Culture
M1 Harrison Thomas takes lead role in the mentoring program that brought him to VUSM
Nov. 17, 2020—by Emma Mattson When Harrison Thomas registered as a junior for a Vanderbilt pre-med mentoring program, he expected to learn about writing a strong personal statement. He expected to practice his interviewing skills. He expected to receive good advice through the whole pre-med process. What he didn’t expect was that two years later he would...
The Best of Both Worlds: How MSTPs Balance Life in Two Advising College Communities
Sep. 28, 2020—by Emma Mattson From Big-Little Reveal to College Cup, the four med school colleges get a lot of well-deserved publicity. But less attention gets paid to an equally crucial support system for our MD PhD students: the MSTP colleges. Maybe you’re an M2 student wondering if the transition to research will be terribly lonely. Maybe...
Meet the newly elected, first-year leaders
Sep. 8, 2020—by Emma Mattson We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the twelve new, first-year leaders on the Council of Class Officers (CCO). Besides generally representing the first-year class, these leaders will host virtual events, provide feedback on curriculum, and collaborate with other CCO leaders on VUSM-wide initiatives. Curious about your new representatives? We talked with...
Latino Medical Student Association leaders talk heritage, antiracism
Aug. 17, 2020—by Emma Mattson When you step on VUSM’s campus, you get to add a new facet to your identity: being a med student. But being a med student doesn’t mean you drop all the other parts of who you are. Anything but! Our culture of wellness at Vanderbilt recognizes that labelling someone a “med student”...
Behind the Scenes: Tracing the 5-year history of our Social Mission Committee
Aug. 3, 2020—by Emma Mattson As any medical student will tell you, medicine is about far more than memorizing anatomy diagrams and symptoms of disease. Being an excellent physician means attending to the holistic needs of your patients—including needs that arise from social factors. As our social mission statement says, VUSM empowers all members of our medical...
How to thrive in your first year of med school: 5 pieces of advice from second year LeAnn Lam
Jul. 27, 2020—LeAnn Lam joined the Vanderbilt med school community in Fall 2019, after spending a year as a research assistant in OB/GYN clinical research at VUMC. Now a second-year med student, Lam shares five pieces of advice for the incoming Class of 2024. 1. If you have imposter syndrome, you’re not alone! Many students (including myself)...
SNMA leaders Jackie Antoun and Helen Gambrah lay foundation for coming year, reaffirm priorities
Jul. 20, 2020—by Emma Mattson Community service, mentorship, a commitment to eliminating health disparities— these values all come together in the Student National Medical Association (SNMA). One of more than 170 chapters across the U.S., the Vanderbilt SNMA holds elections every summer to usher in a new executive board. This June, SNMA members elected Jackie Antoun as...
“Living up to our true mission:” A conversation with Dr. André Churchwell on the history of diversity work at Vanderbilt
Jul. 6, 2020—by Emma Mattson In the forty years since Dr. André Churchwell graduated from medical school, his contributions to diversity and inclusion work have changed the face of U.S. medical education. Since last July, Churchwell has served as the interim vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and the chief diversity officer for Vanderbilt University. On...
Not Just in June: Vanderbilt leaders offer med students advice for supporting the LGBTQ Community in Everyday Healthcare
Jun. 15, 2020—by Emma Mattson Pride Month, celebrated each June, is normally filled with celebrations, parades, and displays of solidarity with the LGBTQ community. But, especially in a year which will go down in epidemiological history, Pride Month is also a time to face the sobering reality of the health disparities afflicting the LGBTQ community. We asked...