ICOM Students Close Out Academic Year with Celebration and Tributes

May 22, 2026

As the 2025-2026 academic year drew to a close, students, faculty and staff at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine gathered for a meaningful and festive end-of-year celebration, recognizing the achievements of ICOM’s first- and second-year students, and honoring the contributions that made their learning possible.

The celebration brought students, faculty, and staff together for an afternoon of connection, recognition, and reflection following a demanding academic year. Attendees enjoyed lunch and time with classmates and mentors while commemorating the accomplishments and milestones of the past year.

Among the event’s highlights was a solemn tribute to the silent teachers of medicine – the anatomical donors whose generosity enabled ICOM’s first-year students to study human anatomy in depth. During the tribute, students shared reflections and moments of silence in remembrance of the individuals who made the ultimate gift to medical education. The tribute concluded with the release of lotus flowers onto ICOM’s infinity fountains, symbolizing purity, enlightenment, and rebirth.

The celebration concluded with a strong sense of camaraderie as students looked forward to their summer breaks, research opportunities, and clinical rotations.

Awards bestowed from ICOM’s Student Government Association (SGA) include:

OMS-I Clinical Faculty of the Year: Gary Brandecker, MD
OMS-II Clinical Faculty of the Year: Richard Macdonald, MD
OMS-I Biomedical Faculty of the Year: Stephanie Child, PhD
OMS-II Biomedical Faculty of the Year: Daniel Fologea, PhD
Staff of the Year: Tony Dotson
OMS-I Course of the Year: CARDIO by Wasana Sumanasekera, PhD & Gary Brandecker, MD
OMS-II Course of the Year: REPRO by Don Dyer, MD and Ellis Locke, PhD

Awards bestowed from ICOM’s Faculty Senate and Departments include: