Maggie had wrapped up her first two years at 91����Ƶ before meeting a native of Harrisonburg, Va., Nathaniel “Nate” Yoder, who had returned to his hometown after completing two years at a sister Mennonite school, .

Maggie and Nate were both in the class of 2008, and they quickly discovered a shared interest in answering God’s call through practicing medicine.

Now in their final year at VCOM, Maggie Yoder is pursuing a residency in family medicine, while Nate Yoder will be doing a residency in emergency medicine. They will each earn the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).

“The VCOM relationship is a perfect next step for someone who’s come through 91����Ƶ,” says Maggie, adding that 91����Ƶ and VCOM are both based on service to others and intercultural awareness.

The non-profit VCOM was established with foundation and private donations in the fall of 2003 “to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health,” according to the school’s website. Initial focus on underserved areas in Appalachia has stretched to Latin America.

“The school’s block schedule is set up to encourage hands-on service in clinical settings in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic,” says Maggie. Up to 25 VCOM students travel to rural areas in these countries four times per year for several-week stints. They staff clinics that VCOM has established with local community partners, providing services to people who otherwise would not have access to basic care.

“While most medical students spend the first two years of med-school in the classroom, we had the chance to do hands-on clinical assessment and intervention,” says Maggie. Maggie and Nate have each completed a 10-day stint in Honduras, with Nate also spending time in Guatemala.

After graduating from 91����Ƶ in 2008, the Yoders took time off to work in research roles – he in a biotech lab and she at the – before beginning medical school in 2010.  Anca Chirvasuta, a 2012 graduate of 91����Ƶ, has followed the Yoders to VCOM.

The founder and chairman of the board of directors at VCOM, John Rocovich, J.D., LL.M., was key in building the relationship between 91����Ƶ and VCOM, anchored by a 2008 agreement for automatic admission for qualified 91����Ƶ grads. The arrangement guarantees acceptance of up to 10 91����Ƶ students into the VCOM program, assuming these students follow a distinct academic protocol and demonstrate high achievement in 91����Ƶ’s pre-med program. (The Yoders’ acceptances predated this agreement.)

Rocovich serves on , which undergirds 91����Ƶ’s . Renovations are expected to begin in early 2014.

The one-day event included a tour of the Harvard Medical School facilities in Boston, Mass., and the , a collaborative research effort of Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Family Foundation, in Cambridge.

Historic gathering

“This is a historic gathering,” said President Loren Swartzendruber, DMin (91����Ƶ ’76 and ’79) in his opening comments. “Never before has such a diverse group of leaders – alumni who have achieved great success in their fields along with business, industry, science and other leaders – come together to think about something this big and transformational for 91����Ƶ.”

Harvard Dean on 91����Ƶ

“My time at 91����Ƶ was most formative in my personal and professional journey,” said Dr. Martin, reflecting on the year he took off from the University of Alberta to study Bible and ethics at then Eastern Mennonite College. “The opportunity to study ethics and broaden my horizons beyond my small Mennonite community proved invaluable.” He noted that the collaboration occurring at 91����Ƶ and with these leaders was similar to the collaboration that had to occur for the Harvard Medical School expansion under his tenure.

91����Ƶ accepted Dr. Martin’s invitation to host the gathering because “it seemed important to us to see what can happen when people who are well trained in the sciences have facilities in which they can thrive,” said President Loren Swartzendruber.

“Dr. Martin is one example of hundreds of 91����Ƶ science alumni who are making a real difference in this world. While these facilities are not a scale to which 91����Ƶ aspires, we do believe that new labs and a renovated building at the appropriate scale, can facilitate our ongoing exceptional program.”

91����Ƶ’s current Suter Science Center, built more than 40 years ago, “does not do justice to the quality of faculty and program of study we offer,” he said.

Leadership phase

91����Ƶ is currently in the leadership phase of its campaign for the new and renovated science facilities at 91����Ƶ, noted Kirk Shisler (91����Ƶ ’81), vice president for advancement. It is a time to focus on lead gifts toward the anticipated $30 million needed to complete two phases. The first phase will include construction of a new 50,000 square foot lab facility to better support the collaborative original research 91����Ƶ science students complete with professors; renovation of the existing Suter Science Center will follow.

“We are in a time of burgeoning potential,” said Shisler, noting that as 91����Ƶ has ramped up communications about the campaign, spontaneous unsolicited gifts are coming in for the campaign.

While these gifts are encouraging and exciting, and currently total nearly $2 million in gifts and pledges, the focus of the day’s gathering was on establishing momentum toward gifts in the top tier of the strategic funding plan, gifts and commitments in the $500,000 to $10 million range.

Broad Institute tour

The afternoon’s visit to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard provided an opportunity for participants to see the country’s top collaborative multidisciplinary research facility. The group heard about the institute’s vision and structures, and a presentation by geneticist Stacey Gilbert, PhD, about her genetic research among Mennonite populations in Lancaster County, Pa.

Open floor plans, glass walls, entire walls and glass office windows that serve as “white boards,” and community space all inspire creativity, innovation and collaboration, explained Michael Foley, PhD, director of the chemical biology platform at Broad. “We’re here to help you in whatever way we can as you plan your facility,” he told the group.

Closing comments

The recent announcement that President Loren Swartzendruber has accepted an invitation to a third four-year term in his role as president is good news for this project as affirmed by Dr. Martin, 91����Ƶ trustee Dr. Paul R. Yoder, Jr., (’65) and 91����Ƶ board chair Andrew Dula (’92). Each of them noted the integrity with which President Swartzendruber serves, the level of trust in his leadership, and the momentum he and his team have established for the campaign.

Acknowledging their supportive comments, Swartzendruber noted, “Bringing this campaign to a successful conclusion is my number one goal for these next four years.”

In the photo:

First row, left to right: Greta Ann Herin, PhD, 91����Ƶ associate professor of biology; Provost Fred Kniss, PhD (91����Ƶ ’79); Dr. Todd Weaver (91����Ƶ ’87), Weaver, Reckner, Reinhart Dental Associates; 91����Ƶ trustee Anne Kaufman Weaver (91����Ƶ 88), leadership coach, Coaching Connection, Brownstown, Pa.; Joe Paxton, county administrator, Rockingham County, Va.; Phil Helmuth (91����Ƶ ’76) executive director of development for; Carol Yoder, (91����Ƶ ’63 ) civic leader/ volunteer; Charlotte Rosenberger (91����Ƶ ’65) civic leader/volunteer, Blooming Glen, Pa.; Pat Swartzendruber, 91����Ƶ advocate and church-wide leader.

Second row, left to right: Doug Mason, advancement consultant, Gonser, Gerber, Tinker, Stuhr, LLP, Naperville, Ill.; 91����Ƶ trustee Evon Bergey, general manager, Magellan Health Services, Perkasie, Pa.; Dr. Krishna Kodukula, executive director, CADRE, Biosciences Division, SRI Shenandoah Valley; Dr. Joseph B. Martin (91����Ƶ ’59), dean emeritus and professor of neurobiology, Harvard Medical School; John “Roc” Rocovich, Jr., attorney, Moss & Rocovich and founder and chairman of Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Va.; 91����Ƶ President Loren Swartzendruber, DMin (91����Ƶ ’76 and ’79); Joyce Bontrager Lehman (91����Ƶ ’65), program officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Wash.; Bob Hostetler, PhD (91����Ƶ ’59), campaign co-chair, professor emeritus mathematics, Pennsylvania State University;  Gerry Horst, campaign co-chair and president, Horst & Sons, Inc., New Holland, Pa.; Kirk Shisler (91����Ƶ ’81), vice president for advancement;  Laura Daily, assistant for advancement.

Third row, left to right: Doug Hostetler, Hostetler & Church, LLC, Clarksville, Md.; Roman Miller, PhD, 91����Ƶ professor of biology/Daniel B. Suter Endowed Chair, Doug Graber Neufeld, PhD, 91����Ƶ professor of biology; Mark Grimaldi (91����Ƶ ’94), president of Equinox Chemical Company, Albany, Ga.; Andrew Dula (91����Ƶ ’91), chair, 91����Ƶ Board of Trustees and CFO,  EG Stoltzfus Inc.; 91����Ƶ trustee Kay Nussbaum (91����Ƶ ’78), partner, The MVP Group, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Henry Rosenberger (91����Ƶ ’67) farmer and sustainability entrepreneur; Dr. Paul R. Yoder, Jr. (91����Ƶ ’63) Rockingham Eye Physicians, Harrisonburg, Va., and 91����Ƶ trustee; Knox Singleton, CEO Inova Health Systems, Falls Church, Va.