American College of Osteopathic Surgeons – Student Chapter

Class of 2026 officers:

President: Victoria Young

Vice President: Montana Olexa

National Liaison: Natalie Hajeeb

Treasurer: Jason DeFrancisis

Secretary: Peter Richa

Johnston Society: Ryan Bennett

The Student Osteopathic Surgical Association (SOSA) at LECOM Bradenton aims to expose and foster interests of its members to the field of surgery through volunteering, guest lectures, and development of basic surgical skills. Founded in 1989, SOSA is a national organization representing more than 1,300 aspiring surgeons. Most members have aspirations toward the field of surgery, but this is not a requirement. As a member, you can expect to learn more about surgery and medicine through hands-on learning, academic discussions and service to our community. Meetings will be on the 4th Thursday of each month at 5:30pm.

Our events last year included:
Suture Clinic (exclusive to ACOS members)
Guest Lectures
Dissections at a local high school including sheep heart, lung, eye and brain

The president is responsible for organizing events, planning meetings and keeping everything running smoothly.
The vice president splits responsibilities with the president regarding planning and organizing events.
The secretary takes minutes at meetings, sends emails and is very involved in planning events.
The treasurer handles the club’s finances and provides refreshments at the monthly meetings.
The national liaison is our connection with the SOSA organization as a whole and helps plan LECOM’s presence at our national conference in October.