Jennifer Coomes

Review of NCNM

For the safety of current and potential ND student...

For the safety of current and potential ND students, I need to do what I can here. Christine Girard, the new president of nunm, was the chief medical officer at SCNM while I was a ND student there from 2008-2010, and she was also the top person in my academic dismissal appeal in 2011 who stopped my progression at the school after 2.5 years of attendance and over $100,000 of student loan debt, years of sacrifice and serious work in med school with no return on investment. At the time, a ND professor was arrested for child molestation (Don Underwood), my research mate had died in a tragic car fire (Dan Leek), and there was a serious round of cheating in the school, which I did not participate in. When I sat in her office with only a few minutes before she made a choice about my ND career, I'd found out she had done no research on my case prior to coming into her office and had no intention of pursuing any realistic solution before rejecting my appeal. A few days later, I was taking basic science boards. She had a huge effect on my life in a negative way when the truth pointed to her making a better and more integrity oriented choice based on facts, which she did not do even after I gave pages of research, writing, and solutions in my appeal. They weren't read. Just like that, the 2.5 years of grueling work and sacrifice were down the drain. She didn't make a choice based on facts, but on making another woman less than her and hurting another woman's career. I'd later found out that MD professor who had "failed" me in my class (causing the dismissal) had her licensed revoked in TX years prior in 2006 (Pam Martin Howell) and was knowingly practicing medicine without a license, falsifying student grades, and had her own MD license removed due to endangering the public and failing a test herself. The school knew about it and so did Christine. I didn't know about it until 5 years after the dismissal, and when I approached her and Dr. Mittman (president of SCNM) by formal letter, neither one would revisit the case. I have since graduated with 3 masters degrees from high level programs/schools in medical related topics/research with honors and I am as close as I can be to helping people in the area of chronic inflammation. She ignored it when I told her I was chosen for the Best of Naturopathic Medicine honorarium for inflammation research at the time of my dismissal appeal. I'd had a tutor and I had done good at SCNM. I've never really strayed course and had to steer around what Christine choose, which affected my life, career, and family. Of course, I could not forget it even if forgiveness is part of the story. Now is the time for getting this right. Christine also made similar decisions about other students. She has still made no effort to correct the mistake, even though she knew that information was prevented from entering my appeal to show competence. Until Christine makes a solid effort to correct and help overturn my ND dismissal at SCNM, I cannot be silent while she could be responsible for this happening to someone else at nunm. I cannot. She has affected a number of previous ND students, many who were and are talented, and while she is now in the post of president of another ND school, I do expect her to use power in a non-abusive and positive way. It's time to correct what was wrong. She put other women and ND students at risk and investments were affected. I love seeing women succeed, but she received this position without making amends or corrections for previous mistakes that harmed other women. I hope this review will encourage her to reach out to me personally and discuss options for moving forward and getting this resolved. I also hope to share a better review once it is resolved. In the meantime, I am very aware of how Christine affected my financial, academic, and life investment in a negative way while making no effort to change that course (even with evidence to encourage her to do so), and I cannot leave that unnoticed here while this school is under her leadership.