The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine- Virginia Campus is hosting along with Christiansburg Library, Blacksburg Library, Montgomery Museum, Historic Smithfield, Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech, Giles County Historical Society and the Blacksburg Museum a traveling exhibit made available jointly by the National Library of Medicine and the American Library Association.

The exhibit is called, “Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance, Science, Magic, and Medicine.” It will arrive to the area on July 10th and depart on August 21st, during which time eight area museums, libraries and historical societies will host related programming on the history of medicine and science. VCOM will host three events: 1) Medicine in Virginia: Past and Present, 2) Morning Song Way, and 3) a Wizard Mini Med School for ages 11-15 to accompany the six-panel Harry Potter’s World traveling exhibit.

VCOM has received funding from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities for the Medicine in Virginia panel program and for the public screening of Morning Song Way.

Medicine in Virginia: Past and Present
7:00 pm on Thursday, July 29th at the Institute for Biomedical and Sports Medicine Research, 2280 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia.

The panel program sponsored by VCOM, “Medicine in Virginia: Past and Present”, is original programming on the history of medicine in Virginia, and accompanies the arrival of the actual exhibit panels which will be on display at VCOM from July 26 to August 9. VCOM’s speaker panel will be a public lecture and discussion forum exploring the cultural, technological, philosophical and social history of rural medicine in Virginia. The four panel members are medical professionals and regional experts on different eras of medicine in Virginia.

Charles Thomas is an American Indian healer of the Ani-Stohini/Unami tribe. This small tribe is located in seven counties of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and one county in North Carolina. Mr. Thomas is the author of Researching Native American Genealogy in Southwestern Virginia (1995) and most recently wrote, directed and produced the award-winning film, Morning Song Way, about a young girl who witnesses a murder and is sent to live with her great uncle, a Native American healer. While there, she studies the healing arts of the tribe, learns about the vibrant culture and helps to revitalize the community. Morning Song Way won the award for Best Dramatic Film at the 9th Annual Native American Video and Film Festival in Columbia, SC. Mr. Thomas will be speaking about native Virginia plants and their healing properties.

Dr. Matthew Lively, D.O., is the Medical Director and team physician for West Virginia University athletics. He is also Associate Professor in the Internal Medicine and Pediatric departments of West Virginia University Hospitals, and earned his DO degree from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993. The Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation in Beverly, WV identified Dr. Lively as a regional expert in Civil War medicine. Dr. Lively is in the process of writing a book about Stonewall Jackson and the controversies surrounding his injury, medical treatment and death, and has done extensive research in this area. Dr. Lively will be speaking about Civil War Era Medicine in Virginia.

Dr. Maurice Nida, D.O., created the first osteopathic residency program in Virginia with the rural Internal Medicine Residency program at Norton Community Hospital in Norton, Va. in 1999. Dr. Nida is now employed by Wellmont Health System as Director of Medical Education for their residency programs. Dr. Nida continues to improve healthcare in the region with the establishment of this second residency program: the Osteopathic Family Medicine Residency in southwest Virginia. The Wellmont residents will be trained in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee where they will learn firsthand the healthcare needs of those communities. Residents will work side by side with top notch providers in their field of medicine to learn how to care for each individual patient as promoted by the father of osteopathic medicine, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. Dr. Nida will be speaking about medicine in Virginia in the 20th century, to include technological changes, medical developments and ideological trends in the context of rural medicine.

Dr. Jan Willcox, D.O., is the Vice Dean of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Virginia Campus. From 2002 through 2009, she served as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the same location. For the past 6 years, Dr. Willcox has served as physician preceptor for at least two global medical mission trips per year and has provided leadership and guidance for many additional trips. In addition, she has precepted and participated in many global disaster relief trips, including the Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (AMOPS) relief mission for military families affected by a tornado in Suffolk, VA, 2009; providing grief counseling and medical care to families of the Virginia Tech tragedy in 2007; obtaining supplies, packaging and distributing for VCOM missions to Indian Tsunami Relief Mission in 2005, Hurricane Katrina relief mission in 2005, and Missouri Flood Relief mission in 2007. Dr. Willcox will be speaking about the global aspects of modern medicine in Virginia.

Morning Song Way
1:00 pm on Saturday, July 31 at the Lyric Theatre, 135 College Avenue, Blacksburg, Virginia
In conjunction with the Medicine in Virginia: Past and Present panel presentation, Charles Thomas will be offering a special screening of his award-winning film, Morning Song Way, at The Lyric, a not-for-profit community theater in the heart of Blacksburg. Following this screening, Mr. Thomas will lead a forum and question-and-answer session for the film audience, discussing themes of cultural loss and preservation associated with his film.

Wizard Mini Med School
1:00 – 2:30 pm on Thursday, August 5, at the Institute for Biomedical and Sports Medicine Research, 2280 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia
Join VCOM medical students under the direction of Dr. Linda Frasca, M.D. and Jim Mahaney Ph.D. as they present an interactive series of stations on public health topics for ages 11-15 along with some simple experiments. This Mini Med School will be conducted with a Harry Potter’s World theme! Come experience the magic of medicine!

Advance reservations are required for the Wizard Mini Med School. Please contact Stephanie Gardner at 540.231.3926 or sgardner@vcom.vt.edu to register. Or, contact Jessica Muller at jumuller@vcom.vt.edu or 540.231.4112.