Insights on the Nationwide Project in Osteopathic Medical Education and Empathy (POMEE)

Initial data from the first phase of a nationwide study of cognitive empathy, the Project in Osteopathic Medical Education and Empathy (POMEE), have been gathered. At the beginning of their first year of medical school, more than 6000 osteopathic medical students filled out the Jefferson Scale of Empathy. The POMEE principal investigator and co-investigators-Mohammadreza Hojat, PhD; Leonard H. Calabrese, DO; and Stephen C. Shannon, DO-responded to a series of questions posed by the author pertaining to the importance of POMEE and the impact the findings will have on educating osteopathic medical students. Continued success of this large-scale study will depend on the deans of the 41 participating osteopathic medical schools to continue to encourage student involvement in the study as they progress through their 4 years of undergraduate medical education. Study results will be disseminated via national and international meetings and professional journals.