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Meet Jaclyn Lee and Cooper March, the 2020-21 Co-presidents of Student Wellness!
May. 7, 2020—by Emma Mattson This April, the Student Wellness Committee (SWC) transitioned leadership: 2019-20 presidents Stephanie Hadley and Shervin Etemad passed the torch to rising fourth years Jaclyn Lee and Cooper March, who will serve as presidents over the next year. Both March and Lee have been involved in wellness since their first months at Vanderbilt....
MIDP team develops proposal to extend N95 respirator life five-fold during COVID-19 Design Challenge!
May. 4, 2020—by Emma Mattson Six Vanderbilt students in the Medical Innovators Development Program (MIDP) participated as a team in the COVID-19 Design Challenge run by Johns Hopkins University during March 26 through 30. The final result of their work, christened the Phoenix Protocol, offers a novel and efficient way to extend the life of N95 respirators...
Virtual Second Look Weekend is “one for the record books!”
Apr. 28, 2020—by Emma Mattson Earlier this month over 100 admitted students attended VUSM’s Second Look Weekend (SLW)— held virtually via Zoom. Second Look Weekends form a crucial part of the medical school decision for many applicants, and even during a time of social distancing, our students and faculty were determined to give admitted students a taste...
Learning in the time of Coronavirus: Faculty and students adapt curriculum, take on new roles
Apr. 20, 2020—by Emma Mattson Distance learning brings a unique set of hurdles, but our students are up for the challenge. As the School of Medicine transitions to digital learning, medical education has adapted to meet the circumstances. According to William Cutrer, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, all first-year lectures have flipped to virtual streaming,...
Fourth-year med students reflect on Virtual Match Day and offer advice for other med students
Apr. 13, 2020—by Emma Mattson Each year, Match Day marks an important milestone for fourth-year medical students transitioning into residency. This year, we asked ten fourth years to share their reflections on our virtual Match Day, as well as a piece of advice for other med students. Here’s what they had to say. Shaunak Amin I thought...
Robert F. Miller Service Awards announced; recipients share their motivation and goals for service work
Apr. 6, 2020—by Emma Mattson We’re excited to celebrate the 2019-2020 recipients of the Robert F. Miller Award for Community Service and Engagement: Carlos Ortega (VMS1), Sarah Brown (VMS2), Grant MacKinnon (VMS3), Kaitlyn Reasoner (VMS4), and Danny Sack (MSTP). The Robert F. Miller Award was established in 2018 and recognizes five students for their commitment to service....
“This is what you trained for:” A conversation with Class of 2020 President Varun Menon on moving forward in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak
Mar. 23, 2020—by Emma Mattson We spoke with VUSM Class of 2020 President Varun Menon (VMS4) about the experience of being a medical student during the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are the words of reflection and encouragement he shared during this crisis. What reactions and responses have you heard from your class in light of the recent COVID-19...
At the Precipice of the Unknown: VUSM Alumni share their memories from past Match Days!
Mar. 9, 2020—by Emma Mattson Michael Young started looking forward to Match Day before he even entered medical school. As a college student, Young (VUSM Class of 2009) watched a recording of Vanderbilt’s Match Day. Even then, he sensed the excitement of the event and wondered what his own Match Day would be like. The event certainly...
Community-inspired Health Equity: a conversation with Dean Consuelo Wilkins
Mar. 2, 2020—by Emma Mattson “Being able to bring people together and collaborate, come up with shared mutual interests and strategies that benefit both institutions—that’s what drives me.” That’s Dr. Consuelo Wilkins, Vanderbilt professor of medicine and Executive Director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, a trans-institutional partnership between Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Wilkins’ love...
Facing outward, giving back: MD Student Ambassadors offer a unique resource to new classes of medical students
Feb. 24, 2020—by Emma Mattson Third-year medical student Matt Lan still fondly remembers his interview day, which coincided with Vanderbilt’s College Cup, an annual Olympics-style competition between the four School of Medicine advisory colleges. “I just remember seeing all the students being really happy and really close with each other,” Lan said. “There were faculty around as...