep a piece of Samoa in your heart, and you will be the compassionate physician that your patients need.”

Draped in leis from admiring family members and friends, Dr. Tapa Fidow made Samoan history by becoming the first Samoan to graduate from a Samoan medical school.

After being administered the solemn physician’s oath, the procession of graduates and faculty led to a reception of family, friends, and well wishers waiting with leis of flowers, candy, and nuts.

The five Australian and American graduates are in various stages of arranging to sit for their board exams and to begin their internships and residencies. Dr. Fidow has begun his internship at the national hospital in Apia, Samoa.

The National Bank of Samoa Ltd. is pleased to offer OUM students a full range of financial services, including checking and savings accounts, wire transfers, traveler’s cheques, and foreign currency conversions.

NBS also offers student loan funding only for Australian and New Zealand students who meet the Banks’ established lending criteria.

We welcome OUM students from all countries and are happy to help with any of their banking needs. We offer OUM students and all of our customers prompt, courteous, and efficient service.

Our student loan department will offer further explanation and answer questions from qualified OUM students wishing to seek NBS assistance with tuition, fees, and other education expenses at competitive rates and with a flexible repayment schedules.
Please contact our Manager Lending at perosi@nationalbanksamoa.com for further information.

When you visit Apia, we hope you’ll stop by the bank. In the meantime, if you have any questions about banking in Samoa or student loans, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bphillips@nationalbanksamoa.com.

OUM’s Historic First Graduation Ceremony