A Message from the Alumni President

Dear RVUCOM Community,

I am very excited and humbled to be our new President of the Alumni Association. I have big shoes to fill: Chris Mutter, DO ‘14, did an outstanding job with our organization thus far, so thank you very much!

A quick introduction of myself: I am from California and attended UC Santa Cruz (yes, I AM a proud Banana Slug!). I graduated from RVUCOM in 2014 and did a stint in the US Air Force, training as a family medicine physician/flight surgeon. I earned my board certification from the HealthONE Family Medicine Residency Program.  Now I am finishing with a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine in Denver, Colorado through Centura/St Anthony’s Hospital!

We have NUMEROUS exciting updates from all over the RVUCOM community as we enter into a new academic year. I apologize if I have left you out, but to highlight a few very important accolades:  

A big congratulations to:

• Jon Vivolo, DO ’14, who is now certified in Emergency Medicine Ultrasound and is undergoing a Fellowship in Functional/Preventative Medicine in Durango, CO that utilizes genomics and other laboratory testing to facilitate optimal health.
• Kyle Kubes, DO ’16, for matching into the Twin Cities Orthopedic Adult Reconstruction and Trauma.
• Kate Huff, DO ’16, for matching into the Pediatric Orthopedics and Scoliosis Surgery Fellowship in Cleveland, OH.
• Recipients of the Denver Osteopathic Foundation scholarship: Andrew Black, OMS III; Emily Gudvangen-Sherwood, OMS III; Jessica McArthur, OMS III; Tess Schultz, OMS III.
• Recipient of the Denver Osteopathic Foundation’s Volunteer of the Year Award: Beau Condie, DO ’20.
• Drs. Bentley, Gao, and Park on their respective publications in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

As we enter into one of the most challenging years, RVUCOM has crafted ways to ensure our excellence, health, and success moving forward. I want to sincerely thank Cassidy Chambers, Associate Director of Admissions, for all her diligent and timeless work during the application process. Last year, we had over 5,000 applicants between the Colorado and Utah campuses, with just shy of 300 actually matriculating—proving our growing popularity and outreach across the nation! We are also navigating ways to reintegrate all of our students and staff back to class. This is a very dynamic process that is reviewed constantly by our RVU COVID-19 Response Team, which implements phases and safety levels pertaining to the latest CDC recommendations.

Once again, thank you for the opportunity to lead this year’s Alumni Association. We will lean forward and keep you all updated as the year progresses. If you want to check in every now and again, please visit our Facebook page, “Rocky Vista University Alumni Association.” Keep up all the great work and thank you for representing one of the greatest osteopathic medical schools in the nation! 

Stay well,
Bobby Petro, DO ‘16