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Category Archives: Medical School

A family feel at COMP-Northwest

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LEBANON Yes, medical school requires long hours of classes and even more hours of independent study, but first-year COMP-Northwest student Whitney Stewart said a big surprise was that its also fun.

I really wish someone would have told me how much fun medical school would be, Stewart told 20 prospective COMP-Northwest students recently.

Up to 50 prospective students visit the campus each month, according to Jeannie Davis, assistant director of admissions.

COMP-Northwest receives applications from 3,000 students and interviews 300 to select the final 106 each year. The average student has a 3.6 college grade point average and scored a 28 on the MCAT.

The college will graduate its first class next spring.

Panelists ate lunch with a group of students and candidly talked about why they chose the new Lebanon college. They also answered questions such as, What is there to do in such a small town?

Then, the applicants took a tour of the campus and had interviews with staff and community members. They also tried on white lab coats and had their individual photos taken, in the event they are accepted into the program.

It is a two-way street prospective students have to like COMP-Northwest, and faculty have to believe the applicant will be a good fit.

Stewart, a married student from Bend, was joined by Jesse Lee from Portland, Phillip Grenz of Salem, Rika Mehndiratta of Portland and Kirsten Walton and Bryce Arnold from small towns in Idaho.

All said COMP-Northwest was a perfect fit for their personalities, and Walton encouraged the prospective students to, find the medical school that fits your personality. Its important that you find a place where you will succeed.

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A family feel at COMP-Northwest

Ebola – Video

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Ebola
Dr Graham Watkinson, Consultant in Public Health, University of Exeter Medical School, and Senior Lecturer on the Environment and Human Health MSc. For more information on Ebola, view the...

By: University of Exeter

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Ebola - Video

Programs aim to move medical students toward primary care

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Alexa Armstrong, Cronkite News 10:54 p.m. MST November 2, 2014

Sarah Kellerhals (left) is considering a career as a primary-care physician.(Photo: Alexa Armstrong/Cronkite News)

Sarah Kellerhals, a second-year medical school student at University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, says she always knew she wanted to be a primary care doctor rather than specializing in a more lucrative area such as cardiology.

"My parents were in the medical field; my dad was a physician's assistant and my mom was a nurse, and I just kind of always was interested in medicine," Kellerhals said.

When both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer within six months of each other while she was a pre-med undergraduate student, it only strengthened her passion for the field, she said.

"I wanted to know more about it, I wanted to learn more about the human body," Kellerhals said. "I also really enjoyed taking care of them and helping them and I figured that medicine is a great way to continuing caring and helping people."

Arizona doesn't have enough primary care physicians to meet the need in many areas, particularly in rural and underserved parts of the state. According to a study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation that also considered dentists and mental-health professionals, only 53percent of Arizona's primary health care needs are being met.

To combat the problem, UA medical students held a Primary Care Week recently, offering speakers and events to promote the specialty of primary health care and address reservations students may have about entering the field.

Kellerhals, who helped organize the event, said primary care isn't a popular choice among students these days, in large part because of lower salaries versus the high cost of attending medical school.

"Medical school is getting more and more expensive," Kellerhals said. "I do think that a fear that a lot of medical students have is being able to pay off their loans."

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Programs aim to move medical students toward primary care

Massachusetts courts partner with medical school

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BOSTON Judicial officials in Massachusetts are partnering with the University of Massachusetts Medical School to create a center that will help establish uniform and best practices for specialty courts around the state.

The Center of Excellence is designed to strengthen the state's ability to increase public safety while addressing issues of mental health, substance abuse and trauma within the criminal justice system.

Specialty courts focus on improving the treatment and management of defendants with serious substance abuse and health problems.

The new center will be located at UMass Medical School in Worcester. It will develop training for specialty court staff and judges.

The center will work with leaders from the courts and various state agencies, including the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Veterans' Services and the Governor's Crime Commission.

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Massachusetts courts partner with medical school

Simons brought in millions for medical school

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Despite current controversy, former School of Medicine cardiology chief Michael Simons was a prolific recipient of research grants for the University.

Following accusations of sexual misconduct in 2013, Simons faced a reduced penalty of an 18-month suspension, compared to the initial recommendation by the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct that he be removed from his position. While the motivation behind this lesser penalty issued by the University administration has not been publicly disclosed, the millions of dollars Simons brought in annually to the medical school have generated questions of partiality. According to the National Institutes of Health a major source of federal funding for medical research Simons brought in nearly $5 million in research grants annually for the past three fiscal years.

[$5 million] is a lot, Stanford assistant professor Alexander Urban GRD 07 said. I would assume it is above average, but on the other hand [Simons] is a very senior person and that may have helped add funds.

Urban, who received a $2.55 million grant in 2012 and a $293,021 grant in 2014 according to the NIH website, said NIH funding is essential to a major university. He added that there is a chronic sense of panic among biomedical researchers since some labs in recent years have had to slash budgets and layoff researchers.

Simons, on the other hand, could be counted on from a financial perspective. The revenue he brought to the school annually never dipped below $1.5 million over the past five years.

According to the Times, a part of the formal complaint filed against Simons questioned his actions regarding a grant that he was awarded, and whether Simons removed another faculty member from the grant in retaliation. The article further reported that several faculty members interviewed said researchers who attract grants might be given extra latitude.

It is true that a faculty member that does receive a lot of grants is extremely valuable that goes without saying, Urban said. But that should not go so far as to encourage inappropriate action But will it never happen? Of course I cant say that, there might be temptation.

Still, Urban added that he could not cite an example in which an administration may have given preferential treatment for someone who brought in a large sum of grant money. Others interviewed said there is no way to know whether financial value gives individuals preferential treatment from administrators.

Faculty and administrators have stressed the continued importance of NIH revenue for medical research on campus, particularly in light of growing competition among laboratories and diminishing federal support for funding.

There is a lot of uncertainty about research funding from federal budget, Provost Benjamin Polak told the News in October, prior to the allegations of Simons misconduct came to light. Although the sequester ended, the NIH peaked in real terms around 2003 and has been gradually falling in real terms.

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Simons brought in millions for medical school

1st International Antibody Validation Forum 2014: David Rimm – Video

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1st International Antibody Validation Forum 2014: David Rimm
Dr. David Rimm is a Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Yale University School of Medicine. He completed an MD-PhD at Johns Hopkins University Medical School followed by a Pathology.

By: St John #39;s Laboratory Ltd

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1st International Antibody Validation Forum 2014: David Rimm - Video

Dr. Sequist Discusses the OS Analysis of LUX-Lung 3 and LUX-Lung 6 – Video

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Dr. Sequist Discusses the OS Analysis of LUX-Lung 3 and LUX-Lung 6
Lecia V. Sequist, MD, medical oncologist, associate professor, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, discusses the overall survival analysis of the LUX-Lung 3 and LUX-Lung...

By: OncLiveTV

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Dr. Sequist Discusses the OS Analysis of LUX-Lung 3 and LUX-Lung 6 - Video

Arizona programs aim to move med students toward primary care

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PHOENIX -- Sarah Kellerhals, a second-year medical school student at University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, says she always knew she wanted to be a primary care doctor rather than specializing in a more lucrative area such as cardiology.

"My parents were in the medical field; my dad was a physician's assistant and my mom was a nurse, and I just kind of always was interested in medicine," Kellerhals said.

When both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer within six months of each other while she was a pre-med undergraduate student, it only strengthened her passion for the field, she said.

"I wanted to know more about it, I wanted to learn more about the human body," Kellerhals said. "I also really enjoyed taking care of them and helping them and I figured that medicine is a great way to continuing caring and helping people."

Arizona doesn't have enough primary care physicians to meet the need in many areas, particularly in rural and underserved parts of the state. According to a study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation that also considered dentists and mental health professionals, only 53 percent of Arizona's primary health care needs are being met.

To combat the problem, UA medical students held a Primary Care Week recently, offering speakers and events to promote the speciality of primary health care and address reservations students may have about entering the field.

Kellerhals, who helped organize the event, said primary care isn't a popular choice among students these days, in large part because of lower salaries versus the high cost of attending medical school.

"Medical school is getting more and more expensive," Kellerhals said. "I do think that a fear that a lot of medical students have is being able to pay off their loans."

Ana Roscetti, workforce section manager for the Arizona Department of Health Services, said loan-repayment options through the state and federal governments can make primary care more attractive for medical students.

The National Health Services Corps Loan Repayment Program primary care physicians, dentists and mental health professionals $50,000 in financial assistance annually. In exchange, they must sign a two-year contract with a clinic in an underserved area. Primary care professionals can choose to renew their contracts and receive funding until their student loans are paid in full.

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Arizona programs aim to move med students toward primary care

Strength of Oklahoma AFP Rooted in Student Programming

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Almost as soon as they step on campus, medical students at Oklahoma's largest medical school, the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, are introduced to the Oklahoma AFP.

Almost as soon as they step on campus, medical students at Oklahoma's largest medical school, the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, are introduced to the Oklahoma AFP via the school's Family and Community Medicine Interest Group.

Each September, the 160 or so first-year students, along with older medical students, are invited to a welcome luncheon organized by the school's Family and Community Medicine Interest Group, or FCMIG. The FCMIG is a student organization that's sponsored and supported by the Oklahoma chapter's Family Health Foundation.

Last month, about 60 students attended the welcome luncheon, said Kari Ames, deputy director for the Oklahoma AFP, and in addition to enjoying a free meal, students hear various faculty members speak about their specialty and the residency programs located in the state.

It's an important program, said Mina Sardashti, of Oklahoma City, a second-year medical student and student president of FCMIG. Many first-year students have inaccurate ideas about exactly what all family medicine encompasses, she explained.

"Sometimes, family medicine is preconceived as less specialized, and in reality, it is quite specialized," Sardashti said. "Students may not know that it's not just general medicine. Family medicine is very honed into specific skills and diagnostic techniques that other doctors in other fields don't get in their education."

The welcome lunch and subsequent monthly luncheons work to dispel common myths and enable students to explore what it's like to be a family doctor, Sardashti said.

This year, FCMIG student leaders requested more opportunities to connect with residents, whom the students generally perceive as being more relatable and less intimidating than faculty members. They also recommended topics for the residents to address. During the October luncheon, residents involved in mission work, both overseas and in Oklahoma, spoke at the lunch meeting.

"I always enjoy talking to students who are interested in mission work," said Tyler Whitaker, D.O. Chief resident at In His Image Family Medicine Residency in Tulsa, Whitaker spoke at the mission luncheon about why he's choosing to use his medical training as a form of ministry.

"One of the messages I was trying to get across is there's a great need, in the U.S. and around the world, for health care," Whitaker said. "There are great spiritual needs, too, and you can partner the two together. We've been given this great gift of medicine, and we should share it with those who are most in need."

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Strength of Oklahoma AFP Rooted in Student Programming


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