BUCOM Students ‘Serve With Purpose’ on MLK Day

Group of ten adults standing side by side outdoors, smiling at the camera. Most wear gray BUCOM T-shirts layered with jackets and ‘King Day Volunteer’ badges on lanyards. They pose with arms around each other in front of a dark building entrance, suggesting a team volunteer event.

Nine Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (BUCOM) students served as medical volunteers during the 40th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Civil Rights Museum on Monday, Jan. 19.

The public enjoyed free admission to the museum during the celebration. Led by second-year medical student Kayla Bouknight, BUCOM students — all members of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) — were available to assist in case of accidents.

“Volunteering on King Day at the National Civil Rights Museum meant a great deal to me and to our entire SNMA chapter because it reflected what both SNMA and BUCOM truly stand for — showing up for our community and serving with purpose,” said Bouknight. “Being in that space on a day dedicated to Dr. King’s legacy was a powerful reminder that osteopathic medicine is rooted in compassion, justice and caring for the whole person. It was more than volunteering; it reaffirmed why we chose to become osteopathic physicians in Memphis and the responsibility that comes with that choice.”

Dr. John Biery, Dr. Peter Bell, Dr. Elizabeth “Lily” Browning, Dr. Elly Riley and Lilian Nyindodo, Ph.D., with BUCOM also attended the celebration.

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This article was originally published on Baptist Leader.