Student National Medical Association

Posted by webcomm on Monday, March 13, 2017 in Student Activities .

The Vanderbilt chapter of Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is a student organization at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, dedicated to the eradication of health care disparities by bolstering the pipeline, empowering through education on these disparities, and serving the community. We are committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students, addressing the needs of underserved communities, and increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent, and socially conscious physicians.

Community service is the sine qua non of SNMA and eliminating disparities in health care delivery, disease morbidity, and disease mortality are among our highest priorities. As an example, each year members of the Vanderbilt chapter participate in the annual African Street Festival in the heart of Nashville, where volunteers perform free high blood pressure and diabetes screenings, and provide educational information to the local community.

Committed to increasing the number of culturally capable and sensitive physicians, SNMA is also dedicated to the academic and clinical success of medical students and pre-medical students. Here at Vanderbilt, the SNMA chapter in collaboration with the Office of Admissions is heavily involved in the recruitment of minority students through dinners on interview days, Second Look Weekend, and ongoing communication with accepted and prospective students.

SNMA members also work with youth from elementary school to college to introduce them to the sciences and to serve as mentors. In this way, the SNMA strengthens the educational pipeline that leads from elementary school to medical school. Additionally, we partner and collaborate with the MAPS chapter on the undergraduate Vanderbilt campus to provide one-on-one mentoring to pre-medical students, various events for socializing between aspiring and current medical students, and community service.

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