Shil Punatar likes to go with the flow and let things unfold naturally. As an undergraduate student, he was not sure which career path to take, so he double majored in biology and economics. He took classes in subjects such as allopathic versus osteopathic medicine, intro to healthcare, and an urban economics class with a focus on health. Punatar then noticed a pattern: “My interests all aligned with healthcare,” he said.
His choice naturally presented itself: he would apply to medical school. Punatar applied to several schools including NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) at Arkansas State University (A-State). “When I was applying to medical schools there was a lot of encouragement from my college pre-health advisors to apply to NYITCOM at A-State,” Punatar said. “I was also excited that NYIT had a proven track record of success, was starting [the new location in Arkansas], and that the school was trying to make a lasting impact in the community by creating residency programs across the Delta region.”
Punatar had been accepted to other schools, but NYITCOM at A-State edged out the competition. “The class size gives more focus to each student and there is a great sense of community in Jonesboro,” he said. Punatar is part of the inaugural class in Jonesboro and says the students and faculty members have gotten to know each other well. “We don’t just see them in class,” he says. “We're all a part of the Jonesboro community together.”
Now in his second year, Punatar is already making a name for himself. He is a student ambassador and has made an interesting discovery. “I did a preceptorship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in hematology and oncology. Part of my time was spent seeing patients,” he said. “I worked with patients diagnosed with lymphoma and started to notice that some of the patients exhibited unusual and atypical symptoms.” The attending physicians and fellows encouraged Punatar to do a literature review to discover if the symptoms he was observing had been previously recorded. It turned out that they had not. “I put together what is called a clinical vignette and presented my poster at the annual meeting of the Arkansas chapter of the American College of Physicians.”
To his delight, his poster won in the student category, and in April, he will present his poster at the national meeting of the American College of Physicians in New Orleans. “It was pretty exciting,” he said. “It was great to have attending physicians show interest in my work and ask me questions to learn more about my findings.” He was also thrilled to see the joyful expressions on the faces of Carol Brenner, senior director, research and publications, and Andrea Read, assistant dean of Academic Affairs, when he presented the poster. “When I expressed interest in participating in the poster presentation, my professors were nothing but excited that I wanted to do it,” said Punatar. “To have their support was amazing.”
In the classroom, Punatar is taking advantage of the school’s approach to learning. “Schools are pulling away from lectures. And what’s nice at this school is they are willing to try new things, such as case-based learning, telemedicine, and interprofessional workshops,” he said. “We work with students from physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other programs to discuss a case. We’re starting to embrace other ways to learn besides formal lectures.”
With just under three years to go, Punatar is looking forward to what’s next. “In our third and fourth year we begin to work with patients,” he explained. “To get to work with people after 20 years of formal lectures is exciting.”
