#myVUSM
Senior Send-Off: Kelly Wu
Mar. 27, 2017—Name: Kelly Wu Hometown: Toronto, Canada Intended Specialty: General Surgery What made you decide to become a doctor? Patients. The responsibility and privilege of having your mission be to mend the wounded, heal the sick, and comfort the dying. Not just a job, but a calling that motivates you to get out of bed and...
Student National Medical Association
Mar. 13, 2017—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...
Free Food at Vandy
Mar. 6, 2017—When you’re busy studying for exams or just feel too lazy to cook, there are many options for free food- even gourmet options around the medical center and the Vanderbilt undergraduate campus. In fact, there was a guy who once lived of free food on campus for a week (and didn’t die). I don’t think...
The Business of Mentoring Future Surgeons
Feb. 27, 2017—The Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) is a chapter of the national organization of the same name, which per their website, is “committed to supporting women surgeons at various stages in their career – from medical school through retirement.” Our Vanderbilt chapter is a co-ed group of Vanderbilt medical students interested in surgical specialties, led...
Shade Tree Trot Committee
Feb. 20, 2017—The Shade Tree Trot 5k and associated Benefit Dinner is an annual event that serves as the main fundraiser for our beloved Shade Tree Clinic. You get to work with med students of all years to plan an event that routinely brings in $40,000+ and has nearly 1,000 people in attendance. The Shade Tree Trot...
The Big / Little Program
Feb. 13, 2017—There will be days when you feel like summer sunlight, and there will be days when you feel like your future is an empty room with only closed doors. At Vanderbilt, all first-year medical students are paired with a second-year student for that very reason – regardless of your circumstances, there will always be someone...
Society of Saints Cosmas and Damian
Feb. 6, 2017—The Society of Saints Cosmas and Damian (SSCD) is a student group that exists to provide support and community to Christian, particularly Catholic, medical students at Vanderbilt, so that they can grow in their faith throughout the course of their medical training. Through small group discussions, lectures, worship, and informal gatherings, we hope to address...
Navigating Med School with a Non-Science Major
Jan. 30, 2017—Having completed my undergrad in psychology and then taking two gap years, by the time I entered med school it had been about six years since I had taken any basic science courses. I had also never taken a biochemistry course. So it was safe to say that I was pretty nervous about being able to keep up...
Cookie Decorating Party
Jan. 23, 2017—Advent is one of my favorite times of the year, replete with warm memories from my childhood: feasts with relatives, sledding and snowball fighting with my brothers, religious celebrations with the whole family, and baking Christmas cookies with my mom. Although it’s a time for waiting, I always get impatient for Christmas to come… With...
Physicians for Human Rights
Jan. 16, 2017—VUSM’s Physicians for Human Rights club is a student chapter of the international PHR organization, that "uses medicine and science to document and call attention to mass atrocities and severe human rights violations.” As a student organization, we’re striving to create a community for passionate, engaged students to engage these challenging issues and think about how we...
Celebrating the Holidays with Batson College
Jan. 10, 2017—While the month of December can be stressful with students finishing up their clerkships, studying for an upcoming Homeostasis exam, doing research, or interviewing for residencies, Batson college has the perfect tradition to bring everyone together and provide some holiday cheer: the Batson Holiday Party! Each year, medical students, college mentors, and faculty advisors gather...
Friendsgiving
Jan. 3, 2017—me with my grandparents This year, I had my first Friendsgiving. Mashed potatoes; sweet potatoes; casseroles; veggies; chicken (a poor medical student’s turkey); samosas; gravy; pies (oh, the pies. So, so many pies); whip cream; mulled cider; cookies; brownies; baklava. If they (whoever ‘they’ are) rated schools on sheer enthusiasm for food, Vanderbilt would win by...
Caroling on the Wards
Dec. 12, 2016—“Noeeell, Nooelll, NoeeelllllLLLL! Born is the King of Israel!” These are some of my favorite words to sing each year with the Radial Grooves. The Radial Grooves, which is our on-campus medical, nursing, and audiology student a cappella group, spends a few weeks each year preparing Christmas songs for the holiday season. Our number one...
Staying Active in Med School
Dec. 5, 2016—Staying active in med school can be challenging. However, as future physicians who will give our patients health, we must give ourselves health as well. We don't have to be look like models, but I believe we should model our bodies the same way we do our minds, and strive to be models of health...